Business Daily

Grand Theft Auto changed gaming forever. In this programme we find out how. Chris Warburton meets the creative team from Dundee in Scotland who came up with the concept for Grand Theft Auto 25 years ago. We look into how it was picked up, marketed and ultimately sold to millions and millions of us. Grand Theft Auto was revolutionary, but it was also controversial with its depictions of shocking, graphic violence. This is the story of how the game and its makers overcame moral panic, political opposition and naysayers to become one of the most successful entertainment brands of a generation.Presenter: Chris Warburton Producer: Ciaran Tracey Image: GTA: Credit: Getty Images

Mate Rimac tells us how he designed and now produces the world's fastest electric car. He started out converting petrol racing cars to run on electricity and proving those vehicles could achieve top speeds. Mate Rimac then built a business to produce the car from scratch, with little money and no experience.His company is now valued at more than 2 billion dollars after securing investment last year from Porsche. He's also managed to build a new car manufacturing industry in Croatia. Presenter/producer: Theo Leggett(Photo: Mate Rimac leaning against a blue electric car in a showroom. Credit: Getty Images)

Would you like to work fewer days, but get paid the same? The biggest global trial of the four day week has just come to an end in the UK.We hear from some of the companies who took part, including employees making the most of their extra day off, and employers looking closely at productivity figures. It’s an idea that other countries are looking at closely, so we’ll be looking at the global implications of moving away from the traditional five days on, two days off model.Presenter: Emma Simpson Producers: Helen Thomas and Esyllt Carr(Image: Bethany with her dog Otis. Credit: BBC)

In the past year, Sri Lanka has endured political pandemonium and the worst economic crisis in its modern history. The situation has led to the highest number of people leaving the country on record.The Sri Lankan government has secured an IMF bailout - but will that help stop the exodus?In this episode we’ll hear from entrepreneur Brindha Selvadurai Gnanam, who has stayed put – as well as from students Meshith Ariyawansa and Ravishan Nethsara, who feel they need to leave for a good standard of living.Presenter / producer: Laura Heighton-Ginns Image: Sandy's classroom; Credit: BBC

A new coal mine in the north west of England could bring much-needed jobs and investment to the area. However there are concerns from environmentalists about the impact on the climate. The mine, in the Whitehaven area of Cumbria, is the first deep mine approved by the UK government for 30 years, and will provide fuel for steel-making.Rowan Bridge travels to Whitehaven, the town next to the site of the mine, to hear the arguments for and against.Presenter and producer: Rowan Bridge(Image: The former Woodhouse Colliery site where West Cumbria Mining have been granted government approval to extract coal in Whitehaven. Credit: Getty Images)

As 150,000 extra visitors are poised to descend on Liverpool in the north-west of England for the Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia Wilson heads to the city to see how businesses are preparing.Plus, we speak to fans travelling from across the world about how much it costs them to go to the event. Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane Reporter: Olivia Wilson (Image: Eurovision 2023 logo. Credit: Eurovision)

Turkey election: 5 million young people are expected to vote for the first time this weekend. We explore how the state of the economy will affect their decisions.Victoria Craig heads to Antalya a swing city with a young population to hear how they are managing to make a living in difficult economic circumstances and how they plan to use their vote.Presenter / Producer: Victoria Craig Image: Antalya; Credit: BBC

Joe Biden says American firms are ready to triple investment in Northern Ireland, we look into whether that's really likely to happen. Leanna Byrne is in Northern Ireland to take a look at the current levels of investment and speak to those businesses already benefitting from their relationship with the US. She also explores how Brexit and domestic politics could impact what happens next. Presenter / producer: Leanna Byrne Image: Joe Biden in Belfast; Credit: Getty Images

For over 80 years the US dollar has been king when it comes to global trade, is that beginning to change?We look at how the US dollar came to dominate global trade, ask what happens when a country runs out of dollars and explore why countries like China, India and Russia are starting to increase trade in their local currencies. Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: US dollars; Credit: Getty Images

