Business Daily

Age discrimination doesn't just affect the elderly. The BBC's Tamasin Ford speaks with Priscilla and Nadirah about the discrimination they've experienced as young people in the workplace. We'll also hear from Michael North, an assistant professor of management and organisations at New York University’s Stern School of Business, on the research he and his team have done showing the extent of 'youngism' in business. Also in the programme, consultants Lauren Rikleen and Elizabeth Houghton explain how young people can best navigate the workplace, even in the presence of discrimination.(Picture credit: Getty Images.)

As the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan this week, we ask what the future holds for the country. The central bank governor, Ajmal Ahmady, who fled earlier this week, tells us about the days and weeks leading up to the takeover. Dr Weeda Mehran from the University of Exeter outlines how the country arrived at this point, and what the future could hold. She argues that unless the Taliban gains legitimacy internationally it will struggle to govern effectively or grow the economy. Plus, a new Alzheimer's drug has been approved by the FDA in the US, but lawmakers are looking at how and why it was approved so quickly. Apple’s decision to scan users’ phones for images of child abuse has privacy campaigners worried - and we’ll hear from the businesses busy preparing for Christmas 2021. Business Weekly is produced by Clare Williamson and presented by Lucy Burton. (Image: Afghans gather outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to flee the country, Image credit: European Pressphoto Agency)

All our lives are ruled by time and it's a fundamental part of our daily routines but what if we could make time go more slowly - or quickly? Adrian Bejan, a professor in thermodynamics at Duke University says that this is possible if we just open our minds to how we perceive change. And if we could make time last longer, what would be the most efficient way of using it? We get some tips from Laura Vanderkam a writer and speaker on time management. Plus, research scientist Christian Clot tells us about an experiment where all markers of time were taken away, including clocks, watches and sunlight - and what that could mean for how we live in the future. And casino designer and consultant, Bill Friedman explains how the idea of timelessness is put to practical use in casinos where professional gamblers want to feel that they're always in the moment. Picture: antique clocks, Picture credit: Getty ImagesPresenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Sarah Treanor

After decades without progress, this June a new treatment was approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration - Biogen's Aduhelm. Ivana Davidovic looks into why this process has been so controversial that is now under investigation by a federal watchdog.Aaron Kesselheim, a Harvard Medical School professor, served on the FDA’s advisory committee that considered Aduhelm and voted against its approval. He explains why he decided to resign from his post and what consequences there could be for future research and also for Medicare and Medicaid for covering such an expensive drug.Geri Taylor has participated in the Aduhelm trial since 2015 and both her and her husband Jim believe that the drug has slowed her decline.Jason Karlawish - a practising physician, co-director of the Penn Memory Centre and the author of The Problem of Alzheimer’s book - says that more money should be spent on providing carers for the vast majority of Alzheimer's patients and that people should not be forced to choose between cure and c

Apple is to scan users' iPhones for images of child abuse. Privacy advocates are dismayed. They say it's a slippery slope to monitoring a wider range of content. Andy Burrows from the UK's NSPCC tells us why Apple's move is an important step in protecting children online, while India McKinney from the Electronic Frontier Foundation explains why privacy activists like her are so worried. Namrata Maheshwari from the campaign group Access Now describes the battle between WhatsApp and the Indian governmentment over access to encrypted messages - an example of the wider battle between governments and tech firms over access to data. And Andersen Cheng, CEO of the tech company Post-Quantum, tells us about the time he invented a messaging app so secure it became the app of choice for a terrorist organisation.(Photo: Messaging apps on an iPhone screen. Credit: Getty Images)

Are these the future of modern warfare and how concerned should we be? There are efforts to limit the development of these weapons. More than 50 nations met at the UN in Geneva this month to discuss a possible treaty. But neither Russia nor the United States have expressed any willingness to support the treaty. Ed Butler speaks to Professor Noel Sharkey who's been campaigning against the development of these weapons for 14 years and asked him how close any type of agreement was. Evanna Hu, CEO of AI firm, Omelas, and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, says this technology is now at the forefront of many countries' weapons development. And George Rey is a retired Lieutenant Commander in the US navy. He now works with private sector defence contractors supporting the development of autonomous weapons systems for the department of defence.(Picture credit: CARL COURT/AFP via Getty Images)

