Yemen's internationally recognised
government releases more than 470 prisoners from detention facilities in areas under its control amid growing concerns the virus could spread in Yemen's overcrowded jails. The
United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the release of all political prisoners.
(The National)
The
Department of Health and Social Care reports 563 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 2,352 and 29,474 cases.
(BBC News)
France reports 509 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the country's death toll to 4,032 and 56,989 cases, with 6,017 of those patients reported in a serious condition requiring life support.
(Reuters)
France reports 1,355 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 5,387, the new figures include deaths in
retirement homes for the first time.
(Reuters)
Zambia reports the country's first death from COVID-19 as confirmed cases rise to 39; the patient had underlying health conditions, according to Health Minister
Chitalu Chilufya.
(CGTN)
The Mayor of
Guayaquil,
Cynthia Viteri, herself infected with COVID-19, condemns the federal government's response to the pandemic as the virus rapidly spreads inside the city. A joint military and police task force has collected at least 150 bodies off the streets. The government's spokesman
Jorge Wated apologizes in a message broadcast on state television.
(France 24)(CBS News)
Ford Motor Company extends the suspension of vehicle and engine production at most of its manufacturing sites in Europe to May 4 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
(Reuters)
Police surround the Champ-Dollon prison in
Geneva,
Switzerland, after dozens of prisoners refuse to return to their cells because of new coronavirus measures.
(Reuters)
Spain's
Ministry of Health reports 7,500 new cases and 932 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the country's death toll to 10,935 and 117,710 confirmed cases.
(The Independent)
The country overtakes Italy in the number of positives and becomes the second country in the world with more coronavirus cases.
(Reuters)
The
Department of Health and Social Care reports 708 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the UK's death toll to 4,313 and 41,903 confirmed cases.
(Sky News)
A 5-year-old boy dies from COVID-19, becoming
Europe's youngest victim of the virus to date. He had underlying health conditions.
(Metro)
France reports 1,053 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the country's death toll to 7,560 and 89,953 cases. The new figures include previously unreported deaths in
retirement homes.
(Reuters)
Turkey deploys the
Gendarmerie General Command to the eastern city of
Batman after a riot erupts inside the city's
Type-M prison. The riot comes after the Turkish parliament approved the release of 100,000 inmates due to COVID-19, but excluded journalists and political prisoners, many of whom are
Kurds.
(Ahval News)
South Sudan Vice President
Riek Machar confirms the country's first case of
COVID-19. The patient is a 29-year-old woman who had arrived from
Ethiopia in February and is now in isolation.
(Reuters)
King Mohammed VI pardons 5,654 prisoners and orders new measures to protect inmates from COVID-19. The prisoners were selected on the basis of their age, frail health, time spent in prison and good conduct.
(Middle East Monitor)
New York reports 8,327 new confirmed cases and 594 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the state's death toll to 4,159 and 122,000 cases, according to Governor
Andrew Cuomo.
(Reuters)
Queen
Elizabeth II gives an
address to the nation, just the fifth such event in the monarch's 68-year reign, where she compares social isolation to the world war evacuations, thanks the public for their resilience and the world for unifying.
(BBC News)
PresidentPeter Mutharika announces a stimulus package to alleviate the economic stress resulting from the disease. To help finance this program, he and all
government ministers are taking a ten percent wage cut for three months.
(BBC News)
France reports 833 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest number of deaths recorded in a single day, bringing the country's death toll to 8,911 and the number of cases to 98,010. Health Minister
Olivier Véran says, "We have not reached the end of the ascent of this epidemic."
(BBC News)
Police and protesters clash in
Ivory Coast, after the latter dismantled a half-built
COVID-19 testing center over fears that people using the facility would spread the virus through their district.
(Reuters)
Deputy Prime Minister
Jarosław Gowin tenders resignation over disagreement with the ruling
Law and Justice (PiS) party as to the upcoming presidential election. He stated at a
press conference that the election scheduled for May 10, should be postponed, while the government pushes for the election amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gowin also resigns as
Minister of Science and Higher Education.
(Radio Poland)
Polish MPs, with 230–226 votes and two abstained, pass a bill under which the presidential election in May will be held by postal vote only. The bill now goes to the upper house, the
Senate, for debate.
(Radio Poland)
A
Taliban spokesman says that the group has recalled its
negotiators with the
government in response to the latter's refusal to release Taliban prisoners. The Taliban also announces it could increase violence against
government forces. In response, the government asks the Taliban not to "sabotage the process".
(Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
A major
blackout is reported in western and southern
Libya, according to the General Electricity Company of Libya, which says its control teams are trying to figure out the reason behind the power outage.
(Libya Observer)
A riot breaks out at
Qubbah prison in
Tripoli,
Lebanon, with reports of a "number of injuries". In a separate incident, Lebanese security forces thwart a mass escape attempt at a prison in
Beqaa Governorate, which relatives of inmates say is linked to fears of COVID-19.
(Al Jazeera)
The
Department of Health and Social Care reports 854 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the UK's death toll to 6,159 and 55,242 confirmed cases.
(The Guardian)
France reports 1,417 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, raising the country's death toll to 10,238.
(Sky News)
New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo reports 731 more deaths in the state from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the state to date, bringing the state's death toll to 5,489 and 138,836 infections.
(BBC News)
Former
President of EcuadorRafael Correa is found guilty on corruption charges and sentenced to eight years in prison. Correa is also banned from participating in politics until 2045.
(Reuters)
Acting
Secretary of the NavyThomas Modly resigns amid controversy surrounding his comments regarding Captain
Brett Crozier, former commanding officer of the
aircraft carrierUSS Theodore Roosevelt. Modly had referred to Crozier, whom he relieved of command on 3 April, as "too naïve or too stupid" to be in command following the leak of a letter the captain had sent pleading for help with the
COVID-19 outbreak on his ship.
(CNN)
Donald Trump signs an executive order encouraging Americans to resist international restrictions on
mining celestial objects, should the situation arise.
(The Guardian)
The
Saudi Arabian-led coalition declares a unilateral
ceasefire in its military action against
Houthi forces in
Yemen. The ceasefire, which supports
UN efforts to end the five-year-old war, will be effective Thursday.
(BBC News)
Michigan becomes the third state to surpass 20,000 cases of COVID-19, after
New York and
New Jersey. As of this date, Michigan has 20,346 confirmed cases with 959 deaths.
(MLive.com)
New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo reports 779 more deaths from COVID-19 in the state, the highest daily death toll in the state to date, bringing its death toll to 6,268, with 149,316 total cases.
(NHK)
OPEC+ holds an emergency meeting to try to agree on output cuts due to decreased demand for oil due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Russia says it has "no plans to discuss oil markets with the leadership of
Saudi Arabia or the
U.S. on Thursday".
(CNBC)
The
Robert Koch Institute reports 4,974 new confirmed cases and 246 more deaths from
COVID-19, bringing
Germany's death toll to 2,107 and 108,202 cases. This marks the largest daily increase of deaths for Germany.
(Reuters)
Spanish
Congress of Deputies approves an extension of the
State of Alarm to 26 April. With more than 140.000 reported cases, the country becomes the second in the world with number of cases, overtaking Italy.
(EFE)
Prisoners riot in
Russia's high-security
Penal Colony No 15 in the
Siberian city of
Angarsk over complaints of mistreatment by the guards. Fire on the grounds spread to three buildings including a woodwork factory.
(Reuters)(BBC News)
Iran's
Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports 1,972 new confirmed cases and 122 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the country's death toll to 4,232 and 68,192 total cases, while 3,969 people remain in critical condition with the virus.
(Reuters)
The
Robert Koch Institute reports 5,323 new confirmed cases and 266 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing
Germany's death toll to 2,373 with 113,525 total cases.
(Reuters)
Belgium reports 1,684 new confirmed cases and 494 more deaths from COVID-19, its highest daily death toll to date, bringing the country's death toll to 3,019 and 26,667 total cases.
(Anadolu Agency)
Johns Hopkins University records 2,108 more deaths from COVID-19 in the
United States, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the U.S. death toll to 18,693 and 500,399 confirmed cases. The U.S. becomes the first country to report over 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day.
(BBC News)
Students of Outside Creek Elementary School in California attend classes despite Governor Gavin Newsom's order to close all schools in the state.
(Boston)
In a major setback for efforts to declare the end of the outbreak on Sunday, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo reports the first case of
Ebola since February. The outbreak has killed more than 2,200 people since August 2018.
(Reuters)
Law and crime
A
prison riot breaks out at a high-security prison in
Angarsk,
Irkutsk Oblast,
Russia, allegedly in response to an officer beating an inmate. Large sections of the prison are set on fire, and casualties are reported.
