Business Daily

Ghana’s parliament has recently passed a tough new anti-LGBT bill. President Nana Akufo-Addo hasn't yet signed it in to law, after warnings that it could threaten Ghana’s much needed donor funding from places like the World Bank and IMF. Ghana is suffering a major economic crisis and last year had a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Other African countries have also brought in similar laws. But is it fair for international financial institutions to get involved in politics in this way?Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Immie Rhodes(Image credit: AFP)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied in multiple industries all around the world, and in travel, the technology has made big strides.We travel to Spain to find out how the airline Iberia and the hotel chain Iberostar are using AI to change the way they operate.At Iberostar, AI applications can analyse and predict the amount of food that restaurants will need, and hopefully reduce food waste as a result.Meanwhile, Iberia is using the tool as a personal assistant to help high-end travellers plan their trips.And we hear about some of the limitations of the technology if it's not applied properly.(Picture: Business woman with an open suitcase, preparing for a trip, while looking at her phone. Credit: Getty Images)Presented and produced by Ashish Sharma

In the midst of a snap general election, we take the opportunity to look at the state of the country’s economy. France has a huge debt burden and some business leaders are worried that the economy could worsen if Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party get into power. The French stock market has been falling since the parliamentary election was announced - although it has recovered slightly after Sunday's result. Meanwhile the parties on the left have formed a new alliance, The New Popular Front, with radical policies like increasing tax on high earners and reducing the pension age.Although we are fixated on the rise of the far right, the parties of the left formed a united block to fight RN and they have made gains in the first round of voting. We hear from a solar panel manufacturer in Paris, plus a former UK Ambassador to Paris who knows President Emmanuel Macron. And economic experts in Brussels and Frankfurt discuss the EU perspective. Presented and produced by Russell Padmore(Image: Supporters o

It is the biggest sporting event on the planet based on the millions of spectators who line roads for a fleeting view, but this year a shake up will mean the loss of the iconic Champs Elysees finish.We look at how a cycling race became a global money spinner - particularly for its owners, the Amaurys, one of the richest families in sport.We also visit the Maurienne valley, a regular stop off for the Tour, to find out what’s in it for sponsors and hosts. And with a new final stage ending in Nice to steer clear of the Paris Olympics, and a date clash with the French election, could 2024 see a change in fortunes for the Tour de France?Producer/presenter: Laura Heighton-Ginns(Photo: Mark Cavendish, Davide Ballerini, Elmar Reinders, Michael Morkov Dylan Groenewegen and Cees Bol competing during the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 2. Credit: Getty Images)

After tackling its security problem, can the smallest country in Central America get its finances under control too?We hear from street sellers, economists and locals about the issues they're still facing, and visit a surf town where tourism is having a big economic impact.Produced and presented by Jane Chambers (Image: A street market in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Credit: Getty Images)

The CEO of Vue International started out as a high school drop out as he wanted to concentrate on a snowsports career.We hear how, when that didn't work out, Tim Richards ended up entering the film industry and eventually starting his own cinema chain in his garage.Vue is now Europe's largest privately owned cinema chain but it hasn't been an easy ride - Tim tells us how the company has weathered both the Covid pandemic and the Hollywood writer's strikes. Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Amber Mehmood(Image: Tim Richards. Credit: Getty Images)

With just over a week to go until the UK General Election, we head to the seaside town of Southport in the north west of England.We speak to students and young entrepreneurs who live in the area to find out how they are feeling. We ask about the impact of inflation and a rising cost of living, and see which issues they'd like to hear the politicians talking about.It's far from a British problem - Southport could really be a microcosm of the changes and challenges facing young people in a community near you.Presenter: Will Bain Producers: Izzy Greenfield and Lexy O'Connor(Image: Business owner Leanne and manager Alex behind the till at the their shop Cake Corner)

Ever needed to put your stuff in a storage unit? Recent research predicts the global self-storage market will be worth around $70bn by 2031 and the UK’s self-storage industry made more than £1bn last year for the first time ever.But what’s behind this rapid growth? What are people putting into these units? And what does it have to do with Gen Z and internet shoppers?We also hear from critics on what the growing industry says about housing around the world. Presented and produced by Sam Gruet(Image: A young woman loads storage boxes into a unit. Credit: Getty Images)

A shadow fleet of old and poorly maintained ships is cruising the high seas, often hiding their true identities through a series of shell companies.Their numbers have grown massively since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lloyd’s List estimates as many as 12% of tankers are part of the dark fleet.There’s increasing concern about the danger to the environment, and to ship’s crews. But how effective at tackling the problem is the regulator, the International Maritime Organisation?Presenter: Lesley Curwen Producer: Clare Williamson(Image: Sea and ship at sunset. Credit: Getty Images)

Senegalese international and former Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy is considered a legend of football. Becoming the first African to be awarded both the UEFA and FIFA goalkeeper of the year in 2021, followed by a big money transfer deal to Saudi Arabia, Mendy has reached the very heights of the game. But football careers don't last forever, so he is diversifying, and can now add a new line on his CV - as an investor in Francophone Africa. We hear about his work on the pitch to date, what’s motivated a move into fintech, and why he thinks footballers need to plan for their future after they give up the professional game.(Image: Edouard Mendy looks on in the paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, 2024. Credit: Getty Images)Presented and produced by Peter Macjob

