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Quest Means Business

Markets Jump On Optimism For Quick End To Conflict; Hegseth: Regime Change Has Occurred In Iran; Cacdac: 7K Filipino Sailors Stranded In Persian Gulf; Trump Celebrates King Charles' Upcoming State Visit; Small Business Owners Vulnerable To Spike In Gas Prices; A Look Inside India's $130 Plus Billion Wedding Industry. Aired 4-4:45p ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:18]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Closing bell ringing on Wall Street. Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! We are up

over a thousand on the Dow. According to various -- I don't know, you take your money, you take your choice. November the 30th, 2024 was the last time

we saw a thousand plus points gain. One and a two, and a one, two, three, four.

I take such satisfaction when the hammer doesn't break because they try so hard. All the indices are up. The triple stack, we will show later that

that is also sharply higher on the Dow.

Those are the markets, oh there's the triple stack, ask and ye shall receive. What more can we wish. Nearly four percent on the NASDAQ.

Those are the markets and the messages that we are following today for you.

Get your own oil: A blunt message from President Trump to his allies as he considers pulling out of Iran without the conflict -- without the reopening

of the Strait.

Lines in the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, it is Atlanta to you and me have gone from hours to minutes. TSA is returning to work. I

will speak to the airport's general manager.

And temperatures are going up and the price of cooling is going down. I will speak to the owner of an Italian ice truck.

Live from New York. It is Tuesday, March the 31st, last day of the month. I am Richard Quest, and I mean business.

Good evening.

Optimism has returned to Wall Street. Investors are excited about the prospect of a quick end to the war in Iran, or at least an end soon enough.

They opened higher. They jumped around midday, and then, as unconfirmed reports, that Iran's leaders are open to a deal, you see the numbers on the

screen.

"The Journal" reported that President Trump is open to ending the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He would rather keep the conflict

from extending beyond his timeline of four to six weeks. Also, the President appears unconcerned about countries facing energy supply crunch,

posting on Truth Social: They should learn to fight for themselves, and in his words, "Go get your own oil."

Kevin Liptak is at The White House.

This seems to be, correct me, please, but this seems to be the President trying to jaw-jaw the market, because as I understand it, there is actually

no evidence of any of all of this.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and I think you're probably right that the President is looking at the markets and looking for

ways to try and juice them, at least in the short term. But I think it is also evident the President is facing some, you know, countervailing

imperatives here.

One is to try and get energy prices down. The only way you can really do that is if you get the Strait of Hormuz open. Officials here, analysts

around the world suggest that that's going to be a longer term proposition than the one week that's left in the President's own timeline to end the

war, which is his other imperative here, which is to try and get this war ended by the s-x week timeline that he set out at the beginning.

And I think it is evident that The White House in looking at both of those impulses, is choosing the latter. It is choosing to try and end this

conflict before that six-week timeline expires, with the recognition that the longer it goes on and the longer it goes past that six weeks, that the

political support is going to erode among the president's supporters, which is why you hear The White House coming out and saying that reopening the

Strait is not a prerequisite for ending the war.

You know, the Press Secretary said that fairly explicitly yesterday, listing off those other military objectives that the President has set, but

saying that the reopening of the Strait is not one of them, but the strategy seems to be now is to call on these European countries,

essentially asking them to reopen it.

But when you listen to European leaders, they are sort of suggesting that the President is trying to get them to clean up a problem of his own

making, which is part of the reason none of them are necessarily jumping on this request by the President, at least in the near term.

QUEST: What did -- I don't know why I am asking you this sort of in this particular way, but you know what I mean when you hear the question, what

did Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary mean when he said "regime change has already taken place"?

LIPTAK: You know, I don't know that the Defense Secretary's words there made a lot of sense to many people. I think when he is talking about the

regime change, they seem to be suggesting that at least the individuals who are leading the regime have changed. And that is certainly true. The

Supreme Leader is no longer Ali Khamenei, it his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.

[16:05:09]

I think when you look at who is actually in the regime now, a lot of analysts will tell you that these are individuals who are far more extreme

and are more hard-lined than the people they replaced. That isn't necessarily what President Trump is saying publicly. He is calling them

more reasonable.

