Money Talks

In its latest Global Risks Report, the World Economic Forum warns that the coronavirus pandemic has widened health, economic and digital disparities and is calling on the world to wake up to its long-term risks. The WEF says the knock-on effects of infectious diseases like COVID-19 will continue to threaten livelihoods in the coming years and jeopardise years of progress in reducing global poverty and inequality. Over the next decade climate action failure, extreme weather and human-led environmental damage are also major risks. The forum says there is no way out from environmental destruction unless we act now. For we were joined by Emilio Granados Franco from Geneva. He's head of Global Risks and Geopolitical Agenda at the World Economic Forum.

#WorldEconomicForum #GlobalRiskAssessment #ClimateCrisis

Janet Yellen. The former chairperson of the US Federal Reserve has been facing a Senate panel in a confirmation hearing for the role. She's addressed several topics including urging Congress to move ahead with additional coronavirus stimulus measures. But she's also pledged to continue to take a tough stance on China, and what she's called its 'unfair and illegal practices'. Mickey Levy is chief economist for the US and Asia at Berenberg Capital Markets.

#UStreasurysecretary #USeconomy #BidenAdministration

After four eventful years, Donald Trump's presidency is coming to an end. America's 45th president will leave the White House for his Florida home on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, which he won't be attending. Trump will also leave behind a deeply divided country, both politically and economically, with more people out work work than when he arrived. Meanwhile, some of the country's richest have only got richer. Paolo Montecillo has the details. For more on this, we spoke to Mickey Levy in New York. He's the chief economist for the US and Asia at Berenberg Capital Markets.

#TrumpAdministration #Inauguration #Impeachment

Sophia the Robot is one of the biggest names in artificial intelligence and robotics, and her developers believe she could become conscious within our lifetime. Now, they are planning to mass produce Sophias for the wider market. Michelle Hennessy has met the robot and her creators in Hong Kong, to find out how excited, or terrified, we should be.

#AIrobots #SophiaTheRobot #HighTech

Iraq has the world's second-lowest employment rate for women, but it has been slowly and steadily on the rise. Saleh Sadi reports on how some Iraqi women have taken advantage of lockdowns to start home-based businesses and contribute to that change.

#HomeBasedBusinesses #Iraq #CoronavirusLockdown

Managing the post-holiday returns rush is always a logistical challenge, but this year it could be harder than ever, given the acceleration in online sales. E-commerce purchases have a return rate of about 30 percent, double that of in-store purchases. Albert Han has more on the challenges involved in processing returns, along with the environmental consequences of this uptick in shipping, and how some retailers are innovating to deal with it.

#USshipping #Retailers @OnlineShopping

China began 2020 with a historic hit to its economic growth after the world's first coronavirus epicentre imposed a harsh lockdown to contain the pandemic. But by the end of the year it would seem those actions have paid-off, with the latest official figures showing the country managed to escape an overall contraction to its economy - a fate that most other major economies have suffered. But as Paolo Montecillo reports, as other countries battle a resurgence of the virus, Beijing has a significant stake in the success of its peers. For more, we spoke to Jameel Ahmad in London. He's the director of investment strategy at the financial technology, firm NAGA.

#China #GDPgrowth #Pandemic

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No.. it's a flying Cadillac. Car manufacturers that aren't named Tesla are playing catch-up in the electric car market. And General Motors has unveiled a concept vehicle for its luxury Cadillac brand at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The carmaker says its high-flying concept vehicle will redefine the future of transportation.

#Drone #ElectricVehicles #Cadillac

Germany has suffered its deepest economic contraction in more than a decade with GDP shrinking 5-percent in 2020, as the pandemic hit Europe's largest economy. While official preliminary figures show last year's nationwide lockdowns hit Germany's retail and hospitality sectors hard, they also had an impact on the country's sizeable manufacturing industry. But despite ongoing uncertainties from the pandemic, there are reasons for optimism in 2021. Miranda Lin explains. For more on this Bruno Verstraete joins us now from Zurich. He's Partner and Chief Economist at Lakefield Partners AG.

#Germany #CoronavirusCases #StimulusPackage

The war in Syria has gone on for 10 years, and the UN estimates there are about six million internally displaced people in the country. For years, hundreds of thousands of them have been living in tents, with no electricity or running water. But in northern Syria, things are slowly improving. Melinda Nucifora takes a look.

#Syria #Refugees #Rehousing