The social shopping industry is estimated to reach around $8.5 trillion in global sales by 2030. So what are the big tech giants doing to win over a generation of teenagers hooked onto shopping on social media?We find out what makes shopping social and find out what happens when a country bans social shopping on the world’s fastest growing platform.We speak to Gen Z shoppers, social media experts and an Indonesian business owner who almost had to let his staff go after the government changed the law around selling on social media.Presented and produced by Sam Gruet(Image:Livestream seller Evo Syah. Image credit: Evo Syah)

As prize money gaps between men and women begin to close in many sports, in golf, the pay disparity is still very large. Nelly Korda, winner of five consecutive tournaments, earned less than Scottie Scheffler, who won four. And although current and former players like Korda and Mel Reid have made strides in the game, there's a significant difference in the prize money they receive.A lot of the disparity has been linked to the level of investment in the game. The men’s game has seen major cash injections, such as the $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund into LIV Golf. Sam Fenwick explores what could boost investment in the women’s game and asks current player Mel Reid and former player, Nancy Lopez, how the game can attract more funding and TV time.(Picture: A montage of Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler, swinging their golf clubs, against a background of a green. Credit: PA/USA Today Sports/BBC)Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick

Summer tourism in the Mediterranean is not only already in full swing but set for another bumper season.In Rhodes, "the more the merrier” is the mantra on this famed Greek isle, which is economically reliant on tourism. But the growing influx of arrivals each year alongside increasing frequency and ferocity of the annual wildfire season is posing some hard questions for locals about the need for more environmentally-friendly forms of tourism. Now, an ambitious five-year programme is underway, aimed at transforming the fourth-largest Greek island into “a beacon for sustainable tourism.” We head to Rhodes to take a look at how it is progressing, how businesses are adapting, and the way tourists are responding.Presenter/producer: Victoria Craig(Photo: Anda Karayanni of the Irene Palace Hotel, Rhodes, tending to some plants. Credit: Victoria Craig/BBC)

When is tourism good tourism, and when is it just too much?Current projections suggest global travel is going to carry on rising for the foreseeable future, as low-cost air travel and budget rentals make package holidays ever more affordable for ever more people. But from Tenerife to Venice, more and more tourist destinations are feeling the pressure of these rising visitor numbers. In holiday hotspots, local people are complaining of congested streets, rising housing costs, and environmental degradation. And some have even taken to the streets to protest about the issue. So what’s to be done?(Image: Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain in 2024)Presented and produced by Ed Butler

23 years ago, the US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first-ever space tourist, funding his own trip into orbit. There was clearly money to be made, and now the lure of making space tourism more accessible to the masses is even greater - with several private companies jockeying for position. Jane Poynter’s firm is among them.It’s an industry experiencing dramatic growth – but the price of any of these trips is out of reach of most of us. We explore whether this firm could achieve its aim of launching more of us into stratospheric heights.And we hear how Jane went on her own journey: from ecologist working in the famous Biosphere 2 experiment in the early 1990s, to looking skywards and the possibilities of a career in space tourism. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Amber Mehmood

The European country is known for its late night eating culture, the average time for an evening meal is past 9PM.One of the reasons for that is the working day across Spain which has a history of going on way into the evening.But recently the second deputy minister of Spain called this ‘madness’, saying eating so late and working late isn’t good for work-life balance. We speak to a restaurant owner and the CEO of digital agency that offers flexible working to talk about working culture and discuss how likely it is that Spain will change its habits.(Picture: Mikel López de Viñaspre, the co-founder and chief executive of the Sagardi Group of Basque restaurants. Credit: Sagardi Group)Presented and produced by Hannah Mullane

Why does being on your own seem so expensive? The number of unmarried, divorced, widowed or unattached people is growing worldwide. But figures suggest it is more financial costly to be single, while couples and families benefit from paying less per person. Whether it is the packaging supermarkets use, streaming service tariffs, hotel rooms - you often get a much better deal being coupled-up than not. Governments are in on the act too: offering tax breaks to couples.In this programme, we take apart the personal finances of singles; hearing from World Service listeners and financial analysts. Is it just economies of scale or are we really living in a world that penalises people on their own? And are there any financial advantages to being solo?(Picture: Senior woman looking concerned, paying bills at home on her laptop. Credit: Getty Images)Presented and produced by David Reid

We look at how soaring food and fuel prices are affecting the tiny island nation in the western Pacific Ocean.Like much of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have led to supply chain issues, and rising costs.And with limited opportunities, young people are facing the question, should they stay or leave and chase careers elsewhere?Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay(Image: People gathered under the Japan-Palau Friendship bridge in Koror, Palau. Credit: Frey Lindsay/BBC)

We travel to the tiny pacific nation which wants to shrink its marine sanctuary, and open it up once more to commercial fishing.The President says it’s costing too much in lost revenue, when Palauans are already struggling.But opponents say this goes against Palau's conservationist ethos.So today we're asking - can conservation and commerce, co-exist?Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay(Image: The National Geographic Pristine Seas research vessel the Argo, in the Pacific Ocean East of Palau. Credit: Frey Lindsay)

Diabetes and obesity drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have become famous for helping users shed big amounts of weight. It's a market that could soon be worth more than $100 billion. Two companies dominate this space, Novo Nordisk which makes Ozempic and Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro. But with competitors desperate for a piece of the action, how long can these two giants stay in front?Leanna Byrne hears from some of the companies involved, including those at the centre of the action and those developing the next wave of treatments.Presented by Leanna Byrne and produced by Lexy O'Connor(Image: A box of the anti-obesity drug Wegovy, including injection pens. Credit: Getty Images)