President Donald Trump says he'll suspend all immigration into the United States in response to the coronavirus outbreak and to protect American jobs. The decision has triggered criticism from Democrats, and is also expected to face legal challenges. There are also fears the move could adversely impact the tech and agriculture sectors. Sibel Karkus has more. For more on this Laurence Kotlikoff joined us from Boston, Massachusetts. He's a professor of economics at Boston University.

#DonaldTrump #Immigration #Coronavirus

Global oil markets are under intense pressure after the price of US oil - West Texas Intermediate - fell into negative territory for the first time in history on Monday. The price of Brent crude - the international benchmark - has fallen below 20 dollars a barrel for the first time in 18 years, a sign that markets aren't anticipating any immediate recovery to the collapse in global oil demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And as Mobin Nasir reports, unless markets rebound, the impact could spill over to consumers. For more on this, Ellen Wald spoke to us from Jacksonville, Florida. She's president of energy market consultancy Transveral Consulting and author of the book, Saudi Inc.

#Oil #WTI #USCrudeOil

Germany and some of its neighbours have started to gradually lift restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Europe's biggest economy had introduced a lockdown on March 22, shutting all non-essential businesses. The re-opening of the economy has been welcomed by consumers craving retail therapy. But as Sibel Karkus reports, Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of the possibility of second wave of infections. For more we spoke to Ulrich Leuchtmann from Frankfurt in Germany. He's the head of FX Research at Commerzbank.

#Germany #LockdownMeasures #Coronavirus

Cash-rich Gulf investment funds are on a shopping spree. On their list are all sorts of assets that have lost value in the coronavirus sell-off. Funds from Saudi Arabia to Qatar are investing in sectors they hope will bounce back once the economy recovers. For more on this Jaafar Altaie joins us now from Abu Dhabi in the UAE. He's the managing director at Manaar Energy Consulting and Project Management.

#GulfInvestments #Pandemic #MergersandAcquisitions

For more than a century, the Hammer and Sickle factory in Moscow was the heart of Russian industry, churning out steel for the entire country. These days, it's producing goods of a more delicate nature, some of which are now gracing some of the world's biggest stages. Paolo Montecillo has the details.

#RussianBallet #PointeShoes @Ballerina

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that economic growth in Asia is expected to grind to a halt for the first time in 60 years due to COVID-19. But the IMF does expect the region to fare better than Europe and the US, with the emerging economic giants of China and India avoiding recession. The fund urges Asia's governments to offer support targeted at households and businesses that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Shamim Chowdhury has the details. For more, we spoke to Anna Ashton in Washington DC. She's the director of Business Advisory Services at the US-China Business Council.

#IMF #AsiaEconomy #Recession

US President Donald Trump is squaring-off with the governors of some of the country's biggest states over when to lift lockdowns that have paralysed the world's largest economy. Trump says the federal government will decide when to ease restrictions. But both Republican and Democratic governors have been quick to push-back, saying it's their responsibility to decide when it's safe to go back to re-start their economies. Ten major states, including New York and California, have started coordinating plans to ease lockdowns and let businesses reopen separately from the White House. For more on this, Mickey Levy joined us from New York. He's chief economist for the Americas and Asia at Berenberg Capital Markets.

#DonaldTrump #LockdownMeasures #USeconomy

In the age of self-isolation and home quarantine, the thought of taking a holiday is probably the last thing on most people's minds. Travel restrictions, country lockdowns and airline groundings have all spelled disaster for global tourism. It's of particular concern to Thailand, where foreign tourists and the money they spend make up about 20 percent of the country's GDP. And it's not only tourist operators who are suffering. Melinda Nucifora explains.

#Thailand #Travel #Coronavirus

The UN's International Labour Organization (ILO) has warned the coronavirus pandemic could wipe-out the equivalent of 195 million full-time jobs in the second quarter of the year alone. The ILO says more than four out of five people in the global workforce live in places hit by full or partial workplace closures, describing the outbreak as the worst global crisis since World War II. Among the most vulnerable are the two billion people working in the informal sector around the world. Laila Humairah tells us how casual workers in Morocco are already feeling the pinch. For more, let's go to Sher Verick in Geneva. He's the head of the ILO's Employment Strategies Unit.

#Coronavirus @Morocco # InternationalLabourOrganization

The UK has suffered its deadliest day in the coronavirus outbreak so far after 786 people died on Monday, bringing the death toll to just over 6,100. The grim update comes as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care in a London hospital where he's battling COVID-19. His office says he's receiving oxygen treatment but isn't on a ventilator, and he doesn't have pneumonia. But as Sarah Morice reports, it's left the country wondering who's in charge while the prime minister fights the virus, and who'll be at the helm if he doesn't survive? For more on Boris Johnson's hospitalisation, we spoke to Chris Roebuck in Kent in the UK. He is a visiting professor of Transformational Leadership at Cass Business School.

#BritishPM #Coronavirus #BorisJohnson