From Instagram-famous dogs to viral kittens, pet influencers are revolutionising brand marketing with viral content and endorsements.

It's a lucrative market in which companies are leveraging these furry celebrities to drive engagement and sales.

We'll uncover why this trend is proving to be so profitable.

(Image: Tika, an Italian greyhound, modelling canine fashion. Credit: Thomas Shapiro)

Presented and produced by Deborah Weitzmann

With animal adoptions skyrocketing during the pandemic, pet care has evolved dramatically.

From self-cleaning cat litter trays to smart feeding bowls, interactive toys, and pet cameras, we'll hear from some of the brands reshaping the way we care for our furry friends.

But are we missing out on the meaningful connections our pets need as automation becomes more prevalent?

(Picture: Rupert the British Shorthair cat, inside his litter robot. Credit: Deborah Weitzmann/BBC)

Presented and produced by Deborah Weitzmann

As prices for homes and rents continue to rise in many towns and cities, it's one of the key issues for voters.

In 2023 the average price of a home in the United States was $495,100, six per cent higher than a year earlier, though the signs are prices may now be starting to fall.

That’s partly because mortgage rates have spiralled as high as 7% for many new buyers – making repayments prohibitive.

We ask business owners working in housing to tell us why, and what’s the fix?

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: David Cann

(Image: A "Now Leasing" sign outside the Willows at Valley Run, an affordable housing development, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Credit: Getty Images)

Have you decided when you'd like to retire? Will it be your choice, or is there a set age in your country or profession?

More than a million people took part in protests in France last year when the government proposed an increase to the retirement age without a vote.

Age has also played a big factor in the replacement of Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate.

So is a fixed retirement age a good idea – or workplace outdated? Should it be more fluid – a matter of personal choice?

Presenter: David Harper Producer: Victoria Hastings

(Image: Two women holding up placards that read, '64years it's no' march during a nation wide strike called for by French trade unions, in Rennes, northwest France on January 19, 2023. Credit: Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images)

Four sportsmen have reached 10 figures according to financial magazine Forbes.

However the wealthiest sportswoman, tennis star Serena Williams, could triple her wealth and not get there.

We speak to agent Stuart Duguid, who looks after four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who tells us how elite sportswomen are investing their money and what barriers there are to growing their fortunes.

We ask if, and when it might happen, and what that would mean for women’s sport.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Matt Lines

(Serena Williams playing in the 2022 US Open. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

The sudden closure of the huge open pit copper mine, Cobre Panamá, has created a dramatic economic fallout, with its loss of jobs and damage to the country’s reputation for investors.

It was shut down by Panama's Supreme Court after months of protests against it.

We look at the impact, and also ask what could happen next?

Produced and presented by Jane Chambers Additional sound mixing by Grant Cassidy

(Image: The Cobre Panama mine. Credit: Reuters)

The founder of one of Ireland's largest recruitment agencies, Staffline, shares how her upbringing during one of the most politically tumultuous periods in Northern Ireland's history, known as 'The Troubles', shaped her career path.

From working in her parent's taxi firm, to the probation service to recruitment. And even a foray into politics.

So what does Tina McKenzie MBE envision for the future of the country?

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Amber Mehmood

(Image: Tina McKenzie. Credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Football clubs must work under a strict policy of Financial Fair Play - or FFP - but what does it mean? And how does it work?

With the summer transfer window now open, clubs are in business, buying and selling players. But football’s governing bodies are keeping a close eye on how much they spend.

We take a look at how top-flight clubs in the Spanish league, La Liga, are managing the financial constraints.

(Image: Real Madrid unveils new signing, Kylian Mbappe, at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Spain, in July 2024. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Ashish Sharma.

More than 25 years after the Kosovo war, a music festival in the capital Pristina is hoping to change the image of the country around the world by inviting international artists and fans to learn more about the country’s cultural scene. Sunny Hill Festival is organised by global pop star Dua Lipa and her dad Dugi, who’s from Pristina.

They are using their industry contacts to bring acts like Bebe Rexha, Stormzy and Burna Boy to party with tens of thousands of people, as well as inviting top industry experts. But more than 15 years after Kosovo declared independence, could politicians be doing more to help boost the country’s music scene rather than relying on the Lipa family? Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney

(Dua Lipa performs on stage with her father Dukagjin Lipa during her first concert held in her hometown Pristina in 2016)

We look at Japan's policy to boost its economy by getting more women into the workforce.

It was announced back in 2013 by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and dubbed 'Womenomics'.

Mr Abe gave a deadline of 2020 to significantly increase the number of women in leadership roles. But that date quietly came and went without the target even getting close.

However could things could be starting to change? Japan Airlines new CEO Mitsuko Tottori is a woman, and that has restarted conversations. We hear from her, and from young women in the country about their hopes for the future.

Produced and presented by Mariko Oi

(Image: Mitsuko Tottori, chief executive officer of Japan Airlines Co. Credit: Getty Images)

We hear from 4-time Olympic gold medallist Libby Trickett and her entrepreneurial husband Liam.

Libby Trickett (Lenton) competed for Australia at the highest level, winning gold in the pool in Beijing and London.

At the height of her swimming career she married fellow swimmer Luke Trickett, who had left the sport and was using the skills he'd learnt as an athlete to enter the business world.

We hear how the Global Financial Crisis inspired Luke’s entrepreneurial spirit. And through it all, how teamwork has been their ultimate key to success in transitioning to new careers after retiring from competitive sports.

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Lis Mahy

(Photo: Libby and Luke Trickett. Credit: Getty Images)

Paris 2024 will see the debut of the competitive street dance, Breaking.

From the streets of the Bronx in the 70s to sport's biggest stage, we hear from the pioneers and the athletes hoping to turn their passion into a lucrative career.

Breaking isn’t currently on the list for the next games in LA in 2028, so could it be a one-hit wonder?

(Image: Man doing a headstand outside with his crew cheering in the background. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Matt Lines