Business Daily
Episodes
Is Google too big?
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is the search engine's share of our attention and our data too dominant, and should regulators step in and break their business up? Ed Butler gets to ...
Romantic fraud
28 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The cruel multi-million-dollar business of scamming lonely hearts out of their money by posing online as the perfect lover.Vishala Sri-Pathma speaks t...
Europe votes for uncertainty
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Election results leave the European parliament more fragmented than ever. The greens, liberals and far right are up. The traditional left and right, w...
India election: Modi's report card
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured another five-year term after winning a landslide general election victory. His Bharatiya Janata Party ...
The plastic in the ocean
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why plastic ends up there and how to stop it. Stephen Ryan reports from the Ganges - a major source of plastic that ends up in the oceans. Manuela Sar...
The trillion dollar coach
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What Silicon Valley titans learned from an American football coach. Despite a fairly unspectacular career with the Columbia University college footbal...
Education for all
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How can educators ensure that every child in the world - and particularly every girl - has access to a decent school? And how should the curriculum pr...
The meat-free burger
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Can a burger help save the planet? The Business Daily team try out the plant-based burger designed to convert meat eaters. Dr Marco Springmann from Ox...
A new port in India
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
India's bid to capture a slice of global shipping. The east-west shipping line off the southern coast of India carries around 30% of the world's cargo...
The magic money tree
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should governments spend more money? 'Modern monetary theory' or MMT is gaining traction, particularly in the US. It says governments should worry les...
Climbing the student debt mountain
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Could a new scheme alleviate the crippling cost of university fees for young Americans, who have already accumulated a trillion and a half dollars in ...
The cyber arms race
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Was the NotPetya attack, that struck Ukraine and then the world in 2016, a portend of potentially devastating cyber-wars in the future?Ed Butler goes ...
The coming floods
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With the sea level rising and storms strengthening thanks to climate change, will much of the world's most valuable real estate find itself underwater...
Disabled on Wall Street
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting more disabled people into the workforce. Manuela Saragosa speaks to Rich Donovan, a trader who forged a successful career on Wall Street with ...
Rebuilding an economy after two cyclones
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Mozambique, Cyclones Idai and Kenneth did tremendous damage to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in March and April. The country is s...
India's caste quota controversy
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tinkering with the reservation system nothing more than a bid to grab votes in the general election?India has long h...
Netflix moves into Africa
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The video streaming service Netflix has announced a major push into Africa, with original series commissioned from around the continent.Netflix had al...
The price of bread
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This global food staple used to account for half of some people's income. Dr Kaori O’Connor a food anthropologist at University College, London, exp...
The value of domestic work
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Housework and caring - is technology about to transform this essential but overlooked part of the economy?Manuela Saragosa speaks to Ai-Jen Poo, direc...
A four-day week?
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The campaign for a four-day working week is gaining traction, particularly in the UK. Manuela Saragosa hears from Lorraine Gray, operations director a...
The mega factory that never was
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Foxconn is causing a political headache for President Trump, as the Taiwanese manufacturer fails to deliver on a promise to build a 13,000-employee fa...
What young Indians want
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As India holds elections, getting decent jobs is top of the agenda for most young voters, as the BBC's Rahul Tandon discovers.Most Indians still live ...
Youtube: Cracking down on crackpots
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does the video-sharing site needs to do in order to stop inadvertently promoting dangerous conspiracy theories and extremist content?Alex Jones's...
When computer glitches ruin lives
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine losing your home, your job or your reputation, all because of a computer error. We speak to people who say that's exactly what happened to the...
The global affordable housing crisis
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do rent controls and the expropriation of apartment blocks provide an answer to the increasing cost of housing in the rich world?Such radical measures...
Pricing in climate change
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are markets and companies beginning to grasp the threat of global warming? Ed Butler speaks to Meryam Omi, head of sustainability and responsible inve...
