Business Daily

The military threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has dominated global headlines of late.

But ahead of elections, most voters here say it’s low wages and property prices that are preying on their minds. Are politicians listening?

We also explore Taiwan's low birth rate - is it a financial decision for young couples not to have children and get a pet instead?

Produced and presented by Ed Butler.

(Image: A young couple take a selfie on the city MRT train. Credit: Getty Images)

Sitting just a few kilometres away from mainland China, the tiny Kinmen islands are in an unusual situation.

Beijing says they and Taiwan are a part of China, they're a breakaway province, and it wants them back, by force if necessary.

As tensions rise, Ed Butler visits Kinmen to discover how this most exposed population feels about Beijing's claim - and hear about plans to build a bridge to connect the islands with the Chinese mainland.

Produced and presented by Ed Butler.

(Image: A beach on Kinmen Island, with sea defences)

Joyce and Raissa de Hass used to make tonic waters and mixers for their friends. That passion became a university project, which then turned into a successful start-up.

In the early days, the twin co-founders from the Netherlands were releasing batches of products they weren't really keen on, but now they think they've found a winning formula for premium mixers. They've won awards for their drinks, and now stock several premium bars and supermarkets.

In this edition of Business Daily, we hear how Joyce and Raissa turned a passion project into a business, why they believe they're shaking up the drinks industry, and what it's like to run a start-up with your identical twin.

(Picture: Joyce and Raissa de Hass)

Presented and produced by Dougal Shaw

When Star Wars launched, it helped usher in the era of the blockbuster. In the wake of the film, came the figures. Forty years on from their launch, the original toys have now become highly sought after - some fetching a few hundred thousand dollars.

We head to the largest toy fair in Europe dedicated to buying and selling Star Wars figures. We look at how much the toys are now worth and speak to some of the super fans now buying them - and explore how big the market for the vintage figures is.

Presenter/producer: Rowan Bridge

(Photo: Someone dressed in The Mandalorian costume at a Star Wars toy fair, with fans in the background)

In this episode of Business Daily, the latest in our series on women, sport and business, it's all about the merch.

We'll explore how important replica tops and kits actually are for women’s sport in terms of fandom, participation and of course money. We ask what female sports fans and participants actually want to wear and whether they're being adequately catered for.

Dr Katie Lebel is Professor at the University of Guelph in Canada and researches gender equity in sports branding and consumer behaviour. She tells us there is a distinct lack of data in this area and as a result sports wear firms are definitely missing out on revenue.

Dana Brookman is founder of the Canadian girl's baseball league and tells us her biggest challenge has been sourcing suitable uniform for her teams, and Sam Fenwick visits sport wear manufacturer Kukri to see what they have available for women and how they're working to improve their offer.

We’re going to explore what’s available and whether half the population is being properly catered for in terms of sports gear...

Presenter: Sam Fenwick

Could Africa reduce its dependency on imported rice with the help of South Korea?

The continent's appetite for rice is growing fast at over 6% per year. And even though rice is grown in about 40 out of 54 countries in Africa, the production only covers about 60% of the demand. This results in 14 to 15 million tonnes of rice being imported each year costing over $6bn.

To remedy this, a new rice variety was developed in co-operation with South Korea: ISRIZ-7 and ISRIZ-8. These high yield rice varieties were bred from the very rice that is credited with bringing self-sufficiency in rice to South Korea in the '70s. Earlier this year 10 African nations launched the ‘Korean Rice Belt’ project to improve rice yields in participating countries.

David Cann looks into the rice co-operation between South Korea and African countries, speaking to the South Korean agricultural minister and farmers in Senegal and The Gambia.

Presenter/producer: David Cann

(Photo: A handful of ISRIZ rice seeds. Credit: Rural Development Administration)

After the catastrophic financial crisis, early signs of stability are returning to Sri Lanka. But there’s arguably a more entrenched economic dilemma in the country that had the world’s first female prime minister - the lack of women in work.

With first-hand testimony of harassment and social exclusion, this programme examines the barriers holding women back.

Presenter Laura Heighton-Ginns also visits a women-only employer, successful restaurant chain Hela Bojun, and speaks to presidential advisor Priyanee Wijesekera about the path to cultural change.

Presented and produced by Laura Heighton-Ginns

(Image: A woman working in a government back scheme. Credit: Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture)

More than a quarter of all clothes made are never actually sold - where do they go?

We look into new legislation being finalised by the EU, to try and make fashion more sustainable.

There will be a ban on the incineration of unsold goods and each product will need a digital passport so it can be tracked and its lifetime monitored.

Hannah Mullane speaks to businesses across Europe about whether they think the industry is ready for these kind of changes.

We also head to Ghana, to the Kantamanto market - the biggest second-hand market in the world, to understand the impact the fashion worlds unsold garments can have.

Presented and produced by Hannah Mullane

(Picture credit: A pair of shoes hang over power lines at the Kantamanto market in Accra, November 2022. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko)

Konrad Bergstrom comes from a family of seafarers. And as a business leader, he wants to make navigating the seas environmentally friendly. His business, X Shore, has been dubbed "the Tesla of the seas".

Konrad is now considered one of Sweden's leading entrepreneurs, having also founded Zound industries - the tech company that produces electronics for Marshall Amplification and Adidas.

But it's not all been plain sailing for the businessman.

In this edition of Business Daily, Leanna Byrne finds out how a boy selling hot dogs in his home town went from windsurfer to entrepreneur; how he overcame business failure; and how a business disagreement led Konrad back to his home - the sea.

(Picture: Konrad Bergstrom. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Leanna Byrne

Greenhouse gas levels have never been higher. If we're to limit global warming, businesses have a crucial role to play because they operate in sectors that need to radically change, like energy, transport and finance.

Thousands of company bosses are touching down in Dubai for this year's COP28 climate change talks. But environmentalists claim many businesses are not acting fast enough.

They're increasingly concerned about the growing number of fossil fuel companies attending these summits. Are they right to be worried?

(Picture: COP28 venue ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Expo City Dubai. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Sam Fenwick