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Sporting Sanctions

Sporting Sanctions

How has the world of sport reacted to the invasion of Ukraine - and what does the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes or teams mean for them and for the finances of world sport?

Ashish Sharma speaks to Michael Payne, who was for many years head of the marketing division of the International Olympic Committee.

He also hears from Cheri Bradish, an expert in sports marketing and the Director of the Future of Sport Lab at Ryerson University in Toronto, and Rob Koehler, the Director General of Global Athlete and formerly the World Anti-Doping Agency Director of Education and Deputy Director General.

Plus there's the Ukrainian tennis players Elina Svitolina and Alex Dolgopalov, the Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, and Marius Vizer Jr, General Secretary of the international Teqball federation.

Presenter: Ashish Sharma Producer: James Wickham

(Image: Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh in action during the high jump at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Credit: Reuters)

Fleeing danger

Fleeing danger

What do you do when your staff are stuck in a conflict zone or dangerous situation? How do you get them out? Who pays for it? How do you persuade them to go back later?

Rahul Tandon speaks to Alex Nichiporchik whose gaming business tinyBuild has evacuated staff from Ukraine and Russia. He hears from Priscilla Dickey who was part of the US government evacuation from Wuhan in 2020.

Dale Buckner from Global Guardian explains the business of evacuation while Ian Umney discusses the rescue of his family from Ukraine.

Plus, Ema Boccagni from ECA International, which helps companies manage global workforces, reflects on the incentives required to attract workers back to some places.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producers: Helen Ledwick and James Graham Photo: An evacuation flight from Wuhan in February 2020. (Credit: Getty Images)

Will satellite internet technology connect the world?

Will satellite internet technology connect the world?

After a volcanic eruption severed Tonga’s communication cable Elon Musk donated 50 Starlink terminals, allowing the government and residents to connect to the network of satellites orbiting above earth. The company have also sent the technology to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, and we hear from Stepan Veselovskyi of Lviv IT Cluster using it to keep vital services online and Kyiv resident Oleg Kutkov, who bought a dish online before the war and now hopes to use it as a back-up in case conventional communication networks fail. It’s proved extremely useful, but is this the future for bringing internet to remote corners of the globe? We also hear from expert on space law Professor Melissa De Zwart about the race among SpaceX and other companies to put more of these satellites in low earth orbit, and how too many of them could impede dreams of further space exploration.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Hannah Bewley

(Image: Oleg Kutkov with his Starlink dish; Credit: Oleg Kutkov)

Why whales matter

Why whales matter

Baleen whales were almost hunted to extinction. Now they face a new threat – global shipping. But despite humans blighting their lives, can they now recover and help revive ocean life?

Justin Rowlatt speaks to two researchers who observe these intelligent, sociable giants up close. Matt Savoca at Stanford University explains the scale of the slaughter inflicted by whalers in the twentieth century, while Ryan Reisinger of Southampton University describes how modern ships continue to harm whales.

By virtue of their sheer enormity, these animals also underpinned entire ocean ecosystems that have since collapsed, as veteran oceanic researcher Victor Smetacek explains. So with their numbers finally recovering, what can we humans do to help? Justin asks Guy Platten, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping.

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: Laurence Knight Picture: Aerial view of a whale getting up close to a boat in the Sea of Cortez in the Gulf of California; Credit: Mark Carwardine/Future Publishing/Getty Images

The future of job interviews

The future of job interviews

We’re looking at the future of the job interview in a world forever changed by the pandemic. Elizabeth Hotson asks whether video conferencing software will hasten the demise of the traditional face to face grilling. And we also find out how virtual reality and artificial intelligence can help level the playing field for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. Over a long and distinguished career in business, Heather McGregor, Executive Dean of Edinburgh Business School, has been on both sides of the desk - as interviewer and interviewee and she gives her take on how we’ll get jobs in the future. RADA alumna and confidence coach and trainer, Imogen Butler-Cole tells us how to put our best foot forward - over video conferencing. Christophe Mallet, founder and CEO of immersive soft skills simulator, Body Swaps, explains how technology can provide invaluable interview training to inexperienced candidates. Plus, Michael Platt, a marketing professor and neuroscientist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania explains why the interview could soon be redundant in some industries.

