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Does commuting into the office have a future? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Mike Hampson, chief executive of Bishopsgate Financial, which has permanently closed its office in London's financial district in favour of home working. Luke Philpott from the commerical property agents DeVono Cresa describes the steep drop in demand for office space during the lockdown, while Tom Carroll from the commercial property company JLL argues that the office still has a crucial role to play in company life. And urbanist Richard Florida from the University of Toronto explains why cities will continue to be vital centres of business and innovation, despite the impact of the virus.(Photo: The skyline of London's financial district, Credit: Getty Images)

Protests over the death of George Floyd have swept across the United States. On Business Weekly we ask what companies should be doing to help in the fight for racial equality. We hear from the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail federation in the US. Plus we get the point of view of a shop owner in Minneapolis who’s premises was destroyed by in the rioting after George Floyd’s death. This is happening against a backdrop of pandemic - we’ll find out why different US states are taking such radically different steps to defeat the coronavirus. Plus after weeks of lockdown in France bars and cafe’s have re-opened - but it’s not entirely business as usual. Lucy Burton presents.

Sex workers, like so many others, have seen their incomes disappear overnight since the start of the pandemic. While in some cities businesses are slowly reopening, the sex trade carries with it a high risk of transmitting the coronavirus. It’s an industry where regulations vary wildly across the globe, but sex workers everywhere are deeply anxious about their future and safety. Vivienne Nunis hears from the Daulatdia brothel in Bangladesh, where women and children have been trapped for months. She also speaks to an escort in Australia who has been forced to take her business online. Plus, Teela Sanders, criminology professor at the University of Leicester, explains how sex workers are facing added challenges accessing healthcare, leading to an innovative solution in Nairobi.(Image: Escort Estelle Lucas. Credit: Estelle Lucas)

Large corporations around the world are using their social media accounts and PR machines to announce support for those people protesting in the wake of the George Floyd killing. But are corporate expressions of support mere publicity exercises, and do they crowd out the space for more marginalised voices at times of crisis? Manuela Saragosa asks Dometi Pongo, MTV News Host, how he sees the role of corporate media and broadcasting. Also, what proactive steps could the wider business community take to address systemic racism in their society? John Harmon, Board Member of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, explains what can be learnt from the accumulated experience of black business owners. We'll also hear from Matthew Shay, president of the National Retail Federation, and Jim Segal, whose shop in Minneapolis was destroyed in the rioting after George Floyd was killed by police.Producers: Frey Lindsay, Laurence Knight(Picture: Protestors in Manhattan,June 02, 2020. Picture credit: Getty Images)

Economist Nouriel Roubini predicted the 2008 financial crisis. Now he says a new Cold War could be on the way. The BBC's Karishma Vaswani spoke with him in-depth to find out why. Amongst other reasons, Roubini says America's failure in global leadership on coronavirus, trade tensions and the spat over Huawei and 5G could lead China to flex its muscle on the world stage, and he's not sure the US is up to it this time. At the same time, how much should we worry about one economist's predictions? Manuela Saragosa and Karishma discuss.(Picture: Dr. Nouriel Roubini. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Students due to start university or college this autum are in the dark over what kind of education they can expect under social distancing measures. Many are choosing to defer their studies, and institutions may miss out on billions of dollars in fees. Student Jorge Beltrao tells us why he's planning to take a gap year instead of beginning his degree, and Zamzam Ibrahim, president of the UK's National Union of Students, explains why he's not alone. Kim Weeden, professor of sociology at Cornell University in the US, explains why college campuses are such a worry when it comes to the spread of viruses. Professor Professor Peter Mathieson, principle and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh in the UK, says students can expect a good education regardless of restrictions. Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at Oxford University explains why a shortfall in international students in particular could hit universities in the English speaking world.(Photo: High school students hold their graduation

Coronavirus outbreaks continue in various patterns around the United States, even as some state governors press ahead with lifting lockdowns. Particularly in rural states, support for getting back to normal has intensified, as some Americans feel their liberties are being trodden on by an overzealous public health regime. For epidemiologists such as Tara Smith, professor at the Emerging Infections Laboratory at Kent State University, this is a worrying trend as many rural areas are yet to fully experience the impact of coronavirus. And the medical and cultural anthropologist Martha Lincoln of San Francisco State University fears coronavirus strategies may have been consigned to the culture wars that have been raging between the left and right in the US for decades. But Florida political consultant and Republican Chris Ingram says there needs to be a balance in the response to COVID-19 and that some parts of the media and public health authorities have lost perspective.Producer: Frey Lindsay.(Picture: A protes

