The collapse of the US energy giant Enron remains one of the most dramatic scandals in modern capitalism, but 20 years on did we learn any of the lessons from the fall of a corporate giant? The BBC's Lesley Curwen covered the story every step of the way back in the 2000's right up to the company's collapse, and the jailing of some of its most senior executives. She takes Ed Butler back through Enron's tale of deceit, intimidation and collapse with archive and fresh interviews with some of the scandal's key figures. And Ed hears from Dr Howard Schilit, of Schilit Forensics accountancy firm, a witness at Enron's Senate hearing and a man with a serious warning for the corporate world, two decades on from the Enron scandal.

Picture Credit: Getty Images

Can the ambitious renewable energy plans of the incoming government overcome domestic nimbyism and Russian gas politics?

Ed Butler hears from one member of the new left-liberal-green coalition, Social Democrat MP Jens Zimmermann, about their plans to phase out coal entirely by 2030, and replace 80% of electricity generation with wind and solar. But building new wind turbines already faces substantial red tape and vociferous opposition from bird conservation groups, as industry man Steffen Lackmann explains.

Meanwhile, how will the government tackle a more pressing matter - Russian President Vladimir Putin's alleged restriction of gas supplies to Europe this winter in order to force German approval for the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Ed speaks to Gustav Gressel, geopolitical analyst at the ECFR think tank, and to Melissa Eddy at the New York Times' Berlin bureau. Plus Yuri Vitrenko, head of Ukraine's gas pipeline company Naftogaz, explains why he fears approval of the pipeline could mean war in his country.

(Picture: Leaders of the incoming German government, including Chancellor-elect Olaf Scholz (centre), inadvertently re-enact the opening scene from Reservoir Dogs; Credit: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

Authoritarian regimes are working closer than ever to keep each other afloat - with plenty of help from the West's financial system.

Ed Butler speaks to Frank Vogl, who helped found the global anti-corruption organisation Transparency International. He claims that the world's kleptocrats are enabled by an army of bankers, lawyers and accountants who are helping them squirrel away their ill-gotten money in Western real estate and investments.

And for regimes like those of Belarus, Venezuela or Syria, who find their power contested by their own people and their economies in tatters, there is plenty of support to be found these days from other authoritarians - chief among them Russia and China. That's according to the historian, journalist and author Anne Applebaum. The questions is whether the world's democracies will ever get their act together and do something about it?

(Picture: Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro (left) embracing Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko; Credit: Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)

In Afghanistan, high schools are currently closed to girls, and women have been banned from TV dramas. So how hard is life for the female half of the population, as the Taliban reassert control?

Tamasin Ford hears from her colleague Yalda Hakim, who recently returned to the Afghan capital Kabul, the city of her birth, where she quizzed members of the new regime about their intentions for girls' education. Tamasin also speaks to Mahbouba Seraj of the Afghan Women Skills Development Center in Kabul about what life is now like in the city.

Meanwhile Marianne O’Grady, who worked in Afghanistan for the charity CARE International until she was evacuated in August, says that with food now running desperately short in the country, there are even more pressing concerns than the treatment of women.

(Picture: Afghan girls look out next to a building in Sharan, Afghanistan; Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

On Business Weekly, we look at inflation in different countries, and in particular, how price rises are hitting the citizens of Turkey and the United States. We hear how two different presidents are trying two very different ways of getting it under control. We also hear how baristas in Starbucks are trying to unionise and how the coffee shop chain has reacted. Plus, we look at green hydrogen and hear from the producers in Denmark hoping the sustainable fuel will help meet climate change targets. Business Weekly is presented by Sasha Twining and produced by Matthew Davies.

Can the minerals needed to decarbonise the global economy be dug up fast enough? And can it be done without the human rights and environmental abuses of the past?

Tamasin Ford speaks to KC Michaels of the International Energy Agency says there will need to be a staggering increase in the amount of nickel, lithium, cobalt and rare earths being mined, in order to build all the batteries, wind turbines and solar panels needed. But mining consultant Dr Patience Mpofu says that the mines required can take anything up to 15 years to commission.

With many of these critical minerals concentrated in the developing world, the fear is that a rapid increase in global demand may outstrip the supply from the formal mining industry, with the gap filled by much less responsible mining operations. Emmanuel Umpula of the Congo-based NGO African Resources Watch fears a worsening of human rights abuses and pollution from such mines. But Mark Cutifani, chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, says the industry is working hard to ensure better standards of behaviour.