Some see them as polar opposites, but more people than you might think are moving between the creative and technology industries; using the skills from one to further success in the other. But how easy is it to cross between art and engineering? David Harper meets Jan Harlan, who started his career in the embryonic IT industry of the 1960s. The precision and planning skills he developed would help him in a 30-year career as a producer for one of the world’s greatest film directors: Stanley Kubrick. David also speaks to Thomas Dolby, famous as a pop star in the 1980s synthpop scene, who later headed to Silicon Valley - using his enthusiasm for emerging technology to create new opportunities, including an infamous mobile phone ringtone. And we hear from Lyndsey Scott, an actress, former model and computer coder who develops iOS apps while simultaneously juggling an acting career. Despite her successes, she sometimes finds it difficult to be taken seriously in a male-dominated technology business. Presenter: David Harper Producers: David Harper and Victoria Hastings(Image: Lyndsey Scott. Credit: Paul Smith)

What's the future of the advertising industry? The industry veteran who was behind some of the most memorable ads of the 80s and 90s speaks to Dougal Shaw about the rise of digital platforms and social media.Hegarty is a revered figure in advertising because of the famous brands he helped to build. He was a founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi and co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). These days he is creative director of The Garage Soho, which invests in start-ups and helps to build brands.And Sir John also uses his own experiences of previous recessions to explain how he thinks companies can survive, and in some cases benefit from, a recession.Presenter/producer: Dougal Shaw(Image: Sir John Hegarty. Credit: Getty Images)

Social entrepreneurship is often borne out of the need to address social issues, but it is fast becoming a major contributor to economic growth – contributing billions of dollars to global economies and providing millions of jobs whilst maintaining its core altruistic values of making the world a better place.We meet Zimbabwean born Max Zimani – who runs an African/Middle-Eastern restaurant in Slovenia, created out of the need for inclusion of the migrant communities in an homogenous society like Slovenia. Skukhna offers a global cuisine and brings communities together through exotic dining.Simona Simulyte is a serial entrepreneur and CEO Tech4Good. She runs an ecosystem in Lithuania that brings together people with ideas for social businesses, provides mentorship and help source for funds which enables these start-ups become self-sufficient. And Moses Onitilo is the co-founder of a company known as Jamborow - a blockchain driven fintech platform focused on financial inclusion and grassroot empowerment, specifically targeting the unbanked and the lower income and rural communities within Africa. The Jamborow eco-system cuts across seven African countries including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, and UgandaPresenter/producer Peter MacJob(Image: These members of a small savings group in Kenya now have access to e-wallets via mobile phones. Photo Credit: Moses Onitilo)

Electrical line workers work all kinds of hours in very challenging conditions to keep electricity flowing to our homes and businesses. It's traditionally been a very male occupation but that's changing as more women break into the industry. We speak to Colombia’s first ever intake of female apprentice line workers about their intensive training experience, and Rosa Vasquez – one of the first women to do the job in Texas in 1978. Over in Kansas, Amy Fischbach, the Field Editor for T&D World magazine, is raising awareness of the trade in a podcast about women in line work. We also head to Pakistan where there are currently no women in this line of work, and head to Kansas hear from Presenter / producer: Olivia Wilson Image: Apprentice line workers in Colombia; Credit: ISA

The Swedish start-up that's worked out how to use hot fumes from kitchens to heat restaurants.Hear from the entrepreneurs who've developed this new technology. They tell us how it works and how it can help restaurants lower bills and carbon emissions. However this technology is expensive for restaurant owners, especially at a time when hiring workers and buying ingredients has got a lot more costly. One small business tells us about the benefits and challenges of investing in new equipment. Producer / presenter: Maddy Savage Image: Annika Lyndfors; Credit: BBC

