The use of these endlessly flexible 3D images is increasing rapidly. Not just in entertainment, but in medicine, education, design, defence and more. Holograms trick the brain into seeing something in 3D when it’s really just a projection, allowing us to feel immersed in something – whether it’s an atom, or a cityscape. We talk to companies developing this fast advancing technology and ask – will we be living in a holographic future? Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon (Image: A citizen wat...
Jan 03, 2024•18 min
Alastair Leithead and his wife Ana moved to Portugal during the Covid pandemic. They live off-grid, meaning they have no access to mains electricity or water supplies. They also have to manage their own waste water and sewage. Now the former BBC correspondent is embarking on an ambitious project to build and run a hotel, meaning their solar powered utilities will not only have to work for them, but also paying guests. Produced and presented by Alastair Leithead. (Image: Alastair and Ana at their...
Jan 02, 2024•21 min
In the first of a two part series, we're in the Alentejo region where people are buying land and empty properties in an area without power or water supply. Former BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead is one of them - he has moved there with his wife, and is trying to build and run a hotel. He travels around the region and speaks to his neighbours about their experiences. Plus - what do local people think of this influx of foreigners coming to live off-grid? Presented and produced by Alastair Leit...
Jan 01, 2024•12 min
Pakistan's first female architect came out of retirement to help rebuild her country after the 2005 earthquake. Now she's helping communities devastated by the 2022 floods. Dr Lari talks about her experience starting out in a male-dominated field, the changing focus of her career, and her mission to build a million flood-resilient homes in Pakistan by 2024. Produced and presented by Emb Hashmi. (Image: Dr Yasmeen Lari. Credit: Getty Images)
Dec 22, 2023•18 min
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heard Turkish voters back in May when they said they wanted change in the economy. So, he appointed a new finance minister and central bank governor to lead the charge. Despite the president’s strong opposition to using higher interest rates to cool rising prices, he’s allowed rates to rise in each of the last six months. While that’s helped bring about an economic turnaround, it’s put added pressure on households who have for years been reliant on low borrowing co...
Dec 21, 2023•18 min
Despite the name, Bolivia is actually the world's biggest exporter of Brazil nuts. We travel to the hot and humid north of the country to look at the production process which can be extremely dangerous. Plus we hear how the business of Brazil nuts is helping stop deforestation in the Amazon. Presenter: Jane Chambers Producers: Jane Chambers and Helen Thomas (Image: A worker unloading Brazil nuts from the Pando region at a nut processing plant in Riberalta, Bolivia. Credit: Bob Howard)...
Dec 20, 2023•18 min
When private companies around the world want to raise cash, they can do so by starting a process to list on a stock exchange. This is known as an IPO, or initial public offering. Analysts watch such public listings to gauge the health of an economy. In 2021, IPOs were booming, but in 2023 there's been a big drop in activity - with a record low number of companies choosing to offer their shares publicly on stock exchanges in the US, UK and Europe. What's going on, and why does it matter when IPOs...
Dec 19, 2023•18 min
Shoplifting has long been a concern for small and large retailers worldwide, but many believe the issue has recently increased - including incidents of retail violence. Sam Gruet speaks to some of these retailers in New Zealand, India, Pakistan and the UK, to explore the possible reasons behind the rise in retail crime and what measures they’re introducing to respond to the escalating issue. These include covert security, body cameras and stab-proof vests. He also asks if advances in technology ...
Dec 18, 2023•19 min
Niccolo Ricci is the CEO of Stefano Ricci, a luxury clothing brand whose suits are worn by the rich and powerful. The firm was established more than 50 years ago by his parents, and now, Niccolo, and his brother Filippo, run the family business; supplying high-end luxury attire to clients all around the world. It's a brand that counts heads of state and business magnates among its patrons. In an era of casual fashion, this is a rarefied world where discretion is the name of the game. Presenter: ...
Dec 15, 2023•17 min
The COP 28 climate talks in Dubai have closed with a deal to "transition away" from fossil fuels. So what does this mean for the future of oil, gas and coal companies? Sam Fenwick talks to two companies who sent representatives to COP 28; the Norwegian energy giant Equinor and the Middle East's oldest private energy company, Cresent Petroleum. Do they plan to ever abandon fossil fuels entirely? And she finds out what the leader of COP28’s Greenpeace delegation makes of the agreement. Presenter: ...