The true cost of periods
23 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Periods. We rarely talk about them but half the world's population will have to manage menstruation for a good chunk of their lives. For some women, t...
TED2019: Facebook, Twitter and democracy
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Wakefield reports from the Ted conference in Vancouver. (Photo: Social media app icons, Credit: Getty Images)
TED2019: Space junk, rockets and aliens
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Wakefield reports from the TED conference in Vancouver, Canada, on the businesses shooting for the stars. Chief Executive of Rocket Lab Peter Bec...
Should prostitution be a normal profession?
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's the best way to help sex workers? We hear the cases for full decriminalisation, versus abolition of what's often dubbed the world's oldest prof...
Pakistan's young entrepreneurs
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How the country’s young businesses are making a mark in fashion, beauty, music and tech.Vivienne Nunis speaks to Humayun Haroon, co-founder of digit...
The death of the local newspaper
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How the decline of the local newspaper industry is affecting democracy. Manuela Saragosa speaks to Ken Doctor, former newspaper man and now analyst at...
WhatsApp in India
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are fake news and rumours still proliferating on Whatsapp in India? And is this being exploited by candidates as the country prepares to go to the pol...
Disney goes to war with Netflix
11 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With Disney and Apple launching their streaming services to rival Netflix, will they struggle to get subscribers, when the market is getting increasin...
An expensive democracy
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
India will spend billions of dollars on its general election this year, much of it illegally. Rahul Tandon visits a political rally in Kolkata where m...
When big business sponsors the arts
09 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should galleries take money from the likes of big oil? Ed Butler speaks to Jess Worth of the UK pressure group Culture Unstained, and Claire Fox, dire...
Millennial burnout
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are millennials working too hard? Ed Butler explores the cult of modern professional success and how it's affecting millennial workers. We hear from m...
The listening device in your pocket
05 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Does the proliferation of microphones in our mobile phones and home smart speakers mean that anyone can eavesdrop on us?Manuela Saragosa hears from th...
Bitcoin bounces back
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cryptocurrencies are on the rebound, but does the case for investing in them make any more sense?Manuela Saragosa hears both sides of the argument. Ja...
Brexit: May reaches out
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The British prime minister looks for a new deal to solve the deadlock over Brexit. Ed Butler hears from Jill Rutter, Brexit programme director at the ...
India's fugitive diamond billionaire
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The rise and fall of Indian jeweller Nirav Modi, arrested in London and accused by Indian authorities of a massive fraud. Ed Butler speaks to Mick Bro...
Alexa, what are you doing to the internet?
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Voice assistant apps like Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are about to transform the economics of the web.Nearly a quarter of all households in the U...
Italy embraces China
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rome's decision to sign up to China's One Belt One Road initiative has proved controversial both at home and among Italy's closest allies.Washington D...
Is pan-African trade a pipe dream?
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Can the continent remove trade barriers and create a billion-person internal market? That's the hope of the African Continental Free Trade Area, but a...
A hundred years of women in law
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is only 100 years since women in the UK were first allowed to practice law. Women now make up more than 50% of lawyers in many parts of the world, ...
The essay cheats
26 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The lucrative business of 'essay mills' - companies that will write your university assignments for you. Chris makes thousands of dollars a year writi...
Ukraine: Trading across the front line
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The economy of Russian occupied territories in Ukraine. Ed Butler reports on the people living between western Ukraine and the eastern occupied territ...
Brexit: Oil, fish and bargaining chips
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How is the Scottish city of Aberdeen coping with the UK's imminent exit from the EU? It is home to the country's oil and gas industry, as well as some...
A basic income for all?
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Would a Universal Basic Income help solve inequality or make it worse, and would it protect us from robots taking our jobs?Finland has just completed ...
Is humankind on the verge of disaster?
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
To follow the world's headlines these days - from fake news to murderous terror attacks, from disease pandemics to global warming - you might be forgi...
