Taking Stock: Who owns Space?

China's latest trade data show another huge surplus, putting the country on course for what could be a record $1.5 trillion trade surplus this year. In the first of two episodes examining China's export machine, we look at the country's massive solar panel industry. We hear from the so-called Sun King, Dr Jerry Shi, China's first solar billionaire, about the rise of solar power in China. Ed Butler also examines how solar power and other green technologies have helped drive the global response to climate change, while critics raise concerns about oversupply and its impact on industries and economies around the world.Presenter/producer: Ed ButlerYou can email the team: [email protected](Picture: Workers are seen at a production line manufacturing solar photovoltaic components at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China. Credit: Lin Yunlong/Zhejiang Daily via Reuters)

From Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, to China and India, companies and countries are pouring billions of dollars to get ahead in the space industry.It's not just about interplanetary exploration, huge investment is going into satellites, defense systems and location technology.Rahul Tandon speaks to Carissa Bryce Christensen, Founder and CEO of BryceTech and Professor of Space Security, Dr Namrata Goswami to discuss who winning the race and who might be coming up from behind.Producers: Amber Mehmood and Matt Lines Editor: Stephen RyanPHOTO: The planet Mars is shown in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope view taken May 12, 2016. NASA/Handout via Reuters

Competition from China, weaker sales and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles have left Volkswagen facing its biggest challenge in decades. VW says up to 100,000 jobs could go, with some of its biggest German plants facing closure. Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain look at whether VW can turn things around, and whether its troubles reflect wider problems in Germany's economy. (Photo: Volkswagen's main German plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, 17 September, 2026. Credit: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)You can email the team: [email protected]: Matt Lines

Greek-born billionaire John Catsimatidis rose from working in a New York grocery store to build the Gristedes supermarket chain and a wider business empire after leaving university before graduating. Now head of the Red Apple Group, with interests spanning real estate, energy, aviation and media, he remains a prominent figure in US business and politics, regularly discussing business with President Trump, despite setbacks including a collapsed airline venture and an unsuccessful run for New York mayor.Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Amber MehmoodYou can email the team: [email protected][This episode was first broadcast on 17 June 2026](Picture: John Catsimatidis attends the Economic Club of New York in New York City, U.S., May 28, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

The war in the Middle East has pushed up crude oil prices this year and that's had a knock-on effect on the price of refined oil products like diesel. But after months of conflict, the Gulf's oil-producing nations are now getting most of their exports out, so why hasn't the price of diesel come down? And will it fall now that Donald Trump has reached a deal allowing Russia to export diesel again? The BBC's Sam Fenwick traces the journey of a barrel of oil from the Middle East to the petrol pump, looking at the rising costs along the way.(Photo: A worker fills a lorry with diesel in London on 2 October 2026. Credit: Yui Mok/PA)You can email the team: [email protected]: Gideon Long

Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about how economies will cope as populations age rapidly. Rob Young examines why people are having fewer children, from the financial pressures facing couples in the US to changing social attitudes. He also looks at government efforts to reverse the trend, including Finland's generous family support system and Hungary's costly incentives for larger families.Presenter/producer: Rob YoungYou can email the team: [email protected](Picture: A newly born baby in a maternity ward at the Royal Gloucestershire Hospital in the UK. Credit: BBC)

A chance to listen again as Will Bain and Rahul Tandon are joined by the BBC's India Business Correspondent Arunoday Mukherjee to look at the rise of the 'Cockroach movement'. They discuss the economic concerns of young people and the difficulties getting well paid jobsProducer: Rebecca SmyllieEditor: Stephen RyanImage description: Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) take part in a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi, India, 10 October 2026. Thousands of security personnel were deployed across the Indian capital as demonstrators gathered to demand electoral reforms and the resignation of the chief election commissioner following allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. CJP protest demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, New Delhi, India - 10 Oct 2026

Young people in France are protesting over schooling conditions, whilst in Spain they have taken to the streets over housing. We ask if there is hope them, and how we can make a better future. Also, we unpack the deal for Paramount Skydance to officially take over Warner Bros Discovery in a $110bn merger. Connecting the time zones this week are Rahul Tandon in Salford, David Kuo in Malaysia and Emily Peck in New York to unpack the week's biggest business stories.(Photo: Student protests over school conditions spread across France, Montpellier - 08 Oct 2026 Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Matt Lines

With less than a month to go until the US mid-term elections, voters are preparing to head to the polls with the economy high on the agenda.From the cost of living, interest rates and tariffs, how much will economic concerns shape the result?Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain look at whether the economy could prove to be the defining issue of these mid-terms.

We meet Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder of ActOne Group. She arrived in Los Angeles with just $900 borrowed from her mother and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar business, becoming the first Black woman to own and run a billion-dollar company.But Janice says the foundations of her success were laid much earlier, growing up as one of 11 children in the segregated American South. So, how did those early experiences shape the entrepreneur she would become?Presented by Leanna Byrne Produced by Bisi Adebayo and Barbara George(Picture: Janice Bryant Howroyd)