A few years ago you could have assumed all diamonds had been dug out of the ground – but now it’s true that some of them have been created, at unbelievably high temperatures, in just a matter of weeks.

In the first of two Business Daily programmes about the evolving diamond market, Lesley Curwen heads to the glamorous jewellery district of Hatton Garden in London – to see how the jewellery world is being re-shaped by the mass production of laboratory-made stones.

We hear from India how they’re created in temperatures as hot as the sun - and talk to one of the world’s biggest jewellery brands about why they are using only man-made diamonds.

We also look at claims that man-made diamonds are the green and ethical choice.

(Picture: Tweezers holding a diamond. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Lesley Curwen Producer: Barbara George

The South African former pro rider set up his cycling team in 2007. As MTN Qhubeka they became the first-ever African registered team to ride the Tour de France.

He talks about the challenges of putting together a team from scratch - and the steep learning curve he faced moving from cycling to managing.

After a successful stint on the world stage, a combination of financial and sponsorship problems lead to the team, which by then had gone through multiple name changes, being disbanded in 2021.

Doug Ryder has now put a new team together – we catch up with him at the Q36.5 Pro Cycling HQ in the Netherlands.

Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon

(Image: Doug Ryder. Credit: BBC)

There are two candidates: one is the current economy minister who has a wealth of experience in power; the other is a maverick libertarian economist who wants to ditch the country’s currency, the peso, and strip the central bank of its ability to print money.

We speak to his senior economic advisor, and also to a wine producer from the western province of Mendoza, who tells us about the challenges of doing business in a country with two exchange rates, severe restrictions on imports, a heavy tax burden and a shrinking economy.

And we speak to voters in Buenos Aires about what they want from their next president in a nation which seems to lurch from one economic crisis to the next.

Picture: Composite image of Javier Milei (Credit: Luis Robayo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) and Sergio Massa (Credit: Tomas Cuesta/Reuters) in front of an Argentinian flag (Credit: Carl Recine/Reuters)

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

We’re looking ahead to the meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco – the first time the two leaders will have met in 12 months.

Diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated this year, with tensions rising over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, there’s been a tit-for-tat trade spat over semiconductors and raw materials. As the presidents meet on the side lines of the APEC summit, Vivienne Nunis takes stock of the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

Produced and presented by Vivienne Nunis.

(Image: US President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping meet at the G20 Summit in Bali on November 14, 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

Some owners are converting their vehicles into EVs.

The idea is to boost the performance of these cars and make them ready for a green future.

The process is not cheap - it requires specialists who can retain the vintage value of these cars while fitting them with a modern electric engine.

Critics feel that such a transition takes away the emotional and engineering legacy of these vehicles. So we travel across the UK to find out about the challenges and the future of this niche business that is helping classic cars go electric.

Produced and presented by Devina Gupta.

(Image: 'Isetta', owned by Aleks Hughes which has been converted to electric. Credit: Richard Heeley, Bite the Hand)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saw millions of Ukrainian women and children flee to safety; causing massive upheaval and hitting the economy hard.

For the women who have stayed, their lives have been transformed; many have taken on new roles, like Tetiana, who is now working underground in a coal mine, and Evgeniya, who is now a sniper on the frontline.

Others, like Alina Kacharovska, have managed to grow their businesses; in this case, shoes and accessories, or are stepping into leadership positions, like Yulia Burmistenko, in the crisis group at energy company D-Tek.

In this edition of Business Daily, we also hear from Iryna Drobovych from the Ukrainian Women’s Congress, and Yuliya Sporysh, founder & CEO of NGO Divchata, on how the war could change things for gender equality in Ukraine.

(Image: Tetyana Ustimenko, manager of underground installations at DTEK. Credit: DTEK)

Presented and produced by Clare Williamson

The Argentinian-American tech entrepreneur moved to the US in 1997 and carved out a career in the corporate world before breaking free and setting out on her own.

In late 2020, the remote working company TransparentBusiness, which she co-founded 12 years earlier, achieved a $1bn valuation.

Now she continues to push for gender and racial equality in the workplace, is an investor on the TV show Unicorn Hunters, and has also established a new asset-backed cryptocurrency.

She explains her journey, the setbacks she’s faced along the way and opens up about what keeps her motivated.

Presenter/producer: Sam Clack

(Image: Silvina Moschini. Credit: Dasha Horita)

Fears are growing for the future of the country's bars - especially in rural areas.

In less than 20 years almost a quarter of Irish pubs have closed, many of them businesses which have been run by the same family for generations. R

Russell Padmore travels across the Emerald Isle to hear how the closure of pubs is a setback for rural communities, but also a worry for the country’s tourism industry.

We hear from owners of pubs in County Donegal, a beer brewing company and a hospitality sector expert in Dublin, and a tourism marketing advisor.

Presenter: Russell Padmore

(Image: A closed pub sign. Credit: Getty Images)

There is a growing debate in the US about the caste system - an ancient social ranking system where the community you are born into determines what kind of job you do, who you marry, and much more.

The caste system in India dates back over 3,000 years and divides Hindu society into different social strata. In many South Asian countries, it is outlawed. But members of the South Asian diaspora in the US say this type of caste bias persists, and there is often very little protection at workplaces against it.

For the community, opinions are divided. Seattle in Washington was the first city to ban discrimination based on caste. But the fight continues for activists in California, where a bill that sought to ban discrimination was vetoed in October. Opponents called it a "divisive bill" that "implicitly singles out" South Asians.

In this edition of Business Daily, Devina Gupta speaks to workers who have experienced such discrimination, and explores some of the challenges for lawmakers seeking to ban it.

(Image: A group from Equality Labs at a rally in September 2023, pushing for a law to ban caste discrimination. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

We travel to South America to meet the Chinese migrants who are making their way to the United States using an unexpected route - the established migrant trail through South and Central America to the southern border with Mexico.

Citing economic challenges at home - and using inspiration from social media - a growing number are making this perilous trek.

Reporter Shawn Yuan travels along the route speaking to migrants about their journey and their aspirations for the future. Presenter: Shawn Yuan Producer: Shawn Yuan, with additional production from James Graham

(Image: Chinese migrants wait to get inside a bus to continue their route to the US. Credit: Getty Images)

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the top players from around the world - with transfer fees and salaries amounting to millions of dollars.

We travel to Saudi Arabia to look at the country's ambitious plan to become a global football powerhouse - is it an economic move or simply sportswashing?

With Saudi Arabia now it's looking set to be confirmed as the host of the World Cup in 2034, we look at its relationship with football.

Presenter: Sameer Hashmi

(Image: Saudi football club Al Hilal welcomes Brazilian football star Neymar with an introductory ceremony at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on August 19, 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

The region of Bordeaux in the south-west of France is perhaps the most famous wine-producing area in the world.

But it’s struggling. While the prestigious, most expensive wines – Saint-Émilions, Pomerols and Margaux are selling well, others are not.

For the producers of the 850 million bottles of the region's famous red wine, it’s a difficult time due to a major decline in consumption.

We look at the reasons for this, the impact it’s having, and what winemakers are doing to help protect their livelihoods.

Presenter: John Laurenson

(Image: A glass of red wine. Credit: Getty Images)