I think the big question among administration officials is whether any of the people they are dealing with and passing notes back and forth with in

these preliminary negotiations are people who have the ability or have the juice to make a deal in the end. That's a concern you hear lingering around

these very preliminary discussions.

It is not a question that they really have an answer to at this point. I think what he is trying to suggest is that the objectives of this war are

being met, one of them being that the regime is different than the one that was there before.

But I think any person looking at it objectively would tell you that the IRGC is still very much in charge in that country, that the objectives of

the regime still remain the same as what they were before this all began.

QUEST: Grateful for you. Thank you, Kevin. Lovely spring day in Washington. Thank you, sir.

The President's reported goal to end the conflict without reopening the Strait highlights the contrast to the so-called Pottery Barn rule, Pottery

Store.

Thomas Friedman applied it to the 2003 Iraq War. You know, the old Pottery Barn Pottery Store rule. You break it, you own it. The idea took hold

amongst policymakers at the time. As the former Secretary of State Colin Powell, told the Aspen Institute in 2007.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLIN POWELL, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I took them through not only the military planning that was being done in the Pentagon, but I took them

through the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers. It is -- it is said that I used the Pottery Barn rule. I never

did it, Friedman did it. He is next.

He is the one who did that, but what I did say to him, once you break it, you're going to own it, and we are going to be responsible for 26 million

people standing there looking at us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: The late Colin Powell.

Ian Bremmer is with me, President of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.

Go get the oil -- is that a version of trying to avoid the Pottery Barn rule, do you think? The President is basically saying, well, we may have

broken it, but you're going to have to go and fix it. Off you go.

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT, EURASIA GROUP AN GZERO MEDIA: He is trying to find a win, and he is not capable of reopening the Strait with the military

plans that are presently in front of him.

Owning the oil is a big long term win. The U.S. is the largest producer of oil. They have control now, surprisingly to many people over the largest

reserves in the world in Venezuela. And if you suddenly were able to control the oil coming out of Kharg Island, shut it on and off at will, you

have a meaningful response to the weaponization of critical minerals that the Chinese have globally.

But you know that we are very far from that outcome today and so we can talk about it, but there is a lot of damage that's going to happen to the

global economy and to Trump's own popularity before this becomes something we can see as feasible.

QUEST: All right, so where do you assess the situation now as we look at it? He is trying to do this, he is trying to do that. You've got supposed

talks going backwards and forwards. What is your assessment?

BREMMER: Trump is very upset that he can't end this in a way that looks anything like a loss in the near term. He can say that it is fine for the

Straits to stay closed, but then he is ceding to the Iranians the capacity to make enormous amounts of money, spend it on whatever they want with the

same regime still in place, so that is not a win.

I don't think he can tolerate that. I think that's why the 7,000 troops are heading into the Gulf. I don't think they are going to be given shore

leave. I think they're going to be ordered into combat.

Trump would rather not use ground forces, but if he can't get the outcome he wants, which is control of the Strait and letting the ships through, he

can -- again, he can toy with the idea that the Europeans, the Indians, someone else has to do it, but ultimately it is on him and the pain, even

though he says that the rest of the world are the folks that use the Strait, Richard, you and I know better. The impact is going to be felt

absolutely everywhere, including by people that vote for Trump or at least used to vote for Trump.

QUEST: Right. What do you think is the state of Gulf country alliances? Oman has been very critical in a sense. You've got places --

[16:10:09]

I mean, the UAE, and to a certain extent, Qatar must be wondering what they've hitched themselves to and whether it is worth it.

BREMMER: So, Richard, nobody wanted the war before it started. Nobody wanted this type of risk that had the potential to blow back the shutdown

of the Strait. Everyone knew that. Military planners in the U.S., everyone in the Gulf.

Now that you have it, the Gulf states have different perspectives. The Emiratis would like the Americans to continue because they are deeply

concerned about what happens if Iran has this capacity and stays in this position. The UAE is very vulnerable.

