Business Daily

For more than 1,400 years, Saudi Arabia has hosted pilgrims from across the world who travel to this sacred patch of desert to fulfil a religious obligation.

Beyond the eternal moral duty, the economic potential of hosting both Hajj, and Umrah - a shorter pilgrimage - is vast. The kingdom is aiming to welcome 30 million pilgrims every year by 2030.

As more Muslims gain the financial means to undertake this journey, we look at the scale of the opportunity—for Saudi Arabia, and the global travel industry.

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

Presented and produced by Sameer Hashmi

(Picture: Muslim worshippers gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, 2025 ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Credit: Getty Images)

Is longevity the next growth industry? We look at why billionaires are betting on 'rejuvenation' tech and whether any of this could help more of us live beyond 100.

We meet the entrepreneurs selling 'superfoods', personalised health plans, and longevity consulting, hoping to cash in on a longer life. Their methods are unproven and sometimes extreme, but could the billionaires be on to something?

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

Presented and produced by Thomas Mason

(Picture: A silhouette of a man stargazing under a clear, starry night sky with the Milky Way visible. Artistic composite. Credit: Getty Images)

Ice hockey was hit hard by the pandemic, with empty arenas and financial losses threatening the sport's future. Now in 2025, North America's National Hockey League (NHL) has come roaring back.

We'll look at that journey and how the sport is about to enjoy a record-breaking season with predicted revenues of $6.6bn.

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

Presenter: Sam Gruet

(Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers scores a goal against Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period of Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scotiabank Arena on May 18, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. Credit: Getty Images)

The small country has big ambitions to become a tech and innovation hub.

It has a reliable source of renewable energy, thanks to the Itaipu Dam - a huge hydroelectric dam on the Paraguay-Brazil border.

We hear from government ministers and business leaders about how they believe they can make it happen - and the benefits it could bring, particularly to young people in Paraguay.

Produced and presented by Jane Chambers

(Image: The Itaipu Dam - a hydroelectric dam on the Paraguay-Brazi border. Credit: Getty Images)

A new type of solar cell has been developed and has made it to market.

Perovskites have been called a 'magic material' that many believe will be the new, efficient way to convert the sun's energy to electricity.

Now the material is being used on commercial roof panels for the first time, we look at the opportunities of the new tech, its flaws, and when it might be available to households.

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

Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey

(Picture: Illustration of a modern perovskite high performance solar cell module for high efficient photon recycling. Credit: Getty Images)

In the final episode of our series, we've gather together a panel of experts who all have an interest in critical mineral mining.

Demand for minerals like cobalt, lithium and copper is growing rapidly, as countries turn to green energy solutions. These minerals are used in EV batteries and wind turbines.

So what does the future hold? How do countries approach China's dominance in both mining and processing, and what about the environmental and ethical concerns?

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Photo: Off-shore wind turbines in Denmark, located on Middelgrunden a few kilometres outside Copenhagen. Credit: Getty Images)

Rising demand for critical minerals to fuel the green energy transition means an expansion of mining around the world.

New mines are opening, existing mines are being scaled up.

In the fourth programme in our series, we find out about the impact of mineral mining on the planet and for those people both working in the mines and living nearby.

We head to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where there are claims that child labour is being used in so called ‘artisanal’ mines and there is little scrutiny of the supply chain.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Image: Artisanal miners carry sacks of ore at a mine near Kolwezi in 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

China’s headstart in market dominance is significant, and its grip on critical mineral supply chains remains tight.

The question now is whether other governments can move fast enough — and smart enough — to build something more secure, more sustainable, and less dependent.

We head to La Rochelle in western France for a rare look inside one of the world’s biggest rare earth processing plants, and find out what it reveals about Europe’s efforts to build a supply chain of its own.

Presenter: Jonathan Josephs

(Image: A rare earth processing plant in La Rochelle, France, owned by chemicals giant Solvay)

The country dominates the global processing of critical minerals - materials essential to clean energy, defence, and modern manufacturing.

In the second part of our series on the global race to secure these resources, we explore how China built its control over the supply chain, from strategic state investment to partnerships abroad.

We also head to Indonesia, where Chinese firms are leading the charge in nickel processing. Has one country gained too much power over the world’s green transition?

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Image: Labourers work at the site of a rare earth metals mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province in 2010. Credit: Getty Images)

They’re essential to the green transition, modern tech, and defence systems—and global demand is soaring.

In the first part of our series on critical minerals, we ask what they are, where they're found and why they matter?

As countries scramble to secure supplies, we explore the rising geopolitical tensions shaping this fast-growing industry—including the Oval Office standoff between Presidents Trump and Zelensky over a landmark minerals deal.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

(Image: Hands holding rock samples of critical minerals)