Argentina’s government and the International Monetary Fund have been renegotiating the terms of a 2018 loan issued to the country – the largest in IMF history. The Fund’s own internal analysis of that deal was scathing. The 2018 package had been vaunted for its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in society. Yet people in Argentina, and particularly those on the lowest incomes, are currently enduring a cost of living crisis, with inflation running at above 50% in 2021, and wages struggling to keep pace with increased housing, food and energy costs. Amy Booth is a journalist in Argentina, and says many people have lost hope in the midst of the country’s seemingly interminable economic crisis. Daniel Munevar, who works on debt justice at the European Network on Debt and Development, says the IMF broke its own rules in order to issue the 2018 loan. Carolina Millán is Bloomberg’s bureau chief in Buenos Aires, and tells us that the Fund’s decades-long association with austerity and misery in Argentina loom large over any potential new deal between the two parties. Former IMF executive director and Argentine diplomat Héctor Torres says he’s sceptical that a prospective 22nd loan from the lender to the country will end differently to previous failures. Argentina isn’t the only country struggling with debt, either. Former IMF chief economist Ken Rogoff says that more than half of the world’s poorest nations are currently in debt distress or default.

Presented by Ed Butler, produced by Tom Kavanagh.

(Photo: Left-wing protesters in Buenos Aires carry a banner reading, “break with the IMF, don’t pay the debt”; Credit: Getty Images)

The use of robots in North American workplaces has increased by 40% since the start of the pandemic and the small to medium sized businesses, which never automated before, are getting in on the act. The robotics industry has responded to the global increased demand by creating more and more customisable robots, which can be leased or hired. Ivana Davidovic explores what effect this has had - and could have in the future - on the labour markets, innovation, but also on social inequality. Ivana hears from a small restaurant owner from California who wouldn't be without her server robot Rosie any more, after months of being unable to fill vacancies. Joe Campbell from the Danish company Universal Robots and Tim Warrington from the British company Bots explain how they are taking advantage of the post-pandemic "great resignation" and which industries are next in line for a robotics boom. Karen Eggleston from Stanford University explains her research into the consequences of the use of robots in over 800 nursing homes in Japan and Daron Acemoglu from MIT discusses whether robots in workplaces will liberate their human colleagues or simply entrench inequality.

Presented and produced by Ivana Davidovic

(Photo: Robot waitress serving dessert and coffee on a tray in a cafe. Credit: Getty Images)

Greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins; but is the accumulation - and retention - of wealth always a bad thing? With economic inequality growing, Elizabeth Hotson asks John Paul Rollert, from the Chicago Booth school of management, why greed has historically invited criticism. We also hear from Paul Piff, Associate Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine, who tells us about an experiment in acquisitiveness, played out during a game of Monopoly. Plus serial entrepreneur and self-made multi millionaire, Richard Skellett, tells us why he supports a wealth tax.

Presented by Elizabeth Hotson Produced by Sarah Treanor

(Picture of dollar bills, picture via Getty Images).

Can apps like Depop and By Rotation, which are giving new life to old clothes, help reduce the fashion industry's enormous environmental footprint?

Justin Rowlatt heads to the London offices of both these online platforms. Depop's Justine Porterie explains how their clothing resale app helped Gen Z take back control of their wardrobes and fall in love with second-hand clothes. Meanwhile Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of By Rotation, retells how she came up with the concept of a high fashion rental app after seeing all the discarded garments piling up in her hometown in Rajasthan.

These apps have grown enormously during the last two years of lockdowns, attracting millions of users, particularly teenagers. But Sarah Kent, editor at the Business of Fashion website, questions whether they can really make a dent in the sheer volume of clothes produced and disposed of every year.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: Someone photographing a sweater for sale online; Credit: Getty Images)

Prices around the world are rising at their fastest level for years. Rising energy prices and a surge in demand after the pandemic lockdown have pushed up the prices of many of the goods that we rely on and our wages are not keeping pace. Tamasin Ford looks at the factors behind the rises and hears why it is often the poorest in our society who are impacted the most. Tamasin talks to Davide Angeletti who owns Ovenbird Coffee in Glasgow; he's looking at how he can cut his costs whilst he struggles to pay his bills; Tehiya Ben Zur is a mother living in one of the world's most expensive cities, Tel Aviv and Claudia Keller, the CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County in California. And to explain how inflation is measured and why price rises are felt differently across society, economist Xavier Jaravel of the London School of Economics breaks down the data. (Image: A shopper at a supermarket in London, Credit: European Pressphoto Agency)

On this edition of Business Weekly, we’re looking at Spotify’s latest results, and hearing how it has had to react to controversy surrounding its star podcaster, Joe Rogan. We hear from music industry writer Eamonn Ford, who tells us how the service is expanding more into the spoken word, and how it will now have to editorially manage the content it acquires. The Winter Olympics has now officially started, and we hear how some people would like sponsors to be more politically active, when choosing where to place their money. The mining giant Rio Tinto has pledged to take on board all the recommendations from a damning report that said racism, sexual harassment and bullying were rife at its sites. We hear from ABC’s Peter Ryan how this could be the ‘Me Too’ moment for the mining industry. Also on the programme, we hear how Wordle’s creator has decided to sell his five-letter game to the New York Times, and if the puzzle’s fans will be happy to turn to the newspaper’s website instead. The BBC’s Mike Johnson delves into the world of up-and-coming African music and hears how major record labels are opening their wallets and taking notice of the genre. And a billion year old rock is up for sale at a London auction house. Known as the Enigma, the rare black diamond is thought to be the largest cut diamond on earth and could have extra terrestrial origins. We hear from Nikita Benani, a jewellery specialist at Sotheby’s. Business Weekly is presented by Sasha Twining and produced by Matthew Davies.