Dec 14, 2023•17 min
One month before pivotal elections in Taiwan, Ed Butler meets ordinary citizens getting ready just in case growing threats of a Chinese invasion do come to pass. First-aid and weapons training are top of the list. But why isn’t the government doing more to get people ready? Presented and produced by Ed Butler (Image: A first aid training exercise)
Dec 13, 2023•18 min
The military threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has dominated global headlines of late. But ahead of elections, most voters here say it’s low wages and property prices that are preying on their minds. Are politicians listening? We also explore Taiwan's low birth rate - is it a financial decision for young couples not to have children and get a pet instead? Produced and presented by Ed Butler. (Image: A young couple take a selfie on the city MRT train. Credit: Getty Images)...
Dec 12, 2023•18 min
Sitting just a few kilometres away from mainland China, the tiny Kinmen islands are in an unusual situation. Beijing says they and Taiwan are a part of China, they're a breakaway province, and it wants them back, by force if necessary. As tensions rise, Ed Butler visits Kinmen to discover how this most exposed population feels about Beijing's claim - and hear about plans to build a bridge to connect the islands with the Chinese mainland. Produced and presented by Ed Butler. (Image: A beach on Ki...
Dec 11, 2023•18 min
Joyce and Raissa de Hass used to make tonic waters and mixers for their friends. That passion became a university project, which then turned into a successful start-up. In the early days, the twin co-founders from the Netherlands were releasing batches of products they weren't really keen on, but now they think they've found a winning formula for premium mixers. They've won awards for their drinks, and now stock several premium bars and supermarkets. In this edition of Business Daily, we hear ho...
Dec 08, 2023•18 min
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. ...
Dec 07, 2023•18 min
In this episode of Business Daily, the latest in our series on women, sport and business, it's all about the merch. We'll explore how important replica tops and kits actually are for women’s sport in terms of fandom, participation and of course money. We ask what female sports fans and participants actually want to wear and whether they're being adequately catered for. Dr Katie Lebel is Professor at the University of Guelph in Canada and researches gender equity in sports branding and consumer b...
Dec 06, 2023•17 min
Could Africa reduce its dependency on imported rice with the help of South Korea? The continent's appetite for rice is growing fast at over 6% per year. And even though rice is grown in about 40 out of 54 countries in Africa, the production only covers about 60% of the demand. This results in 14 to 15 million tonnes of rice being imported each year costing over $6bn. To remedy this, a new rice variety was developed in co-operation with South Korea: ISRIZ-7 and ISRIZ-8. These high yield rice vari...
Dec 06, 2023•19 min
After the catastrophic financial crisis, early signs of stability are returning to Sri Lanka. But there’s arguably a more entrenched economic dilemma in the country that had the world’s first female prime minister - the lack of women in work. With first-hand testimony of harassment and social exclusion, this programme examines the barriers holding women back. Presenter Laura Heighton-Ginns also visits a women-only employer, successful restaurant chain Hela Bojun, and speaks to presidential advis...
Dec 05, 2023•18 min
More than a quarter of all clothes made are never actually sold - where do they go? We look into new legislation being finalised by the EU, to try and make fashion more sustainable. There will be a ban on the incineration of unsold goods and each product will need a digital passport so it can be tracked and its lifetime monitored. Hannah Mullane speaks to businesses across Europe about whether they think the industry is ready for these kind of changes. We also head to Ghana, to the Kantamanto ma...
Dec 04, 2023•18 min
Konrad Bergstrom comes from a family of seafarers. And as a business leader, he wants to make navigating the seas environmentally friendly. His business, X Shore, has been dubbed "the Tesla of the seas". Konrad is now considered one of Sweden's leading entrepreneurs, having also founded Zound industries - the tech company that produces electronics for Marshall Amplification and Adidas. But it's not all been plain sailing for the businessman. In this edition of Business Daily, Leanna Byrne finds ...
