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Send a text The 25th Winter Olympics are now well under way in the Italian alps. By the time the games close, 2,800 athletes representing more than 90 Olympic Committees will have competed across 116 events in 16 disciplines.   And for the very first time events are taking place at two host cities - Milan and Cortina - in a bid to make this a truly sustainable gathering. But with climate change at the very heart of the conversation around winter sports - what might future games look like? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games Executive Director at the International Olympic Committee, Daniel Scott Professor and Strategic Director for Climate Change Education in Environment at Canada’s University of Waterloo, and Beau Welling, President of World Curling.

Send a text The ongoing geopolitical turmoil aside, the rise of artificial intelligence once again dominated the conversation at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.  Almost daily now we hear stories of how AI will change our lives and many new tech companies came here to the Swiss Alps to share their innovations with the world.  So what emerged from this year’s gathering? And what does it mean for the future of humanity? Joining Juliet Mann on this special edition of The Agenda from Davos are Gong Yingying, founder and Chair of Chinese healthcare giant Yidu Tech, Faroz Sheikh,  Chief Information and Digital Officer at agritech firm, Syngenta, Harvey Mason Jr, CEO at the US Recording Academy, and multiple grammy-award winning tech entrepreneur, will.i.am.

Send a text Keir Starmer has now become the first British Prime Minister to visit China in eight years. He met both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, calling China “a vital player on a global scale” with whom the UK was seeking “a more sophisticated relationship”.   For his part, President Xi called on China & the UK to jointly advocate and practice “true multilateralism”.  But what does all this really tell us about UK-China relations? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Professor Jinghan Zeng, Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong, Professor Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London and Steven Lynch, Director of the British Chamber of Commerce.

Send a text This week’s Agenda comes from the World Economic Forum in Davos, where global leaders, business titans and big thinkers have gathered under the theme “A sprit of dialogue”.  But conversations were in danger of being overshadowed by Donald Trump’s military and tariff threats over Greenland, remarks the US President later rowed back on after touching down in the Swiss Alps.  Attention has since turned to other geopolitical flashpoints, from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to rising tensions with Iran. We sat down with Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and candidate to become the next UN Secretary-General, and Joe Ngai, Senior Partner & Chairman, McKinsey Greater China, McKinsey & Company.

Send a text For more than half a century, Silicon Valley has been the epicentre of global technology. More recently, the rise of China has certainly begun to challenge that dominance.  So how is the tech battle likely to play out? And are there other countries out there ready to become key global players? In this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Tech Expert and author of "The New Geography of Innovation" - Mehran Gul to find out.

Send a text Australia has now become the first country in the world to ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media. Young people can now no longer set up new accounts on services including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads, and all existing profiles must be deactivated, But the youth of Australia aren't taking the ban lightly - with two teenagers heading to the country's High Court early next year to try to overturn the ban.  The rest of the world - and the tech giants - are watching closely, with Denmark already announcing similar plans for the future. China has already taken steps with it’s own plans for a “cleaner net”. To discuss the ban and where it might take us, on this edition of The Agenda Juliet Mann is joined by Australian Youth Engagement specialist Paris McNeil, Mikkel Flyvebom, Professor at Denmark's Copenhagen Business School and Dr Crystal Li Jiang, Director of Outreach and Engagement in the Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong Kong.

Send a text As we come to the end of the first year of Donald Trump's second Presidency, a shift is underway in the United States.   Political and demographic changes across the country have seen a new generation of leaders stepping forward and a different approach to multilateralism.   But what does it all really mean for America and its relations with the rest of the world? Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agena are Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, David Andersen, Associate Professor in US Politics in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University and Mark Shanahan, Political Engagement Professor at the University of Surrey.

Send a text The UK economy has been in the spotlight recently as Finance Minister - or Chancellor of the Exchequer as she's known in Britain - Rachel Reeves delivered the annual budget. With her Labour party languishing in the polls in spite of their landslide election victory 18 months ago, sluggish growth and a real cost of living crisis, the pressure was really on.  And not everyone is happy as she delivered measures which mean British citizens will now face the highest tax take ever. So what does this say about the economics, and politics of the UK? And its standing on the world stage?  Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agenda are Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, Iain Begg, Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science and Chris Southworth, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce

Send a text As artificial intelligence spreads into almost every aspect of our lives concerns over its regulation are becoming increasingly acute.  The EU recently signalled a potential delay to key enforcement deadlines of its landmark AI Act, which many see as a victory for tech giants in the battle for stricter regulation. So where is the world of AI and its regulation heading?  On this edition of The Agenda Juliet Mann talks to Virginia Dignum, Professor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence and member of the UN High Level Advisory Body on AI, Fabian Westerheide, CEO at Rise of AI, and Qiaochu Zhang, Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.

