The number of confirmed infections of
the novel coronavirus exceeded 1.38 million globally and the
death toll crossed 81,400, according to a Reuters tally as of
0200 GMT.
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.
A person walks across Westminster Bridge with St Thomas' Hospital in the background in central London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care as his coronavirus symptoms persist. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP
AMERICAS
* US 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 US 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 US 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.
Members of Indonesian Red Cross stand on the back of a truck and spray disinfectant in an attempt to curb the spread of new coronavirus outbreak at a neighbourhood in Jakarta, Indonesia. Picture: Achmad Ibrahim/AP
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.
* 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.
A man wearing a face mask to protect himself against the spread of the new coronavirus walks through deserted Nakamise alley in Asakusa, Tokyo. Picture: Koji Sasahara/AP
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.
* 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 US businesses.