Dec 01, 2023•19 min
Greenhouse gas levels have never been higher. If we're to limit global warming, businesses have a crucial role to play because they operate in sectors that need to radically change, like energy, transport and finance. Thousands of company bosses are touching down in Dubai for this year's COP28 climate change talks. But environmentalists claim many businesses are not acting fast enough. They're increasingly concerned about the growing number of fossil fuel companies attending these summits. Are t...
Nov 30, 2023•19 min
It’s the world’s largest user of coal fired energy, and the biggest polluter. However, China is also the world’s biggest producer of green energy. How can it reconcile the two and keep its next zero promises? Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Lexy O'Connor (Image: Thermal power and solar power in Shanghai. Two power generation methods in one photo. Credit: Getty Images)
Nov 29, 2023•18 min
It’s the week of the Climate Change Conference or COP28, and as leaders from around the world meet in the UAE to talk about how to tackle global warming, we take a look at one urgent issue: air pollution. According to World Health Organisation data, nearly seven million lives are lost prematurely each year due to harmful air. In this edition. Devina Gupta explores the air problem affecting major cities in Asia - to the cities of Delhi, Lahore, Taipei and Jakarta - to find out how lives and livel...
Nov 28, 2023•18 min
Spain is trying to position itself as the centre of renewable energy production in Europe, particularly in green hydrogen. The country already boasts one of the first centres worldwide where green hydrogen is produced. But while it rushes headlong with several projects in the pipeline, we examine the economic viability and the impact of producing green hydrogen. (Image: A green hydrogen manufacturing facility. Credit: Iberdrola) Presented and produced by Ashish Sharma...
Nov 27, 2023•18 min
We find out why he's a controversial appointment for the COP28 presidency. Sultan Al Jaber’s appointment has been widely questioned because he’s also the boss of Abu Dhabi’s state oil company Adnoc. But supporters point to his work as founder of the green energy giant Masdar. Is he compromised or uniquely qualified? We speak to people who’ve interviewed him, worked with him, and can give us the inside track. Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Lexy O'Connor (Image: Sultan Al-Jaber. Credit: Getty Im...
Nov 24, 2023•18 min
They are the cables that run along the sea bed to move power where it’s needed for a cheaper price. Business Daily’s Rick Kelsey goes to the site of The Viking Link - the longest one ever built - just before it goes live between the UK and Demark. We’ll be hearing what these cables may do for our electricity costs and how safe they are from sabotage. Rebecca Sedler Managing Director for NG Interconnectors tells us how it will save people money, and engineer Oliver Kitching spent four weeks on th...
Nov 23, 2023•18 min
Kimchi, the tangy fermented vegetable dish, is now being made and sold around the world. South Korea’s kimchi export value has risen dramatically in the past few years, going far beyond Asia. And it's consumed by not only overseas Koreans but by the locals too. While kimchi remains a distinctly Korean dish, in recent years, those with little to no connection to the country have been producing and selling kimchi. What is behind the rise? In this edition, David Cann looks into the growing populari...
Nov 22, 2023•18 min
When is a diamond really a diamond? When it’s been formed miles underground a billion years ago, or when has it been created in a laboratory, under temperatures close to the heat of the sun? The answer is – both are true. They look and behave exactly the same, but they are very different in price. The lab-grown diamonds are marketed as kinder to the environment, and they are far cheaper - and that’s led to concern about whether the two kinds have been mixed together, with man-made stones passed ...
Nov 21, 2023•18 min
A few years ago you could have assumed all diamonds had been dug out of the ground – but now it’s true that some of them have been created, at unbelievably high temperatures, in just a matter of weeks. In the first of two Business Daily programmes about the evolving diamond market, Lesley Curwen heads to the glamorous jewellery district of Hatton Garden in London – to see how the jewellery world is being re-shaped by the mass production of laboratory-made stones. We hear from India how they’re c...
Nov 20, 2023•18 min
The South African former pro rider set up his cycling team in 2007. As MTN Qhubeka they became the first-ever African registered team to ride the Tour de France. He talks about the challenges of putting together a team from scratch - and the steep learning curve he faced moving from cycling to managing. After a successful stint on the world stage, a combination of financial and sponsorship problems lead to the team, which by then had gone through multiple name changes, being disbanded in 2021. D...
Nov 17, 2023•18 min