The Saudis would be more comfortable if the Americans packed it up and said, it is a win. Leave it. Because the Saudis can get seven million

barrels of oil out not using the Strait. They are in a much better economic condition. They are worried about a global recession. They are worried

about the impact of further escalation.

But if the war continues, the Saudis are okay with it. They will go along with the Americans. Bahrain is with Saudi Arabia.

The Qataris want this war over now, yesterday. They just got a $20 billion hit to their LNG fields. They are in serious trouble. They want this over.

QUEST: So, what do you see as the next crucial step that I need to keep my eye on?

BREMMER: Well, there are two points here, Richard.

The first is what happens when all the troops are there and ready to be deployed, ready to be ordered into combat. Does Trump do that? And where

are they deployed first? Do they take the islands that are contested? The small three islands in the middle of the Strait? Or are they used primarily

for raids against coastal areas to further diminish Iran's ability to engage in strikes on the Strait? That is the big thing that is coming.

Until then, I mean, obviously follow Trump's tweets because that will allow you to continue to have audience and things to discuss. But it doesn't

matter for outcomes. The thing to watch out for on the ongoing basis is that on any given day, the potential for a mistake or a miscalculation of

this war, like we saw when the Israelis hit South Pars, or when there was a big oil field in Tehran, we are one escalatory mistake away from

devastation of a Gulf economy.

You destroy a desalination plant in Kuwait or in the UAE, and you've got major cities that are unlivable. You've got millions that are suddenly

going to leave. And so we really do -- there is a lot at stake that isn't baseline, but the risk is being run every day that you continue this war in

unfettered fashion.

QUEST: I am grateful, Ian. Good to see you, sir. Thank you very much.

BREMMER: Good to see you, my friend.

QUEST: Thank you. Now, travelers in the U.S. are having a much easier time on security. The lines are minutes, not hours, and TSA agents are getting

paid. The general manager of Atlanta Airport, in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:49]

QUEST: The Philippines government has been repatriating thousands of its workers, foreign workers from the Gulf countries, where they work in a

variety of industries. There are also thousands of Filipino workers on board ships in the Gulf.

I spoke to the Secretary of Migrant Workers, Hans Cacdac. He says the government is working with all Gulf partners to ensure safe expatriates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANS LEO JAVIER CACDAC, PHILIPPINES SECRETARY OF MIGRANT WORKERS: As it stands right now, we've had a number of charter flights as well as bookings

on commercial flights. We've had some land crossings in cases where the air spaces are closed, but the effort continues and alongside this, we have,

what we call on services in coordination with the host governments, of course.

We provide a certain measure of services for those who are in need. So we've also done this over the last few weeks or so and our effort

continues.

QUEST: And the workers, the OFWs are in all sectors, both domestic hospitality, oil and gas because the Filipino worker has, is on all sectors

of the Gulf economy now, is that right?

CACDAC: That's right. That's what is special about the Filipino worker. We run the whole range of workers. We have services and manufacturing and of

course hospitality and medical and even entertainment if I may say so with the number of bands and such in hotels.

So, we run the whole gamut and that said, the population is around 2.5 million in the Gulf. And so we are very mindful of the fact that we have

volume to consider, when we undertake efforts such as looking out or monitoring the situation as well as repatriation.

QUEST: The relationship of the OFW between your country, you know, the country of origin and the host country is a particularly fascinating one

because the remittances that come back are crucial for families. It is an upwardly mobile form of career in a sense. Do you expect many of these

people to return to the Gulf on the crisis is over?

CACDAC: That's right.

Well, the standing rule, of course, is once the people have valid employment visas, there is such an option to return. And we've always made

it a point, for our people to make sure that the return home, will have or will hurdle the proper government as well as their, their on-site, their

in-plant, or should I say employer protocols, which means that they have secured the proper permissions, before they return.

Let me say something about our relationship with the host government. You know, less than a month ago, less than a month before the crisis broke out,

we were all actually in Riyadh and Dubai for a series of meetings, myself and our Labor Ministry counterparts, to precisely to discuss our -- or to

heighten our strong relations, number one and precisely to discuss welfare and protection.