(Picture: South African miner; Credit: David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Turkey's currency has been in free fall this week, reaching a record low against the US dollar. The Lira's collapse has been sparked, in part, by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubling down on his controversial economic policies, such as demanding that the central bank cut interest rates despite rapidly accelerating inflation.

Ed Butler explores why President Erdogan is so attached to the policy, at the expense of three central bank governors in the last three years, and asks what impact the currency crisis is having on Turkey's economy. Ed speaks to Gulcin Ozkan, professor of finance at King's College London, economist and former fund manager Mohamed El-Erian, and to a forlorn wealth manager in Istanbul.

Producer: Will Bain

(Picture: Turkish Lira notes; Credit: Getty Images)

Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, are this month balloting to join a union - part of a surprise post-pandemic trend in union activism across America, as retail and hospitality workers find that the tight post-pandemic labour market is giving them more bargaining power with their employers.

Ed Butler speaks to Michelle and Jaz - two baristas in Buffalo, New York, who are encouraging their colleagues to organise - and to Richard Bensinger, who hopes to represent them as part of the Workers United union. He reckons this marks a turning point for unions in the US, which have for decades seen thin membership numbers.

We also hear from Stephen Delie at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan-based think tank and advocacy group for "right-to-work" laws, which discourage union membership. Unions, he says, take workers' hard-earned money for little or no return.

(Picture: Starbucks union supporters posing in a group photo with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Credit: Michael Sanabria)

Would you want to live to 150? With leaps in technology, science and medicine, it's becoming an increasingly realistic possibility.

Elizabeth Hotson talks to Sergey Young, founder of Longevity Vision Fund and author of The Science and Technology of Growing Young. Sergey tells us why he embarked on a mission to help us live longer. Plus, Dr Michael Hufford from biotechnology company, Lygenesis tells us about organ regeneration technology, which enables a patient's lymph nodes to be used as bioreactors to regrow functioning ectopic organs.

We also go on a voyage of discovery into the world of cryonics with Dennis Kowalski, president of the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, where you can have your body frozen and stored until the technology exists to bring you back to life some time in the future. We also hear from Paul Hagen, who's planning to follow his father's footsteps by undergoing the cryonics procedure.

(Picture of an energetic older couple via Getty Images)

Texas has introduced the most stringent abortion law in America. Tamasin Ford assesses some of the reaction to this law by employers and employees who have traditionally been attracted to the Lone Star State because of its low taxes and lower house prices.

Ashley Lopez, NPR journalist in Austin explains the complexities of the law and how it will disproportionately affect women of colour. Curtis Sparrer, co-founder of PR firm Bospar, explains how his company is offering to help relocate employees who want to move out of the state. And Vivek Bhaskaran, CEO of Austin-based QuestionPro, explains how his company will offer financial assistance to employees who need to get a termination. We also hear from Valerie Veteto, who moved to Texas, attracted by its job prospects and low house prices, but is now preparing for a move to New York.

Producer: Nisha Patel

(Picture: Protests outside the Supreme Court in the US Credit: Getty Images)

On Business Weekly, we look at the new wave of Covid-19 that’s hitting several European countries. We hear how the different take-up rates of vaccinations and booster shots are making things difficult for governments and how some are now resorting to lockdowns just for the unvaccinated. We also hear about the growing incidences of mobile phone spyware, and how unwitting victims are having their every movement tracked by modern day stalkers. Plus, we look at period poverty and sanitary sustainability, as the market for menstruation products widens. Business Weekly is presented by Sasha Twining and produced by Matthew Davies.

Happy World Toilet Day! It is that day of the year when we all need to overcome our embarrassment and discuss what is normally a taboo topic. Hundreds of millions of people still have no access to a toilet, putting them at risk of disease, sexual assault and public humiliation.

Tamasin Ford speaks to the inventor of World Toilet Day, Jack Sim, about how much has been achieved since he founded his World Toilet Organisation 20 years ago to promote discussion of this topic. We also hear from Catarina de Albuquerque, who served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, and made it one of the UN's sustainable development goals.

Also, consultant Timeyin Uwejamomere talks about the challenge of introducing proper sanitation in the slums of his native Nigeria. Plus Chilufya Chileshe, policy director at the charity WaterAid, explains how the lack of a toilet leaves women and girls vulnerable to sexual harassment, and interferes with their education.

(Photo: An eco-friendly mobile toilet in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit: Deon Raath/Galo Images/Rapport)