Business Daily

Presenter Matthew Kenyon visits Dutch tech giant ASML, the company which makes the most advanced machines used in the manufacturing of microchips. It is Europe’s most valuable tech company and business is booming – ASML expanded its headcount by nearly a third in 2022 – but political pressure from the US to restrict exports to China threatens to disrupt the semiconductor landscape. We hear from ASML chief executive Peter Wennink, find out more about the process of creating ASML’s remarkable products and consider what the fallout from Washington’s intervention might be.Presenter/producer: Matthew Kenyon(Photo: ASML expo in Shanghai. Credit: Getty Images)

On World Hijab Day, Business Daily's Emb Hashmi explores the enormous market in modest fashion and in particular the hijab. We meet four women who wear the hijab in their own way and also make a living out of modelling, making and selling hijabs. Dr Sana Askary, founder of Yumin Hijab tells Emb that when she decided to wear the hijab a few years ago she couldn’t find one she could wear comfortably so she designed her own and now runs a hijab business which she’s hoping to expand this year.Shazrina Azman aka Mizz Nina was an award winning Malaysian singer songwriter but a chance moment on Hajj pilgrimage made her realise she wanted to dress more modestly. Sharzina adapted her already very successful fashion business to more modest clothing designs and left her free hair look behind to wear the hijab.Lalla Mariah al-Idrissi is a model and filmmaker and tells us she’s considered a model with hijab she's considered a model with hijab because the hijab is such a significant part of her appearance and Eniya Rana a modest fashion influencer based in London and married mother of 5 describes how she creates very relatable online content for a growing global female audience.Presenter/producer: Emb Hashmi (Photo: Dr Sana Askary and friends; Credit: Yumin Hijabs)

Presenter David Reid explores the huge market in military memorabilia. Enthusiasts recreating historical battles has surged in recent years and driven a boom in the market for military uniforms and artefacts. We speak to dealers and buyers and explore the ethics of what some say is a blood soaked trade.David reports from a re-enactment event and speaks to John Ruffhead, the co-ordinator for the Royal Navy Beachhead Commando re-enactors, to find out more about those who take part. Charlotte Huxley-James, a World War Two living historian tells us about the military uniforms she has bought over the years and why authenticity really matters.We also hear from military memorabilia dealer Malcolm Fisher who tells us the market for what he sells is huge and defends the trade in Nazi artefacts. Producer/presenter: David Reid(Photo: US Army Sergeant in uniform decorated with medals. Credit: Getty Images)

Ade Ayeyemi, the CEO of Ecobank - Africa’s biggest bank - speaks to presenter Peter MacJob about the economic woes facing much of Africa and explores the leadership and policy adjustments needed to turn the continents fortunes around.In a candid and wide ranging interview Mr Ayeyemi says that African governments need to stop introducing subsidies and start collecting more taxes in order to manage their economies better.Presenter/producer: Peter MacJob(Photo: Ade Ayeyemi, CEO Ecobank. Credit: Getty Images)

For the final episode of our cost of living series, the Business Daily team are in Dresden, a manufacturing powerhouse in the east of Germany. Leanna Byrne speaks to small business owners, students considering taking on extra paid work and a big manufacturing boss about how the rising cost of living is affecting them and their livelihoods.Detlef Neuhaus, the chief executive of one of Germany's biggest renewables companies - Solarwatt - tells us how the war in Ukraine has changed the mindset of some people when it comes to the value of renewable energy and how their manufacturing costs have gone up in recent months.Presenter: Leanna Byrne Production: Izzy Greenfield and Alex Bell Image: Dresden; Credit: Getty Images

We all know a coffee shop, a restaurant, a greasy spoon, a pub or a fine dining eatery that has closed in the last few months. But why, after two years of forced closures because of the coronavirus pandemic, are hospitality businesses closing now? Leanna Byrne speaks to hospitality business owners from three different countries to find out how they’re covering their overheads. Alessandro Borghese is a chef who owns restaurants in Milan and in Venice. He says he’s paying more for everything from food to oils and staff. And Mandla Mataure is the managing director for the Chimanimani Hotel in Manicaland in eastern Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe ended 2023 reporting a 244% inflation rate. How does Mandla deal with constant price rises when staff are looking for more money?Oliver Mansaray owns the restaurant, Kink, in Berlin. Oliver opened his first ever hospitality business right before the pandemic struck. Like Mandla, he’s taken on the cost of living challenge by cutting costs elsewhere and trying to be more efficient. Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne )Image: Oliver Mansaray in Kink, Berlin/ Credit: Oliver Mansaray)

