Business Daily

Protests in Spain about 87-year-old Mariacarmen Abascal's eviction from social housing reignited the housing affordability debate globally, as inflation ticks up and career prospects for the young have been impacted by the rise in AI. We head to Nigeria, India and the UK to take stock on the issue.

Elsewhere, what can sliding sales at the world's largest automaker tell us about how drivers feel about big purchases?

We get the view from Jennifer Pak China and Professor Justin Wolfers in the US, where former MAGA fans are up in arms about the rising cost of diesel amid the war in Iran.

(Photo: Demonstrators protest demanding political action to stop evictions and address the housing crisis, following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home, in Madrid, Spain, 30 September, 2026. Credit: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters)

Presenter: Rahul Tandon

The AI race is speeding up: and so are the warnings about where it could lead. After President Trump met AI leaders to discuss how to make the technology safer without slowing America's progress, Michelle, Will and Rahul ask: can the AI industry really regulate itself?

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the White House driveway following a luncheon for tech leaders in the East Room, in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Who studies law but then forgets to apply for any graduate jobs because they've started blogging about web design and JavaScript? Cameron Adams, the billionaire co-founder of design app Canva. He did eventually land a coveted job at Google (thanks to that blogging), but failure on its Google Wave project ’ led to an introduction to Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, whose vision for making design accessible to everyone became Canva. In this interview, Cameron Adams reflects on the twists, setbacks and connections that shaped his entrepreneurial journey, and why he doesn't fear AI in the design process.

A litre of beer at Munich’s Oktoberfest costs nearly €16; almost four times what a litre cost in 1991 after adjusting for inflation.

We follow the money behind the famous Maß, from the Munich brewery that supplies it, through the tent and the servers who sell it, to the City of Munich that runs the festival.

Who gets the biggest share, who carries the financial risk, and how much does Oktoberfest really make for the city?

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Picture: Visitors pose for a photograph in traditional Bavarian clothing during the world’s largest beer festival Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, September 26, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

We're heading west along America's famed Route 66. As the road celebrates its 100th birthday, Victoria Craig finds out whether the pull of neon-drenched nostalgia is still attracting visitors and whether new investment can secure the future of the towns that depend on it.

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Photo: A sign celebrating 100 years of Route 66: Credit: Victoria Craig)

What is next for trade, tariffs and AI after Presidents Trump and Xi met at the White House? We examine what was agreed, whether tensions between the world's two biggest economies are easing, and what it could mean for technology, business and global trade. Vishala Sri-Pathma is joined by Henry Wang from the Center for China and Globalization and the AI researcher and author Stephanie Hare.

You can email the team: [email protected]

Producer: Josh Martin

(Picture: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping before a state dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein TPX)

The presidents of the world's two biggest economies are meeting in Washington. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet at the White House amid tensions over Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and international trade. Our North American business correspondent Samira Hussain and senior China correspondent Laura Bicker assess what both sides want from the visit and how the relationship between the two leaders could shape the outcome.

Presenter: Vishala Sri-Pathma

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Picture: U.S. President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, May 2026. Credit: Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS)

Jacob Rothman moved from California to China and helped build a manufacturing business supplying some of the world's biggest retailers. We meet the co-founder of Velong Enterprises to hear how he built the company across Asia and how an unlikely career path took him to the heart of global manufacturing. He also reflects on entrepreneurship, manufacturing in China and how global trade is changing.

Producer: Bisi Adebayo

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Picture: Jacob Rothman)

Most toys sold in America are made in China. But cheap labour is no longer the main reason manufacturers stay there. As the US toy industry presses for tariffs on toys to be removed, we follow the journey of a $30 toy from a factory in Guangdong, through shipping and the US border, to the shelves of American retailers. Along the way, we find out how much the factory gets, what shipping costs add to the price, how much of the final price stays in America, and the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Picture: Employees of Shaoguan Guanghua Plastic and Hardware Products Co Ltd work to assemble toy parts in the factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, China, 9 May, 2025. Credit: Go Nakamura/Reuters)

With Presidents Xi and Trump expected to meet in the United States this week, Will Bain looks back on the history of trade between the two great nations.

It's always been fraught with controversy but there's also been a need or desire to get along.

President Nixon was the first to visit China in 1972 and spoke with passion about the possibilities for the future between them.

Trade then grew quickly but it became very one sided as China developed as an industrial nation.

There have been several attempts to curb its dominance but cheaper production also meant cheaper goods for consumers.

Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute joins Will to assess how they have attempted to strike the right balance

Thanks to the Presidential Libraries of President Nixon and President Reagan for archive material.

(Photo: A staff member wearing a face mask walks past US and Chinese flags set up before a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, 08 July 2023. Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Presenter: Will Bain