Send a text Global leaders, climate experts and NGOs are now in the city of Belem, Brazil ready for the negotiatons to begin at COP30. They are gathering at the place known as the gateway to the Amazon amidst a rather depressing backdrop -with the latest figures showing global temperatures still rising and climate targets missed by almost everyone.   So what can we expect from this COP? And have we left it too late to save the planet? Joining Juliet Mann on this episode of The Agenda are Ivo de Boer, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Karl Falkenberg, Senior Adviser at Shearwater Global and Former EU Director-General for the Environment, and Benjamin Horton, Dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong.

Send a text China has now set out its plans for the next 5 years. The blueprint for development from 2026-2030 covers guiding principles for economic and social development -  everything from new technology to agricultural advancement, job creation to high-quality growth.  So what does this all actually  mean for China? And indeed the rest of the world? On this special edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann gets the thoughts of Dr. Palitha Kohona  - Former Sri Lanka Ambassador to China and now CEO of AsiaAdvisors, Janusz Wojciechowski, Former European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Qian Jun, Professor of Finance and Executive Dean at the International School of Finance at Fudan University, Heiwai Tang, Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong and Margit Molnar, Head of the China Desk at the OECD Economics Dept

Send a text While China discussed the details of its next five year plan in Beijing – this week Juliet Mann went to Nicosia where an incredible mix of politicians, academics and broadcast experts gathered for the China-Cyprus-Europe Media Forum – an event designed to consider how increasing media exchanges and cooperation can shape a better future for relations between China and Cyprus, and indeed the rest of Europe. And as at the 4th Plenum in Beijng, technology was at the forefront of the event – especially how AI is changing the economic and media landscape. So in this special edition of The Agenda, from the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation Headquarters in Nicosia, Juliet Mann is joined by Thanasis Tsokos, Director General of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, Liu Zhen, Vice President of Kuaishou Technology, Rita Fatiguso, China expert and former Beijing Correspondent of the Italian channel Il Sole 24 Ore,  Professor Fu Xiaoguang from the Communication University of China in Beijing, and Elli Kotziamani, Chair of the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee and Director of the News Department at the Greek network, Ant1.

Send a text The United Nations is now celebrating its 80th anniversary. Set up in the wake of the Second World War, it was designed to maintain peace across the globe, fostering friendly relations between nations. But eight decades on, with the world a markedly different place, what does the organization need to do to maintain its position at the heart of 21st century geopolitics? In this editon of The Agenda, Juliet Mann travels to Madrid to speak exclusively to Maria Fernanda Espinosa – who served as the President of the 73rd General Assembly – one of only five women in history to have held that position.

Send a text Despite Donald Trump’s claim that “Europe is in serious trouble” over illegal immigration, UN data shows arrivals have actually fallen sharply. Yet migration remains one of Europe’s most divisive issues, shaping politics, fuelling populism, and driving tough new border policies.    On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann explores whether Europe’s approach to migration is working and if the continent is being fuelled by fear rather than facts with Heaven Crawley, Former Director of the Migration for Development and Equality Hub, Klaus Jurgens, Director of EconomyFirst and Dr Paolo Novak,  Senior Lecturer in Development Studies and Co-Director of Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at SOAS

Send a text The rise of AI is set to send the semiconductor industry skyrocketing to a value of over $1 trillion by 2030. But as the market expands, so too does the battle for global control.  So who's really leading the way? Just where do chips fit in to the current global trade tensions? And is the race to sign up a new generation of tech talent the next vital battleground?   On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Dr Steven Hai, Assistant Professor in Tech-Innovations at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University & Affiliate Fellow at King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Malcolm Penn, founder and CEO of Future Horizons and Christopher Thomas, Chairman of Integrated Insights.