Whether renting or buying, housing costs are going up. Presenter Leanna Byrne takes you back home with her to Dublin, Ireland to discuss what all Dubliners love to moan about: the rising cost of renting. According to a report by Daft.ie, which lists places to rent or buy in Ireland, at the end of 2022 rent in Dublin had risen to an average $2,446 per month.And the rising price of renting has seeped into some of Ireland’s other cities, like Cork and Galway, where rents rose by 12% and 16%. Limerick and Waterford’s rental prices both soared by more than 17%. We hear from Rebecca, a 32-year-old working in the tech sector in Dublin, who has been renting for 10 years. She says that renting in Dublin is getting harder. Alex is 31 and works in banking. He got a job in Dublin in January 2022 and was worried about moving there because he heard about the housing horror stories. And finally, Norman Shapiro, senior mortgage broker with First Israel Mortgages, gives us the view from Israel, where house prices have hit a record 20% year-on-year increase.Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne (Image: Houses/ Getty Images)

Children aren’t cheap. The cost of living crisis is pushing parents to the edge of their finances, worrying about paying for essentials like food, clothing and, for many, childcare. We’ll take a look at Chile, which according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is one of the lowest ranking when it comes to public spending on early childhood education.Natalia Aránguiz lives in Chile and has two children- she speaks to Leanna Byrne about her rising costs.Ann Hedgepeth, chief of policy and advocacy at non-profit organisation Child Care Aware of America, says the national average price of childcare was around $10,600 per year. She says one of the main factors is getting the right staff.Seven thousand miles away in Kampala in Uganda, one childcare business owner is facing the same issues. Manuela Mulondo is chief executive and founder of Cradle, a childcare, lactation and education centre. She says people never think about childcare companies when they are talking about price rises, but says it’s very expensive to look after children.Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne (Image: Child and parent. Credit: PA)

In this first episode of our second series on the cost of living, Business Daily's Leanna Byrne looks into the areas of our lives that are costing us the most. Today we focus on our public transport systems. Figures from Statista, a market and consumer data platform, puts Auckland, New Zeland as the third most expensive city for public transport, we hear from Jon Reeves who is National Co-Ordinator and Co-Founder of the Public Transport Users Association there.When the cost of living rises, it rises for everyone. So those working in the transport sector want pay rises to reflect that. Anna Jane Hunter, partner at Winder Phillips Associates, tells Business Daily that there’s a lot of systemic issues in the UK’s transport sector that have only just bubbled to the surface again after two years of us staying at home and not using public transport.We speak to Gregor Kolbe, who works on transport and consumer politics for the Federation of German Consumer Organisations. Over the summer, Germany encouraged people to use public transport by actually reducing the cost of transport. But prices are back to normal levels now. Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne Image: Passengers at Kings Cross Station in London/ Credit: EPA

In 2022, the sale of vinyl records in the UK made more money than CDs. You might think of it as an old fashioned way to listen to music, especially with the dominance of streaming services, but in the last 12 months, artists like Beyonce, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift have all put out major releases on vinyl. So how is the record industry coping with the increased demand?David Harper visits one of the biggest pressing plants in the world, GZ Media, which is based in the Czech Republic. Company CEO Michal Štěrba tells David that the business model is very different to when he started. He says demand started to grow in around 2003 when some other factories closed, but it hasn't stopped growing.David speaks to a Japanese record store about why younger people seem to be buying so much vinyl. And we hear from Kenyan film maker and musician Maia Lekow. She records on vinyl but can't find anywhere in Kenya to press the vinyl itself - she's ended up doing it in Australia. Some smaller independent labels tell us they're struggling to get records pressed. Andy Black owns the Popty Ping Recording company in Wales and says there's now a delay and they need to plan a lot more in advance, which can be hard when bands want to release new music. Presenter: David Harper Producers: David Harper and Victoria Hastings(Photo: GZ Media pressing plant. Credit: David Harper)

Over a million people in Spain are thought to have long Covid. In this episode of Business Daily Ashish Sharma finds out how the condition is affecting working lives and the wider economy. He also examines the long Covid research projects being undertaken in Spain and how they're funded.Long Covid patients Blanca Helga and Maria Angeles discuss their symptoms and the work they're lost since having the condition. Beatriz Fernandez, who herself has long Covid, tells Ashish about a long Covid platform and support group she runs and what she's learnt from it. Maria Jesus Arranz, a geneticist who runs the long Covid research programme at the University Hospital Mutua Terrassa tells us about her work and Carlos Esquivias, the head of Life & Pensions at the Spanish Association of Insurers, UNESPA, tells us how long Covid and Covid in general continues to impact the Spanish economy. Producer / presenter: Ashish Sharma Image: Blanca Helga; Credit: Blanca Helga

Billions of disposable nappies, or diapers, are produced every year and sales are booming. Most go to landfill, some pollute rivers and oceans and a baby can get through 4,000-6,000 nappies by the time they are potty trained.New dad and Business Daily presenter Rick Kelsey looks into whether the available alternatives to disposable nappies are as cheap or convenient for parents. We hear from with nappy innovators Jason and Kim Graham-Nye in Indonesia, who’ve been in the market for 20 years, about how the alternative industry has changed.The City of Brussels in Belgium is planning to introduce washable, and therefore reusable, nappies in all 40 of its municipal daycare centres by 2026. Arnaud Pinxteren who is leading the scheme tells us how it works. Meanwhile Larissa Copello, who works on the nappy issue for the campaign group Zero Waste Europe, tells us how schemes like the one in Brussels could be scaled up.Presenter/producer: Rick Kelsey(Photo: Nappy change. Credit: Getty Images)