We meet the Londoners moving into their first flats thanks to a ownership scheme which started in the US in the 1960s.Community land trust properties can only be bought by local people, and the price is set by average local income levels, not the open market. Dougal Shaw goes to a block of flats in Lewisham where buyers are just settling in. He speaks to a lawyer and community activist in the US – the idea started as part of the civil rights movement. And a property expert explains some of the potential long-term issues.Presenter/producer: Dougal Shaw(Image: Christian Codjoe is moving into a two-bed flat in Citizens House with his brother. Credit: BBC)(Image: Artists impression of the flats. Credit: French & Tie)

The Silicon Valley veteran created the first commercial website to support advertising in 1993.He is a publisher and author and now runs an online learning platform. He talks to Ed Butler about the recent dips in tech stocks, and the future of AI.Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Olivia Wilson(Image: Tim O'Reilly. Credit: Getty Images)

Could growing genetically modified mustard be the answer to oil shortages in India? Each year India spends billions of dollars importing 70 percent of its cooking oil from other countries like Argentina, Malaysia and Brazil. We speak to a farmer struggling to make a profit growing un-modified mustard crops. We also explore the debate in India around genetically modified food crops and speak to one farmer already growing genetically modified cotton. Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: Cotton farmer Ganesh Nanote; Credit: Ganesh Nanote

How Peru went from having virtually no blueberry plantations to being the world's top exporter in just ten years.In this episode Stefania Gozzer visits a plantation in the region of Ica and hears from experts, firms and farmers about the key developments that made blueberries growing such a success, despite Peru’s ongoing political crises.Presenter / producer: Stefania Gozzer Image: Blueberry farmer; Credit: BBC

Why are so many young French people feeling demotivated and quitting their jobs?Sabrina Teresi had a high-paying job as an engineer. She’d studied for years to qualify. She enjoyed the job at first but soon felt demotivated and after 3 years decided to quit.Polls show more and more young workers are struggling to find the energy to do their job, suffering from boredom and quitting their jobs. Is France facing an epidemic of laziness? Or are companies simply not adapting fast enough to new ways of working?Presenter / producer: Joshua Thorpe Image: Sabrina Teresi; Credit: Sabrina Teresi

Increasingly, US companies are 'nearshoring' - moving their operations closer to home.Cities in the north of Mexico, like Monterrey, are seeing a manufacturing boom. We speak to some of the companies who are cashing in, and ask, is this a renaissance that will last?Plus we look at other countries who are trying to get a share of the market.Presenter/producer: Samira Hussain(Image: Truck at the Mexico/US border. Credit: Getty Images)

Non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer is a rapidly growing market, as consumers search for healthy alternatives.Bill Shufelt started Athletic Brewing with his partner, brewmaster John Walker in 2018.Speaking to Dougal Shaw, Bill Shufelt explains how he sees the alcohol free beer market, and describes his 'career change moment'.Presenter/producer Dougal Shaw. (Image: Bill Shufelt at his brewery. Credit: Getty Images)

As the price of food increases, we speak to Muslims to find out how it has affected their Iftar - the fast-breaking evening meal during the holy month of Ramadan. It is often a lavish family meal, but price rises mean that people are having to make changes. We hear from women in Somalia, Canada, Pakistan and the UK who are all facing a slightly different Ramadan, and Eid, this year. Presented by Emb Hashmi with reporting from Ahmed Adan Editors: Carmel O'Grady and Helen Thomas(Photo: Fatuma and her family in Somalia. Credit: BBC)

The South American country is famous for its steaks, ribs, and milanesa. It is the second largest home market for beef in the world, and the fifth biggest exporter. But with soaring inflation, this much loved staple is becoming unaffordable for ordinary people.We look at the country’s love affair with beef and what measures the government is taking to protect it.Producer/presenter: Natalio Cosoy(Image: Porfirio Dávalos at his Friday barbecue. Credit: BBC)

Prices are around 45% more expensive than equivalent trips elsewhere, and it's often cheaper to fly out of the continent and back in. We look at the reasons Africans are paying higher fares for both internal and international flights, the impact this is having on business and tourism, plus the wider impact on the African economy.Producer/ presenter: Rebecca Kesby (Image: A plane on a runway in Nothern Africa. Credit: Getty Images)

