World Business Report

Italian confectionery giant Ferrero, maker of Ferrero Rocher and Nutella, is in a standoff with Turkish hazelnut dealers. Why? Turkey, the world’s largest hazelnut producer, has been hit by poor weather, a bad harvest, and pest infestations, sending prices soaring.In Jamaica, a catastrophe bond will release millions to help the country rebuild after Hurricane Melissa.Meanwhile, who is Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, selling AI chips now?And with pumpkins, costumes, and candy, billions are spent worldwide each Halloween, boosting economies everywhere.Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer/Editor: Niamh McDermott

The US President Donald Trump believes a trade deal could be signed "pretty soon", after holding talks with President Xi Jinping of China. Presenter Andrew Peach hears from US farmers after China agrees to buy soyabeans from the US. Can Canada really become an energy superpower? We hear how it is pitching energy exports to the South East Asian market. And major record labels like the Universal Music Group are set to work with an artificial intelligence platform Udio, after settling a copyright dispute.

After what President Trump calls an “amazing” meeting in South Korea, the US and China strike a trade truce. But is it really a full deal? We break down what’s behind the tariff talks. In South Africa, millions of dollars are being pumped into tackling its chronic youth unemployment problem. And as the US shutdown continues, airlines are losing millions of dollars a day. We hear from the CEO of Delta Air Lines.Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Niamh Mc Dermott Editor: Stephen Ryan

President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping are meeting in South Korea for the first time since 2019. Presenter Sam Fenwick hears what’s at stake in crucial talks between the two leaders. Also, the owner of a US-based coffee roastery in New York tells us what tariffs and inflation mean for his business. And, what do the latest results from Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta tell us about investment in AI?(FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands while walking at Mar-a-Lago estate after a bilateral meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo)

President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump have visited central Texas today to survey where flash floods killed 120 people last weekend. As search teams continue to search for more than 160 people still missing, Mr Trump and his wife met families affected by the floods and first responders.Dr Sam Brody, Director of the Institute for Disaster Resilient Texas and a Professor at Texas A&M University discusses how disasters like this might be avoided in the future.Also on the programme, what impact could the 35% tariffs for Canada announced by Trump yesterday have on businesses there and why the post-covid trend of converting office buildings to homes is gathering momentum in New York.

The big event of 2021 that will shape economies all over the world for decades to come was the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. The meeting saw a deluge of promises, but what was actually achieved? Martin Webber speaks to Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency and economist Irwin Stelzer, from the Hudson Institute in the United States.It was another boom year for the pharmaceutical industry as it crafted the vaccines that have saved so many lives. Of the 8 billion coronavirus vaccinations worldwide, one billion have been delivered by the US logistics company, UPS. We hear from Wes Wealer, President of UPS healthcare.And small business owners have had a bleak time for much of the past year. But many of those that have survived now feel optimistic. We hear from the owner of the Aroma speciality coffee shop in Bologna in Italy, Cristina Caroli, about her year.

Covid-19 is set to prompt radical long term changes to how we live and work, so what lessons can be learnt when we eventually emerge from the pandemic? Could the changes in the way we work herald higher productivity and happier people in the future?We hear the stories of the people who managed to thrive during a very difficult year, including the milkman who saw a boom in deliveries and the dancer who found work in South Korea when the London stage went dark.Martin Webber is joined by Professor Devi Sridhar who holds the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh; economist Roger Bootle, of Capital Economics; Robert Reich, former Labour Secretary under President Clinton; Tomas Philipson, who was Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Mr Trump; and actor Thomas Inge who is currentl starring in the musical Cats in South Korea.