At 12.4%, India has the highest percentage of female pilots in the world. In this episode, Olivia Wilson speaks to female pilots and industry experts to find out why India is leading the way and why other countries are so far behind. We hear about the achievements of Indian commercial airline pilots, Captain Hana Mohsin Khan and Captain Zoya Agarwal, who became the youngest female pilot to fly a Boeing 777 in 2013 and landed a record-breaking flight over the North Pole on the world's longest air route in 2021. Michele Halleran, a trained pilot and professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the US, explains the financial and cultural barriers that are in play. Kara Hatzai, the vice president at the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, who provide financial support for women training as pilots, tells us how a scholarship kickstarted her career in the male dominated industry. Presenter/producer: Olivia Wilson(Photo: Zoya Agarwal. Credit: Zoya Agarwal)

The new president of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, Alvaro Lario tells us why the pandemic, war in Ukraine and climate change have created a perfect storm for global food security and what can be done about that. The BBC’s Frey Lindsay hears from people around the world who are dealing with the food crisis. Alvaro Lario explains how food shortages often begin with smallholder farmers. The failure of their crops and livestock means farmers are often left struggling to feed themselves and this then affects entire communities. Lario also discusses his vision for how private finance and multilateral institutions can team up and to avert the worst in the coming 12 months.Producer/presenter: Frey Lindsay(Image: Farming fields. Credit: Getty Images)

Small businesses create nearly two-thirds of new jobs in the workforce and account for 44% of US economic activity. So what's the secret to their success? What challenges do they face and which are the best cities and regions for them to thrive? Samira Hussain visits the city of Nashville in Tennessee, which is a hotbed of new businesses and start ups - there are reportedly four out of every 1000 Nashville residents are CEOs.Samira meets James Davenport and Mike Hinds, co-founders of the Nashville Barrel company who launched their whiskey company in the city in February 2020. She goes to a business ‘mixer’ where CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Jane Allen, gives an overview of Nashville’s appeal. Tennessee has very low taxes which can encourage new business to the area - Bradley Jackson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry tells Samira how the approach works alongside other incentives.But what does this mean for the people living there? The state has one of the highest sales taxes in the country. That means everything you buy at the store costs more. Samira speaks to Dick Williams, board member of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, who says this kind of tax scheme ends up hurting the most vulnerable people.Presented and produced by Samira Hussain Additional production: Rob Cave (Image: The lights on Broadway in Nashville. Credit: Getty Images)

China has this week reopened its borders for the first time in nearly three years. There have been scenes of joy and relief for many Chinese citizens after years of isolation. Ed Butler asks whether this is a turning point, as some are describing. What are the longer term economic threats for the so-called engine of global growth? And how does that impact the rest of the world?Ed speaks to two young Chinese professionals - one in Beijing and one in Shanghai, who are feeling a mixture of relief and concern about the current situation.George Magnus is a research associate at Oxford University’s China Centre - he tells Ed that the current Covid infection wave could spread right across the country, to smaller cities and rural areas.It's difficult to get the true economic picture of what's happening in China, but Shehzad Qazi, managing director of the China Beige Book, the biggest private data collection network on China, says growth turned negative last year, with demand crashing and factories forced to close down.Presenter/producer: Ed Butler(Photo: A woman at an airport in China after restrictions were lifted. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Wood sales for heating have been growing across Europe, but as demand increases people are facing rising prices and reports of firewood theft. Business Daily's Rick Kelsey looks at how people are buying wood burners to heat their homes, so that they don't need to use as much gas this winter. We speak with Nic Snell, managing director of UK based company Certainly Wood. It sells around 20,000 tonnes of wood every year and Nic tells us who is buying it. Erika Malkin, from the Stove Industry Alliance, tells us sales are now unprecedented and the price of wood has not risen anywhere near as much as other fuels. She estimates that heating the average home with wood is 13% cheaper than using gas. To prevent theft in Germany, some forestry departments are experimenting with hiding GPS devices in logs. Nicole Fiegler, a spokesperson from the forestry department from North Rhine-Westphalia tells us how it works.A recent study by the Health Effects Institute warned that the human cost of air pollution in Africa is among the highest on the planet. In sub-Saharan Africa the death rate from air pollution is 155 deaths per 100,000 people, nearly double the global average of 85. Household air pollution, which is linked to the use of solid fuels for cooking, is the largest risk factor for deaths. Dr. KP Asante is a senior researcher on the Ghana Health Service, he talks us through how burning wood could be made more efficient and clean. Producer/presenter: Rick Kelsey(Photo: Open log fire; Credit: Getty Images)

