Qantas says it's ‘disturbed’ by reports that 150 of its staff are involved in organised crime. The Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes reported that motorcycle gangs had 'infiltrated' Australia's flag carrier to import drugs and carry out other criminal activities that pose a risk to national security. Their reporting was based on classified intelligence. TRT World Senior Producer Natasha Hussain explains.

#Qantas #CriminalGangs #Security

The world's richest economies are celebrating a deal for a global minimum corporate tax rate. It aims to raise billions of dollars in government revenues a year by discouraging companies from hiding their profits in tax havens. But countries that have benefited from the status quo are resisting the change. Paolo Montecillo reports. For more, we spoke to Quentin Parrinello in Paris. He’s senior policy advisor on tax and inequality at Oxfam France.

#G7 #GlobalCorporateTax #BigTech

This time last year, New York was the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals from the Bronx to Staten Island were overrun with patients, and the city that never sleeps was under lockdown. Now the Big Apple is in the middle of a revival, and it's getting some help from the world's favourite wizard.

#HarryPotter #WarnerBrothers #FlagshipStore

Jordan is in the grips of one of the most severe droughts in history. To make matters worse, household water consumption has surged by 10 percent since the beginning of the pandemic, as people stay home because of restrictions on gatherings, lockdowns and business closures. Now, as Rahul Radhakrishnan explains, the kingdom is struggling to cope with the shortfall.

#Farmers #Jordan #Drought

Meanwhile, some economists have warned that Israel's bombardment of Gaza last month could hurt Israel's economic recovery from the pandemic. But the situation in Gaza is much worse. Officials haven't yet finished their damage assessment, but they've put an initial price tag of at least half-a- billion dollars for the cost of rebuilding. Beit Hanoun was one of the hardest hit areas and residents will find it difficult to rebuild. Nizar Sadawi reports.

#Gaza #IsraeliSiege #EconomicRecovery

Israeli opposition parties have reached an agreement to form a new government and oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister. The new coalition is an unusual alliance of eight political parties with diverse ideologies, from the left to the far right. Natasha Hussain reports. We spoke to Keren Uziyel in London. She's a Senior Analyst and Country Risk Manager at the Economist Intelligence Unit's Middle East and Africa team. She joined us from London.

#Netanyahu #IsraelGovernment #CoalitionDeal

Russia says it plans to stop investing in dollar-denominated assets through its sovereign wealth fund, in response to rising US sanctions. Speaking at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in Moscow, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the 186-billion-dollar National Wealth Fund will instead increase investments in the euro, Chinese yuan and gold. The announcement comes just days before Russian president Vladimir Putin meets his US counterpart Joe Biden in Geneva. Meanwhile, Moscow is trying to deepen economic ties with other countries with more than 300 agreements being inked at this year's event. Participants are also debating the adoption of green technologies and sustainable business practices, but many Russian businesses say it could take decades to significantly reduce the economy's dependence on fossil fuels. For more on this, we spoke to Andrew Forrest in St Petersburg. He's chairman of Fortescue Metals Group and the Minderoo Foundation.

#Russia #SovereignWealthFund #USsanctions

Proper waste management is a serious problem for authorities in Uganda. But one innovative designer has found a way to turn waste into wealth, while helping to clean-up the streets. Shoaib Hasan has more.

#Uganda #PlasticWaste #Fashion

The research is in: Lockdowns have made us larger. Increased screen time and working from home has made people more sedentary. And in the UK there are concerns that this could increase health inequalities. It's bad news for general health and welfare, but it's tipped the scales in favour of businesses in the weight-loss market. Natalie Powell reports.

#FitMenus #WeightWatchers #FoodDeliveries

It's no secret the coronavirus pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the global economy in the past year. A new report by the International Labour Organization gives a clearer indication of the extent of its impact on workers. Hundreds of millions of people have lost their jobs, and most of them live in the poorest parts of the world. Paolo Montecillo has more. For more, we spoke to Stefan Kuehn in Geneva. He's an economist at the International Labour Organization and was the lead author of the group's World Employment and Social Outlook report.

#ILO #COVID19pandemic #JobLosses