When Star Wars launched, it helped usher in the era of the blockbuster. In the wake of the film, came the figures. Forty years on from their launch, the original toys have now become highly sought after - some fetching a few hundred thousand dollars.  We head to the largest toy fair in Europe dedicated to buying and selling Star Wars figures. We look at how much the toys are now worth and speak to some of the super fans now buying them - and explore how big the market for the vintage figures is. Presenter/producer: Rowan Bridge (Photo: Someone dressed in The Mandalorian costume at a Star Wars toy fair, with fans in the background)

Star Wars: The empire strikes cash

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Across the region, there are examples of economic success stories: countries, companies and people that are getting things right, transforming their local economies and bringing prosperity to the region. We go to Peru, where fruit producers are enjoying a blueberry boom.  We hear from Uruguay, which generates almost all its electricity from renewable energy, and we visit a factory Mexico that’s benefiting from “nearshoring” and the country’s proximity to the United States. We talk to two female entrepreneurs – one from Chile and one from Colombia – on how the ecosystem for start-ups has evolved in their countries and the exciting possibilities the region has to offer. Produced and presented by Gideon Long (Image: Close-up on a worker loading baskets of blueberries on a truck at a plantation. Credit: Getty Images)

Latin America’s success stories

From soybean production to coffee exports to sugar cane, grains and tropical fruit - agriculture is powering the Brazilian economy. We travel to a farm outside the capital Brasilia, and look at how the country could play a major role in providing the world with food security in the years ahead. And we consider a major threat to agriculture – climate change, which is forcing Brazilian farmers to adapt to survive. We talk to the Brazilian head of the International Coffee Organisation –  on what her home country can do to deal with extreme weather events. And away from agriculture, we consider Brazil’s heavy industry, and ask why it hasn’t made more of its rich musical heritage. Produced and presented by Gideon Long. (Image: Cultivation of sugarcane in the interior of the State of São Paulo. Huge areas are cultivated and after harvesting will come sugar, alcohol, drink and ethanol. Credit: Getty Images)

Brazil’s agricultural boom

Go back 50 years and Latin America was generally wealthier than East Asia. But that has been reversed.  While the economies of East and South East Asia have taken off, enjoying a so-called "economic miracle", Latin America’s have experienced only tepid growth, despite the region’s enormous potential. Gideon Long asks why. We go to Singapore, one of the most open and business friendly nations on earth, to visit a factory making credit cards using the latest computer chips. And we ask economists what Latin America can learn from the 'Asian Tigers'. (Image: A photograph of a tourist boat in Singapore next to a drone view shot showing buildings in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Credit: Reuters/EPA) Presented and produced by Gideon Long
Reporter: Monica Miller

Latin America and the Asian tiger economies

It's a region blessed with incredible natural resources, from copper to lithium to rich agricultural lands. It’s home to vibrant cultures, amazing music and creative and talented people. And yet it has never fulfilled its enormous economic potential.  All too often it’s lurched from boom to bust, from hyperinflation to debt crises. We ask why that is.  We consider corruption, crime, inequality, excessive bureaucracy and weak governance.  We look at Argentina’s long decline and Venezuela’s economic implosion, and ask what Latin America can do to bring greater prosperity to its people. Produced and presented by Gideon Long (Image: A man waves an Argentine flag during the demonstration. Members of the Argentine Workers' General Confederation and social organizations protested against new Argentine President Javier Milei's economic reforms, outside the Justice Palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Credit: Getty Images)

What’s holding Latin America back?

We head to the robot workshop home of Marty the robotical. Sandy Enoch founded the Scottish tech firm Robotical which creates educational robots. Produced and presented by Dougal Shaw. (Image: Marty the robot)

Star Wars: The empire strikes cash

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