Jack Ma is China's best-known entrepreneur, an English teacher who became a billionaire, after he founded the e-commerce giant Alibaba. However in June 2021, Chinese regulators halted the dual stock market debut of his digital payments company Ant Group - an affiliate of Alibaba - in Hong Kong and Shanghai, citing "major issues" over regulating the company. Mr Ma has been laying low ever since.In January 2023, it was announced that Mr Ma would give up control of the Chinese fintech giant.So who is Jack Ma? And what does the future hold now? In November 2022, Business Daily’s Rahul Tandon spoke to Brian Wong, a former Alibaba executive and special assistant to Jack Ma at Alibaba who has recently written a book about his time with the company.He talks about his relationship with Mr Ma, what he was like to work for, and what he thinks the future could hold. Producer/presenter: Rahul Tandon(Photo: Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, speaks during opening ceremony of the 3rd All-China Young Entrepreneurs Summit 2020 in Fuzhou, China. Credit: Lyu Ming/China News Service/Getty Images)

Victoriya Holland investigates how businesses in Russia are surviving, as tens of thousands of men of working age are called up by the government to fight in the illegal war against Ukraine.On the 21st September 2022, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, announced a partial mobilisation of 300 thousand reservists to fight in Ukraine. After this announcement thousands of young men fled abroad. We hear from business owners that have stayed in Russia and now face real difficulties in terms of staffing, and from those who have chosen to relocate their operations entirely. Presenter / producer: Victoriya Holland Image: Conscripted citizens in Russia; Credit: Getty Images

As part of our mini-series on women, sport and business we meet Cynt Marshall. She's the chief executive officer of the Dallas Mavericks and the first black female CEO in the history of the National Basketball Association, a professional basketball league in the United States.Cynt tells us about her background, where she found the drive to forge an enormously successful career and how she’s changed a toxic workplace culture when she arrived at the Mavericks.Presenter: Rahul Tandon Production: Helen Thomas and Carmel O’Grady(Image: Cynt Marshall; Credit: Getty Images)

Gambling has a long and complex relationship with sport. But betting is no longer a man's game. As women's sport grows, many companies are putting big money on its success.In the next programme in our series looking at women, sport and business, we find out how one football side came back from the brink via a deal with Sweden's main gambling operator, Svenska Spel. And we hear how England's victory in the Women's Euros could be a big win for the British betting sector.But as other sports look to sponsorship deals, some are calling for tighter controls on how - and to whom - bookmakers can advertise.Presenter/Producer: Alex Bell(Image: Kristianstads DFF face their rivals Djurgardens IF DFF in Stockholm, Sweden. Credit: Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images.)

In the second programme of our series on women, sport and business, we’re looking at the media. With women’s sport accounting for only around 5% of total sports coverage globally, we find out how some clubs and organisations are moving away from traditional media, and looking at digital and streaming to reach fans instead. Reporter Sam Fenwick visits Burnley FC Women in the north of England. In 2021 they signed a ground breaking deal with TikTok to show every home game. And we hear from TikTok themselves – Rich Waterworth, General Manager for the UK and Europe explains what’s in it for them. Sue Anstiss is the author of Game On: The unstoppable rise of women’s sport. She tells us fans of all sports are consuming content differently now, and if women’s sport gets it right, there could be a big opportunity in the digital market. And Haley Rosen, founder and CEO of digital media company Just Women’s Sports explains her frustration at trying to set up a business in a growing marketplace which is lacking in investment and infrastructure. Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Helen Thomas (Image: Burnley FC Women in December 2021. Credit: George Wood/Getty Images)

This year sees one of the biggest global events in women’s sport – the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. It follows a very successful 2022 for the sector with record crowds watching England win the Women’s European Championship on home soil, Australia claiming the Women’s Rugby League World Cup and in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa beat hosts Morrocco to take the title.In Business Daily’s series on women, sport and business, we speak to Haley Rosen, a former pro soccer player who now runs the digital sports media company Just Women’s Sports. When Haley stopped playing, she realised she couldn't access even basic information about women's sports, including fixtures, scores and all the other statistics available to those following male sports. Haley tells Sam Fenwick how she set up her digital media platform and secured more than $3.5 million in investment. They also discuss what needs to change to make sure female sporting stars are treated on a par with their male counterparts.Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Helen Thomas(Image: Haley Rosen; Credit: Getty Images)

Business Daily reviews one of the most important 12 months for the world of money and work on record. Big economic news has dominated in 2022. We saw war break out in Europe, record high energy, fuel and food prices, increasing interest rates and in parts of the world total financial meltdown.We look at how Business Daily reported 2022 and spoke to the people at the very sharp end of how the economy has changed lives over the past 12 months.We hear from businesses right across the world in sectors struggling with prices rises and increasing costs, from the people trying to escape or rebuild broken economies and from those who are harnessing new technology and an ever changing work environment to make money or push for change. We also saw many sectors bounce back post-Covid, the return of travel and tourism to many countries, sporting events were once again played to full capacity crowds and festivals, concerts and cinema bounced back as audiences came back and spent their cash.We also look to the year ahead and what might be in store in 2023.Presenters: Leanna Byrne and Rahul Tandon Producer: Izzy Greenfield Editors: Carmel O'Grady and Helen Thomas

