Business Daily

In order to try and stem a wave of coronavirus-induced unemployment, governments around the world introduced job retention schemes. Many of these are being rolled back or withdrawn and Elizabeth Hotson asks whether the interventions got people out the habit of work or opened up new opportunities. We speak to three workers placed on furlough - gardening enthusiast, Carol Peett; single parent, Naomi Empowers and keen baker, Chinelo Awa. Plus New York law firm partner, Greg Rinckey tells us about some of the unexpected consequences of the CARES act in the US and Sarah Damaske, Associate Professor of Sociology at Penn State University, tells us that furlough wasn’t necessarily a chance to relax. (Photo: Naomi Empowers, with kind permission)

Environmental regulations are being systematically weakened and repealed by the US government.Justin Rowlatt speaks to someone trying to keep track of it all - Michael Gerrard of Columbia Law School. He also hears from Maria Caffrey, a climate scientist who lost her job at the US National Park Service after blowing the whistle about how her research was being suppressed - and she says she is not the only one.Climate sceptic Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains why the environmental rollback is good news for the US economy, while climate futurist Alex Steffen says humanity will be the living with the consequences of Trump's delay of climate action for generations to come.With Democratic challenger Joe Biden having unveiled an unprecedentedly ambitious climate plan, it means there is all to play for in the November Presidential elections.Producer: Laurence Knight(Picture: Donald Trump holds up a "Trump Digs Coal" sign at an event in Huntington, West Virginia; Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP via Ge

How easy is it to get around sanctions? The US has for some years used financial sanctions to target those it blames for corruption or supporting terrorism. But do these measures work? We hear the latest evidence that it may be quite easy to get round sanctions and asset freezes. Producer: Frey Lindsay. (Picture: Suitcase full of cash; Credit: seyfettinozel/Getty Images)

Musicians tell us how they are finding innovative ways to get around the pandemic and perform live to their fans.It's a very real problem - the BBC's arts editor Will Gompertz tells Ed Butler of the frustrations of performers like Beverley Knight (pictured) having to perform to half-empty auditoriums in order to ensure social distancing.Two singer-songwriters tell us the novel methods they've taken up during lockdown. Dent May describes his first live-stream performance from his own home, while Laura Marling put on a live staged performance for a limited ticketed online audience. The brainchild behind Laura's, music promoter Ric Salmon of Drift Live, says he thinks the concept will prove more than just a quick fix for Covid-19.(Picture: Beverley Knight performing to a live audience at the London Palladium; Credit: Andy Paradise/BBC)

Veteran environmentalist James Lovelock reflects on his career and the planet's future, as he turns 101 years old. The independent scientist, Wollaston medal recipient and inventor of the Gaia Hypothesis sits down with the BBC’s Chief Environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt to talk about his humble upbringing between the two World Wars, his inventions that helped propel the green movement, as well as his thoughts on the over-specialisation of the university system, and the future of human life on Earth.(Picture: James Lovelock. Picture Credit: BBC)

It’s estimated that a quarter of a billion people could lose their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On Business Weekly we ask whether governments need to rethink the way they deal with mass unemployment.We also head to the salt flats of Bolivia to find out whether the untapped lithium reserves there will be a blessing or a curse for the South American country.Plus, we’ll discover why you’ll need to bring a coat if you go out for coffee in France and find out why doctors are putting pictures of themselves in bikinis on social media.Presented by Lucy Burton.

Working from home could outlast the pandemic. But workers' experiences with homeworking in lockdown are not all positive. Manuela Saragosa speaks to some office workers who've struggled to adapt to home life, and to Dr Zofia Bajorek, research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies in the UK, who's been surveying workers on the pressures they've faced in lockdown. Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, explains why face-to-face contact is so important for innovation in the workplace, and why flexible working with a mix of office and home will ultimately make us all happier. (Photo: A woman works from home, Credit: Getty Images)

The Salar de Uyuni is a stunning pristine salt flat high in the Andes - it is also the world's biggest lithium deposit, worth many billions of dollars.Ed Butler asks whether this as yet untapped resource will prove a blessing or a curse for the people of Bolivia. It has already played a role in the political instability that brought down the country's long-time socialist president, Evo Morales, last year.Daniela Sanchez-Lopez, an expert in the geopolitics of clean energy at Cambridge University and herself Bolivian, explains how the exploding demand for lithium batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, means that many powerful nations have their eyes on the salt flat.Among them is Germany. Ed speaks to Wolfgang Schmutz, founder of ACI Group, the clean energy company that had won a contract to develop the lithium deposit, before being dumped during the political unrest last year. We also hear from Gunnar Valda, head of the Bolivian state lithium company YLB.Producer: Laurence Knight(Picture

Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has one of the highest death rates per capita in the world, far above its Scandinavian neighbours. A decision was taken early on in the coronavirus pandemic not to put Sweden into lockdown. Lena Einhorn, a Swedish virologist explains why she was opposed to that decision. The state health authority were pursuing a strategy they thought would benefit both the economy and public health, but Jacob Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute for International Economics says that strategy didn’t do either. That said, Swedish companies, particularly those with domestic focus, have done better than expected, as Esbjörn Lundevall from the Nordic SEB bank explains. (Picture: The Swedish flag flying in Stockholm. Picture credit: Getty Images?)