Has people using less cash and higher tip suggestions on pay terminals increased expectation on customers? Tipping has a long history in the United States, but there is evidence that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the culture and percentages involved. Presenter Rick Kelsey speaks to waiting staff in New York, travel experts and explores the legal rules around tipping.Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey(Image: Someone placing dollars into a tip jar. Credit: Getty Images)

It sounds like a movie script, like Jurassic Park, but Australian scientists are actually aiming to 'de-extinct' an animal.The Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine, became extinct in 1936, nearly 90 years ago. It's native to Australia, and thanks to millions of dollars of funding via a US-based biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, research is underway which could bring it back to life.Sam Clack finds out why the project has attracted funding from a host of celebrity backers and asks whether science fiction could become reality?Produced and presented by Sam Clack.(Image: Tasmanian Tigers. Credit: Getty Images)

How did the musical manage to run for a record breaking 35 years? And why is it closing? As the curtain comes down on the Phantom in New York's famous Broadway theatre district, we look at what this means for the theatre industry.The Phantom of the Opera has played to more than 140 million people around the world, it’s sold 20 million tickets, and been performed in 33 countries. But whilst the global tours will keep going, this weekend the show is closing in New York.Actor Jonathan Roxmouth played the Phantom on a world tour, and tells us about the shows impact across the globe.Matt Rousu is a professor of economics and runs the website ‘Broadway Economics’ - he talks through the fine margins that shows like Phantom operate within. And Kizzy Cox reports from Broadway where she meets fans, speaks to veteran theatre critic Ben Brantley, and talks to Jan Mullen, an orchestra musician who has been with The Phantom of the Opera since it opened in 1986.Presenter/ producer: Izzy Greenfield (Image: Jonathan Roxmouth plays 'The Phantom' and Meghan Picerno plays 'Christine Daae' in The Phantom Of The Opera, 2019 in Singapore. Credit: Getty Images)

Almost everything electronic is powered by chips. But the global semiconductor industry has been beset by the Covid pandemic, conflict, and economic slowdown. Despite the challenges, it's set to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2030.Alex Bell takes an exclusive look inside one of Europe's biggest chip manufacturing factories - GlobalFoundries' plant in Dresden, Germany - to find out how chipmakers are preparing for the future.Presenter / producer: Alex Bell(Picture: The GlobalFoundries plant in Dresden, Germany. Credit: Getty Images.)

How has stability in Northern Ireland helped businesses? We look at the impact of the peace deal from the perspective of people within Northern Ireland, and outside, and find out how it has helped the development of manufacturing, foreign investment, tourism, and farming.We also hear from the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, one of the architects of The Good Friday Agreement.Presented and produced by Russell Padmore.(Image: Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) and then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (right). Credit: PA)

How do you make a game with a conservative image more marketable, and more profitable?Chess has been played for centuries, two people facing off over chessboard, but now it’s big business online too. Business Daily’s Dougal Shaw meets the head of World Chess, Ilya Merenzon, to talk about expanding the sport, the opportunities of the digital format, and the challenge of the recent cheating scandals.Produced and presented by Dougal Shaw.(Image: Magnus Carlsen at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January 2021. Credit: Getty Images)

The Liberica bean is a species of coffee that growers are hoping will make their crops sustainable in the future as the climate changes. We speak to farmers struggling to grow the most popular coffee plants and taste test a Liberica brew. Presenter / producer: Laura Heighton-Ginns(Image: Martin Kinyua; Credit: Martin Kinyua)

The Khoi and San people, who discovered rooibos tea, have only recently started receiving a share of the industry's multimillion-pound profits. They tell us about their fight to get the money they're owed and we hear from the rooibos farmers who are now having to pay out. We also find out what this deal could mean for other indigenous groups in a similar situation. Presenter: Mohammed Allie Producer: Jo Critcher Image: Princess Chantal Revell from the National Khoi and San Council, drinking rooibos tea; Credit: Princess Chantal Revell

