Money Talks

US President-elect Joe Biden has laid out his plans for the future of the world's largest economy. And as expected, he's proposing to reverse Donald Trump's policies on energy, tax, and the handling of the pandemic. But as Paolo Montecillo reports, Biden's already facing plenty of resistance, and he's not even in office yet. Joann Weiner spoke to us from Washington. She's an associate professor in economics at George Washington University.

#JoeBiden #USeconomy #CoronavirusPandemic

The Red Cross has revealed that there were more than 100 natural disasters across the world between the beginning of March and the end of August this year. And more than 50 million people were affected. In a new report, the aid organisation says the vast majority of the disasters were related to climate change. It also found that countries most at risk are not being prioritised when it comes to funding and resources. Shamim Chowdhury has more.

#ClimateCrisis #RedCross #NaturalDisasters

It's been a difficult year for the UK car market, with sales of new vehicles down 33-percent compared to last year. But electric vehicles have accelerated, with sales up 165 percent on last year's figures. Britain plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Oliver Regan takes a look at whether the country is gearing up for an electric future.

#UKCarMarket #ElectricCars #GreenPeace

SpaceX has sent four astronauts to the International Space Station in its first manned mission for NASA. It's a new galactic milestone for the firm's founder Elon Musk, who looks poised to dominate commercial space travel despite competition from other entrepreneurs with equally deep pockets. Per Wimmer. is an entrepreneur, financier, and future astronaut. He's among the world's first space tourists with Virgin Galactic

#Spacex #NASA #CommercialSpaceTravel

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed hundreds of thousands of people in Central Asia into poverty and worsened inequality. That's according to a new report from the UNDP on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the region. And with infections on the rise, a second wave is expected to pose a bigger threat than the 2008 financial crisis. For more insight into the report, we spoke to the UNDP's Head of Sustainable Development, George Bouma. He says households and small businesses are the worst affected.

#Coronavirus #CentralAsia #Poverty

There are investments for ordinary people - and there are investments by for the ultra-rich. One such sparkling asset described as 'a true wonder of nature' was sold at a Sotheby's auction this week. And its value is only expected to rise as others like it become harder to find.

#PinkDiamond #TheSpiritOfTheRose

Art has emerged as a popular hobby during the coronavirus pandemic, as people try to keep busy and relieve stress while staying at home. Online art schools and art supply stores are reaping the benefit, as Kyoko Gasha reports from New York.

#Art #Pandemic #StressRelief

British scientists are testing a new project they believe can completely eradicate malaria. The pilot program, which is being run in the Amazon and Tanzania, uses satellites and drones to identify and spray mosquito breeding grounds. Malaria kills around 400-thousand people a year and as Sarah Morice reports, this new solution is both cheap and environmentally friendly.

#Malaria #Drones #Mosquitos

The console wars are heating-up again, this time with the added dimension of COVID-19 lockdowns, which are keeping people at home. The need for more forms of entertainment has led to a surge in revenue across the entire gaming sector. And the industry says that demand is only expected to rise. Laila Humairah reports. We had a chat to technology expert and video games journalist Guy Cooker in York.

#Gaming #Lockdown #PlayStation #Xbox

The UK's economy grew by a record 15-and- a-half percent in the third quarter, after lockdowns put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 were lifted. But GDP is still a tenth lower than pre-pandemic levels and officials are warning that the recovery could lose steam as restrictions are reimposed as a second wave of infections takes hold. And the prospect of a hard Brexit could make things worse. Mobin Nasir reports. We spoke to Yael Selfin. She's Chief Economist at KPMG, and she joined us from London.

#UKGDP #Coronavirus #StimulusPackage