In this episode of Business Weekly we’ll be looking a the idea of covid-19 immunity passports. Could they be a willy wonka-esque golden ticket that frees the owner from lockdown if they’ve had the disease? Some businesses and governments are certainly hopeful. However, the WHO warns that it doesn’t know how much immunity Covid survivors get. We will debate the pros and cons. With Hollywood halted, what will the future of film be after the pandemic? Will we stay happily streaming from our sofas, leaving cinemas obsolete? We’ll also take a look at some of the dubious cures for the Coronavirus that have been advertised on social media. Clearly none of them work, so why are people taken in? And we look back at the life and times of the King of Gambling, Macau’s Stanley Ho, who died this week. Presented by Lucy Burton.

The coronavirus epidemic has wreaked economic destruction across Europe but now the European Union has unveiled an ambitious recovery plan. It will involve all 27 member states working together as one like never before with a 750 billion euro plan to help the worst hit countries, funded by collective debt. Is this the defining moment for the EU that some are claiming? Former Italian PM Enrico Letta thinks that it's a turning point for the EU, but Northern neighbours in Sweden and the Netherlands urge caution. MEP Derk Jan Eppink calls it a 'coup', whilst Sweden's European Affairs Minister, Hans Dahlgren insists that money needs to be paid back. Manuela Saragosa presents. (Image: Ursula von der Leyen, Credit: Reuters)

Antibody testing to see if a patient has had coronavirus is becoming more frequent. Many are putting their hopes into using such tests as the basis for immunity ‘passports’ so people can re-emerge back into society without fear of infecting others. Chile and Estonia have begun work on such systems, and we’ll hear from Taavet Hinrikus, the tech entrepreneur who is helping design Estonia’s system. Individual companies are interested in the idea as well, as John Holland-Kaye, the CEO of Heathrow Airport, explains. Meanwhile, companies such as Onfido are racing to design apps to accommodate such a system, while other businesses are wary of whether immunity passports are the right way to get their staff back to work.(Picture: illustration of a SARS-CoV-2 virion. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Countries around the world are working on ways for people to safely get back to normal, people like Pam in Scotland, who is navigating the world of app dating during coronavirus and wondering when, and if, to meet up. One answer is the idea of an immunity passport or certificate: something that shows you have had coronavirus and are now immune. Franz Walt, chief executive of Swiss firm Quotient, says antibody testing is so accurate it could be the basis for such a system. But Professor Robert West at University College London, says we don’t know enough about the illness to guarantee a passport system would work. And Stanford University historian Kathryn Olivarius explains how a 19th century yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans can help us think about it.(Picture: a testing vial. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

In today’s programme, we’ll be looking at how fake coronavirus cures are marketed and why people are buying them. We’ll also be asking if social media platforms need to do more to stop the flow of disinformation. Claire Wardle who leads strategy at First Draft News tells us why social media is a fertile ground for spreading rumours and disinformation. Stephen Lea, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Exeter University tells us why are people paying good money for unproven remedies. Plus, the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani tells us about a supposed herbal remedy being touted by the Madagascan government. (Picture: A bottle of pills, credit: Getty Images).

Plans for gigantic government investments to decarbonise the world economy are gaining traction, but they may hinge on the US election results in November.Justin Rowlatt speaks to Spain's deputy prime minister Teresa Ribera about how her government aims to make the country carbon neutral by 2050, as well as a one-trillion-euro EU green recovery plan expected to be unveiled by the European Commission this week.Meanwhile in the US, the signs are that Democrat Joe Biden will adopt a climate change plan similar in scale to the original 1930s New Deal as the central plank of his election campaign, according to Vox journalist David Roberts.But what about the world's biggest carbon emitter, China? Justin asks Li Shuo of Greenpeace East Asia whether President Xi will prioritise green investments as part of his country's coronavirus recovery plan, currently being fleshed out at the National People's Congress. And what difference would the US election outcome make to China's willingness to phase out fossil fuels?Produc