Women in the drinks industry share their stories to try to change the way women are treated in pubs, clubs and bars. After many shared stories of harassment in craft breweries, the consensus is: enough is enough. Charlotte Cook, an experienced brewer, says the most important thing is to believe the stories, as some are being silenced by UK libel laws. Professor Chris Land from Anglia Ruskin University explains how certain workplaces can create unhealthy cultures, while bartender Nichola Bottomley says she was inspired to speak out after years of abuse working in pubs and bars. In the US, Victoria James, who was named the country's youngest sommelier at 21, has inspired other women working in wine to come together to speak out - and her book led to many responsible to resign. Becky Paskin, journalist and co-founder of Our Whisky, talks about the repercussions she faced after calling out sexism in the whisky industry. While Brad Cummings, co-founder of craft beer company Tiny Rebel tells us why it's no longer b

A young entrepreneur builds the ‘happiest company in the world’, an online shoe retailer so profitable that Amazon snaps it up for over a billion dollars. But what if the company’s profits and happiness could be boosted by a radical reimagining of the workplace? No more bosses, no more job titles, just creativity, equality and pure joy. We hear the story of Tony Hsieh, a visionary entrepreneur who abandoned social hierarchy in his Las Vegas-based shoe company. Could it be that the secret to happiness lies in making everybody equal?(Image: Tony Hsieh in 2013. Credit: Christopher Farina/ Getty Images)

Neurodiversity is a broad term inclusive of a number of very different things including, but not limited to, autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia. And until relatively recently, it's not something that many workplaces have paid much attention to. But rethinking those spaces and the way neurodiverse staff can be best accommodated, can reap benefits for both the companies involved and their employees. Stand-up comedian Don Biswas, explains how his different way of thinking has shaped his comedy routine, we also hear about the trials and tribulations faced by successful author Elle McNicoll. PR executive, Yemi Gbadebo describes the impact of getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult, and Professor Amanda Kirby explains why females in general are less readily diagnosed with all forms of neurodiversity. Plus, Paul Graham, Britvic's managing director for the GB region, tells us how his neurodiverse family has inspired his approach to the workplace and Professor Robert Austin from Ivey Business School in Ontario, Canada

Bringing electricity to his village for the first time, we speak with Jeremiah Thoronka in Sierra Leone about the challenges of energy inequality in the country. As a teenager, using kinetic energy, Jeremiah changed the lives of hundreds of people – we speak to them to talk about the difference between the two worlds – and why having more light often means more hours to earn money, in a country where economic success lags behind its neighbours. As three quarters of people in the world with no access to electricity live in Africa, UN energy representative Damilola Ogunbiyi explains why Africa energy poverty persists, despite some pockets of success, and answers why it takes ‘heroes’ like Jeremiah to change the lives of people, and why leaders should be stepping up.(Image: Lightning storm approaches Freetown, Sierra Leone. Credit: Michael Duff / Getty Images)

Bitcoin’s popularity in Nigeria has exploded – with one of the youngest populations in the world, coupled with a high unemployment rate, its popularity was almost inevitable. Many young Nigerians are attracted to cryptocurrencies as an alternative and quick way to make money. Jude Umeano tells us that he lives his life using only Bitcoin, and that the government ban on funding crypto-based businesses only made him find loopholes. In fact, the government ban was likely the catalyst that increased its popularity, says Idayat Hassan from the Centre of Democracy and Development in Abuja. But there are still common, old fashioned concerns that make crypto investing so popular – and that’s mainly because it’s seen as a more secure and valuable currency in the global markets, says Eke Urum, chief executive of Risevest, one of Nigeria’s many investment platforms, which is still seeing users grow, despite the government ban.(Image: Bitcoin app in Lagos. Credit: Alexander Sanchez/ Getty images)

Doping is a growing problem in the multi-billion dollar industry of competitive online gaming – but remains an open secret. As prize money runs in to the millions, are more young people turning to drugs to stay focused to win? With major league eSport athletes admitting to mass doping, we speak with the founder of the world’s first eSport university programme - Dr Glenn Platt at Miami University, Ohio - who tells us the casual attitude to doping for performance enhancement. Varsity eSport players Jared Shapiro and Jennifer Frank tell us that doping using Adderall and Ritalin are engrained within eSports, making it to difficult ban, when so many gamers need them for medical purposes. Doping in eSport regulator Ian Smith from the eSports Integrity Commission says that the major tournament organisers and games publishers should foot the bill for testing – which is severely underfunded. But while the major names – DOTA 2, Overwatch and League of Legends – continue to grow in users during lockdown, Craig Fletcher,

On this edition of Business Weekly, we look into Lebanon’s economy - a country going through the worst economic crisis since its civil war of the 70s and 80s, with severe disruption to basic services and food shortages. We also hear from Zambia, where the pandemic has meant the usual cash-rich tourists have stayed away, and the economy is dominating the general election campaigns. Plus, we look at another attempt to narrow the gender gap in science and engineering careers, by introducing female role models into toy dolls. Business Weekly is presented by Sasha Twining and produced by Matthew Davies.

