and lower consumer confidence are to blame. our business editor simonjack has been to cardiff to talk to small businesses about the financial pressures they re facing. going, going gone. this wine merchant is picking up the last of the stock as he shuts down his business. 2023 shaping up to be a little shop of horrors. the number of companies in critical financial distress up caught in the last three months and this year is expected to see business failures than any since the crisis of 2009. i realised the shot wasn t valid anymore, i had to close the shop i went back online where i started originally but there was not the same, not the same spending power in the markets i could not make ends meet, i could not make ends meet, i could not make ends meet, i could not pay my suppliers or myself and the additional cost. that s when i realised it was not a valid business. insolvency experts say thousands of other business owners may find themselves in the same boat. it owners may
And the unmistakeable voice of football for 50 years, john motson, says hes hanging up his sheepskin coat and retiring next year. I did my first ever commentary for bbc tv from this very gantry and in those days, nobody had heard of the internet, although i can vouch i did say at the time its in the net. Good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. One of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the atlantic has been battering the caribbean islands of antigua, barbuda and anguilla causing major damage. The category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts of up to 225mph, is now heading towards the British Virgin islands, puerto rico and then may hit florida by the end of the week. Airports have closed on several islands and people have flocked to shops for food, water, and emergency supplies before taking shelter. French ministers says its already caused major damage in french run saint martin and st ba rts. In st martin, government buildings, the most sturdy there, have been de
Plus, high aspirations. We meet the pharmaceuticals chief pushing cannabis as the answer to americas opioid addiction crisis. Hello, and welcome to bbc news. Hurricane irma threatened much, and its delivering on that threat. One of the most powerful atlantic storms on record has pummeled a number of caribbean islands, notably the leeward islands, with extremely heavy rain accompanied by winds of up to 320km h. Thats 200 miles an hour. The Prime Minister of Antigua And Barbuda has told the bbc 90 of buildings on barbuda have been demolished. He said the island, home to about 1,800 people, is now just rubble. A 2 year old child is believed to have died and 6 people are reported dead on saint martin and the neighbouring territory of st ba rts. The eye of the hurricane has passed over the British Virgin islands. Puerto rico awaits, as does florida. Andy moore reports. The island of barbuda, home to 1600 people, was one of the first places to be hit by irma, and it bore the full runt. To be
World business report. Draghis dilemma. The soaring euro poses a new problem for the European Central bank as it debates when to wind down its massive stimulus programme. Plus, High Aspirations we meet the pharma chief whos pushing cannabis as the answer to americas opioid addiction crisis. Welcome to World Business report. Im sally bundock. Also in the programme, the us is said to seek a ban on crude oil to north korea. Details in a moment. But first, we start in frankfurt, where in a few hours time the European Central bank holds its latest policy meeting. The big question when will it begin to raise Interest Rates from their historic lows, and start unwinding the massive Economic Stimulus Programme thats been in place since the financial crisis . Some say its about time. But its a big dilemma for ecb chief mario draghi. Lets show you why. The eurozone economy is in much better shape. Its growing atjust over 2 a year. And the recovery is broad, including weaker nations such as greece
Get the view from asia and this is the situation in the markets in europe as they open on the up. A lot of investors waiting for that key decision from the ecb. And reaching for the stars. Well be getting the inside track from a South African entrepreneur known for his passion for democratic technology and a spell on the International Space station. So today we are asking what are your astro ambitions . If you were given the chance to go to the International Space station, what would you do . Just use the hashtag bbcbizlive. Hello and welcome to business live. We start in frankfurt where in a few hours time the European Central bank holds its latest policy meeting. The big question when will it begin to raise Interest Rates from their historic lows and start unwinding the massive Economic Stimulus Programme thats been in place since the financial crisis . Its a big dilemma for ecb chief mario draghi. Lets show you why. The eurozone economy is in much better shape, growing atjust over 2