It’s the last episode in our five-part Business Daily series all about high-value, high-transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films. In episode five, Leanna Byrne interviews some of the oldest and most well-known auction houses in the world.Bruno Vinciguerra, chief executive of Bonhams, tells us how auctioneers determine what’s worth auctioning off and what’s not.Jenny Lok, head of business development and operations at Poly Auction Hong Kong, tells us what the day in the life of an auctioneer is really like.And Kelly Crow, staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal, gives an insight into who’s buying all of this really expensive stuff.Presenter/producer: Leanna ByrneImage: Jenny Lok; Credit: Poly Auction Hong Kong

This is episode four of our Business Daily series all about high value, high transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films. And in this episode Leanna Byrne looks at the reality for those people who's job is to sell or rent some of the most expensive homes in the world. If you’re a fan of Selling Sunset or Million Dollar Listing, with the estate agents as slick as the homes they're selling, then you’re going to love this episode because it lifts the lid on what it’s really like to do these jobs.Leanna speaks to Hong Kong estate agent Letizia G Casalino, director of Real Estate of OKAY.com about the market there, and why realtors in Hong Kong are expected to do a lot more that just sell. Vivian Chong is a real estate agent in Singapore and tells us about some very exclusive properties and Anna Klenkar, is a real estate agent with Compass, and she's been making TikToks all about the realities of the New York property market.Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne Image: Contract signing; Credit: Juan Manuel Brest

We all love a good financial film, we might not all fully understand what’s going on the whole time, but they’re always really intense with a make or break ending, but is working as a markets trader really like that? This is the latest episode from our Business Daily’s series on high value, high transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films. In episode three Leanna Byrne looks at how some of the most famous financial films depict working as a commodities trader and compares that with what a real life commodities trader, Warren Goldstein, tells us about working in the industry. If, even as your read this, you’re thinking hang on what’s a commodity trader? Don’t worry, Katie McGarrigle, show host for Options Trading Concepts Live on the tastylive network, is our jargon buster for this episode. Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne Image: Traders on the floor; Credit: Getty

Crypto is a tricky business. Chances are, you know someone or know of someone who's made a bit of money with crypto, and that you’re not too far removed from someone who’s lost money too. This is episode two in the latest series from Business Daily, all about high value, high transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films. In this episode, Leanna Byrne asks author, speaker and content creator Layah Heilpern what it's really like investing in Bitcoin. Abhishek Sachdev, chief executive of Vedanta Hedging, a traditional trader tells us why he's ring-fenced some of his personal investment fund for crypto trading and Matt Brighton, a property investor, tells us he learned some hard lessons trading crypto. We also find out that trading isn’t the only way to get involved in the crypto market. Solicitor Charlotte Hill, works at the international law firm Pennington Manches Cooper has been taking on a ballooning caseload coming out of the crypto space. Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne Image: Bitcoin logo; Credit: Getty

Ever thought about quitting your job and playing poker for a living? Well, today we find out what it’s really like making your living on the tables. This is the latest series from Business Daily, all about high value, high transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films. In episode one, Leanna Byrne interviews professional poker player Dara O’Kearney. Dara explains what a day in the life of a professional poker player is really like and warns, if you’re playing poker professionally, every player goes through what’s known as upswings and downswings.We also switch sides and find out what it’s like working as a croupier in a casino. Stefano Melani works for Centro Formazione Croupier, which trains croupiers for casinos across Italy, somewhere with one of the worlds largest gambling sectors. He lets us in on the glamorous and not-so-glamorous side of the casinos. David Schwartz, an academic and gambling historian based in Las Vegas, Nevada, gives us the macro perspective on the gambling industry, detailing the rise of gambling towns across the world. Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne(Photo: Poker table; Credit: Getty images)

The World Cup is a catwalk of footballing talent. Lesser known players are thrust into the spot light and launched onto the global soccer scene often with an enormous increase in wages. But how much do those young, impressionable players know about personal finance? We've all seen the stories of high profile players blowing their fortunes and ending up bankrupt, and players in the English Premier League can expect wages of around $10million a year. In this episode we hear from two former footballers who now help others manage their money. Swedish footballer, Philip Haglund tells Sam Fenwick how difficult it is not to spend on expensive items when the first pay cheque comes in, and former Manchester United and France International, Louis Saha, explains why players can be overwhelmed by how much they earn and what he’s doing to try and help current and former athletes manage their finances better.Presenter/producer: Sam Fenwick (Photo: Cody Gakpo of Netherlands vies with Tyler Adams of USA. Credit: Getty Images)