Presenter/producer: Elizabeth Hotson Image: A man sits at a table with lights pointing in his face; Credit: Getty Images

The chocolate islands

The chocolate islands

The mountainous archipelago of SãoTomé and Príncipe was once the world’s biggest exporter of cocoa. The twin island nation in the Gulf of Guinea was uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. They brought slaves to work the land producing cash crops like sugar and coffee. In the 1890s these crops were replaced by cocoa and the islands became known as the biggest cocoa exporter in the world. The plantations were farmed first by slaves and then by forced, exploited islanders. When the horrific working conditions were exposed in the 1920s, chocolate manufacturers switched their source of beans to Ghana and Ivory Coast. SãoTomé’s ignominious reputation as the chocolate nation was over. Presenter Tamasin Ford went to visit the islands to take a look at the cocoa sector now.

Produced by Russell Newlove

Image: Chocolate making; Credit: Russell Newlove/BBC

Nike’s most controversial ad campaign

Nike’s most controversial ad campaign

Remember the Colin Kaepernick advert for Nike? It’s one of the most controversial and successful advertising campaigns of the past decade. Former US President Donald Trump said the advert sent a terrible message but Nike saw a 30% boost in sales. In this episode of Business Daily former Nike Chief Marketing Officer, Greg Hoffman, the creative force behind the campaign, tells us how it came about and why diversity in advertising really matters.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Carmel O’Grady Image: San Francisco 49ers players Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid take a knee prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys; Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Sri Lanka's debt crisis

Sri Lanka's debt crisis

Why is Sri Lanka facing its biggest economic crisis for decades? It's left the population enduring months of power cuts, while essentials are in short supply. How has the country's debt spiralled out of control and what will a debt default mean for ordinary people? We hear from protestors on the street who are demanding a change of government, and how an IT entrepreneur is grappling with power cuts. Plus, Shanta Devarajan, a former chief economist at the World Bank who will be negotiating with the International Monetary Fund on behalf of Sri Lanka, tells us what the talks will involve.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: James Graham

Photo: Sri Lankan protestors in Colombo, April 2022. Credit: Getty Images

Russian and Ukrainian seafarers: working together during a war

Russian and Ukrainian seafarers: working together during a war

Thousands of Russian and Ukrainian sailors crew cargo ships that carry goods around the world, so how are they coping living in such close quarters while their countries are at war? We hear from those anxiously watching events back home, and we get an update on the hundreds of ships stranded in the Black Sea, unable to sail in case they are caught in the crossfire. Vivienne Nunis speaks to Guy Platten of the International Chamber of Shipping and chaplains belonging to the seafarers' charity Stella Maris. Image: A Russian and a Ukrainian sailor. Credit: Marine Digital

Lebanon's wheat crisis

Lebanon's wheat crisis

The price of bread is soaring in Lebanon. More than half of the country's wheat imports came from Ukraine - they've now stopped because of the conflict.

Inflation also continues to rise to record levels. We speak to ordinary people who are struggling to buy food. Brant Stewart, the founder of Mavia Bakery in Beirut, explains how he's found a solution in growing and milling his own wheat - as well as helping local women.

Rami Zurayk, the Director of the Food Security programme at the American University of Beirut, tells us he believes Lebanese people need to be less reliant on bread in their diet.

Presenter: Anna Foster Producer: Jo Critcher

(Picture: Women at work in Mavia Bakery; Credit: Maria Klenner, photographer)

Europe's gas crisis: How did we get here?

Europe's gas crisis: How did we get here?

We're taking the long view on Europe's energy headache. For decades, Russia has been using its vast natural gas reserves as a powerful political tool. So what can the past teach us about the current crisis? Vivienne Nunis speaks to the author and journalist Oliver Bullough who's been following the gas trail from the USSR to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Also in the programme, Ajit Niranjan reports from the German coastal resort of Lubmin, where the Nord Stream pipelines transporting Russian gas to Europe come to an end. What do people there make of a future without Russian gas? Producer: Carmel O'Grady. Image: Part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Credit: Getty Images

Youth unemployment in France

Youth unemployment in France

The BBC’s International Business Correspondent Theo Leggett is in France ahead of the Presidential elections to explore an issue important to many voters – youth unemployment.

In the northeast of the country a quarter of young people aren’t in work, education, or training. We explore what the issues are, the problems with inequality and recruitment.

We hear from Sebastien Bento Soares, CEO of Darquer, a lace manufacturer based in Calais that is struggling to recruit younger workers, André Dupon, director of Vitamine T, a social enterprise that helps unemployed people reintegrate the world of work. Salomé and Soufiane, young people based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, tell Theo what’s going on in their lives and Florence Jany-Catrice, economist at the University of Lille talks about the political issues underpinning the youth unemployment problems. Presenter: Theo Leggett; Producer: Josh Thorpe (Photo: Lucas, a young unemployed person learning carpentry skills at Vitamine T, a social enterprise outside Lille; Credit: BBC)

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