Britain's coastal areas are home to some of the most deprived towns in the country. By some estimates, these areas are 23 percent poorer than places inland. And they've been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, because many coastal economies rely heavily on tourism and hospitality. To improve these geographic inequalities, the government is creating eight so-called 'freeports', with low-tax zones. But will they be the answer to levelling up Britain? Natalie Powell finds out.

#UKgovernment #CoastalTowns #FreePorts

Prior to the pandemic, the travel and tourism sector accounted for around a tenth of global economic output. One in 10 people also worked in the industry, doing things like flying planes, working in hotels, and selling souvenirs. But a new report shows the coronavirus crisis has decimated all parts of the holiday business.. costing trillions of dollars globally. For more, let's go to Gloria Guevara. She's the president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and joins us from Surrey in the UK.

#TourismIndustry #Pandemic #TravelRestrictions

Facing a surge in coronavirus infections, European Union leaders are discussing a proposed law to block exports of COVID-19 vaccines made in the bloc. The two-day summit in Lisbon comes as many member countries face vaccine shortages. British-Swedish vaccine maker, AstraZeneca, says it'll only be able to deliver half the amount of injections it had pledged to the bloc for the first quarter of 2021. EU officials have also sparred with their British counterparts, blaming London for hoarding vaccines. But on Thursday, both sides said they're making efforts to reach a win-win solution. Other world leaders, including US President Joe Biden are also attending the summit virtually, to discuss a unified response to the pandemic.

For more on this, Pieter Cleppe joined us from Brussels. He's an EU policy analyst and editor-in-chief of the Brussels Report.

#EU #VaccineShortages #ExportBan

A city in Illinois is going to pay reparations to decendents of African slaves living in the US state. The idea's been around for decades and advocates say it marks a critical step in rectifying wrongs caused by slavery, segregation and housing discrimination. While reparations have gained traction in the wake if the Black Lives Matter movement, some Americans don't support it. Andy Roesgen found opposition, from an unlikely source. We spoke to Carole Boyce-Davies in Ithaca, New York. She's a professor of Africana Studies and English at Cornell University.

#SlaveTrade #Reparations #BlackLivesMatterMovement

A Banksy painting depicting nurses as superheroes has raised close to 20 million dollars for British health charities. The artwork, called 'Game Changer' sold at a Christie's auction on Tuesday for 19.85 million dollars the highest ever price for a Banksy painting. It happened on the same day the UK was marking its one year anniversary since the first coronavirus lockdown was imposed. Sarah Morice reports.

#Banksy #GameChanger #NHS

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has joined the executive team of San Francisco firm BetterUp. The new role is just the latest revenue stream he's racked up since leaving his lavish royal lifestyle behind. Paolo Montecillo reports.

#PrinceHarry #SiliconValley #BetterUp

In just a few years, Turkey has gone from relying entirely on banana imports to meet its domestic demand, to being on the verge of becoming an exporter of the tropical fruit. Production in some regions has shot up around 30 percent in just the past year. Our senior business producer Mobin Nasir reports from Mersin on Turkey's banana boom.

#Turkey #Agriculture #Bananas

A city in Illinois is going to pay reparations to decendents of African slaves living in the US state. The idea's been around for decades and advocates say it marks a critical step in rectifying wrongs caused by slavery, segregation and housing discrimination. While reparations have gained traction in the wake if the Black Lives Matter movement, some Americans don't support it. Andy Roesgen found opposition, from an unlikely source. We spoke to Carole Boyce-Davies in Ithaca, New York. She's a professor of Africana Studies and English at Cornell University.

#SlaveTrade #Reparations #BlackLivesMatterMovement

Egyptian authorities are trying to clear a major blockage of the Suez Canal, which could threaten to disrupt global shipments for days. A giant container ship, the MV Ever Given, became grounded on Tuesday and completely blocked the vital trade route. The ship had apparently been blown off course and maritime traffic in both directions is starting to build up. More than 10-percent of the world's trade passes through the canal, and the gridlock could also impact oil prices. Simon McGregor-Wood has more.

#OilPrices #SuezCanal #MVEverGiven

Fashion brands like Zara and H&M have made it easier, and cheaper, than ever to fill our closets. But the constant purchase of new outfits is overloading not only our wardrobes, but also the planet. That's inspired fashionistas in Singapore to get more sustainable, by going vintage. Miranda Lin explains.

#Zara #HM #Singapore