Women take to the streets in South America
Thousands of women across South America have taken to the streets to protest at violence against women, after a 16-year-old was raped and killed in Argentina. Many women also took part in a general strike, walking out of work for one hour in order to amplify their voice. Organizers have called on the government and police to do more to protect women, demanding an end to the trafficking of girls for prostitution, fairer treatment in the workplace, equal pay, longer maternity leave, and better child care rights. They believe that securing economic independence is essential in fighting the macho culture that fosters violence and a lack of equality across the continent. Buzzfeed has the full story, and the BBC shows the scale of the protests.
The talking’s over, now the real fight for the White House begins
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went head to head for the final time this week in the third live TV debate in the US presidential race. Again much of the focus was on the personal stuff and the mechanics of the political system – including Trump insinuating that he may not accept the result of the election. The economy wasn’t on the agenda much, but their plans for how to manage it remain a key part of their campaigns outside of the debates. We take a look at Trump’s economic vision here. For Clinton’s approach check out this article in Quartz. And for a round-up of the debate, CNN have the lowdown.
Even in Denmark, inequality is a growing issue
Rising inequality in Denmark is being made worse by, of all things, interest rates. Denmark has traditionally had one of the lowest levels of , but it’s now on the rise, partly because central banks have set interests rates very low. That means people trying to save for the future aren’t making much off their savings. But for the rich, low interest rates are great news, because they tend to increase the value of the stocks and shares they own – which makes them money. And so the gap between rich and poor grows wider. This isn’t just happening in Denmark – here’s the Independent on how the same thing could happen in the UK economy too.
In other news…
How much?! Talking of the UK, a hand-drawn £5 note received bids of over £10,000 on eBay, before being taken down. The prank was in response to some actual notes being sold for far more than their face value, after the Bank of England released new plastic fivers last month.
Full-price English Breakfast. A UK food critic has described the £21.50 fried breakfast he was served as the “worst meal he’s been sold anywhere in the world”. Turns out the same ingredients can be bought for 68p, giving the meal a markup of over 3000%. Eggstraordinary.
Brexit Brunch. And while we’re talking about British food, it seems prices are going up all over the shop since the Brexit vote in June. Butter up 58%. Sugar up 37%. Beef up 33%. Pork up 18%. Wheat up 17%. Buzzfeed has the full story.
Make America Grate Again
America has a massive glut of cheese and no way to get rid of it, so farmers are asking the government to help them out and buy some of it. How much cheese? A lot. Apparently, around 1.2 billion pounds is just sitting there in cold storage. The US Department of Agriculture is having to step in and buy around $20 million worth of cheddar, which will then be distributed to food banks. That’s brie-lliant news for the producers who’ll at least get paid something and the food bank customers who’ll get to eat it, but critics of the move think the government shouldn’t subsidize an industry that’s already producing more than people currently want. We explain what’s going on here.