Business Matters

Britain has had its credit ranking downgraded by Fitch Ratings, which cited the weakening of public finances caused by the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and Brexit uncertainty; we hear from the BBC's Katie Prescott. Over the last couple of weeks we have seen country after country unveil different strategies for looking after citizens in the wake of coronavirus, so with the different aid packages on offer, who has got a good deal? We ask Mark Caine, the government affairs lead at the World Economic Forum. We look at the mental health impact of coronavirus on care and medical workers. Plus, the BBC's Marianna Spring tells us how to spot fake coronavirus news. And we're joined throughout the programme by Radio New Zealand's Colin Peacock. (Picture of pound coins by Matthew Horwood for Getty Images).

Nearly 3.3 million people registered to claim jobless benefits for the week ended 21 March, according to Department of Labor data. That's nearly five times more than the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. We hear from Cary Leahey at Decision Economics. Thailand has declared a state of emergency to help deal with the rising number of coronavirus infections; we hear from the BBC's Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai. One of the most critical side-effects of lockdown is the impact on global farming - who’s going to pick the fruit and vegetables that fill our supermarket shelves? In China, the first country to fall victim to Covid 19, the fears of food shortages are real; the BBC's Fergus Nicol reports. South Africa is now in lockdown against the coronavirus. So how are people preparing for three weeks of isolation in Africa’s most developed, but notoriously unequal nation? The BBC’s Africa correspondent Andrew Harding has been finding out on the streets of Johannesburg. With many of us working from home, should we concerning ourselves how we look on a video call? Trinny Woodall - beauty entrepreneur and the woman behind Trinny London, says appearances still matter. Plus we're joined throughout the programme by Paddy Hirsh from National Public Radio in Los Angeles and Jodi Schneider, senior international editor of Bloomberg in Hong Kong. Picture: US Department of Labor building in Washington DC by Alex Edelman for AFP via Getty Images)

Financial markets surged early on but lost most of the gains late on; the Dow Jones ended slightly higher but the Nasdaq finished lower. We hear more from Susan Schmidt at Aviva Investors. G20 leaders will convene a virtual summit on Thursday to discuss the coronavirus epidemic; Saudi Arabia, will be chairing. The BBC’s Sameer Hashmi reports. In Hong Kong there's been a resurgence of coronavirus cases from people returning from abroad, as we hear from our correspondent, Andrew Wood. Kenya's government has now suspended international passenger flights, shut down bars and restricted restaurants to only take-aways. The BBC's Mercy Juma looks at how this is affecting the hospitality industry. In India the first day of curfew is over; we hear from Saloni Tejwani, a Spanish teacher living in Pune. The BBC's Lucy Burton looks at the challenges of working from home and we're joined throughout the programme by Diane Brady in New York; she a business journalist and author. We're also joined from Seoul by Professor Jasper Kim from Ewha University where he's director at the Center for Conflict Management. Picture of New York Stock Exchange trader by Johannes Eisele for AFP/Getty Images.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposes a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus; we speak to the BBC's Nikhil Inamdar. Joe Saluzzi from Themis trading in New Jersey explains how the prospect of a huge economic stimulus deal in the US has helped the market achieve record gains. Whether you're male of female may very well make a difference as to how you're being treated in the coronavirus crisis by governments, health services and business and emergency planners. The BBC's Sasha Twining reports. Lucy McCarraher, founding editor of the Business Book Awards, explains how this year's award ceremony went ahead - online. And we're joined throughout the programme by David Kuo, CEO of The Motley Fool in Singapore and Nicole Childers, Executive Producer of Marketplace Morning Report in Los Angeles. Picture of Indian police enforcing the lockdown, by Yawar Nazir for Getty Images

UK and South Africa are placed under lockdowns, while President Trump hints economic shutdown won't be extended, but his team warns of an alarming “attack rate” in New York. Also on the programme, a story of a patient in a Madrid hospital. In Bangladesh, troops have been deployed to help the government in containing the spread of the coronavirus.The countries economy is heavily dependent on its textile industry but that has now come to a standstill with many of the world's largest retailers are putting orders on hold as they shut down shops across the world . We hear from Rubana Huq, the President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. We take a look at the trade in wild animals, which has been seen as a possible source of the Covid-19 coronavirus spreading around the world. The founder of Brewdog beer brand tells us how he's company has switched focus to making hand sanitisers. Presenter Rahul Tandon is joined by guests Jyoti Malhotra in Delhi and Peter Morici in Washington DC. PHOTO: Donald Trump/Getty Images