Is China's behavior towards its innovators separating the country further from the world? That's the question on everybody's mind, as the Chinese authorities continue to exert their political power over the country's rising tech companies. George Magnus, associate at the China Centre at Oxford University warns that despite increasing western interest in the Chinese market, foreign investors should be wary about political clampdowns on companies. But Angela Zhang at the University of Hong Kong, argues some of the government's actions could be seen simply as prudent regulatory moves against the power of Big Tech. And Ker Gibbs, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, explains how businesses are navigating this intersection between politics and commerce.Producer: Frey Lindsay.(Picture: Logo of Didi Chuxing, China's largest ride-hailing company. Picture credit: Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Less than two percent of Africa’s population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. Could homegrown vaccines be the solution? If so, why isn’t it happening? Is it an issue with patents and intellectual property rights? Is big pharma standing in the way? Or is it simply about money and profits?Things are beginning to happen. Last month a consortium was set up with the aim of opening an mRNA technology transfer hub in South Africa. If they succeed it will be the first regional mRNA vaccine manufacturing production facility in Africa. In this edition of Business Daily, Tamasin Ford hears from Marie-Paule Kieny, the chair of the Governance Board of the Medicines Patent Pool, Toyin Abiodun from the Tony Blair Global Institute for Change, based in Rwanda, and from Petro Terblanche, the Managing Director of Afrigen, the South African biotech company where the first African vaccines will hopefully be produced.(Producer: Joshua Thorpe)(Image: Health workers prepare a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a m

Since they first appeared in the nineties, GMOs have remained wildly unpopular with consumers, who see them as potentially sinister tools of big agricultural companies. Ivana Davidovic explores if the new scientific developments might make them shed their bad image. She visits Norwich in the east of England where professor Cathie Martin has been developing genetically modified tomatoes for decades. One purple variety - unusually high in antioxidants - has shown high cancer-fighting properties in mice and is expected to be approved for sale directly to consumers in the US later this year.Alex Smith's Alara Wholefoods based in London was licensed by the Soil Association back in 1988 to produce the first Organic certified cereal in the world. He explains why he changed from anti-GMO campaigner to someone who believes this technology could help with the worst effects of climate change.Rose Gidado, the Assistant Director at the National Biotechnology Development Agency in Nigeria, explains why the country approved

This week the major technology companies posted record-breaking quarterly results, as they reaped the benefits of a world in lockdown. However, as politicians seek to curb their power, will they be able to keep making such vast amounts of money forever? Also on Business Weekly, we hear why more of us are quitting our jobs, why the price of coffee is close to a seven-year high and whether rental fashion is really good for the environment. Plus, from near bankruptcy to the Bangles via The Police – the legendary music producer Miles Copeland tells us about his long and successful career in the industry. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

Mental health care apps have boomed during the pandemic. But can receiving therapy through an app ever be as good as face to face? And do they raise concerns over our privacy? Tamasin Ford speaks to Brad Kettridge, founder and CEO of the mental health care app Brightside as well as the co-founder of the Oliva app, Sancir Sahin, which is aimed at businesses. We also hear from writer Julie Peck who suffers from bipolar disorder on why she sought help from one of these apps. John Torous, director of the digital psychiatry division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and Heleen Riper, professor of eMental-Health and Clinical Psychology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre, discuss some of the concerns around privacy and effectiveness of digital mental health care.(Image credit: Getty Images).

Lessons from nearly fifty years producing and managing bands, with industry veteran Miles Copeland III. From brilliantly promoting his brother's band The Police, to founding a record label for all the misfits in the industry: the Buzzcocks, the Cramps, The Go Go's, R.E.M., The Bangles, and many more; the American-born, Lebanon-raised record executive, and now the author of the memoir 'Two Steps Forward, One Step Back', tells the BBC's Ed Butler how he built his empire with music nobody else wanted.Producer: Frey Lindsay.(Picture: Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting from The Police at the A&M offices after signing a record deal. Their manager, Miles Copeland is 3rd from left. Picture credit: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns via Getty Images.)

Why Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are battling it out among the stars. Ed Butler speaks to Brad Stone, author of the book Amazon Unbound, about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's lifelong obsession with space, and to Christian Davenport, space reporter for the Washington Post, about the growing rivalry between the worlds two richest men over government space contracts and the future of the space economy. Former astronaut Janet Kavandi tells us why, like Elon Musk, NASA has Mars colonisation in its sights.(Photo: Jeff Bezos among Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew after flying into space on July 20, 2021. Credit: Getty Images)