BRENT TUMBLES TO LOWEST SINCE 2002, US CRUDE DIPS BELOW $20 PER BARREL

Global oil benchmark Brent crude plunged to its cheapest in almost 18 years

on Monday and US crude briefly tumbled below $20 per barrel on growing fears

the global coronavirus shutdown could last months and demand for fuel will

decline further.

With Saudi Arabia and Russia set to flood the market with oil next month,

producers and shippers have been scrambling to lock oil up in storage as

demand falls.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause at least a 20% drop

in fuel demand worldwide as governments take steps to restrict the spread of

the virus.

Supertanker freight rates are rising for a second time this month as traders

rush to secure ships for storage.

U.S. DEATH TOLL FROM THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CLIMBED PAST 3,000 ON MONDAY

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic climbed past 3,000 on

Monday, the deadliest day yet in the countryÂ’s mounting crisis, while New

York cheered the arrival of a gleaming 1,000-bed U.S. Navy hospital ship as

a sign of hope in the cityÂ’s desperate fight.

In a grim new milestones marking the spread of the virus, total deaths

across the United States hit 3,017, including at least 540 on Monday, and

the reported cases climbed to more than 163,000.

People in New York and New Jersey lined both sides of the Hudson River to

cheer the U.S Navy ship Comfort, a converted oil tanker painted white with

giant red crosses, as it sailed past the Statue of Liberty accompanied by

support ships and helicopters.

The Comfort will treat non-coronavirus patients, including those who require

surgery and critical care, in an effort to free up other resources to fight

the virus, the Navy said.

Hospitals in the New York City area have been overrun with patients

suffering from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.

In California, another hard-hit state, Governor Gavin Newsom said the number

of COVID-19 hospitalizations had nearly doubled over the past four days and

the number of ICU patients had tripled. Officials there also appealed for

medical volunteers.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Bill de Blasio, the New York Mayor, are

among a growing chorus of officials who have voiced frustration at TrumpÂ’s

handling of the crisis and a shortage of ventilators and personal protective

equipment. “I am not engaging the president in politics,” Cuomo, a Democrat,

said of Trump, a Republican. “My only goal is to engage the president in

partnership.”

Trump has said the US will be in "a very good shape" in terms of the number

of ventilators available by the time the coronavirus outbreak peaks. The

president said at least 10 US companies were now making the medical devices,

and some might be exported. Trump said "challenging times are ahead for the

next 30 days", but that social distancing could save more than a million

American lives. "We will have a great victory," he added.

UK, meanwhile, reported 180 deaths in the past 24 hours even as London

remained under a complete lockdown for the 9th day. The total cases in UK

now stand at over 22,000, with over 1400 deaths.

Meanwhile, BritainÂ’s Prince Charles came out of self-isolation on Monday,

seven days after it was confirmed that he had tested positive for

coronavirus, a royal spokesperson said.

WITH 11K DEAD, ITALY WORST HIT

A total of 782,365 COVID-19 cases have been reported across more than 175

countries and territories with 37,582 deaths reported so far. America has

the highest number of cases with a total of 161,807 reported infections,

according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The epicentre of the pandemic seems to have shifted to Europe where more

than 25,000 persons have died so far. With a total of 25,037 deaths, Europe

is now the continent with the highest death toll. UK, meanwhile, reported

180 deaths in the past 24 hours even as London remained under a complete

lockdown for the 9th day.

In Spain, the government is fleshing out a 700-million-euro package to help

private tenants through the coronavirus crisis and is likely to suspend

evictions and rental payments for several months. The measures are expected

to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

BelgiumÂ’s death toll passed the 500 mark, with almost 12,000 cases detected

since the start of the epidemic. The confirmed cases in the Netherlands rose

to 11,750, with 884 new cases and 93 new deaths. The country saw an 8.1 per

cent increase in cases. The deaths increased to 864.

Hungary has recorded 15 virus-related deaths and 447 infections, much lower

than neighbouring Austria and other Western European countries.

CORONAVIRUS: UK MEASURES 'MAKING A DIFFERENCE'

People are heeding the advice to stay at home to keep pressure off the NHS,

and there are early signs that it is working, the UK's chief scientific

adviser has said.

Sir Patrick Vallance told a news conference that social distancing measures

are "making a difference".

Transmission of coronavirus in the community is thought to be decreasing,

which could mean fewer infections.

Hospital admissions data suggests cases are not rising as fast as feared.

There are currently 9,000 people in hospitals in England with coronavirus,

up from 6,000 on Friday.

This amounts to about one in ten of all hospital beds in the country.

The latest number of deaths announced in the UK of people with the virus has

reached 1,408.

The deaths include a further 159 people in England, six in Scotland, 14 in

Wales and one in Northern Ireland.