From its early reputation as mothers’ ruin to its prime spot in upscale cocktail bars, we tell the story of the juniper-infused spirit. And as the gin craze in the US and the UK shows no sign of slowing, we ask where the next global hotspots will be. Dr Angela McShane of Warwick University tells Elizabeth Hotson how and why gin drinking became popular in the UK and Sandie Van Doorne, from Lucas Bols - which claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world - explains how the Dutch spirit, genever, fits into the story. Sean Harrison of Plymouth Gin explains how the company is taking on the new contenders in the market and we hear from up-and-coming brands; Toby Whittaker from Whittakers Gin and Temi Shogelola of Black Crowned Gin. Plus, we hear from Emily Neill, Chief Operating Officer at the IWSR which provides data and analysis on the beverage alcohol market. And a programme about gin wouldn’t be complete without a cocktail; William Campbell-Rowntree, bar supervisor at Artesian in London’s Langham Hotel, gives his tips for the perfect tipple.

Presenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Sarah Treanor

*This programme was originally broadcast on July 13, 2021

(Picture of a gin and tonic with garnish; Picture via Getty Images)

Drawn by the favourable exchange rate, tourists are flocking to Turkey, but can they compensate for the country's wider economic woes? In 2020, Turkey was hit hard by the pandemic lockdown, soaring inflation, a weakening currency and a current account deficit. Last year, the number of visitors jumped 85.5%. Victoria Craig talks to tourists in Istanbul about how they're getting more value for money and visits traders in the Grand Bazaar. Tour guide Sebnem Altin at tour company Grand Circle Travel has mixed feelings about the future and economist Roger Kelly at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development puts the latest tourism figures in context. Produced by Stephen Ryan and Gulsah Karadag.

(Image: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, Credit: Victoria Craig)

Sanctions, energy supplies, cyber-attacks - how bad could the economic fallout be if the situation in Ukraine spirals out of control?

How likely would Russia be to simply cut the gas supply off to Europe in the middle of winter for example? Ed Butler asks Jane Collin, editor of the UK-based publication, Energy Intelligence. Meanwhile Matthew Olney, director of threat intelligence at Cisco, discusses another possibility - the disabling of key energy and other infrastructure in America by Russian hackers.

Meanwhile the West has plenty of threats it can make against Moscow, in the form of further economic and financial sanctions - including the option of kicking Russia off the SWIFT international financial payments messaging system. But Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, says the West will need to look beyond sanctions if it wishes to influence President Putin's thinking

(Picture: Ukrainian soldier with rifle; Credit: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Allegations of human rights' abuses have led to an official boycott by a number of Western governments of the Winter Olympics in Beijing this month. China has responded angrily, accusing them of politicising a sporting bonanza. The International Olympic Committee insists that sport should be above politics. So where does this leave the sponsors on whom the Olympics depend for funding? International marketing expert Allyson Stewart Allen tells us that sponsors are stuck between a rock and hard space, whilst former Olympic skiier Noah Hoffman calls on sponsors to do more to protect athletes, and British politician Rob Hayward is calling for a boycott of Coca Cola products for not taking a stand. Ed Butler presents and the programme producer is Clare Williamson.

(This podcast is an edited version of the original broadcast programme for reasons of accuracy)

(Image: Short Track Speed Skating official training session ahead of the Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Credit: Getty Images)

This is a big moment for African music on the global stage. African artists are winning international awards and embarking on tours to the US and Europe. And major record companies want a piece of the action. They’ve been busy doing deals to sign African stars with Warner Music buying a controlling stake in a Johannesburg business which bills itself as “the home of African music”. So what’s going on, and what does it all mean for a new generation of African artists? Mike Johnson talks to singers Nomcebo Zikode from South Africa and Mildred Ashong, aka Eazzy, from Ghana, Phiona Okumu, head of African music at the streaming service Spotify, Yoel Kenan, chief executive of music distribution company Africori and Temi Adeniji, MD of Warner Music South Africa. (Image: Nomcebo Zikode at the Nomcebo Zikode Foundation Launch at the Houghton Hotel on June 09, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Credit:Getty)

On Business Weekly this week, we look at the efforts being made to reduce the carbon footprints of mining companies. One of the largest iron ore producers, Fortescue Metals, is looking to reduce its carbon emissions and has snapped up the technology research arm of the Williams Formula One team to help them do it. Plus, we examine the continuing war on drugs and how the Mexican cartels have been taking advantage of the pandemic restrictions in the United States. Also, we ask if having one or two wealthy owners is the best route to a winning strategy for football clubs. We review the deal that the Australian government struck to buy the licence for the Aboriginal flag – now that the image is free to use, is that the end of the matter? And Bob Dylan is, once again, selling off his assets – this time, his back catalogue is going to Sony Music for an estimated $200m. Business Weekly is presented by Matthew Davies and produced by Philippa Goodrich.