The barcode has become an essential part of the modern world. There are 10 billion barcode scans every day and they are used on products in every country.It started as a few lines drawn in the Florida sand and today it turns 50. It changed the way we shop and trade, without them global supply chains could not function.Presenter / producer: Sam Fenwick Image: Barcode; Credit: Getty Images

As India is poised to overtake China as the world's most populous country, we put questions from World Service listeners to the author of 8 Billion and Counting. Dr Jennifer Sciubba explains how the number of humans is growing in some countries, declining in others, how people are moving around the world and why that matters when it comes to money and work. She also discusses the issue of fertility and birth-rate, and it's close links to factors such as government support and childcare.Presenter: Devina Gupta Producers: Helen Thomas and Carmel O'Grady(Image: A mother and child. Credit: Getty Images)

Japan is the world’s fastest ageing country, nearly 30% of Japan’s population is already over 65. Devina Gupta looks into what the ever decreasing workforce means for businesses in Japan. Many companies are pouring resources into developing advanced robots and artificial intelligence to do human work. Mikio Okumura- president of one of Japan’s largest insurance companies - Sompo Holdings, tells us his company has recently started using AI to analyse complex data to predict the health risks of individuals.Many small and medium businesses owners nearing retirement age are also struggling to find successors. Japan’s trade ministry has warned that by 2025 over half a million profitable businesses could close, costing the economy $165 billion. Tsuneo Watanabe, a director of Nihon M&A Center, a company that specializes in finding buyers for such enterprises tells us how they're trying to solve the problem.Producer / presenter: Devina Gupta Image: Senior citizens advertising in Tokyo; Credit: Getty Images

Bisi Adebayo investigates why so many young, highly skilled people leave Nigeria, known in the country as Japa.Bisi hears from journalist Victoria Idowu who re-located to Canada with her family and a teacher in Lagos who is about to pack her bags and move to the UK. We also hear from an expert in employment data Babajide Ogunsanwo who tells us how much this costs Nigeria and Wale Smart an employer who explains how tricky it is to find and retain staff. Presenter / producer: Bisi Adebayo Image: Graduating students of the American University of Nigeria; Credit: Getty Images

Italy’s population has decreased by approximately one million residents in the space of one year and forecasts predict that this is likely to worsen. Hannah Mullane speaks to a mother in Rome about what it’s like to start a family in Italy and a business that’s implementing its own policies to support staff who choose to have children. We take a look at what the government is planning to do to encourage more people to have children and head to the north of Italy to the Bolzano region, the only part of the country where births are increasing to see what they’re doing differently. Presenter/producer: Hannah Mullane Image: Melissa and Cosmo; Credit: Melissa Panarello

Devina Gupta reports on India's growing population and what that means for people living, working and running businesses there. 66 year old Radha Gupta and her daughter Aashima Gupta live in India’s capital city, Delhi. They tell us how population dynamics have changed their lifestyle over the years, and business woman Vineeta Singh tells us how she has capitalised on a growing number of consumers in India and how this is attracting global finance. Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: Kolkata market: Credit: Getty Images

David Reid delves into the debate around the repatriation of problematic art and treasures. He visits one museum in the north-west of England attempting to decolonise its collection by returning thousands of items to the countries and communities they were taken from. In this episode we meet curators like Dr Njabulo Chipangura, from Manchester Museum, who says the best way to guarantee the future of collections is to give parts of them away. Also, Professor Kim A. Wagner from the University of London tells us the story of the skull of Alum Bheg, which he would dearly like to return to India. Is this ultimately the right way to treat problematic artefacts and treasures? Or could this movement end up destroying hard to acquire expertise and render Museums meaningless and economically unviable?Producer/presenter: David Reid(Photo: The skull of Alum Bheg: Credit: Kim Wagner)

