World Business Report

A US federal court has blocked Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which the Trump administration is appealing. The news comes amid ongoing trade negotiations – so what does this mean for a global trade war? And David Harper asks is this the end of the story?

Nvidia, a huge success in the tech world, reported its latest quarterly earnings. The chipmaker, vying with Apple for the position of the world's richest company, beat expectations despite export controls. Elon Musk, , the billionaire and co-founder and CEO of Tesla, has criticised one of the signature policies of President Donald Trump, marking a break from the US president who he helped to win re-election in 2024. And the meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the populist government approved plans for sale. Roger hears from a food tour guide who tested the meat before.

US banana giant Chiquita has laid off around 5,000 workers following a month-long strike as part of nationwide industrial action. Workers are protesting against new social security laws lowering pensions. In 2023, Panama exported $273m of bananas, making it the 13th largest exporter of bananas in the world. What do the layoffs mean for Panama and the wider banana industry?In Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) celebrates its 50th anniversary amid recent exits from prominent member states. David Harper looks at the latest market developments from Shein, Temu and Nissan.

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.