Sir Patrick said the NHS was seeing around an additional 1,000 patients a

day and described this daily rise as "stable".

"That shows that it's going up not in an increasing amount but in a constant

amount, which may suggest that we're already beginning to see some effect,"

he said.

Meanwhile, BritainÂ’s Prince Charles came out of self-isolation on Monday,

seven days after it was confirmed that he had tested positive for

coronavirus, a royal spokesperson said. “Clarence House has confirmed today

(Monday) that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now

out of self-isolation,” his spokesperson said. His Clarence House royal

office said the prince was in “good health” and was following the

governmentÂ’s restrictions as he carries on working from home.

H-1B WORKERS SEEK 180 INSTEAD OF 60-DAY STAY IN US POST-UNEMPLOYMENT PERIOD

Fearing massive layoffs in America due to the coronavirus crisis that is

hitting businesses around the globe, foreign technology professionals on

H-1B visas, most sought after among Indians, demand the Trump administration

extend their permissible post-job loss limit to stay in the US from the

existing 60 to 180 days.

The current federal rules require an H-1B visa holder to leave the US along

with their family members within 60 days of losing their job.

Initial reports suggest that quite a number of H-1B employees are being laid

off. In some cases, companies have already informed their H-1B employees

that they are on top of the list of being fired.

As such, the H-1B visa holders have started a petition campaign on the White

House website to extend the timeline for their stay in the US after they are

being laid off.

“We request the government to temporarily extend the 60-day grace period to

180 days and protect the H1B workers under these difficult times,” says the

petition which so far has attracted more than 20,000 signatures.

“Most H-1B workers are from India and cannot travel home with children who

are US Citizens as many nations announced an entry ban, including India.

H-1B workers cater to the economy at large, mainly supporting the IT

Industry with high tax contributions,” the petition says.

Meanwhile, The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it has

reached the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B cap for the fiscal year

2021 as it received enough requests from corporations and businesses.

USCIS will notify the successful applicants and their companies before March

31, that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition.

SINGAPORE COURT UPHOLDS LAW THAT CRIMINALISES GAY SEX

SingaporeÂ’s high court on Monday upheld a law that criminalises sex between

men, dismissing three appeals that argued it was unconstitutional, although

prosecutions under the law are rare.

The ruling follows challenges last year to the colonial-era law, a thorny

issue in the socially conservative city-state where repeal efforts failed in

2014, though activists were emboldened after India scrapped similar

legislation in 2018.

“I am of course disappointed, but my eye is firmly on the road ahead,” said

Bryan Choong, one of three men who challenged the law. “I’ll be studying

this judgment closely with my lawyers.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has previously said that society in Singapore

“is not that liberal on these matters”.

However, after the Indian decision, a prominent Singapore diplomat urged

challenges to the city-stateÂ’s law, while Law Minister K. Shanmugam said a

“growing minority” wanted it repealed and that laws should keep pace with

societal change.

“In declining to strike out this archaic and discriminatory law, the court

has reaffirmed that all gay men in Singapore are effectively unapprehended

criminals,” Téa Braun, director of the London-based rights group, Human

Dignity Trust, said in a statement.

PRISON RIOT IN IRAN; TOLL TOUCHES 2,757

IranÂ’s official coronavirus death toll reached 2,757 on Monday and the

number of infections crossed 40,000, as President Hassan Rouhani's political

opponents slammed his response to the outbreak. The Islamic republic is one

of the countries worst hit by the virus, which originated in China. After

weeks of refraining from imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran

decided to ban all intercity travel until at least April 8, but some in the

establishment have argued it is too little, too late. Meanwhile, prisoners

in southern Iran broke cameras and caused other damage during a riot on

Monday, the latest in a series of violent prison disturbances in the

country, which is battling the most severe coronavirus outbreak in the

Middle East. Iran had temporarily released around 1,00,000 prisoners as part

of measures taken to contain the pandemic, leaving about 50,000 people

behind bars, including offenders and “security cases”, often dual nationals

and others with Western ties.

CORONAVIRUS | GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA LIGHTS UP IN SOLIDARITY AGAINST PANDEMIC

EgyptÂ’s famed Great Pyramid was emblazoned Monday evening with messages of

unity and solidarity with those battling the novel coronavirus the world

over.

“Stay safe”, “Stay at home” and “Thank you to those keeping us safe,”

flashed in blue and green lights across the towering structure at the Giza

Plateau, southwest of the capital Cairo. Egypt has so far registered 656

COVID-19 cases, including 41 deaths. Of the total infected, 150 reportedly

recovered.

Egypt has carried out sweeping disinfection operations at archaeological

sites, museums and other sites across the country. In tandem, strict social

distancing measures were imposed to reduce the risk of contagion among the

countryÂ’s 100 million inhabitants. Tourist and religious sites are

shuttered, schools are closed and air traffic halted.