Christmas and the holiday season is a crucial time for toy retailers, and hopes will be high for sales to return to pre-pandemic levels. But with the rising cost of living, we find out if families will be cutting back on toy spending this year - and look at the toys topping the popularity charts. We'll also find out how much does TV and film influence the types of toys in demand.Frederique Tutt from market research company NPD group explains the trends in toy sales, and how the type of toys that people are buying is changing.Elizabeth Hotson visits the DreamToys event in London, organised by the toy retailers association. She speaks to Paul Reader, the chair of the DreamToys selection committee about what’s making the top 10 toys list this year.Hedley Barnes, senior vice president for International from Spin Master, the company behind both the Paw Patrol TV series and toys, explains the valuable link between the show and the merchandise.Also on the list are Rainbow High Dolls – Sarah Taylor is managing director, UK and Ireland, for MGA entertainment, the company behind the dolls. She tells Elizabeth why diversity, which they champion, appeals to families.And Alan Simpson, chair of the toy retailers association, says he expects a lot of the ‘old favourites’ like Lego, Barbie, Monopoly and Play Dough to still be really popular.Presented and produced by Elizabeth Hotson (Image: A toy in a Christmas box. Credit: Getty)

Big tech is facing a big moment. With plummeting stock prices, and mass lay-offs, the likes of Google, Twitter and Meta are all - for different reasons - facing some tough questions over how they're being run. Some see this as primarily a result of post-pandemic blues, the rise in interest rates, and a general cost-of-living crisis affecting the business environment. However, Twitter and Meta especially have seen wholesale desertions by a number of major advertisers, worried about the regulation of hate speech, and therefore by association the safety of brands' reputations.Does this mark a deeper crisis for the ad-based business model of the major social media platforms? And what can they do about it? Presenter / Producer: Ed Butler Image: Phones; Credit: Getty

Nigeria’s film industry, known as Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world and has overtaken Hollywood in terms of the quantity of films produced – with an annual output of over 2,500 films.In the early 1990s, the industry was infamous for its low budget, low production films – all of which went straight to VHS cassettes and DVDs, with actors and filmmakers often running at a loss.However the past decade we've seen Nollywood grow exponentially and the industry now dominates streaming platforms across Africa and in the diaspora.Filmmaker and distributor Moses Babatope tells us local languages and mythical storylines are the secret of Nollywood’s new found success, coupled with improvement in expertise whilst veteran actress Kate Henshaw says the industry has come a long way since she first graced the screen.Adunni Ade a first time executive producer is of the opinion more can be done to incentivise the growth of the industry and Nigeria’s biggest film producer Kunle Afolayan advocates the need for improvement in production capacity.Presenter / producer: Peter MacJob Image: Actors on set; Credit: Adunni Ade

Online gambling’s success has pushed global valuations of the industry to around half a trillion dollars for 2022 - but the accessibility of its digital platforms is forcing regulators around the world into a rethink. In this programme, Laura Heighton-Ginns visits Fanduel - the market leader in New York - and gets a tour of its vast Meadowlands Sportsbook complex, where punters blend betting with socialising.Laura also hears from Indian Poker champion Nikita Luther on the distinctions between playing games of skill for money and those of chance and Chrissy Boyce, who became bankrupt and homeless through using digital slot machines, tells Laura about the links between online gambling and addiction.Presenter / producer: Laura Heighton-Ginns Image: Fanduel Meadowlands; Credit: BBC

More than ever girls are bombarded by images that have been curated, filtered and touched up. How can we help girls decode those images and understand that ideals of beauty are constructed by society and change across time and place?Shelina Janmohamed is an author and advertising executive. Her latest book is designed to help girls aged eight and above build confidence in how they look and show them why what appears to be beautiful isn't as straight forward as it seems.Shelina tells presenter Rabiya Limbada why her career in advertising led her to write this book and why helping girls become more savvy consumers is good for business. Rabiya also speaks to six girls - Hanaa, Haleemah, Helen, Hana, Sophia and Amatullah - about what they think beautiful is, their experience of filtered images and how confident they feel about how they look.Presenter: Rabiya Limbada Producer: Carmel O'Grady (Image: Young girl at beauty counter / Credit: Getty Images)

In today’s episode of our Beauty Costs series, we’re looking at a part of the beauty world that’s worth over ten billion dollars.K-beauty is one of South Korea’s biggest exports, and in the last couple of years it’s overtaken the United States in becoming the world’s second biggest exporter of beauty products.So we head to Seoul, where reporter Nina Pasquini finds out why consumers there think it’s infiltrated the mainstream market.We speak to the founder of one of the biggest K-beauty disruptor brands, Alicia Yoon from Peach & Lily. Sharon Ahn, beauty analyst from global consumer trend forecaster WGSN, tells us why K-beauty is set to become worth twenty billion dollars in the next few years.South Korea has cultivated an era of cultural dominance, in music, acting and now in beauty. A lot of which has been accessible online, mainly through social media. Youtuber SSIN has over one a and a half million subscribers to her channel, she tells us what K-beauty means to her and her thoughts on its success.Producer and presenter: Izzy Greenfield (Image: Beige Chuu South Korean beauty influencer / Credit: Getty Images)

