Business Daily

Fed up with their own inadequate and expensive care systems, many elderly Westerners are choosing to retire to Thailand, where care is cheaper and often better. Many say Thailand’s Buddhist culture and respect for the elderly means Thais are naturally caring.

It’s a booming sector, and is only likely to grow as we all live longer. But the decision to move can be complex, particularly when it involves retirees with dementia.

People have been accused of dumping their sick relatives in Thai care homes, far from family. Is this exploitation – rich Westerners taking advantage of Thailand’s low wages? And what does it mean for local health systems, as care workers are lured away to look after foreign residents?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

(Picture: British retiree Liz Jackson, now living in Chiang Mai.)

Thailand’s government has long been wary of opening up the country to gambling, imposing major restrictions on betting.

Small-scale, illicit gambling is widespread in the country but now politicians want to liberalise the industry and allow casinos to set up shop.

The goal is to promote tourism, but opponents argue that the gambling business is incompatible with Thai culture, which is largely rooted in Buddhist values that frown upon betting.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Ed Butler

(Picture: Protesters in Chaing Mai, Thailand, in April 2025, seen holding placards during a demonstration to protest the government's draft entertainment complex bill at The Phae Gate. On 13 January 2025, the Thai Cabinet approved a draft bill, setting the stage for the legalisation of casino gambling in entertainment complexes across the country. Credit: Getty Images)

The Southeast Asian country has witnessed a huge influx of electrical and electronic waste in recent years. Old mobile phones, computers, circuit boards and fridges are being shipped to the country and processed, often in unlicensed industrial sites.

We explore why this has happened, who is behind it, and find out what the Thai government is doing about it.

We join the Thai industry ministry on a raid of an unlicensed Chinese-owned recycling plant, and talk to a Thai farmer who says his cassava crop has been blighted by pollutants from an unlicensed smelter.

We also hear from Thais about their own electronics recycling habits.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

(Image: Officials look at a mound of e-waste at a site near Bangkok, Thailand.)

Since this programme was first broadcast, the Chinese embassy in Thailand has responded to the BBC request for comment with a statement saying: “China has always required overseas Chinese enterprises to abide by the laws of the host countries and operate in accordance with laws and regulations”. It said China supports Thailand in its efforts to strengthen regulation and create “a fair, stable and predictable investment and business environment”.

Thailand and Malaysia both depend on exports to countries like China and the US for economic growth. The Southeast Asian nations are now potentially facing some of US President Donald Trump’s most punishing tariff rates. We look at some of their key industries, like rubber and manufacturing, that are threatened by the situation. Will both countries have to reinvent their economies?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Producer/presenter: Ed Butler

(Photo: Duang Chai, a rubber farmer in Chonburi, eastern Thailand)

From rice to rubber, manufacturing to tourism, Thailand is one of Southeast Asia’s most important export-driven economies. And its trading partners include China and the US. But the country's been struggling to bounce back from the effects of the Covid pandemic.

Ever since US President Donald Trump first introduced tariffs against China in 2018, Thailand's also found itself having to tread carefully between the demands of the two economic superpowers.

We hear from food producers, exporters and ordinary working people, about the choices ahead. Will Thailand now have to decide between Washington and Beijing if it is to survive a global trade war?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Ed Butler

(Image: Bangkok's Chinatown. A neighbourhood packed with market stalls, gold shops, and restaurants. Credit: Getty Images)

David Webb has spent decades campaigning for the rights of ordinary investors in Hong Kong.

Since arriving in the city from the UK as a young investment banker 30 years ago, he’s taken on tycoons, exposed corporate wrongdoing, and pushed for transparency in one of the world’s most complex financial hubs.

He's spoken to the BBC's Martin Yip.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Martin Yip

(Image: David Webb, activist investor and founder of Webb-site.com, speaks during a farewell event at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong on 12 May 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

Pitchside advertising signs in stadiums are getting bigger and brighter, using advanced, digital technology to create new opportunities for marketing to fans in the stadium and those watching sports at home.

But could the LED boards around the stadium distract from the action on the field?

We hear from fans, marketing execs, and how one sport league is using advertising as a form of entertainment during matches.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Russell Padmore

(Picture: Football/soccer stadium from the players zone. Credit: Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump’s announcements on tariffs have had businesses around the world analysing their supply chains and reassessing their bottom lines.

We take a snapshot of one industry and the beating heart of a popular American product - craft beer – speaking to brewers in Canada, Mexico and the US.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Devina Gupta

(Image: Robin Ridesic of Exchange Brewery in Ontario, Canada; Justin Cox of Atlas Brewing, Washington DC, USA; and Luis Osuna of Buqui Bichi in Sonora, Mexico)

A Pilsner, an American Pale Ale, American IPA or cold lager. However you like your beer – it's part of life in the US and usually comes out on top as the most popular drink in the country.

In this programme, we look at how President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy is impacting the product; tracing the elements of a can of beer in the United States - from the hops to the bar.

Could this all-American experience be affected by a desire to Make America Great Again? Or will US businesses involved in beer manufacturing and packaging benefit?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Hannah Bewley

(Picture: Young woman working in the production line in a beer factory. Credit: Getty Images)

Heatwaves don’t have names unlike storms or hurricanes - which are categorised. But extreme heat can have a huge impact on people’s lives, on overall public health, and the local economy.

We look at a pilot project that took place in the Spanish city of Seville called ProMETEO, aimed at naming heatwaves in order to raise public awareness, and better prepare local economies in extreme heat conditions.

And we speak to businesses that are having to plan for hotter weather and ask them whether categorising heatwaves could make them more resilient.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Ashish Sharma

(Picture: A waitress tries to cool down with a fan at a restaurant in Seville on 23 July, 2024, as temperatures rose across southern Europe during a heatwave last summer. July 21, 2024 was the hottest day ever registered globally, according to preliminary data published by the EU's climate monitor. Credit: Getty Images)