Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany's governors have agreed to close down restaurants, bars and theatres for four weeks, starting on Monday, to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases. Shops, though, will remain open. But even on the country's most popular high streets, many businesses are fighting to stay on their feet. Sibel Karkus reports.

#GermanyEconomy #CoronavirusPandemic #HighStreet

The chief executives of Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet are urging US lawmakers not to repeal a law that protects social media companies from being sued for inappropriate content. The tech giants are coming under fire from both sides of the aisle. Republicans argue they're censoring conservative views, while Democrats say they're not doing enough to rein-in misinformation and hate speech. Mobin Nasir reports. David Papp is an independent technology and cybersecurity specialist, he spoke to us from Edmonton, Canada.

#Twitter #Facebook #Alphabet #USsenate

Two of the world's biggest toymakers Hasbro and Mattel have forecast bumper sales this holiday season as parents spend big on keeping their kids entertained during the pandemic. Kyoko Gasha takes a closer look at the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and the outlook for this all-important shopping season. Richard Gottlieb is the founder and CEO of Global Toy Experts. He joined us from New York.

#ToyMakers #FestiveSeasonSales #Pandemic

More than 50 lawmakers from the UK's ruling Conservative Party have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for a "clear road map" out of lockdown restrictions in northern England. The region is currently subject to the country's strictest measures. The lawmakers have also called for an economic recovery plan for the area, arguing it's been hardest hit by the pandemic. They made the plea as Johnson faces pressure from a popular footballer who's urging the government to provide free meals to children from the UK's poorest families. Simon McGregor-Wood has more. We spoke Hilary Ingham, who's a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics at Lancaster University.

#BorisJohnson #ConservativeMPs #Covid19

Just a week before the US presidential election, the Senate has confirmed the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. It now has a two-thirds majority of conservative members. While there's been a lot of attention on how Barrett might impact social issues, some analysts say she might also have a bearing on some key economic matters.. tilting future judgements in favour of big business and groups that support deregulation. Mobin Nasir reports. Jonathan Entin is professor of law at Case Western University, he joined us from from Oberlin, Ohio.

#USPresidentialElection #SupremeCourt #AmyConeyBarrett

For many businesses the recession caused by the pandemic has brought hard times. But for one British female fashion entrepreneur this has been her busiest year yet. She's opened the first made to measure tailoring business for women on London's Savile Row, which for centuries was the epicentre of bespoke tailoring for men. Simon McGregor-Wood went to take a look.

#SavileRow #BespokeSuits #TheDeck

Chileans have poured into the country's main squares after voters overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to tear up the military-era constitution. Results show about 80-percent of voters want a brand new charter: one that shrugs-off its capitalist ethos and guarantees more access to social services. As Liz Maddock reports, protesters have high hopes that a new document can completely change Chile's future. Remi Piet is a Senior Partner at emerging markets consultancy, Embellie Advisory. He joins us now from Miami, Florida.

#ChileReferendum #Constitution #Pinochet

COVID-19 cases are surging once again in Europe. Italy and Spain had the most infections in the region earlier this year and it's a similar pattern that's now forcing governments to reimpose curfews, lockdowns and other sweeping measures. But they're coming under fire, with some saying the restrictions will further stifle businesses, while others complain the response isn't nearly enough to contain the outbreak. As Mobin Nasir reports, rising infections are leaving European governments with few alternatives. Bharat Pankhania is a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and he joined us from Bath, UK.

#Curfue #Coronavirus #InfectionRate

Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union have hit a number of stumbling blocks. One of which is the fishing industry. At the moment, fleets from the EU can fish in British waters and vice versa. It’s something the EU wants to continue. But the lack of a concrete post-Brexit trade deal could be devastating for the industry on both sides of the English Channel. Francis Collings reports from the northern French coast.

#PostBrexitDeal #FishingRights #EuropeanUnion

Goldman Sachs has admitted it broke US corruption laws and will pay nearly 3-billion- dollars to global regulators for its role in the looting of billions of dollars from Malaysia's 1MDB state fund. The US Justice Department says the Wall Street giant has now accepted responsibility for bribing high-ranking foreign officials to obtain lucrative underwriting and other business relating to 1MDB. It's the latest penalty that Goldman has been ordered to pay over the scandal, which has embroiled the bank's former executives and Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak. Clare Rewcastle Brown is an investigative journalist and founder of the Sarawak Report, which first exposed the 1MDB scandal. She says despite record fines, Goldman Sachs' legal troubles are far from over.

#1MDB #GoldmanSachs #Corruption