India has extended its lockdown till the end of the month as it tries to get a handle on the coronavirus outbreak. So far, it's reported more than a hundred thousand cases. As the numbers continue to rise, a humanitarian crisis is also unfolding. Rahul Radhakrishnan explains.

#MigrantWorkers #Lockdown #India

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Japan into recession. It's reported a second consecutive quarter of contraction for the first three months of 2020. But as Sibel Karkus reports, the figures don't include a state of emergency imposed last month, which has brought much of the economy to a standstill. And that means the worst is yet to come. For more on this, we spoke to Bill Emmott in Dublin. He's the Chairman of the Japan Society of the UK and former editor-in-chief of The Economist.

#Coronavirus #Japan #Recession

After six weeks of closure, Britain's small businesses are getting that sinking feeling. Government aid in the form of furlough schemes and loans has been welcomed, but concerns are being raised about what impact social distancing measures will have on businesses after they reopen, and what that will mean for paying back these loans. Which is why some businesses have taken it upon themselves to raise money in other ways. Natalie Powell reports

The sharp plunge in international oil prices has taken a toll on the world's largest crude producer, Saudi Aramco. The company's profits have taken a dive in the first quarter, and that was before oil prices completed their spectacular crash. Earnings could stay low in the coming months as demand struggles to pick-up. And that's likely to squeeze Saudi Arabia's finances even further. Mobin Nasir reports. For more on this, economist and energy analyst, Cornelia Meyer, joined us from London. She's the chairwoman and CEO of Meyer Resources.

#SaudiAramco #OilPrices #Coronavirus

The UK is extending its job retention scheme by four months. Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the government will continue paying the wages of furloughed staff until the end of October. Sunak says no reduction will be made to the amount paid and workers will continue receiving 80% of their wages. But he is urging employers to share the burden, as the scheme costs the government more than $12 billion a month. He says 7.5 million jobs are covered by the coronavirus furlough scheme. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is encouraging people to return to work if they can't do so from home starting Wednesday as Britain gradually restarts its economy. The coronavirus death toll in the UK has exceeded 40,000, making it the highest in Europe.

#UK #JobRetention #Coronavirus

Thousands of visitors streamed back into Shanghai Disneyland on Monday. The park became the first to reopen after the coronavirus pandemic brought the Magic Kingdom to a standstill. The reopening, however, comes a day after the mainland reported its highest daily increase in new cases in about two weeks. And with concern that a second wave is looming, the Shanghai experience may not be as magical as it was.

#Shanghai #Disneyland #Covid19

We're hearing so many incredible and heroic stories of healthcare workers on the frontline. But there are workers in other industries also risking their health to go to work every day, helping to keep life as normal as possible for those who are stuck in quarantine. Katie Gregory has been meeting some of those key workers in New York.

#Pandemic #Essentialworkers #FoodDelivery

Singapore has extended a partial lockdown until June the 1st to fight a new wave of coronavirus infections. For Singapore's quarter of a million foreign domestic workers, that means longer hours stuck at work with their employers. And as Sandy Huang finds out, tensions between workers and their employers are rising.

#Singapore #Coronavirus #DomesticWorkers

South Korea reported no new domestic coronavirus cases on Wednesday, for the first time since February. Four new infections were registered from overseas travelers. They were quarantined on arrival. Liz Maddock explains how South Korea went from being an early hotspot, to a success story envied by many countries.

#SouthKorea #Coronavirus #Quarantine

Another 3.8 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as coronavirus lockdowns dealt the world's largest economy a devastating blow. The latest job losses bring the six-week total to 30 million jobless claims. Lockdowns in the US went into effect just in the last two weeks of the first quarter, but they still caused GDP to shrink 4.8 per cent in the first three months of the year. It's the sharpest contraction since the Great Recession.

#USjobs #Unemployment #Recession