Ten years ago this month, in March 2013, Venezuela’s charismatic socialist leader Hugo Chavez died and current president Nicolas Maduro took over.In the decade since, the South American nation suffered an extraordinary economic collapse – the economy shrunk by two thirds, inflation hit six digits, the government chopped 11 zeros off the bank notes, oil production slumped and millions of people fled abroad to escape economic hardship.We talk to Venezuelans who lived through that collapse, from a shopkeeper who went bankrupt to a university professor whose salary in the local currency, bolivars, is worth just 25 US dollars a month.We also ask if the worst is over and what the future holds for this once wealthy nation – a founding member of Opec that sits on some of the world’s largest oil reserves.Producer and presented by Gideon Long Additional reporting: Vanessa Silva in Caracas(Image: A Venezuelan man holding a Chavez/Maduro balloon. Credit: Getty Images)

AI chatbots are everywhere at the moment - but how are they being used by business? Business Daily presenter Rick Kelsey heads to one of the world's financial hubs, Canary Wharf in London, to find out how this technology is changing jobs.Sarah Kunst, the managing director of Cleo Capital, which invests in tech companies in San Francisco, tells us how some start-ups are using AI bots to deep search the internet, but also about her concerns with misinformation.Chante Venter is from Wise Move, a removal firm in South Africa. She has recently started using the chatbot for communication with customers and says that it's helping her team enjoy their work more. Rochelle Garrad from Chards, a coin and bullion dealer in Blackpool in the north west of England, talks about how chatbots can create content like blogs and YouTube scripts very quickly, but sometimes less accurately.Producer / presenter: Rick Kelsey Image

Arguably the fastest growing music genre in the world, Afrobeats artists are playing to sold out crowds in the most coveted venues across the globe.What started as an umbrella term in London, UK, to encapsulate pop music of African extraction has become a major force in pop culture.But is Afrobeats able to emerge as a major economic force within the continent and can it leverage on its global appeal to boost other sectors including fashion and the arts?We hear from the pioneers like Abass Tijani, one of the very first DJs to play Afrobeats in UK clubs and Ayo Shonaiya who created the first TV show featuring musicians from Nigeria and Ghana.We also hear from Weird MC and Paul Play Dairo – two artists whose experimentation of sound in the mid-1990s contributed immensely to the growth and appeal of the genre.Produced and presented by Peter MacJob.(Image: Burna Boy performing at the NBA All Star game 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

Antibiotics stopped providing big gains for pharmaceutical companies decades ago, but as bacteria become more resistant to drugs, the world needs new classes of antibiotics to be discovered if we want to prevent the next global health crisis.Dr Tina Joshi, Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Plymouth explains that it’s more likely antimicrobial resistance will kill large numbers of human beings before climate change does. Kasim Kutay, CEO of the investment fund Novo Holdings tells us that for big pharma companies, antibiotics are seen as a contribution to society rather than an investment that can provide a profit. How can firms be convinced to invest in an unprofitable product? We hear how Netflix might provide a good model and we explore research in Phages - a bacteria specialised in eating other bacteria. Phages are being championed by some as a potential substitute for antibiotics. One patient in Minnesota tells us Phages saved his life.Presenter / producer: Stefania Gozzer Image: Dr Tina Joshi; Credit: Lloyd Russell

The hospitality entrepreneur Sarah Willingham has worked extensively across the UK restaurant and bar industry. She also featured as a Dragon on the BBC TV show, Dragon's Den (the UK equivalent of Shark Tank).Sarah took a bet at the height of the coronavirus pandemic that cocktail bars would thrive again - and is now CEO of UK-based hospitality group Nightcap, a rapidly expanding drinks-led investment firm which she started with her husband in 2020. The company has acquired around 20 cocktail and party bars across the country, employing more than 1,000 staff.Sarah talks to Dougal Shaw about the difficulties of entrepreneurship in lockdown, some of the current challenges facing the hospitality industry and about the imposter syndrome she felt earlier in her career.Presenter and producer: Dougal Shaw(Image - Sarah Willingham. Credit: Getty Images)

