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 DEATHS
AND INFECTIONS
- For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open
https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
- U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open
https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.
EUROPE
- The president of the European Union's main science organisation
quit over frustration at the response to the pandemic.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in
intensive care and was in a stable condition, while his country was
entering what scientists said was the deadliest phase of the
outbreak.
- Italian ports cannot be considered safe because of the epidemic
and will not let charity migrant boats dock, the government ruled.
- Spain's daily death toll rose on Tuesday for the first time in
five days, but there was still hope the lockdown might be eased as
officials worked on a plan to lift some of the restrictions.
- Germany's daily case tally increased for the second straight day
after four previous days of drops.
- France should extend its lockdown for several weeks, a chief
medical adviser said, after it became the fourth country to register
more than 10,000 deaths.
- A French military ship is heading back to port after some staff on
board showed signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
- Czech Republic's cases rose past 5,000, but a slowing growth rate
has given the government confidence to start easing some lockdown
measures.
AMERICAS
- U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States might be
getting to the top of the "curve" of the outbreak and reiterated
that he wants to get the economy reopened soon.
- Trump accused the WHO of being too focused on China and issuing
bad advice during the outbreak, saying he would put a hold on U.S.
funding for the agency.
- Even as medical teams struggled to save an onslaught of patients
and deaths hit new highs, the number of hospitalizations seemed to
be leveling off in New York state.
- COVID-19 is killing African-Americans at a higher rate than the
U.S. population at large, according to preliminary numbers that
officials say point to disparities in healthcare access.
- The United States deported 61 Haitian migrants on Tuesday despite
fears of further spreading the disease.
- Canada will keep up efforts to persuade the United States not to
block the export of medical supplies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said, while the province of Alberta warned of an economic disaster.
- Honduras will spur planting of grains, vegetables and fruit on
unoccupied land to ensure the food supply.
- Uruguay agreed to repatriate 112 Australians and New Zealanders
from a cruise ship stranded near Montevideo since March 27, with
most of the 219 passengers infected.
- Ecuador is preparing an emergency burial ground in Guayaquil, the
country's largest city, to address a shortage of burial plots.
ASIA
- The Chinese city of Wuhan ended its two-month lockdown, even as a
small northern city ordered restrictions on its residents amid
concern about a second wave of infections.
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- India's financial hub Mumbai is set to extend lockdown measures until at least
April 30 as authorities race to expand testing.
- Commuters packed into trains in the Japanese capital on Wednesday, the first
day of a state of emergency, with some expressing confusion over how best to
restrict their movements.
- Singapore announced new measures to accelerate local food production,
including a plan to turn car park rooftops in public housing estates into urban
farms.
- Hong Kong extended social-distancing restrictions, including the closure of
some bars and pubs and a ban on public gatherings of more than four people,
until April 23.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Most Middle Eastern countries are seeing worrying daily increases in cases but
the region still has a chance to contain its spread, a senior WHO official said.
- Saudi Arabia's health minister said the virus could eventually infect between
10,000 and 200,000 people in the country.
- Egypt will ban any public religious gatherings during the holy Muslim fasting
month Ramadan starting in around two weeks.
- South Africa's main health workers' union planned to challenge the government
in court over shortages of protective gear.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
- World stocks turned negative on Wednesday as the death toll mounted and euro
zone finance ministers failed to agree a rescue package to help economies
recover from the outbreak. [MKTS/GLOB]
- The European Central Bank told euro zone finance ministers the area could need
fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros this year.
- Japan is expected to slip into a deep recession this year with the economy set
to contract for a third straight quarter, a Reuters poll showed.
- Britain's markets watchdog set out temporary measures to help companies raise
cash quickly to weather the pandemic.
- South Korea's president announced an additional 36 trillion won ($29.5
billion) worth of cheap loans for exporters.
- Hong Kong will offer a relief package worth more than HK$100 billion ($12.90
billion).
- Japan will pledge to contribute to an IMF trust offering debt relief to
low-income countries, a finance ministry official told Reuters.
- Iran's president said the IMF would be guilty of "discriminatory behaviour"
unless it releases $5 billion in emergency funding.
- The Trump administration asked Congress for an additional $250 billion in
emergency economic aid for small U.S. businesses.
(Compiled by Milla Nissi, Aditya Soni and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Tomasz Janowski
and Arun Koyyur)
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