The periodic table turns 150
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are chemical elements critical for the modern economy in dangerously short supply? It's a question that Justin Rowlatt poses a century and a half afte...
Neverending Brexit?
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the UK parliament votes to delay Brexit beyond 29 March, businesses brace for yet more uncertainty. But will the EU even be willing to grant a dela...
Heineken in Africa
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The brewer has been accused of complicity with Africa's murkiest politics, and of failing to protect female brand promoters from sexual harassment. Bu...
More Brexit blues for business
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A continued political crisis in the UK means more uncertainty for businesses. We hear from the boss of a manufacturing company in Birmingham and Nicol...
Ukraine's corruption problem
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Butler reports from Ukraine ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for the end of March. With endemic corruption and ongoing conflict with R...
Education in India: In need of reform?
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In India experts and parents increasingly question whether the country's education system is fit for purpose.With huge emphasis placed on college entr...
Women in a man's world
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In a world designed by men for men, women often come off worst, sometimes with fatal consequences.Manuela Saragosa speaks to author Caroline Criado Pe...
Big Sugar
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is the US sugar industry's relationship with politicians, from Florida to Washington DC, just a little bit too sweet?Gilda Di Carli reports from the S...
Overworked doctors
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are health services around the world wilfully blind to the problem of dangerously long hours being worked by junior medics?Vivienne Nunis speaks to do...
Fix my gadgets!
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our appliances are getting increasingly difficult and expensive to mend, in some cases by design. So should consumers demand the right to repair?Ed Bu...
Who's monetising your DNA?
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should the collection of vast genetic databases be dominated by private companies such as 23andMe or Ancestry.com?In the second of two programmes look...
The family tree business
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What can you really learn about your heritage from a home DNA testing kit? We hear from Bill and Ylva Wires, a couple in Berlin who used DNA testing k...
Bad blood in Silicon Valley
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Theranos, a company that falsely claimed it could perform a full range of medical tests using just a tiny blood sample drawn by pricking ...
Is it time to regulate social media?
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should Facebook and others be forced by governments to take responsibility for what people are exposed to on their platforms?Social media companies' a...
Is healthy eating affordable?
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Poor diet has been linked to diseases such as diabetes and cancer, but do you have much of a choice if you are on a tight budget?Organic food is risin...
Zombie statistics
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How bogus stats can get repeated again and again until they end up influencing policy at governments and major multilateral institutions.Ed Butler spe...
Businesses preparing for Brexit
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Exporters express their fears and frustration at the lack of any agreement about future trade relations with just six weeks left to go until the UK le...
Where are the women in Hollywood?
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are women finally breaking through off screen in the film industry? A year on from the Harvey Weinstein scandal, why aren't there more female movie di...
Capitalism in crisis?
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is the era of globalisation, unfettered markets and billionaire philanthropists drawing to a close? Is the answer to rising populism for the state to ...
Rational partner choice
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should your head trump your heart when seeking lifelong love? That's the challenge Business Daily's Justin Rowlatt has taken on for this Valentine's D...
The education scam
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Many African universities are not up to scratch, leaving African students vulnerable to scam institutions abroad. Ivana Davidovic reports from Norther...
Poverty and Corruption in Nigeria
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a president this weekend. Two issues are prominent - the state of the economy and corruption. Local businessman Eva...
Taxing the Rich
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last month Dutch historian Rutger Bregman told the billionaires at the World Economic Forum in Davos they should think less about philanthropy and ins...
The Body Disposal Business
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Funereal solutions on an overcrowded planet - Ed Butler investigates what various countries do when they run out of space to bury their dead.In Japan,...
The Future of Fashion Retail
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Will online shopping and AI combine to kill the high street clothing store?Ed Butler gets himself digitally measured up in order to try on outfits in ...
When to Pursue your Dream
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At what point should you give up your day-job to pursue your own business side-project full-time? And should governments do more to help those who wan...
Brexit: No Deal, No Food?