So I should say we've come prepared in that sense with the proper, very strong coordination with the host governments. And the President in fact,

has instructed me, to go visit some places where possible and I am headed for Dubai shortly, soon to meet our counterpart, government officials

there.

QUEST: One more area does concern me, and it is not specifically your area per se, but you are aware of it and that's the maritime seafarers, those

who are on ships stuck in the Gulf, stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, facing their own problems.

I know this is the international maritime organizations area, but you also have seafarers who are also stranded.

CACDAC: Yes, so, Richard, that's right up our alley, too. We are monitoring the situation among the maps behind me actually, our daily monitoring

efforts that we have, for our seafarers.

[16:20:11]

Around 7,000 of them in ships, in the Gulf -- the Persian Gulf at the moment and we have been coordinating with the mining sector, with ship

owners, and of course, we have foreign affairs representation in the IMO. So, we have been coordinating in terms of the welfare and safety of our

seafarers on board, including -- including -- being in touch with the families, at least of some of them, who have concerns about their loved

ones on board.

So we have been monitoring things like welfare food and water supplies and we have been assured that there will be adequate food and water supply at

this stage over a month or so of water -- food and water supplies, as well as the entitlements, the contractual entitlements that should be

forthcoming to the families.

So we've been monitoring things like that for our seafarers and it will continue. The President has asked us to be comprehensive in terms of our

monitoring of our foreign workers, of our overseas Filipino workers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: That's the Minister from the Philippines.

In the U.S., security lines at U.S. Airports are much shorter now that TSA agents are getting paid again. Wait times in Atlanta have dropped to a

matter of minutes.

Last week, the lines stretched out the door. It took nine minutes for travelers to get through security in Houston, there were fewer callouts on

Monday. The paychecks have now arrived.

President Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide them with money, despite a lack of congressional funding.

Ricky Smith is the General Manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International. He is with me.

Ricky, it is good to see you.

Do we know where they are getting the money to pay these people from, or does it not really matter, you're just glad they are being paid and

therefore things are getting back to normal.

RICKY SMITH, GENERAL MANAGER, HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL: You know, after a week-and-a-half of extraordinary lines, I am excited,

probably not as excited as TSA employees, but all the same, I am excited that they are paid and that they are going to be here to work and, and

serve the public.

You know, I had a meeting earlier today with the, the federal security director responsible for this area and he was just elated that that some of

his longtime employees were able to come back to work.

QUEST: So, what did we learn from all of this? Besides the fact that there is the ability to cause vast amounts of chaos in a relatively

straightforward -- I mean, it wasn't -- way and how to avoid it in the future.

SMITH: Well, I think one thing I like to hold on to is that we truly learned that there is a community out there that really rallies around our

important partners, you know, TSA employees had to suffer through not getting paid for a substantial period of time and just members of the

airport community, the extended community airport just stepped up and did everything they could to try to provide some comfort, some relief to those

employees, and just to see how airport employees themselves were so creative and innovative in making sure that those that were standing in

lines had the best experience possible, given all the circumstances.

QUEST: To the best of your knowledge, have officers from ICE left the airport now and it is now being run by normal traditional TSA staff?

SMITH: Well, here in at Atlanta, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, we still have some ICE agents here, but the checkpoints are primarily managed by TSA

officers and again, we welcome them back.

QUEST: The size and scale of the disruption was really quite extraordinary, wasn't it? I mean, I am not surprised -- I always say that air travel is a

very finely tuned -- it is like a watch, a Swiss watch in a sense. The cogs all have to turn together.

And if you throw sand into those cogs, it is not long before the whole thing grinds to a halt.

SMITH: It is. It is certainly an interdependent system. And, you know, any factor in the environment could affect air travel and it doesn't have to be

local, it could be air travel anywhere in the world, and it affects travel out of the community, in this case, Atlanta.

You know, airports themselves are ecosystems that are interdependent within themselves.

QUEST: Right?

SMITH: We learned just how dependent we are whenever we all have to step up to get passengers through this airport.

QUEST: One question I would like to just get your thoughts on, the recent crash at LaGuardia, although, I mean, this is FAA it is NTSB, but the

airport's management, of course, is highly involved in the structures of the airport and the management of the airport.

