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BBC World Service


The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.


Business Daily

Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan in October following sporadic fighting between the two countries.

Since then, the movement of goods has stopped, and lines of trucks have been waiting to cross. 

We look at the impact of this key trade route being shut and what it means for livelihoods and businesses on both sides of the border. 

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Will Bain 
Producer: Hannah Mullane

(Picture: Lorries and a group of people congregating at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Credit: BBC)

The cost of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border closure

We meet the real estate developer who’s been tasked with turning Saudi Arabia into a global tourism hub.

It is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for the Kingdom, diversifying the economy away from oil. 

Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano has managed massive development projects including London's Canary Wharf, a luxury holiday resort in the Bahamas, and now, a tourism mega project on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Coast. We hear about his career to date and why he likes an ambitious project. This is his biggest yet - can he pull it off?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Elisabeth Mahy
Additional production: Niamh McDermott

(Photo: John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global. Credit: Red Sea Global)

John Pagano: The CEO trying to grow Saudi tourism

More countries are considering selling state-owned postal services - many have failed to make a profit for years. 

As businesses and people send fewer letters, there's also strong competition from global package delivery companies. 

We hear about the challenges facing postal services in Ireland, many of which have been in business for more than a hundred years. 

And we look to the US, where President Donald Trump favours privatising the national mail service; while in India, the state-run post office network will remain under government control. 

We also examine efforts to modernise postal services, which could mean delivery by drones and robots in the near future, supervised by AI.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore

(Image: A green pillar postbox in Ireland)

What's the future for state-owned postal services?

This week, the country becomes the first in the world to implement a social media ban for under 16s. 

We look at the impact on content creators, tech companies, and on businesses that sell via social media.

We find out how they're navigating this change, and ask if other countries will look to follow suit.

Presenter: Ed Butler
Producer: Matt Lines

(Photo: A group of young people looking at phones. Credit: Getty Images)

The cost of Australia’s social media ban

It’s one richest sports in the world but it still needs to adapt to the times. 

F1 is now trying to appeal to a younger fan base through deals with Netflix and Lego.

Plus it's trying to break that lucrative US market with races in Las Vegas and huge broadcasting deals. 

We hear from the key figures at F1 and from former F1 driver David Coulthard, who witnessed the end of tobacco sponsorship and saw the likes of Red Bull coming into the paddock.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presented and produced by Victoria Turner

(Image: Max Verstappen races down the Las Vegas Strip during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on 22 Nov 2025. Image credit: Getty Images)

Formula 1’s new business model

Miishe Addy started her first company in California’s Silicon Valley followed by another business in Accra, Ghana. Now, she runs one of Africa’s fastest-growing logistics tech firms.

She describes how she’s tackling the hidden costs of African trade, and what she’s learned as a female founder building companies in two continents.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Sam Fenwick
Producers: Ahmed Adan and Niamh McDermott

(Picture: Miishe Addy. Credit: Jetstream)

Miishe Addy: From Silicon Valley to Accra

Whether you call it football or soccer, next summer, the US, Mexico and Canada will host the FIFA World Cup. It’s the first time three countries have organised the tournament.

A record 48 teams will compete across 16 host cities, with millions attending games across North America and billions watching at home.

But how much does it cost to host a World Cup? What does it take for a city to welcome hundreds of thousands of fans? And does that investment really boost the local economy? We go pitch-side to find out.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Megan Lawton
Producer Sam Gruet

(Picture: Sharon Bollenbach, Executive Director of World Cup Hosting for Toronto, Canada.)

The making of a World Cup

In Lugano, Switzerland, the cryptocurrency is accepted in some shops and for local municipal services.

But the drive towards using what can often be a volatile payment method instead of Swiss francs, hasn't been welcomed by everyone.

We hear from businesses, officials and consumers who are navigating this new world.

Produced and presented by John Laurenson

(Image: View of Lake Lugano, Switzerland)

Welcome to 'Bitcoin city'

TV channels dedicated to them are shutting down around the world and some superstars have even stopped making them, so are music videos in decline, or are they more vital than ever to grab our attention? 

We hear from industry insiders in the US, Europe and in South Korea on how the streaming era has changed how we consume music - and shifted the way record labels make money. 

Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney

(Image: Ne-Yo on set during the filming of a music video for his song "Closer" at the Santa Clarita Studios on 10 April 2008 in California (Credit: Matthew Simmons/WireImage)

Is it the end of the music video?

Staff shortages and strikes are leaving passengers and airlines frustrated. So why are there such problems in recruitment? 

Industry bodies estimate over the next decade we could be short of 70,000 air traffic controllers around the world. We hear what is luring some controllers out of Europe and why others are leaving the sector all together. And what could the financial and safety implications be for passengers and airlines?

Presenter: Will Bain
Producer: Josh Martin

(Photo: NATS Swanwick ops room,. NATS is a UK-based air traffic control company. Credit: NATS)

What has happened to Europe's air traffic controllers?

Had a late night? Well here's a programme about insomnia and the businesses trying to solve it.

Elizabeth Hotson takes part in what is possibly the world’s laziest gym class, and speaks to bed manufacturers, sleep app engineers and the inventor of a sleep robot.

But does any of these solutions actually work? Elizabeth asks Dr Michael Farquhar, sleep consultant at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Plus Dr Michael Grandner, director of the sleep and health research programme at the University of Arizona, suggests a cost effective way of curing insomnia. Producer: Elizabeth Hotson

(Picture: Man suffering from insomnia; Credit: chameleonseye/Getty Images)

Can't Get No Sleep

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