PARIS, July 18, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments
in the coronavirus crisis:
– Nearly 600,000 deaths –
The pandemic has killed at least 596,742 people worldwide since it
surfaced in China late last year and more than 14 million have been
infected, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT on Saturday based on
official sources.
The United States has the most deaths with 139,266. It is followed
by Brazil with 77,851, Britain with 45,119, Mexico with 38,310, and
Italy with 35,028.
– EU talks, day two –
EU leaders are set to meet again in Brussels, hoping to overcome
divisions about a planned 750-billion-euro ($857 billion) stimulus
package.
The leaders met in person on Friday for the first time in five
months but 12 hours of haggling failed to yield a result after running
into opposition from “frugal” countries led by the Netherlands and
Austria.
– Staying home in Barcelona –
Four million people in Spain’s second city and tourist hotspot are
urged to stay home unless absolutely necessary.
Barcelona’s cinemas, theatre and nightclubs have shut and gatherings
of more than 10 people are banned.
– G20 seeks global recovery –
G20 finance ministers and central bankers hold virtual talks, hosted
by Saudi Arabia, aimed at spurring global economic recovery from a
coronavirus-triggered recession amid growing calls to widen debt
relief for crisis-hit poor countries.
– Greece toughens measures –
Wearing face masks in supermarkets is now mandatory in Greece, and
local outdoor festivals are banned until the end of July.
The country’s migration ministry also announces another extension of
a lockdown on Greece’s packed migrant camps, which began on March 21
and is now extended till August 2.
– Lifting in Buenos Aires –
Argentina’s government says it will relax containment measures in
the capital despite continued high infection rates.
From Monday, non-essential businesses, industry and certain
professional activities can restart, and citizens will be allowed to
go outside for sport and to visit places of worship.
– Bollywood star in hospital –
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a Bollywood star and former Miss World, has
been admitted to a Mumbai hospital along with her eight-year-old
daughter, media reports say, nearly a week after they were revealed to
have tested positive for the virus.