Money Talks

The UK government has eased more coronavirus restrictions in England, Wales and Scotland. The relaxed regulations are a reprieve for businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors, which have been closed since January. Industry players are hoping the changes will give Britain's ailing economy a boost after a COVID-19-induced recession last year. Rajneesh Narula joined us from London for more on this story. He's professor of International Business Regulation at the University of Reading's Henley Business School.

#UKlockdown #Pandemic #COVID19Regulations

Major consumer shifts have taken place because of the pandemic. In the UK, shopping locally is set to become part of the country's lockdown legacy. According to research by Barclaycard, deliveries have also increased by around 40%. Natalie Powell caught up with one business tapping into these trends.

#UKconsumers #Pandemic #Businesses

Palestinian officials have warned Gaza could go dark in a matter of days as fuel supplies run out. Israeli air strikes have killed scores of Palestinians and levelled buildings, roads and other key infrastructure. It's a huge blow to the Gazan economy, which has been under Israeli siege for decades. Floyd Cush reports.

#IsraeliAssault #GazaEconomy #Palestine

Some of the world's biggest pop stars are redefining what it means to listen to live music. They're using video games to reach more tech-savvy fans who are happy to pay for concerts that do not involve seeing artists in the flesh.

#Gaming #VirtualConcerts #MusicStars

New York City’s movie theatres got the green light to reopen in early March, but some cinemas still haven’t turned their popcorn machines back on. With limited audiences and the growth of on-demand streaming, many are struggling to turn a profit. What will it take to return one of America’s largest movie markets to its glory days? Kyoko Gasha takes a closer look at some of the challenges the city’s film industry is facing.

#NewYork #MovieTheatres #Pandemic

Britain's retail sector is struggling. At least 40 brick-and-mortar retail chains have gone into administration since the start of the pandemic as consumers opt to shop online. Landlords searching for ways to fill the empty spaces are taking their cues from shopping malls in China and the Middle East moving away from traditional retail and filling these spaces with leisure and entertainment venues. Natalie Powell has more.

#UKmalls #Pandemic #RetailDevelopers

Billionaire Elon Musk has taken cryptocurrency investors on another wild ride this week. He sent bitcoin prices into free fall by announcing Tesla would no longer accept the token as payment. Before that, he pulled the rug out from underneath dogecoin by poking fun at it on a late-night TV show. But as Paolo Montecillo reports, Musk remains a big believer in cryptocurrency.

#ElonMusk #Dogecoin #CryptoCurrencyTrading

The US East Coast's largest supplier of fuel, Colonial Pipeline is finally resuming operations after a cyberattack forced its closure, last Friday. But the company's had to pay five million dollars in ransom and as Yunus Paksoy reports, the shutdown of fuel supplies has taken an even larger toll on the economy. Earlier this week, we spoke to cybersecurity analyst Eddy Willems. He says ransomware attacks against companies are on the rise and that employees need special training to guard against them.

#ColonialPipeline #Ransomware #FuelShortage

For months, the US and the EU have resisted calls to share their COVID-19 vaccine patents. But this week, Washington said it wants to help developing countries gain access to the intellectual property, and Brussels has indicated it's willing to follow suit. If approved, the measure could speed-up the global roll-out of the injections. But as Mobin Nasir reports, striking a deal and getting pharmaceutical companies to stick to it, could take months. Luke McDonagh is an intellectual property analyst and associate professor at the London School of Economics' Law Department. I began by asking him if the drug companies' argument that patent waivers will not improve the rollout of vaccines, holds weight.

#VaccinePatents #COVID19 #Pharmaceuticals

Actor Jessica Alba's Honest Company has made a blockbuster debut on the NASDAQ. The firm's shares surged in its initial public offering, en route to a multibillion-dollar valuation. The early market success is making a strong case for the future of ethical consumerism around the world.

#HonestCompany #JessicaAlba #IPO