Business Daily

In the UK, brides spend an average of £1,400 on a dress for the big day.But inflation and the rising cost of living means that's starting to change. We look at the trend of spending less on wedding dresses - buying them ready-to-wear from a boutique in London, or even from a supermarket.And we're in India where some brides are starting to spend less - not always easy when spending lavishly on weddings is often the expectation. Produced and presented by Deborah Weitzmann with additional presenting from Devina Gupta.(Image: Ruth in her second hand wedding gown. Image credit: Greg Milner)

Paris is the most visited city in the world and one of the things it’s known for, is fashion. But what is it about the City of Light that makes it a popular destination for businesses?In this programme, Hannah Mullane speaks to a personal shopper, who relies on fashion tourists for her business, as well as fashion start-ups choosing to base themselves in Paris.Hannah also meets a stylist and fashion agent, who moved from Italy to Paris, to make the most of the opportunities that the fashion industry has to offer.Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane(Picture: Two women holding shopping bags. Credit: Fabulous You Paris)

Duplicate products, or dupes, are flooding social media. Dupes are clothes, beauty products, homeware that are cheaper than the recognisable brand, but still look similar. We hear from shoppers and fashion experts about this growing trend and its impact on the market.And we speak to athleisure wear company Lululemon, who are trying to work out how to respond to the number of dupes of their products that are now on the market.Producer/presenter: Deborah Weitzmann(Image: Leggings on mannequins. Credit: Getty Images)

Twenty-five years ago Puma became the first big sports brand to collaborate with a fashion house. Since then all of the big players have been collaborating with celebrities, sports stars and high fashion brands. Hannah Mullane speaks to Heiko Desens, the creative director at Puma about how these big collaborations work behind the scenes and what they mean for business, and fashion designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo explains how collaborating with a sports brand has elevated his business. Presenter/Producer: Hannah Mullane (Picture: Rihanna at the Puma fashion show. Credit: Getty Images)

The shipping industry is looking for solutions to it's emissions problem.Shipping giant Maersk has just unveiled the world’s first container ship to run on green methanol - is this the answer? We hear from Maersk’s CEO about why they’ think this is the best bet. And we find out more about some of the different options in development, such as hydrogen and green ammonia, all vying to become the future fuel for the world's ships.Presenter/producer: Adrienne Murray(Image: Maersk's first green methanol container ship. Credit: Maersk)

Xi Jinping announced a massive building project along the ‘New Silk Road’ to very little fanfare in Kazakhstan 10 years ago this month. Infrastructure including railways, roads and ports have been built in 165 countries to date, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Billions of dollars has been lent to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Some are now struggling to afford the payments and China is reducing the amount being loaned. We look at what this means for Beijing’s finances and for countries with huge projects underway, but with no means of meeting the repayments. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Hannah Bewley Additional reporting: Michael Kaloki(Picture: Xi Jinping waits for a photo call at the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, China in May 2023: Credit: Florence Lo/Reuters)

You may not be familiar with the vicuna, but in Peru, where it's the national animal, the smallest relative of the llama is revered - particularly for its fine and insulating coat.In this programme, Stefania Gozzer travels to the Peruvian Andes, to meet the animals that produce one of the most expensive wools in the world. Demand for their coveted fleece once led them near extinction, but now it has become the best tool to preserve them. Stefania visits Pampa Galeras, to talk to the scientists that work in the largest natural reserve created to protect vicunas. She learns how farming communities engage in the conservation of this species while making a profit, and hears why the business model that once saved vicunas is now at risk.Presented and produced by Stefania Gozzer(Image: A vicuna. Credit: Getty Images)

What used to be a fairly niche industry is now on the increase, with companies setting up removal clinics around the world. And no surprise – as more people get tattoos, more people night change their minds and want them removing. We meet the regretful clients and the companies cashing in, and also explore the world of cosmetic and medical tattooing.Presenter and producer: Elizabeth Hotson(Image: A laser tattoo removal. Credit: Getty Images)

Where do you go to get financial advice? More and more people are turning to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for money matters. David Harper meets the ‘Finfluencers’ – financial influencers entertaining and educating young people around the world, and bringing in big numbers in the process. Caleb Hammer is a YouTuber with over 600,000 subscribers who conducts financial audits on the forensic financial details of individuals in the hope of helping them to budget better. He also speaks to Hannah Rimm and Alexandra Koster, who run the Money Diaries feature at online magazine Refinery 29. They are deluged with submissions every week. And we hear from Sharan Hegde, from Bangalore in India. He has over 4 million subscribers on Instagram and YouTube combined.Presenter: David Harper Producer: Victoria Hastings

How do you make an artisan product at scale? We head to the UK factory of Biscuiteers, where millions of biscuits are hand-iced every year, from treats shaped like designer bags to edible versions of favourite cartoon characters. Harriet Hastings is the co-founder of the company - in this episode, she shares her business advice, explains why marketing is key and talks about running a business with her husband. Producer / presenter: Sam Everett(Image: A ballerina biscuit being iced. Credit: BBC)