The beauty industry was once a world dominated by a handful of names, but quickly and quietly, hundreds of smaller brands have managed to make a name for themselves in an incredibly competitive sector.We speak to beauty business founders who have built their brands from scratch, and now sell to millions of people across the world; Chaymae Samir is the founder of MadeBySunday.com and Bianca Ingrosso is the founder of CAIA cosmetics.In a recent report on the cosmetics industry, Deloitte found that “small is the new big” and that “global brands are losing share as small brands and disruptors are gaining”. So why have we fallen out of love with the beauty behemoths, and what do smaller brands have that the bigger ones don’t?Producer and presenter: Izzy Greenfield (Image: Make-up products / Credit: Getty Images)

Products that claim to lighten skin are often physically harmful, often containing toxic chemicals and dangerous ingredients. We look at why skin lightening products still exist, speak to people affected by their messaging, and find out why stopping sales is not as simple as it might seem.We hear from Professor Mire, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Carleton in Ottawa, Canada. She suggests that terms like "glow" and "brightening," which are increasingly used by cosmetics firms as substitutes, are as steeped in colonial and racial narratives as the words they are replacing. She believes the branding of these products continues to exploit historic and racialised associations between skin tone and status.Chandana from Mumbai tells us what it was like to live in a society where she was pressured to have lighter skin, and Professor Adbi from the Singapore Business Schools explains why he believes that companies are promoting beauty ideals linked to lighter skin, and fuelling demand that could indirectly put people’s health at risk.Producer and presenter: Izzy Greenfield (Image: Skin lightening products. Credit: Getty Images)

Perhaps you have heard of Marcia Kilgore, or maybe not, but if you’re a woman, a beauty junkie, or just love shoes, you are likely to have heard of one of the five multi-million dollar companies that she has launched over the last two decades.Marcia is the brains behind the beauty brand BlissSpa, the spa brand Soap&Glory, shoe phenomenon FitFlop, bath and body range Soaper Duper and most recently, Beauty Pie - an affordable luxury make-up and skincare range.She tells us why she became a serial entrepreneur, and how her career started in a one bedroom-apartment in New York City.Producer and presenter: Izzy Greenfield(Image: Marcia Kilgore. Credit: Getty Images)

UK-based rapper Krept grew up in a culture of gang violence, but has carved out a career for himself as a successful musician and entrepreneur. As one half of rap duo Krept & Konan, his songs, like Waste My Time, G-Love and Freak of the Week, have been streamed millions of times. Recently Krept – real name Casyo Johnson - has opened a restaurant in south London where he grew up, and the new father has even developed a skincare range for babies. He tells Dougal Shaw how he juggles the worlds of music and business.Producer and presenter: Dougal Shaw(Image: Krept. Credit: BBC)

We look at growing opposition to mining in Latin America. The region is a leading producer of copper, silver, iron and lithium. But the environmental and social impact of mining have sparked protests in many countries and several governments have taken action. Costa Rica outlawed open pit mining in 2002 and in 2017 El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban all metal mining. Earlier this year, Honduras banned open pit mining and there are also calls for a mining moratorium in Panama and I start my report by visiting that country’s largest ever mine, which began operations three years ago. In this episode Grace Livingstone visits Cobre Panama, an enormous copper mine built in tropical forest on the Caribbean coast of Panama. We also hear from the people who farm the land close to Panama's mines and get the views of local politicians and experts on whether this kind of mining should continue.Presenter / producer: Grace Livingstone Image: Cobre Panama mine; Credit: BBC

Deborah Weitzmann explores whether a quick nap break at work could make us all more productive. We head to Beijing where an employee tells us about her lunchtime ritual of napping beside her colleagues, and we’ll discover how the pandemic may have helped squash the stigma of sleeping in Western workplaces. Kate Mulligan, the boss of RestSpace, a company that designs innovative spaces to help people nod off at work, shows us their sleep pods. Also, Dr Guy Meadows, co-founder and clinical director at Sleep School, tells us practice makes perfect when it comes to napping.Presenter / producer: Deborah Weitzmann Image: RestSpace sleep pod; Credit: Kate Mulligan

Floriade is one of the world's biggest gardening and horticulture expos - and it has cost taxpayers in the Dutch city of Almere nine times as much as originally budgeted. So why did organisers go ahead with the project, and was it still worth it – despite hugely disappointing visitor numbers?Matthew Kenyon talks to advocates and critics of an event which may be the last of its kind in the Netherlands. Presented and produced by Matthew Kenyon.(Image: Floriade. Image credit: BBC)

