Turkey overtakes Iran after health minister says confirmed infections in excess of 82,300, the world is witnessing a large number of fast-paced developments.
Here are the top 10 global updates this Sunday morning-
1. The number of deaths linked to the novel coronavirus has crossed 156,000 worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. The number of deaths in the United States has exceeded 31,000.
2. Turkey’s health minister has said the country’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 82,329, overtaking neighbouring Iran for the first time to register the highest total in the Middle East.
3. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee has accused US President Donald Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies” after the latter urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors.
4. The United Kingdom’s health ministry has said hospital death toll from COVID-19 in the country rose by 888 to 15,464 as of 16:00 GMT on April 17.
5. Indonesia’s death toll from the new coronavirus has likely reached 1,000, nearly double the official figure of 535, Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) chairman Daeng Faqih was quoted as saying.
6. Brazil has more coronavirus cases than any other country in Latin America. Deaths rose by 206 to 2,347, the ministry said.
7. Israel will gradually ease its coronavirus lockdown from Sunday by letting some businesses reopen and relaxing curbs on movement after a slowdown in infection rates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
8. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would ask parliament for a third 15-day extension of the lockdown imposed to curb one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the new coronavirus, taking the restrictions up to May 9.
9. France registered 642 more deaths from coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 19,323, the fourth-highest tally in the world.
10. Morocco will extend lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus for another month until May 20, the government has said.
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