And I am sure with so many runways, you're one of the largest and one of the most complicated structures.

[16:25:10]

You'll be watching the final -- because runway incursions is an issue for every airport in some shape or form. You'll be watching this investigation

very closely.

SMITH: Well, runway deviations or incursions, although they are unusual whenever they happen we do try to study them to make sure that if there are

any corrections we can make at our airport, that we put those in place.

And I think the National Transportation Safety Board handles those accidents. That way they use them as training opportunities for other

airports just to make sure we don't duplicate the same issues.

QUEST: I am grateful to you, sir. Thank you. Nice to have your airport back up and running.

SMITH: Always great to be with you.

QUEST: Thank you, sir.

Now we finally have got a spring day in New York, 79 degrees Fahrenheit, the old money that they operate here 26 degrees Celsius. So what should I

go for? Should I go for a bit of this? This looks like it is a bit of frozen ice. Or we could go for some Jell-O or is that ice cream? What is

the difference? Or perhaps we go for a bit of this.

You see, the point is that I am making, when is your gelato not gelato? When its ice. When its ICE, not gelato and it is -- and whatever it is,

what happens when it costs you more to deliver it, to make it. How the Iran War is driving up the cost of these delicious treats. I am going to go for

this one.

QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in the summer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: King Charles will make his first State Visit to the United States next month. President Trump celebrated the news on Truth Social. The

President said it would be an historic visit to commemorate the U.S. 250th anniversary of independence.

It follows criticisms from some back home in the U.K. who say the trip should be postponed of the war in Iran.

Also, President Trump has been highly critical of the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over his reluctance to get involved in the

conflict.

Max Foster is with me. Max, I was -- look, there was no easy thing here, was there? I mean, you couldn't -- I suppose you could have tried to

postpone it, but no easy answer. Can you hear me, Max?

[16:30:33]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I was hearing two people, but now I can hear you. What was the question?

QUEST: Oh, make up your own. The king, look, the king couldn't really postpone. It would have been very controversial if he had.

FOSTER: Yes, I think there was an awareness that it could antagonize President Trump at a time when the relationship was already very fractured.

It was to do with the reaction here to the way President Trump accused the U.K. of not supporting the U.S. in the war in Iran. But there's also this

big flare up from veterans here about comments that the president made about underplaying really the role of British forces in Afghanistan.

So there are two elements that caused a lot of offense and some senior politicians did call for the trip to be canceled. And it did have an impact

in that they've been organizing it for months, but they delayed the announcement because of that. But clearly, the government in the end made

the decision that it would -- it could potentially heal the relationship, especially after hearing President Trump speak so warmly of the king and

separating the king from Keir Starmer.

So that also raised the idea that perhaps the president wouldn't embarrass the king by talking about how he felt Britain had failed them. But, you

know, he would see the monarchy as separate. And certainly this is a visit that is meant to emphasize long-term ties between the countries from the

palace's point of view, not temporary ups and downs in politics.

QUEST: Sorry, I've got to take you here. Apparently he's not going to be seeing his son or grandchildren, Harry. And now, the argument has always

been from Harry, he can't go to the U.K. because of security, but not to go to Washington to see his dad?

FOSTER: Well, I have spoken to someone who's familiar with the plans, let's say, and it was pointed out to me that this was all organized by the palace

and the British government, the U.S. government. Very little room left in that schedule for anything private. So that's one reason. The other reason

I was given was that they would be on opposite coasts of the United States, which is a long distance. It's a very short trip. So there's logistics

involved.

They're the two reasons I was given anyway.

QUEST: And finally on to Bermuda -- is it Bermuda afterwards or the Bahamas? Where do they go afterwards?

FOSTER: Yes. On to Bermuda afterwards. So that's obviously part of the commonwealth effort to use the opportunity to take a stop on the way back

really to talk about commonwealth ties as well.

QUEST: I look forward to the visit and I'm sure you do, too. And you'll be going along well. Thank you, Max Foster.

