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Business Weekly: 10/07/2021 Jul 10, 2021

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Authorities in China ordered Didi to stop taking new ride sharing customers, and banned the sale of the app, because of data sharing issues. Investors in the newly floated company are furious, but this isn’t the first kind of regulatory intervention China has made. So what’s behind this crackdown? As numerous sporting events take place this weekend we’ll be looking at the political power wielded by sports stars and what that means for the brands that sponsor them. We’ll head to a geo-thermal plant in Cornwall, UK, to find out whether the industry could provide secure, reliable renewable energy in a de-carbonised world. Plus, we’ll hear from the woman trying to make amends for her family’s part in slavery. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Clare Williamson. (Image: A vehicle of China's ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing, Credit: Getty Images)

Climate change: the financial fight Jul 09, 2021

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When it comes to climate change, what is the world of finance doing? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Jan Erik Saugestad, executive vice president of Norwegian asset managers Storebrand, whose investments must meet certain environmental, social and governance standards. This week also saw finance ministers from the V20 group of countries most vulnerable to climate change meet virtually. We talk climate justice with former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, currently speaker of the country's parliament.

Produced by Benjie Guy.

(Picture: coins in a jar with plant on a table. Credit Getty Images.)

Bustling or bust: How is the City of London coping after Brexit? Jul 08, 2021

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It’s been six months since the UK’s transition period from the EU ended. While the two sides hammered out arrangements for how various goods-producing sectors would continue to trade post-Brexit, financial services was largely left out of negotiations. We hear from the boss of Euronext, the head of securities trading at the London Stock Exchange, the man who authored a government-commissioned report on reforming the city’s listings regime, and a host of others to find out whether Brexit has been good or bad for the industry.

Presented by: Victoria Criag Produced by: Stephen Ryan, Nisha Patel, Jonathan Frewin

The tyranny of merit Jul 07, 2021

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Can anyone make it in the modern western world with hard work and good education? No, says Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel in conversation with Ed Butler. He says liberal politicians have lied to us, which is why populist politics has taken root. So what's the solution to the failure of globalisation?

(Picture: Michael Sandel addresses a theatre audience. Credit: http://justiceharvard.org)

Player power Jul 06, 2021

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Footballers and other athletes are standing up to the sponsors who subsidise them. Ed Butler speaks to Laurence Halsted, a former British Olympic Fencer who wrote about his concerns about the Games in Rio de Janeiro, in 2016. Sports marketing consultant Tim Crow says the involvement of people's politics in sport makes the usual bonanza for sponsors at events a lot more problematic. Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter at The Times, thinks the Olympics may find itself under growing pressure as players blur the messages that brands and governments are hoping to promote.

Produced by Benjie Guy.

(Picture: Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at a Euro 2020 press conference. Credit: Getty Images.)

Tapping the sun beneath our feet Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

Could geothermal energy provide a big missing piece in the puzzle of how to decarbonise the world economy? And do we need the help of oil companies to make use of it?

Laurence Knight visits the UK's first ever geothermal power project at United Downs in Cornwall. The project's managing director Dr Ryan Law says it could provide the perfect complement to solar and wind energy, while the resident geologist Hazel Farndale explains how and why they have drilled down more than 5km into Cornwall's granite beds.

The last two years have seen a rush of investment and interest in geothermal energy, much of it from the traditional oil and gas fracking industry. Renewable energy journalist David Roberts describes the many innovative new techniques being developed to drill even deeper down into "superhot" rock, including lasers and microwaves.

Programme contains a clip from the film There Will Be Blood, produced by Ghoulardi Film Company and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

(Picture: 3D rendering of the Earth's core and mantel; Credit: Getty Images)

Business Weekly: 03/07/2021 Jul 03, 2021

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Global tourism has lost trillions of dollars during the pandemic, leaving communities who rely on the sector desperate. Now that parts of the world are slowly starting to open up again, Business Weekly asks whether travel can be done safely and sustainably in a pandemic. We hear from an intimacy co-ordinator whose job it is to ensure actors feel comfortable with their sex scenes. She tells us why having someone in their role is vital in the post #metoo era. And menopause has been called the last workplace taboo as women all over the globe drop out of the workforce as they struggle with symptoms. Should businesses give them more support and, if so, in what form should that be? Plus, should we think about trading with aliens? The Pentagon hasn’t ruled out the existence of extra-terrestrials and some people are already thinking about what we could sell them! Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

Do oil companies have a future? Jul 02, 2021

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Shareholders and courts pile pressure on the oil majors. Amid falling demand for oil and targets to cut carbon emissions, what role if any do companies like ExxonMobil and Shell have in a decarbonised world? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Aeisha Mastagni from the California State Teachers' Retirement System - a shareholder in ExxonMobil pushing the company to change its long-term strategy. Lord Browne, former boss of BP, tells us why oil companies need to diversify if they want to survive. And Charlie Kronick from Greenpeace explains why the winds have turned agains the oil industry in recent weeks.

(Photo: Oil drilling operations in California. Credit: Getty Images)

The rise and rise of plant milk Jul 01, 2021

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There's a bewildering world of milk alternatives. From oats, to tiger nuts, the list of varieties keeps growing but not everyone’s delighted about the march of plant based drinks. Some dairy farmers worry that the rural economy is at risk and just don’t get the hype. Elizabeth Hotson talks to plant-based pioneers, Camilla Barnard, co-founder of Rude Health and Alpro's General Manager Sue Garfitt. We also hear from ex-beef and dairy farmer Jay Wilde who now produces oat milk at his farm in Derbyshire in the north of England. And Carrie Mess, a Wisconsin dairy farmer and speaker on agriculture puts forward the case for cows' milk, whilst Deborah Valenze, author of Milk: a Local and Global History tells us the story behind milk consumption.

Presenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Sarah Treanor

(Photo of various kinds of plant milk. Photo Credit: Getty Images).

How would we trade with aliens? Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

A US government report on UFOs has said there was no clear explanation for the unidentified aircraft, but did not rule out extra-terrestrial origin. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into searching for signs of alien intelligence. Ed Butler speaks to Lisa Kaltenegger, an astronomer at Cornell University, who has analysed the closest, most likely planets to support alien life. If, or when, we do make contact what could we trade with our new neighbours? David Brin, a science fiction writer and astro-physicist says our culture would be the most easily exchanged aspect of our civilisation. And what about making money on Earth from the continued interest in aliens? Juanita Jennings is the public affairs director for the town of Roswell, New Mexico. The site of the most famous UFO sighting.

(Picture: a UFO over the Mojave desert, USA. Credit: Getty Images.)