World Business Report

The European Union and the White House have confirmed a 15% deal, including European cars and pharmaceuticals, in a joint statement clarifying their tentative trade deal announced last month.And in our Africa series this month, today we discuss the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to create a single market for goods and services in the continent, boosting trade and economic integration.Plus, Microsoft's head of artificial intelligence says he's alarmed by rising cases of a phenomenon dubbed "AI psychosis"—that’s relying so heavily on chatbots and losing touch with reality.

The Chair of the Federal Reserve chair are under scrutiny from Donald Trump after fraud allegations emerge about Governor Lisa Cook. How will it affect the interest rate decision? The authorities in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi have declared an emergency and a public holiday after monsoon rains paralysed the city. We hear from the local business owner.Sony PlayStation increased the price on its console. Is it one of the consequences of the trade war?And we look at Denmark's decision to tax cow and sheep burps for greenhouse gas reasons.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

Net profits of Labubu maker, Pop Mart, have soared by nearly 400%, and the company's Hong Kong-listed shares are up more than 570%, and it's now worth more than twice as much as Mattel – which makes Barbie. We will look at why these elf-like dolls, made by the Chinese, are trending. After a five-year pause, China and India are going to restart direct flights between the two countries. And today, in our Africa series, we're in Kenya, where a tech company in Nairobi is encouraging the use of Bitcoin in one of Africa’s largest slums.

American farmers warn of lasting damage as Chinese importers choose cheaper alternatives from other countries like Russia and BrazilAlso, tariffs risk taking some of the steam out of the US coffee industry.And Roger Hearing hears why the British horseracing sector could face strike action over proposed betting tax changes.

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.