Now, the average price of gas in the U.S. has surged to over $4 a gallon, the highest since 2022. A sharp rise. You can see it there on the chart. A

big problem for small business owners like Frostbite Italian Ice which operates a mobile stand in Houston, Texas.

Gas in the tank, I mean, if I look and see exactly what the reasons are for all of this, and here we go, let's look at that. And so let's look at this.

You've got this bit of ice cream. We'll use a bit of ice cream. We'll use a bit of gelato, we'll use the whole lot, as well. So you've got gas in the

tank, which is one reason that's causing a problem.

You need, you need fuel to also cool the actual truck itself so that this thing doesn't all melt. You then got to pay tariffs on things like the cups

and the spoons because they're all imported. And after all that, you still have to pay employees. As a result, Frostbite has had to pass on extra

costs to the consumer.

Ondrey and Mia Lawson are the co-founders of Frostbite Italian Ice.

There you are. You join me now. We're having a debate, first of all, before we get to all of this. What's the difference between gelato and ice cream

and frozen ice? What's the difference?

MIA LAWSON, CO-FOUNDER, FROSTBITE ITALIAN ICE: Hi. So what we have is called Italian ice and so what sets us apart is there's no ice chunks in

it. There's no dairy in it, no egg. It is literally sugar, water, flavoring, sometimes actual fruit. And so the ingredient list is quite

small. It's really good.

QUEST: Right. Right. Thank you. Now, why are you being hit so hard?

[16:35:01]

You have this truck. You have to fill it up with gas. It's gone from, say, $70 to $90. I think you're paying now $120. And that's having a major

effect. Is that right?

ONDREY LAWSON, CEO, FROSTBITE ITALIAN ICE: That is correct. And it's interesting because it's gone up so quickly. I mean, when you talk about

this new situation with Iran, within a week, we saw the increase from $70 to $90, and then now like it's over $120. So, yes, it's definitely hitting

us hard where the pockets are.

QUEST: Right. And then of course, you've got the actual cost of keeping the refrigeration going back at base where you're making the stuff, your power

costs have gone up, your input costs go up as well. Have you been able to pass on prices to your customers?

M. LAWSON: Yes. So I say unfortunately because we worked really hard to try to I guess dissolve that within our expenses, but it gets to a point where

we can no longer do that without suffering the, I guess, effects of not receiving any profit. So we have unfortunately had to start having our

customers take the hit on some of these costs.

O. LAWSON: Right.

M. LAWSON: And not by much, but enough where it helps us.

QUEST: Now you see, that's really a big -- when we talk about all these things all the time on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS because there's an argument

that says, you know, what you're selling is discretionary. And if your customers are having tough times because of their gas, their electricity

bills, all the costs that they've got, their food, the affordability in the grocery store, you know, do they cut back on the Italian ice?

O. LAWSON: Right. Yes. It's actually an interesting predicament to be in because like you said, with -- for on our end, we have to raise the prices

because we have to be able to make, meet our profit margins. But you're right on the customers' end, they're seeing our prices going up and then

they're seeing their dollar, you know, not go as far as it used to because of all of the socioeconomic situations.

And so, yes, it definitely leaves our customers in a bind. And sometimes we get a few looks about, you know, some price increases, but we've been, you

know, lucky to have customers rock with us.

M. LAWSON: Yes. Consistent customers. Yes.

QUEST: I know you were looking and hoping to buy a bricks and mortar and establishment. Are you still going to hope to do it? Do you think you'll be

able to do it?

M. LAWSON: That is absolutely the goal. I mean, I will say this. We have in our area a very loyal customer base who want us to grow and they want to

see us be great. And so that's still our goal to do that. And we even want to consider franchising at some point. Yes.

O. LAWSON: Yes, that's the goal, but it's a little further out now just with the, you know, timing.

QUEST: Sure. Last question, last question, what's your favorite flavor and what's the most popular flavor?

M. LAWSON: The most popular flavor is actually our strawberry. It has real fruit in it. My favorite flavor, oh, man, that's a tough one because it

depends on the day. We get to, I get to eat it whenever I want to. So I'll just, I'll just say that my favorite one right now is mango. I know he's

going to say lemon for his. That lemon is undefeated.

