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 Byrne

Image: 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