Hello I'm Russell Padmore with this Business Update from the BBC.

The main headlines today.

The crash of an Egyptair jet blocks any short term recovery of the tourism industry in Egypt.

The United States fears instability in Burundi will undermine economic growth in East Africa.

And cement makers in Zimbabwe call for taxes on imports of the product.

The discovery of personal belongings of passengers travelling on the lost EgyptAir jet has confirmed the tragedy of the plane crashing into the Mediterranean Sea, with 66 people on board. As the authorities search for the black box recorders, Egypt is coming to terms with the tragic loss having a long term impact on its economy, though the collapse of tourism. Last year after a Russian airliner was lost over the Sinai Peninsula arrivals of holidaymakers in Egypt fell by more than 50 percent. Tourism expert Alan Bowen, from AGB Associates, told the BBC it's a major economic setback for the country.

The East African Community plans to mediate talks this weekend aimed ending a year long cycle of violence in Burundi. The country has been in a crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza controversially ran for a third term in office and won the election last July. At least 500 people have been killed and more than a quarter of a million have fled to neighbouring nations amid fears of new civil war. The US special envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Thomas Perriello, told the BBC that the crisis in Burundi threatens to damage economies in East Africa.

Cement producers in Zimabawe are calling on the government to levy tariffs on imports of the product. The cement makers want the government to protect the industry with an import tax of 50 dollars a tonne, saying it's needed to prevent the collapse of their industry. More from BBC Business Reporter Audrey Tinline.

A gold rush is underway in Ghana. But this is not a frenzied dig looking for new seam of the precious metal. This is for existing industrial mine-sites. No fewer than three Ghanaian mines have been invaded in recent weeks, and some fear the rise of illegal small-scale mining in the country could pose a risk to Ghana's wider economic security. Ed Butler reports from the town of Obuasi.