If you don’t like the way online speech is regulated, can you build your own internet where you make the rules? This is the story of Rumble, the new king of alt-tech. Rumble started as a small video streaming platform, hoping to rival YouTube. Recently, it has become the site of choice for Americans frustrated with YouTube moderation, and moved its headquarters to Florida - hailed by some as the new Silicon Valley. Rumble had been eligible for an economic development incentive grant as part of the move, but the package was scrapped following protests from some locals and Rumble did not receive taxpayer money. Now, the company is seeking to build the infrastructure for an internet ecosystem that is “immune to cancel culture”. In this episode, we trace the company’s journey from Canadian start-up to Floridian big tech challenger, and ask what this means for the future of public debate online.Producer/presenter: Ellie House Additional reporting: Annie Phrommayon Sound mix: James Beard(Photo: Person using phone looking at Rumble app. Credit: Getty Images)

Abdullah lives in northern Syria. He is 14, he lost his mother and brothers to the Syrian civil war. For years now Abdullah has been working to feed the rest of his family, and he's just survived one of the world’s most devastating earthquakes. In this episode of Business Daily Ed Butler hears Abdullah's story. Abdullah works at the Harakat Tarhin oil refinery outside Al Bab in north-west Syria. It's a makeshift oil refinery and they make fuel to feed the cars, trucks and heaters on which the region depends.Oil is usually refined in massive industrial buildings, run by multi-national firms, but where Abdullah works it’s cooked in the back yard. He tells us he knows how dangerous his job is but that he has no choice and must carry on working. Presenter / producer: Ed Butler Image: Abdullah; Credit: BBC

Last month’s devastating earthquake didn’t just claim thousands of Turkish lives, it ravaged northern Syria as well. International help for that region has struggled to get through. In this episode of Business Daily Ed Butler looks at how the region is battling to pick up the pieces, and whether local business-people are helping or simply profiting from the crisis.Amnat Soueif, a mother of two, tells Ed how she's providing for her children. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior fellow at the New Lines Institute, tells us about conversations she's having with families in the region about their trauma.Abu Amer runs a vegetable stall in the Idlib area - he tells us how commodity prices have been affected by the earthquake and Bassam Abu Muhammad, a blacksmith, tells us that since the earthquake he's moved into making and selling tents.Presenter / producer: Ed Butler Image: A displaced Syrian child; Credit: Getty images

Without being able to see clearly, people in low and middle income countries can find it difficult to secure a job or support their family. Globally around one billion people need to wear glasses but do not have access to them. We look at what’s being done to help. Producer / presenter: Sam Fenwick(Image: Ankit Sharma; Credit: Ankit Sharma)

We follow in the footsteps of a Viking Saint who's legacy is bringing visitors and their cash to remote areas from Sweden and Norway.More and more people are choosing to go on modern day pilgrimages, we walk part of the world's most northern pilgrimage trail to find out how businesses on the route are benefitting. Producer / presenter: Robert Walker (Image: People walking on grassland. Credit: Getty Images)

Ahead of the Oscars, Business Daily goes behind the scenes of a celebrity gifting suite. Before the ceremony and the parties, celebrities are often invited to hotel suites, usually close to where the awards ceremony will happen. The rooms are filled with skincare products, makeup, jewellery, clothes, shoes, bags, you name it. Celebrities can take the gifts away for free - all companies want in return is a superstar endorsement.In this episode entertainment reporter KJ Matthews finds out how this business actually works with Nathalie Dubois who has been running these suites for almost 20 years.We also hear from Nthenya Mwendwa, a designer from Kenya who's bracelet bag was recently chose by a celebrity at a gifting suite and worn on the red carpet. Hear what that photos and the exposure has done for her small business. Presenter: KJ Matthews Producer: Carmel O'Grady Image: Sharon Stone at a gifting suite in Cannes: Credit: Nathalie Dubois