in-cyprus 15 May 2020 - Josephine Koumettou
Latest update: 15/05/2020 08:16
More than 4.45 million people have been reported to be infected with the novel coronavirus globally and 301,141 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0457 GMT on Friday.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, click here.
EUROPE
* The death toll in the United Kingdom rose by 428 to 33,614, health officials said on Thursday.
* Total cases in Germany increased by 913 to 173,152 and the death toll rose by 101 to 7,824.
* Italy reported 262 new deaths on Thursday, against 195 the day before, and said it will start testing a representative sample of 150,000 people in 2,000 cities next week to understand the extent of its COVID-19 epidemic.
* France’s death toll edged back above Spain’s as the number of people who died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours increased by 351.
* Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their borders to each other, creating the first “travel bubble” within the European Union.
* Slovenia called an official end to its COVID-19 epidemic, becoming the first European country to do so.
* President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s education minister had caught the new coronavirus, making him at least the sixth senior official to be swept up in the pandemic that has infected more than 250,000 people nationwide.
AMERICAS
* More than 1.42 million people have been infected in the United States and 85,397 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0459 GMT on Friday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said the pandemic has cast a pall over the U.S.-China trade deal, while a While House spokeswoman said Trump is open to negotiations on another possible stimulus bill.
* The U.S. Department of Labor issued its first workplace guidance to nursing homes, saying residents, staff and visitors should keep 6 feet (1.83 meters) apart.
* California slashed its proposed budget for the next fiscal year by $19 billion.
* Canadians should accept the world will change even if a vaccine is found and the pandemic ends, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
* Brazil registered a daily record of 13,944 new cases and 844 additional deaths, and is said to be considering 12 billion reais ($2.06 billion) in emergency loans to power utilities
* Mexico confirmed 257 additional deaths and 2,409 new infections, while its central bank unanimously voted to cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.50%.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* China reported 4 new cases for May 14, up from 3 cases a day earlier, while Wuhan said it has tested over 3 million of its 11 million citizens.
* Vietnam reported 24 new cases on Friday.
* Restaurants, cafes and bars in Australia’s most populous state were reopening on Friday after a two-month shutdown.
* The novel coronavirus has been detected in one of the southern Bangladesh camps that are home to more than a million Rohingya refugees.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* South Africa will assign levels of lockdown restrictions for each its roughly 50 districts.
* Turkey death toll has reached 4,007, after 55 more people died in the last 24 hours.
* South Sudan registered its first COVID-19 death.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Asian stocks struggled to extend gains and were on course to end the week lower as deteriorating U.S.-China relations undercut optimism over the reopening of major economies.
* Pakistan’s fiscal deficit will be significantly worse than projected this fiscal year, with the pandemic pushing millions into unemployment and poverty.
* Britain’s government is on track to borrow a record 298 billion pounds ($364 billion) this year.
* Global economic losses could be between $5.8 trillion and $8.8 trillion this year, the Asian Development Bank said.
* Japan’s wholesale prices declined at the fastest annual pace in nearly four years in April.
(Reuters)
Pictured: An Estonian police officer wearing a protective face mask cuts a cake at border crossing point between Estonia and Latvia, as travel restrictions for residents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are lifted during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Ikla, Estonia May 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