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If the UK crashes out of the EU on 29 March with no agreement on continuing trade relations, how will it affect Britain's supplies of fresh food? Coul...
The Burning Question
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Climate Change: Can the world economy continue to grow without burning fossil fuels? Or do we all need to cut back on our consumption in order to save...
Peak Smartphone
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are Apple and Samsung running out of people to sell their smartphones to? And who wants to pay for an upgrade when their old phone is good enough?Manu...
Keeping your Eggs on Ice
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
More and more women are choosing to freeze their eggs in their twenties - but is it all just a big waste of money?Manuela Saragosa speaks to Jennifer ...
Huawei and the Trade War
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Will indictments against China's tech giant overshadow US trade talks? We hear from Timothy Heath, defence analyst at the Rand Corporation, about the ...
A Deepening Crisis in Venezuela
29 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two rival presidents, oil sanctions from the US and hyperinflation. Venezuela's economic and political crisis is deepening and we hear from some of th...
Will Tanzania's Drone Industry Take Off?
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Drones have been used increasingly in Africa for survey and mapping, but will cargo drone delivery companies be the next big thing? Jane Wakefield vis...
The Great China Slowdown
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
China's economy is slowing down. What does it mean for the rest of the world? We hear from Shanghai where consumers are spending less. Economist Linda...
Bill Gates Makes His Pitch
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The mega-philanthropist is in Davos lobbying governments and the global business elite to donate money towards the fight against infectious diseases. ...
Selling Romance
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dating apps like Tinder are a multi-billion dollar business, but have they reduced romance to a commodity? Vivienne Nunis speaks to Stanford Universit...
Board of the Problem
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The number of female executives in the UK’s top companies remains stubbornly low. Vivienne Nunis speaks to Heather McGregor, dean of the Herriot Wat...
China’s New Silk Road Comes to Pakistan
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
China is lending Pakistan billions of dollars as part of an ambitious policy to disrupt global trade. Beijing is six years into a trillion-dollar plan...
The US Government Shutdown
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At what point will the standoff in Washington DC start doing serious harm to the US economy?Vishala Sri-Pathma speaks to two victims of the shutdown. ...
Ghosting at Work
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When is it acceptable to vanish from a job without warning or explanation, and why are more and more people doing it?Ed Butler hears one woman give he...
Decarbonising the Atmosphere
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is becoming technologically feasible, but will it ever be commercially viable at the scale needed to halt ...
Making The Desert Bloom
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With the threat of climate change looming, and growing ambivalence about whether the world can meet its stringent carbon emissions reduction targets t...
The Consequences of China Cyber Espionage
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did China steal the plans for much of its military hardware, like the J20 jet, from Western defence firms? And what has the US been doing to counter C...
Our Hilarious Universe
10 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Revenge of the nerds - how comedians are helping explain the world of science and tech. Reporter Elizabeth Hotson finds out how people are forging car...
The Housing Disruptors
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a shortage of affordable and social housing in most large urban centres around the world. But the construction sector is blighted by ineffic...
A Dog's Life? Yes please!
08 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The global pet food industry is predicted to be worth nearly $100bn by 2022. Premium pet food has become big business. Sheila Dillon asks whether we'v...
The Firm Where Everyone Has Autism
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Reporter Jane Wakefield explores the various ways companies can accommodate those on the autistic spectrum. Jane visits Autocon, a software company ba...
The Outlook for 2019
03 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jeffrey Sachs, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mohamed El-Erian discuss the big economic and political trends and risks to watch out for in the year ahead.Eco...
The Electric Robotaxi Dream
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Will we all abandon our cars in favour of self-driving taxi apps by the year 2030, or is this pure fantasy?Justin Rowlatt takes on the many sceptical ...
Can't Get No Sleep
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Had a late night? Well here's a programme about insomnia and the businesses trying to solve it.Elizabeth Hotson takes part in what is possibly the wor...