Blogroll

The death toll in France from the coronavirus has risen by 369 to stand at 22,614, the health ministry said on Saturday, as the government scrutinises data to see how it might ease a lockdown in place since mid-March.

Britain's COVID-19 death toll passed 20,000 on Saturday in what the interior minister called "a tragic and terrible milestone" as she urged people to stay at home.

Britain passed the grim milestone of over 20,000 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, as the daily toll rose 813 to 20,319 people who tested positive for the illness and died in hospital.

The United States will not take part in the launching of a global initiative on Friday to speed the development, production and distribution of drugs and vaccines against COVID-19, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Geneva told Reuters.

Spain released guidelines on Saturday allowing children to go outside after six weeks living under one of Europe's strictest lockdowns, as figures confirmed a daily coronavirus death toll running well below the peak seen early this month.

Some 2.8 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 196,298 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 0200 GMT on Saturday.

A fleet of robots on wheels that deliver shopping in the English town of Milton Keynes have seen their popularity surge as residents are stuck indoors due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Serbia sent four planes carrying medical equipment including gloves, masks and protective suits to Italy on Saturday as a donation to help the EU member state tackle the spread of coronavirus.

Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus rose by 76 during the last 24 hours to reach a total of 5,650, a Health Ministry spokesman said on state TV on Saturday.

Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an official said on Saturday.

Britain could hit the grim milestone of 20,000 COVID-19 deaths later on Saturday, when the daily count is added to the current toll of 19,506 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus and died in hospital.

With the U.S. coronavirus death toll topping 51,000 and nearly one in six workers out of a job, Georgia, Oklahoma and several other states took tentative steps at reopening businesses on Friday, despite disapproval from President Donald Trump and medical experts.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday pointed to research showing that strains of the novel coronavirus entered his state from Europe, not China, and said that travel bans enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump were too late to halt its spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was currently "no evidence" that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.

Indonesia reported on Saturday 396 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 8,607, data provided by health ministry official Achmad Yurianto showed.

Tokyo reported 103 new cases of coronavirus infections on Saturday, Kyodo news reported, amid concerns that the start of a holiday season could lead to an increase in infections.

Malaysia reported 51 new coronavirus infections and two deaths on Saturday.

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 17 new coronavirus deaths and 102 additional infections.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 2,055 to 152,438, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday - a second day of deceleration after three days of acceleration in new infections.

Singapore has registered 618 new coronavirus infections, its health ministry said on Saturday, taking the city-state's total number of COVID-19 cases to 12,693.