US companies are spending around $8 billion a year on diversity training. Neal Goodman has been running “unconscious bias” training for decades, and explains to Manuela Saragosa how it works. But Pamela Newkirk, journalist and author of 'Diversity, Inc.' says diversity training is often more about box ticking than actually getting results. And Betsy Levy Paluck of Princeton University says such training may even backfire if not done right. (Picture credit: Getty Creative)

It’s estimated that the coronavirus pandemic will leave a quarter of a billion people out of work this year. Many of the jobs lost may never come back. Elisabeth Reynolds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says governments must take more radical action.And with its generous benefits system and flexible jobs market, what can Denmark teach us about navigating the post-Covid jobs landscape? We ask Jacob Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute.Photo: A man stands in front of the closed offices of the New York State Department of Labour (Credit: Getty Images).

After the second-longest summit in the bloc's history, EU leaders agree a deal between themselves for a coronavirus economic recovery plan worth hundreds of billions of euros. But will it keep the so-called Frugal Four satisfied? And is now the time to reassess the health insurance industry in the United States? Plus, why Kenyan farmers have been hit by a drop in Muslim pilgrim numbers for the upcoming Hajj.

It’s going to be more expensive for British firms to trade with the European Union after the end of this year. That’s when the real Brexit takes place. We ask Alastair Macmillian, a Brexit-supporting business owner, whether he thinks leaving the EU is still worth it.Alex Veitch, head of international policy at the UK Freight Transport Association, explains what the extra red tape means for the industry. And we hear from Peter Foster, public policy editor at the Financial Times.Photo: The flags of the UK and EU are pictured at the European Council headquarters in Brussels (Credit: Getty Images)

Can TikTok survive as a US-based social media platform? The social media app owned by a Chinese company, is prompting suspicion in Washington at the moment. Amidst rising US-China tensions, are suspicions that the company is using spyware justified? James Lewis, a veteran cyber-expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC says the administrations doubts are probably unjustified. Louise Matsakis, a staff writer for Wired magazine says all social media platforms in the US need to be more heavily regulated. Plus Zach King, currently the world's third best paid TikToker who has amassed a staggering 41 million followers worldwide tells Ed Butler about how he uses the site to make millions of dollars. (Picture credit: Getty Images)

The coronavirus pandemic is stretching the US healthcare system to breaking point, with tens of millions of people losing their employment-related coverage. One such person is Susan, a breast cancer survivor who has had to avoid vital check-ups after being made redundant as a bartender in New York. And there are many more like her. Kaiser Family Foundation Data Scientist Cynthia Cox explains how difficult it is to know how many people are actually without healthcare right now. Dr Adam Gaffney, a pulmonary and critical care doctor and instructor at Harvard Medical School says the insurance-led model already was in need of a drastic overhaul, while Mary Grealy of the Healthcare Leadership Council counters that the system does still work and offers greater choice to the consumer. And LaRay Brown, who leads the One Brooklyn Health System, describes how the pandemic is having a devastating effect on hospitals’ finances. Will the US health system stand up to the strain of Covid-19, and its economic disruption?(Pict

Some people aren’t letting coronavirus put their plans on hold. On today’s Business Daily, the BBC’s Katie Prescott meets several people dealing with the uncertainty of change in a pandemic. We’ll hear from Sharon, who is considering switching employer, and Sandra who is seizing the opportunity of a coronavirus-related redundancy to start her own business. We’ll also hear from entrepreneur and author Margaret Heffernan how we all accept some amount of uncertainty when making changes.(Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Can the lessons learned during Coronavirus help make urban environments smarter? The BBC’s Jane Wakefield meets the people trying to find out. Guillem Camprodon of the Fab Lab in Barcelona explains how local city sensors can be used to measure noise pollution, while Professor Phil James, director of the Urban Observatory programme in Newcastle, discusses the potential and limitations of collecting data on all aspects of daily life. Richard Sennett, Senior Advisor to the United Nations on its Urban Initiatives Group, says post-pandemic, we might need to rethink how we use space, and Daniela Rus of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, suggests ways we can use task robots to reduce risk to humans.(Picture: An aerial view of Tokyo. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

In Business Weekly, we investigate racial discrimination in the banking system and find out how this affects the businesses owned by people of colour. We also ask why so few governments plan effectively for catastrophes. We hear about the impact that had on the ability to react to Covid-19 and what it might mean for future challenges. Plus, we hear from the Welsh choir who are longing to sing together once again. Presented by Lucy Burton.

Trade wars have blighted the global economy in the last four years. What will it take to restore order? Much will depend on who takes over the leadership of the World Trade Organisation, the institution tasked with guiding and policing the rules-based global trading system. There are eight official candidates for the WTO top job. We speak to Mexico’s candidate, Jesus Seade, about how - and what - needs fixing, with commentary from the BBC’s economics correspondent Andrew Walker.(Photo: WTO director general candidate Jesus Seade; Credit: Getty Images)

Huawei's expulsion from the UK's 5G network is the latest development in a growing US-China cyber cold war - but Beijing has bigger plans afoot.Cyber-security consultant Dominique Lazanski explains how the Chinese authorities are proposing to replace the data protocols that underpin the current flexible, open internet with ones that would enable national governments to exert much greater top-down control within their borders.Meanwhile US President Trump continues to focus his ire on telecoms equipment maker Huawei, and major Chinese tech firms. Laurence Knight gets the latest from the BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani. Plus, Justin Sherman of the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington DC fears that if the US doesn't start working with other democracies, then the free, open internet we have grown up with may struggle to survive.(Picture: Abstract Globe With Glowing Networks; Credit: imaginima/Getty Images)