:00:00. > :00:00.outbreak. Those are the latest headlines from BBC World News. Now
:00:00. > :00:18.for the latest financial news with World Business Report.
:00:19. > :00:26.America's fast food fight heats up as restaurants brace for more
:00:27. > :00:29.protests over pay. Under pressure to act ` will the
:00:30. > :00:38.European Central Bank start printing money to kick start the region's
:00:39. > :00:49.stagnant economy? Welcome to World Business Report. In
:00:50. > :00:52.just a moment, the Bank of Japan has also been meeting and we will have
:00:53. > :00:56.the latest details for you. But the latest details for you. But
:00:57. > :00:57.first... More disruption on the menu for fast
:00:58. > :01:03.food chains across this Thursday as workers step up
:01:04. > :01:06.their demands for better pay. The likes of McDonalds, Wendys and
:01:07. > :01:13.Burger King are expected to face protests in around 150 US cities.
:01:14. > :01:15.The row is becoming highly politicised, as the Democrats
:01:16. > :01:16.for an increase in the federal minimum wage
:01:17. > :01:19.for an increase in the federal congressional elections.
:01:20. > :01:26.Meanwhile, business owners warn that higher wages will mean fewer jobs.
:01:27. > :01:28.The Fast Food Forward movement is demanding a minimum of $15 an hour.
:01:29. > :01:30.They also want workers to be able to join a union without retaliation.
:01:31. > :01:37.Many fast food workers earn more than the federal minimum wage,
:01:38. > :01:41.which is currently just $7.25 per hour. That equates to just over
:01:42. > :01:46.$15,000 a although many don't know how many
:01:47. > :01:56.hours they'll be given from week to week.
:01:57. > :02:13.is $15,730. Samira Hussain reports from New
:02:14. > :02:23.York. For months, protests have been raging across the country. Low`wage
:02:24. > :02:28.workers are demanding higher pay. And to be able to form a union.
:02:29. > :02:33.While those goals are lofty, their voices are being heard. The last
:02:34. > :02:38.year has been a phenomenal success for the low`wage workers movement.
:02:39. > :02:45.The conversation has been elevated at the state and invisible level, ``
:02:46. > :02:52.local council level, increasing wages across 13 states. It has been
:02:53. > :02:53.five years since the last increase to the national minimum wage
:02:54. > :03:01.this administration wants that to change. In America, no one who works
:03:02. > :03:07.full`time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. A hard day's
:03:08. > :03:11.work deserves a fair day's K and raising the minimum wage would give
:03:12. > :03:19.a fair boost to hard`working families. But the minimum wage is
:03:20. > :03:20.wrapped in politics. In this divided Congress, passing any new
:03:21. > :03:26.legislation is increasingly difficult. Despite the lack of
:03:27. > :03:28.political will at the federal level, workers at places like these will
:03:29. > :03:39.continue their push for better wages.
:03:40. > :03:41.We are also keeping a close eye on the European Central Bank this
:03:42. > :03:44.Thursday. It's facing intense pressure from financial markets to
:03:45. > :03:47.take action today to boost Europe's stagnant economy. It has already
:03:48. > :03:55.slashed interest rates to record lows and announced a plan to provide
:03:56. > :03:59.more lending to banks. The big question is whether it will follow
:04:00. > :04:01.the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England and begin printing money to
:04:02. > :04:08.pump into the financial system, which is called quantitative easing
:04:09. > :04:21.or QE. Thank you for joining us. Good to see you. Several speeches
:04:22. > :04:26.from Mario Draghi over the last couple of months implied that he
:04:27. > :04:30.does want a weaker euro and he does standby to make any aggressive
:04:31. > :04:37.policy measures that are necessary. That being said, the markets might
:04:38. > :04:46.be pricing in quantitative easing already. I don't think it will
:04:47. > :04:50.happen today. He cut interest rates in June and he will more than likely
:04:51. > :04:55.want to see the effect take hold. There is also the possibility of
:04:56. > :05:00.providing low`cost loans to banks in order to fuel the credit system and
:05:01. > :05:04.promote growth in that way. Quantitative easing is a last resort
:05:05. > :05:09.and it might not happen today, despite market participants already
:05:10. > :05:15.working for it. Inflation is one of the main concerns that Mario Draghi
:05:16. > :05:21.has spoken about in the run`up to this decision. It is still far below
:05:22. > :05:26.the eurozone's targets. It is less than one fifth of the target. And
:05:27. > :05:31.the eurozone recovery seems to have ground to a halt as well. There are
:05:32. > :05:39.fears that this will prevent people from spending. And it does not help
:05:40. > :05:43.to cut some of the massive debt holdings of some eurozone nations.