International footballer Mathieu Flamini started a biotech company when he was still a professional player. Speaking to Sam Fenwick, Flamini reveals what he learnt from top football managers and how that knowledge has helped him perform in the boardroom. The former Arsenal, AC Milan and Olympique de Marseille player tells us he grew up by the sea and constantly seeing plastic washed up on the shore made him aware of sustainability and climate change. He says as a youngster he had two ambitions in life, to play professional football and become an environmentalist. In 2008, while still playing top flight football, Flamini co-founded, GFBiochemicals. It produces a chemical called levulinic acid which can be used to replace oil in a range of household products. The industry is worth billions of dollars.Producer / presenter: Sam Fenwick Image: Mathieu Flamini playing for Arsenal in 2016; Credit: Getty

On the eve of the 2022 World Cup Final Sam Fenwick speaks to former professional footballer, Patrice Evra. He made more than 80 appearances for the French national side including captaining his team in the 2010 World Cup which took place in South Africa. Evra became a multimillionaire playing for teams like Monaco, Manchester United, Juventus and Marseille. He grew up in a poor part of Paris and talks about how this helped motivate him to succeed. He reflects on player salaries and tells us about what’s he’s doing to make a living since retiring from football in the summer of 2019. Presenter / producer: Sam Fenwick Image: Patrice Evra playing for Manchester United in 2014; Credit: Getty

Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz decided to start a recycling project in New Orleans after realising the city sent all its glass to landfill. Now their social enterprise Glass Half Full diverts hundreds of tonnes from landfill and is using the material to help shore up Louisiana’s eroding coastline.Franziska tells us how they are expanding the project and we hear from one of their first business customers. We also find out why gaps in the recycling system mean the city’s waste glass can’t easily be turned back into new bottles.Producer/presenter: James Graham(Photo: Franziska Trautman and Max Steitz at their base in New Orleans. Credit: Glass Half Full)

In this episode of Business Daily we get on board The Ocean Viking, a migrant rescue boat operated by the non-governmental organisations SOS Méditerranée and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.The boat has recently been at the centre of a diplomatic row having been denied permission to dock by the Italian authorities and instead having to travel to France so those onboard could disembark. The BBC's Frey Lindsay spoke to some of the migrants and crew on the boat over the last few weeks. We’ll also hear from the former mayor of Lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini, on why she thinks European states should cooperate much more to deal with this kind of migration. Sophie Beau and Xavier Lauth of SOS Méditerranée also explain why politics, diplomatic rows, higher prices and compassion fatigue are all increasing the financial pressures on their operations. Producer / presenter: Frey Lindsay Image: Crew on the Ocean Viking; Credit: Getty

Confederation of African Football, CAF, with the backing of FIFA, has launched a new Super League aimed at injecting much-needed funds to clubs on the continent. CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe promised that the tournament, due to start in 2023, would financially transform African football with $100 million on offer in prize money alone. But, as Ivana Davidovic finds out, there are more questions than answers for many involved in the game on the continent.The owner of Cape Town City, John Comitis, says that they are in the dark about how the new competition would work in practice and that South African Premier Soccer League, where they were the runners-up last season, would be badly affected by the new Super League.Nigerian football journalist and the former member of the dissolved FIFA Task Force Against Racism, Osasu Obayiuwana is worried that there are no clear plans where the money would come from for the Super League nor how teams could travel regularly across the vast continent. He also warns that a big problem would be the lack of interest in pan-African club tournaments from broadcasters and sponsors, as it is difficult for many Africans to regularly follow on TV what is happening in football leagues across the continent.However, the legendary South African striker, UEFA Champions League winner and the current Manchester United first team coach Benni McCarthy believes that the Super League would boost standards across Africa, helping young players compete with the best from around the world.Produced and presented by Ivana Davidovic(Image: Mohamed el-Shenawy holds the winner's trophy after the CAF Super Cup Final between El Ahly and Raja Casablanca at Al Rayyan Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on December 22, 2021. Photo credit: Mohammed Dabbous/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Theo Leggett meets Nico Rosberg, who found fame and fortune in the fossil-fuelled world of F1, but is now reinventing himself as a champion of green technology. As a driver he reached the pinnacle of world motorsport, taking the F1 title in the final race of 2016, and then retired just days afterwards. Nico tells Theo just what it takes to become a world champion in the white heat of motorsport and how those skills are now being used on a new mission, to protect the planet. Presenter/producer: Theo Leggett(Photo: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates after securing the F1 World Drivers Championship during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images)

How do you clean the world's oceans of plastic? 10 years ago, when he was just 18, Dutchman Boyan Slat thought he knew how to do it, and set out his vision at TED talk.The journey from theory to reality has proved difficult, but he is now extracting plastic from the Pacific and a number of rivers around the world. We speak to Boyan about the scale of the task at hand. Is it even an achievable goal? How is he raising enough money? What does he make of the accusation he’s helping multi-nationals ‘greenwash’ their reputations by taking sponsorship cash?Presenter/producer: James Graham Image: Boyan Slat on a plastic-strewn beach in Honduras (Credit: The Ocean Cleanup)