MORE THAN 53,693 DEATHS

The worldwide number of officially confirmed fatalities from the novel coronavirus rose to 53,693 yesterday. More than 1,035,380 declared cases have been registered in 188 countries and territories. Of these cases, at least 201,500 are now considered recovered. Italy has 13,915 fatalities, with 115,242 infections. Spain has recorded 10,935 fatalities and 117,710 infections. France has reported 5,387 deaths and 73,743 cases while US has the highest official number of infected people with 245,573 cases and 6,058 deaths.

$4 TRILLION COST

The pandemic could cost the global economy $4.1 trillion as it ravages United States, Europe and other major economies, the Asian Development Bank warns. The estimated impact is equivalent to 4.8 percent of worldwide output based on a range of scenarios, but the lender says losses from “the worst pandemic in a century” could be higher.

CONFINEMENT FOR HALF

OF HUMANITY

More than 3.9 billion people -- half of the world’s population -- have been called on or obliged by their authorities to stay at home in more than 90 countries or territories, according to an AFP database. Thailand becomes the latest nation to join the group yesterday introducing a six-hour night curfew.

RAMADAN SOAPS UNDER THREAT

Ramadan television soaps are struggling to keep the cameras rolling just weeks before the Islamic holy month, when they are highly popular during the fasting period. Many countries in the Middle East have imposed tough restrictions, forcing studios to shut down temporarily and others to work under strict rules.

INDIANS TO DISPEL ‘DARKNESS’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls on confined Indians to hold candles and mobile phones aloft for nine minutes on Sunday to dispel the “darkness and uncertainty” of the coronavirus crisis. He also urged current and former Indian sports stars to help “boost morale” and encourage people to adhere to a nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the coronavirus.

Germans to be fined for breaking distancing rules

Germans risk being fined

($540) for standing too close to each other from yesterday as officials crack down on people flouting rules brought in to control coronavirus. German Chancellor Angela Merkel comes out of two weeks quarantine, leaving her Berlin home and returning to her office after she was forced into quarantine following contact with a Covid-19-infected doctor.

Nigerian man shot dead

A Nigerian man has been shot dead for allegedly flouting a stay-at-home order aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, police and a lawmaker said yesterday. Nigeria has introduced a raft of measures, including lockdowns of major cities, to try to contain the virus, which has infected 184 people, two of them fatally.

Source: AFP