Money Talks

It's hard to believe that just a few months ago wearing protective face masks was not a common sight but as more cities like New York make them mandatory, it's changing the way Americans are using beauty products. The coronavirus lockdown had already hit the industry hard, with store closures driving down sales and people staying home lowering demand for cosmetic products. Even as stores have reopened, the pandemic is continuing to impact beauty trends, as Jade Barker reports.

#BeautySector #MakeUp #FaceMasks

Rwanda is one of the few countries in the world that's winning the battle against COVID-19. It's reported fewer than five-thousand infections and only 29 deaths. Strict lockdowns have contained the spread of the disease, and that's allowed large parts of the economy to reopen. Even before the pandemic, Rwanda was positioning itself as Africa's capital for green living. It banned plastic bags more than a decade ago, launched the continent's first Green City project, and is now overhauling its transport system. As Sibel Karkus reports, the transition to eco-friendly travel is presenting a promising and under-explored opportunity for investors.

#Rwanda #COVID19 #GreenLiving

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new rules to try to curb the latest surge in coronavirus cases in England. These include the closure of public spaces like pubs and limits on the number of people at household gatherings. The extent of the restrictions will depend on the severity of outbreaks in different areas. The rules take effect on Wednesday. The city of Liverpool will be among the 50 towns and cities in England covered by the regulations, 44 of them are in the Northern part of the country. The restrictions in these places will depend on the level of risk. Areas in the top of the three tiers will see a ban in household gatherings, and the closure of pubs, bars and other leisure areas Johnson says financial support worth more than a billion dollars will be made available to businesses affected by the new rules. For more, we spoke to Peter Holmes. He's a fellow at the University of Sussex UK Trade Policy Observatory. He joins us from Brighton in the UK.

#UKCoronavirus #ThreeTierAlarmSystem #Restrictions

The rising economic cost of the pandemic has left many Indian households struggling to find the money for their next meals. Desperate to make ends meet, families have been forced to send children to work illegally for extra cash. Rahul Radhakrishnan has the story.

#ChildLabour #India #Pandemic

Syria's 10-year war has taken a huge toll on the economy. Since the US imposed sanctions in June, Syria's day labourers -- who rely on daily wages -- are feeling the economic crunch more than others. It's reached a point where no matter how many hours or how hard they work, basics like food are beyond their reach. Obaida Hitto has more.

#Syria #USsanctions #DailyWages

The coronavirus restrictions have pushed Palestine's unemployment rate above 20-percent. But for some small businesses, they're providing a rare opportunity. Mustafa Fatih Yavuz reports.

#coronavirus #foodstands #Palestine

South Africa's biggest trade union called on its one million members to go on strike this week in protest of the government's response to the pandemic. Protests organised by the group have led to traffic disruptions around the nation's nine provinces. The Congress of South African Trade Unions says the government's failure to control the outbreak has led to the loss of two million jobs.

#SouthAfrica #TradeUnion #Coronavirus

A US House of Representatives panel says the world's biggest tech companies have become a law unto themselves. The antitrust sub- committee says Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook should be restructured and their dominance in various markets closely scrutinised. The investigation has shown a bipartisan appetite for reform, but it may be a while before Big Tech is forced to change. For more we spoke Shawn DubBravac, president and CEO of the tech consultancy firm, Avrio Institute. He joins us from Washington.

#TechFirms #USlawmakers #AntiTrustInvestigation

Spain says it's using European Union money for an ambitious stimulus package to revive an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is aiming to boost spending on infrastructure, environmental projects and technology. Madrid hopes this will fuel a recovery after an expected 11-percent contraction in GDP this year.

The governement says it will spend 85-billion- dollars on the stimulus plan from 2021 until 2023. Around 80-percent of that money will come from the EU's coronavirus recovery fund.

#Spain #EconomicStimulus #Pandemic

Over the span of just a few hours, US President Donald Trump has called-off negotiations over a new coronavirus stimulus package, only to reverse course and urge lawmakers to approve funding for airlines and other ailing industries. The contradictory messages sent stocks on a wild ride and raised uncertainty over an already teetering economic recovery. Mobin Nasir reports. For more Christian Lawrence joined us from New York. He's Senior Market Strategist at Rabobank.

#StimulusPackage #USeconomy #Coronavirus