O. LAWSON: Yes. Hands down. Lemon is the best flavor we have. It's amazing.

QUEST: I'm sure. I'm so grateful. Thank you. We'll keep in touch and we'll follow this. We'll follow it closely. Thank you for joining us tonight on

QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

O. LAWSON: Thank you.

M. LAWSON: Thank you.

QUEST: Wedding costs can break the bank for couples. Doesn't matter where you are. In India, well, families are spending much of their life savings

on the wedding, and it lasts often several days.

CNN's Will Ripley more on the $100 billion wedding industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indian weddings go for days, and several couples have invited me along. Kaveri and Abhinav have

planning this with their families for two years.

This is an industry that's worth over $100 billion here in India. It's an entire economy.

What's the average cost for a wedding in India today?

VIKRAMJEET SHARMA, LUXURY WEDDING PLANNER: We're looking at about 500,000 USD.

RIPLEY: $500,000?

(Voice-over): You heard right. This luxury planner says clients easily spend half a million dollars.

SHARMA: Three million USD is what we have done recently.

RIPLEY: Which is just mind-blowing to me. There are some reports that say here in India families will often spend twice as much for the wedding as

they will for their child's education.

(Voice-over): Indians on average earn less than $200 a month, so what happens when families cannot afford all this?

Get up around 6:00 a.m. and had to hit the road early because we have to drive to this wedding venue outside Delhi. It's not just one couple getting

married, it's 11 all at once.

(Voice-over): Many of these are arranged marriages, like 19-year-old Anamika.

[16:40:06]

Mass weddings like this are common in India. Anamika imagined a wedding in her village, but the price would have left her parents deep in debt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Whenever a parent marries their son or daughter, especially daughter, the debt is taken by the poor

parents for dowry. Then they keep trying to pay it back in installments. Many times I have seen people commit suicide.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Dowry is when the bride's family gives money and gifts to the groom's family. It's technically banned by Indian law, but the

custom is so widespread. There's a World Bank study that says many families spend several years of their household income on dowry. India's Crime

Records Bureau says there are thousands of murders and suicides every year tied to dowry.

Right now, we're headed to go see a detective. His job is basically to investigate potential brides and grooms usually hired by the families.

What's the most common thing people lie about?

AJIT SINGH, PRIVATE DETECTIVE: They try to show them that, you know, we have such and such properties, we have such and such business. They lie on

their salary. If you see these matrimonial sites, 50 percent of the people are fake there.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He says one bride ended up in tears.

Why?

SINGH: Because the guy, he told the job, it was fake. Everything was fake and she started crying because just after two weeks she was going to marry

with that guy.

RIPLEY: When it comes to this whole issue of money, you know, things can get really ugly.

(Voice-over): We're on our way to meet a young woman who says she was kicked out of her in-laws' house for not giving enough dowry money.

PRIYANKA TABLA, BRIDE (through text translator): My father got me married well. He got me married in a banquet hall. He gave them everything, gold

silver, jewelry and so on. A fixed deposit of 250,000 rupees, a motorbike. All of that was given.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Altogether, court filings say Priyanka's family paid nearly $35,000 but she says it was not enough. She says her husband and his

family wanted more money and more expensive gifts, including a house. And she says they severely punished her for not delivering.

TABLA (through text translation): I got cheated. My father got cheated.

RIPLEY: And this was an arranged marriage?

TABLA (through text translation): Yes. My husband hit me with a broom in the middle of the night while I was pregnant.

RIPLEY: Do you think they would have killed you?

TABLA: Maybe.

RIPLEY (voice-over): We did manage to reach Priyanka's husband. He insists he never physically abused her, saying, quote, "They have run these cases

to harass me. I one hundred percent deny it." He does acknowledge Priyanka's family covered most of their wedding expenses and gave him a

motorcycle, but says his family never demanded dowry.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Fascinating, fascinating story.

They've taken away the ice cream, so that means it's all over. Well, that means QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York.

Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable. I'll be in London for the rest of the week starting tomorrow.

Coming up next, CONNECTING AFRICA.

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[16:46:09]

(CONNECTING AFRICA)

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