:05:44. > :05:46.It is important inflation makes a return so that the eurozone can get
:05:47. > :05:54.back onto an even keen and start to look for growth and employment as a
:05:55. > :05:58.result. Your opinion seems to correlate with wider thinking on the
:05:59. > :06:03.issue that quantitative easing is the path he will choose but we will
:06:04. > :06:12.not see it necessarily on Thursday. However, there are objectors, not
:06:13. > :06:14.least in Germany. Germany will certainly be a barrier and Mario
:06:15. > :06:18.Draghi will need to have Angela Merkel on side if he does want to
:06:19. > :06:23.embark on such an aggressive tactics. France and Italy have been
:06:24. > :06:29.looking for more monetary stimulus, especially France, but their
:06:30. > :06:33.credibility is low as they keep missing their budget deficits in the
:06:34. > :06:38.case of France and Italy, which is in its third recession in five
:06:39. > :06:41.years. They are looking for a low euro in order to increase growth.
:06:42. > :06:45.Getting Germany on side is one thing, but you will have to see
:06:46. > :06:51.fiscal and structural reforms in these countries if unstated easing
:06:52. > :06:59.is to work and is to have a sustainable effect. The other
:07:00. > :07:02.options on the table... We have heard talk of the need for
:07:03. > :07:08.structural reforms. What does that mean? Certainly, there is a general
:07:09. > :07:13.feeling out there that there is an issue in monetary transmission. And
:07:14. > :07:17.with the way that works, it does not matter how much credit goes in, it
:07:18. > :07:22.does not necessarily filter its way down to the correct areas. When it
:07:23. > :07:26.comes to asset`backed securities, there is a possibility that Mario
:07:27. > :07:30.Draghi could suggest packaging up a lot of bank debt and monetising it.
:07:31. > :07:34.This is something that has been mentioned in the past but it does
:07:35. > :07:39.seem to have been kicked into the long grass for the time being. There
:07:40. > :07:43.is a feeling that perhaps this particular area is not large enough
:07:44. > :07:47.to save the eurozone from its self. Structural reforms are certainly
:07:48. > :07:50.required across the eurozone and we do need to have fiscal policy
:07:51. > :08:00.measures in place if the monetary policy is to work correctly. Thank
:08:01. > :08:04.you. Let's stick with our seam of central bank because the Bank of
:08:05. > :08:20.Japan also has its monthly meeting today. `` our seam of `` our theme
:08:21. > :08:24.of central banks. The bank of Japan has kept monetary policy on hold.
:08:25. > :08:28.They are under pressure, as you have mentioned, but they believe the
:08:29. > :08:35.recent downturn is just a blip and are optimistic that the economy is
:08:36. > :08:41.in recovery. The retraction in this quarter is due to a recent sales tax
:08:42. > :08:47.rise and that could make the inflation target of 2% harder to
:08:48. > :08:53.achieve. They have flagged housing supply as a weak spot. The Japanese
:08:54. > :09:01.economy shrank in the April to June period. Animals expect a 3.8% bounce
:09:02. > :09:06.back in this ongoing quarter. `` analyst expect. Behind that is
:09:07. > :09:10.stability in the labour market and income conditions. It has offered
:09:11. > :09:16.hopes that the Cabinet reshuffle options or are they will give fresh
:09:17. > :09:26.momentum to his growth oriented policies. Thank you.
:09:27. > :09:29.In other news, Samsung has stepped up its battle with arch`rival Apple,
:09:30. > :09:32.unveiling new versions of its Galaxy Note phablet ` which is half phone,
:09:33. > :09:36.half tablet ` at the IFA technology show in Berlin. It also showcased a
:09:37. > :09:40.virtual reality headset to use with the devices. Apple is widely
:09:41. > :09:55.expected to launch a new generation iPhone and smartwatch at an event
:09:56. > :09:58.next week. US health giant Johnson and Johnson
:09:59. > :10:06.says it is fast tracking clinical tests for a vaccine for the Ebola
:10:07. > :10:11.virus. There are plans to test one vaccine developed by Canadian
:10:12. > :10:18.scientists, which has been licensed to a genetics company in the autumn.
:10:19. > :10:24.Thank you for watching. I will be back in a moment for a look through
:10:25. > :10:34.the morning's newspapers. Don't go away.
:10:35. > :10:38.The number of anti`Semitic incidents in Britain has gone up since this
:10:39. > :10:39.summer's conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to a