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Episode details

World Service,11 Dec 2014,28 mins

Russia Raises Interest Rates

World Business Report

Available for over a year

Russia's central bank has hiked interest rates by one full percentage point in response to the falling rouble - the Russian currency has lost nearly 50% of its value against the dollar this year. We hear from the streets of Moscow on what this means for ordinary Russians, as well as from a Russian economist on where the economy is heading. A long-simmering row between newspaper publishers and Google has just exploded again, with Google pulling the plug on its Google News service in Spain - we get the latest from Madrid. A new study suggests there are more than five trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, weighing a total of nearly 270,000 tons. A Greenpeace scientist gives their view. And, do you struggle to finish a book? If so, don't worry, you are not alone. New research has highlighted the books that most people struggle to finish.

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