It’s been a long wait for tech billionaire Elon Musk to push into India’s EV market. High import duties have kept Tesla out of India so far. Mr Musk has repeatedly sought to lower those duties, but the government wants the company to manufacture cars locally before considering tax breaks. Now there seems to be an agreement on the horizon. But is India’s EV ecosystem ready for it?Presenter/producer: Devina Gupta

In the third and final programme of this series on the economics of irregular migration across the Mediterranean, the BBC’s Frey Lindsay sits down with two spokespeople from the European Commission to discuss how irregular crossings across the Mediterranean affect European States, and how the bloc is using its resources to attempt to stop them.Presenter: Frey Lindsay(Image: Italian coast guard vessels patrol alongside the SOS Méditerranée rescue ship The Ocean Viking, near the Italian port of Ravenna. Image credit: BBC)

In the second of three programmes, we’ll hear about the increasing running costs facing charities involved in running search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.Inflated fuel prices, cost of living crises and political interference are all driving the costs of the operation up. So can the boats continue to operate?Presenter: Frey Lindsay(Photo: Search and rescue crew onboard the SOS Méditerranée rescue ship The Ocean Viking)

In the first of three programmes, the BBC’s Frey Lindsay accompanies the charity rescue vessel the Ocean Viking to explore the myriad costs involved in irregular migration across the Mediterranean.Each year hundreds of thousands of people attempt the extremely dangerous crossing from Libya to Italy, paying smugglers thousands of dollars. We meet some of those people and find out how and why they're making the journey.Presenter/producer: Frey Lindsay(Picture: Rescuees huddle onboard the SOS Méditerranée rescue ship The Ocean Viking. Credit: BBC)

From losing his job in the 2008 financial crash, to a billion dollar idea.We speak to Mohit Lad, who teamed up with his old college friend Ricardo to trawl through the trash cans of shuttered businesses in Silicon Valley to get the first server for their tech start-up, ThousandEyes. A combination of grit, determination and a shortage of ready cash saw them think outside the box for solutions to grow the business and get customers. Twelve years later, the company described as the 'Google Maps' of the internet is now part of Cisco and is still going strong today. Listen to the full story behind the business and learn about Mohit's vision for a connected world.Presented and produced by Sam Clack.(Image: Mohit Lad speaks during a keynote address on June 07, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Credit: Getty Images)

We hear from people protesting in the government-controlled city of Sweida.Criticism of President Bashar al-Assad has been growing in Sweida since demonstrations began in mid-August over the removal of fuel subsidies. It's the latest measure that has put a strain on people suffering from an economic meltdown.A resident and activist tells us what life is like for him living in the city, plus we hear from a Syrian economist, and a form adviser to President al_Assad now based in the US.Presenter: Ed Butler(Image: People protest in the Syria's southern city of Sweida on September 1, 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

K-Pop, short for Korean Popular music, has become a global phenomenon with millions of fans worldwide.It’s a multi-billion dollar industry with 80 million units of physical albums sold in 2022. But a huge chunk of it goes straight to landfill.Why are the fans buying so many albums just to throw them away?We hear from fans, artists and tech companies who are trying to make the industry greener.Presenter: David Cann(Picture: Victon; Credit: IST Entertainment)

We meet the Chinese property tycoon and multi-millionaire who, along with his then-wife, once moved in the highest echelons of power in Beijing.But the couple fell foul of the Chinese government during Xi Jinping’s inexorable rise to power and in 2017 Desmond’s ex-wife was abducted – he says by the Chinese state. She vanished for two years and even now is restricted in her movements, although she’s never been charged with any crime. Mr Shum now lives in the UK, from where he gave us his extraordinary account of business life at the highest level in China. And he tells us why he thinks the current Chinese economy is rotten to the core. Presenter: Ed Butler(Image: Desmond Shum. Credit: Desmond Shum)

The former British colony in South America boasts the world’s fastest-growing economy at the moment – it expanded by 62 per cent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund.The reason is oil. Since 2015, US oil major Exxon and its partners have made a series of massive discoveries in Guyanese waters, catapulting the country into the world’s top 20 in terms of reserves.That’s bringing billions of dollars into the economy but also challenges: how can Guyana avoid the ‘resource curse’ - the mismanagement and corruption that have afflicted other commodity-rich nations? How can it exploit the oil bonanza with a population of less than a million people? And has the oil come too late anyway – just as the world move away from fossil fuels?We talk to the country’s president Irfaan Ali.Presenter and producer: Gideon Long(Image: President Irfaan Ali. Credit: Keon Blades/ Office of the President Guyana)

Science is all around us but a lot of it can be difficult to understand.Gareth Mitchell speaks to people building careers around helping make science understandable to the general public.We speak to a YouTuber making music about science, a science festival organiser and a science communication consultant who works with different businesses to make science more engaging and easy to access. Producer: Hannah Mullane Presenter: Gareth Mitchell(Image: Ellie Mackay at work. Credit: Ellie Mackay)