On Business Weekly we be look at how our employers are going to keep us safe as we cautiously head out of lockdown and back into the workplace. But if our temperatures are taken and our movements recorded, how will they address that sensitive balance between safety and privacy? As soon as we’re back at work we might want a holiday - but will anywhere be open for tourists? We get the view from Spain the second most visited country on the planet. Plus, the food supply chain the the US is in crisis as a result of the Corona virus. We hear from farmers and unions who are worried for the future. And we find out why there’s a new boss at TikTok and hear from the managing director of a puzzle makers who tells us just why this old fashioned game is more popular than ever. Presented by Lucy Burton.

With cinemas closed, will our lockdown streaming habits change the film industry for good? Manuela Saragosa speaks to cinema owner Penn Ketchum about the draw of the big screen, and plans to bring audiences back to theatres. Entertainment consultant Gene Del Vecchio explains why we should expect more films to find their way directly to our living rooms after coronavirus, bypassing cinemas all together. And TV and film producer Brian Udovich describes the shutdown in Hollywood, and the challenges of running a film set under social distancing rules.(Photo: Cinema popcorn, Credit: Getty Images)

How much should employers know about their workers as people head back to the office? Companies have a duty of care to make sure their workers are safe, but how much monitoring is reasonable? Is this the end of privacy at work? Manuela Saragosa hears from Dutch privacy and employment lawyer Philip Nabben, as well as Sam Naficy the CEO of Prodoscore which makes software that monitors employee productivity, and Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College London.(Image: A security guard checks the temperature of an employee inside an office building in Shanghai. Credit: Getty Images).

Governments are spending billions paying wages to workers who are no longer able to work due to the coronavirus pandemic. How long can we keep this up? Are we storing up problems by offering this type of unprecedented state-sponsored handout long-term?We hear from an employee in the tourism industry who has been furloughed, a hotel owner in the North of England who has had to furlough most of his staff, as well as Torsten Bell from the Resolution Foundation think tank who originally proposed the scheme in the UK before it was adopted, and Eamonn Butler from the free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute who argues that the system is open to abuse.(Image: stock photo of a woman reading in the park. Credit: Getty Images.).

A third of Venezuela's population is at risk of malnutrition, according to the UN and the latest gasoline crisis could weaken the country's economy further. Entire villages are said to have been cut off from food supplies because trucks can't get fuel to deliver to them. That’s the context a crisis which has made Venezuela the world’s weakest emerging economy, according to a recent review by the Economist magazine. Earlier this month the situation became even more volatile when two Americans were caught apparently trying to launch a coup attempt against the government. We hear from Adam Tooze, a professor of history at Columbia University and we get the views of Venezuelan opposition politician Manuela Bolivar. (Picture of a woman wearing a face mask walking next to graffiti reading Don't be a slave of the dollar in Caracas, photo by Federico Parra via Getty Images).

How do you feed a world in lockdown? We’ll be looking at the pressures on the global food supply chain in this episode of Business Weekly. As many choose to buy more locally produced food we’ll ask whether new habits will stick. Two renowned economists tell us that any governments handing out Coronavirus bailouts must learn the lessons from the financial crisis of 2008 and impose tighter conditions. ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus speaks to us about life in Sweden during the pandemic and gives us his thoughts on fellow countrywoman Greta Thunberg. Plus - has the coronavirus forever changed the workplace as we know it? Lucy Burton presents.

Coal has suffered the brunt of the huge slump in electricity demand as the world has gone into lockdown. It has highlighted the fossil fuel's Achilles Heel: When there is too much supply on the grid, it's coal-fired power stations that get switched off, not solar or wind.Justin Rowlatt speaks to the head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol, as well as analysts covering the two countries most central to coal's future. Delhi-based Sunil Dahiya says that India is already reckoning with renewable energy that is cheaper 24/7 than the cost of operating its existing coal fleet. Meanwhile Shirley Zhang of energy analysts Wood Mackenzie says that China's plans to build new coal-fired power stations is already baked in.Plus, Business Daily's favourite chemistry professor, Andrea Sella of University College London, explains why coal played such a central role in getting the Industrial Revolution started, with the help of an uncooperative steam engine.Producer: Laurence Knight(Picture: Cooling towers at the de