Money Talks

COVID-19 may have changed the way we work forever. With lockdowns forcing huge numbers of people to stay at home, companies are rethinking office spaces -- in some cases whether to bother having one at all. But is that good news or bad news? And what could it mean for the commercial real estate sector? Joel Flynn takes a look for us from Hong Kong.

#Singapore #OfficeSpace #CommercialRealEstate

The world's largest mobile phone manufacturer Apple is branching out. The iPhone maker is reportedly in talks with South Korea's Hyundai-Kia to build an electric Apple Car. But efforts to break into this market won’t be easy, with the competition already miles ahead.

#HyudaiKia #Apple #ElectricVehicles

The coronavirus pandemic is taking the shine off America's biggest sporting showpiece of the year. Last year, nearly 150 million people watched the event, and companies spent 600 million dollars on adverts that ran during the broadcast. This year, several major sponsors have pulled advertising. And teams have lost billions of dollars in revenues because restrictions on public events have kept fans away from stadiums. We were joined by Kieran Maguire in Manchester. He's a sports finance specialist at the University of Liverpool.

#SocialRestrictions #SuperBowl #NationalFootballLeague

Governments and corporations around the world are planning to give so-called vaccine passports to people inoculated against COVID-19. These aim to revive the travel industry, and could eventually be crucial to reopening the rest of the global economy. But as Paolo Montecillo reports, policymakers will have to make sure the schemes are implemented in such a way that no one is left behind. For more, we spoke to Doctor Bharat Pankhania in the British city of Bath. He's a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, with extensive experience in advising on national communicable disease control plans.

#VaccinePassport #Denmark #BusinessTravellers

The US embargo on Cuba has been in place for more than 60 years and it's given Cuba a 'frozen in time' look. Prior to COVID-19, the island's vintage cars and colonial architecture drew tourists, but they didn't do much to bring in high-tech. That makes it all the more surprising that Cuba's built up a strong biotechnology sector. And as Ed Augustin reports from Havana, that could mean a lot in its fight against the coronavirus.

#Cuba #Coronavirus #Vaccine

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Around 20 million people suffer from heart failure, with less than half surviving more than five years after diagnosis. Waiting lines for transplants have grown longer and more desperate. But now, one French company has been approved to sell a device that offers a critical lifeline. Miranda Lin tells us more.

#Medicine #ArtificialHeart #Bloodflow

There are no Black people in leadership roles at Britain’s top companies. That's according to a study by recruitment and diversity consultancy, Green Park. The research highlights the failure by some of the UK’s biggest firms to prioritise diversity. The Green Park study has found – that for the first time in six years – there are no Black CEOs, CFOs or chairpersons in companies listed on the FTSE 100. Just 10 of the nearly 300 leaders who occupy the top three roles at firms on the index are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

#FTSE100 #BlackRepresentation #Diversity

Former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi is confident he can lead Italy out of economic despair. President Sergio Matarrella has asked him to form a technocratic government. As prime minister, Draghi will step-in at a time when political instability and the coronavirus pandemic are worsening economic conditions in one of Europe's most indebted countries. Mobin Nasir reports. For more on this, Emanuele Bracco joined us live from Milan. He's associate professor of economics at the University of Verona and a senior lecturer at Lancaster University.

#EUcentralbank #Italy #MarioDraghi

The world's second-richest man Jeff Bezos is giving-up control of day-to-day operations at Amazon, the e-commerce giant he founded almost 30 years ago. His announcement accompanied the release of fourth-quarter sales figures, which show how a pandemic-induced shopping spree has propelled the company to its best three-month stretch to date. But what will Bezos's imminent departure mean for Amazon? Paolo Montecillo finds out. For more, we spoke to Daniel Ives in New York. He's a tech sector analyst and managing director at Wedbush Securities.

#Amazon #CEO #JeffBezos

A new route to British citizenship has opened up for Hongkongers, giving hundreds of thousands of people a chance to escape Beijing's increasing interference in the city. The Chinese government has criticised the scheme, which the UK says upholds its commitment to the people it once governed. Joel Flynn reports.

#UKcitizenship #HongKong #China