(BBC News)
The
United Nations humanitarian coordinator for
Libya condemns the cut-off of water supply to the capital
Tripoli, after an armed group seized a
Great Man-Made River control station. The armed group is reportedly using the water cut-off, affecting two million people, to secure the release of detained family members.
(Al Jazeera)
The
Department of Health and Social Care reports 917 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the
UK's death toll to 9,875. Victims in the latest figures were aged between 11 and 102, while 33 people had no known underlying health conditions.
(Sky News)
With 20,071 deaths, the United States' death toll from COVID-19 passes
that of Italy and becomes the country with the highest number of known COVID-19 deaths in the world.
(CNBC)
Sudan's Health Minister Akram Ali Altom says that his country urgently needs US$120million to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country has registered relatively few cases and two deaths, Altom says that if it spreads, the country is not prepared to face it.
(Reuters)
A
Taliban spokesman announces the release of 20
government prisoners
in response to the latter's release of 300 Taliban prisoners since Wednesday.
(Reuters)
Today
Pope Francis livestreames the
Urbi et Orbi blessing for the second time in just a month. Usually given on Christmas and Easter, this year the pope also gave the blessing on March 27, during a special prayer service for the end of the
coronavirus.
(CRUX)
The
Philippines reports 220 new confirmed cases and 50 more deaths from
COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 297 with 4,648 total cases.
(Reuters)
The death toll from coronavirus in
Italy has reached 19,889 people. Italy has the second highest number of deaths in the world, after the
United States.
(Corriere della Sera)
Justice Minister of
Hirshabelle State, Khalif Mumin Tohow, becomes the second person to die from COVID-19 in
Somalia. The state minister recently travelled back from the United Kingdom.
(Middle East Monitor)
Airbnb secures a US$1billion loan to stay afloat as the pandemic causes worldwide demand for its services to drop. This follows a separate bond deal, also worth US$1 billion, it negotiated last week for similar reasons.
(Reuters)
The death toll from
COVID-19 in the
United States rises by 2,228 in a single day, the highest number of COVID-19 linked deaths reported in any country in a single day, as total cases rise to over 600,000.
(Reuters)
Turkey will free one-third of its prisoners to curb the spread of
COVID-19. At least 45,000 prisoners will be freed until the end of May, with the exception of those accused of
terrorist offenses, as well as journalists and
politicians accused of plotting the
2016 coup attempt.
(Al Jazeera)
A 36-year-old man is arrested for attempting to firebomb a Jewish assisted living facility in
Longmeadow, Massachusetts on April 3. His arrest is part of a larger investigation into a
white supremacist group suspected of plotting mass killings online. He is charged with two counts of attempted arson, but is released the next day.
(HuffPost)(WWLP)
Fourteen people are injured in a chain-reaction accident involving up to 60 vehicles, during the morning rush hour on
Chicago's
Kennedy Expressway, as unseasonable, wintry weather strikes the city. None of the injuries is considered life-threatening. At least 32 others are treated at the scene.
(NBC News)(Accuweather)
The death toll from
COVID-19 in the
United States rises by 2,371 in a single day to 30,800, the highest number of COVID-19 linked deaths reported in any country in a single day, as total cases rise to 635,000.
(Reuters)
France reports 1,438 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 17,167 with 133,470 total cases. The latest figures include deaths from COVID-19 in care homes over the three-day
Easter weekend.
(Reuters)
The
Robert Koch Institute reports 2,866 new confirmed cases and 315 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing
Germany's death toll to 3,569 and 130,450 total cases.
(Reuters)
Law and crime
Police discover the bodies of 17 people inside a
morgue built for four at a nursing home in
New Jersey, United States, following an anonymous tip-off.
(BBC News)
Tablighi Jamaat leader
Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi is charged with
manslaughter after a gathering the organization held in
Delhi on March 3 was linked to 1,023 coronavirus cases across 17
Indian states. Police say he ignored two notices to end the religious event at a
mosque in Delhi, though he denies any wrongdoing.
(BBC News)
The
United Nations human rights office says that
Myanmar has been carrying out daily airstrikes in
Rakhine and
Chin states and that at least 32 civilians (mostly women and children) have been killed since March 23. The
Arakan Army unilaterally declared a month-long ceasefire to fight the
COVID-19 pandemic, but the military rejected the ceasefire saying a previous ceasefire had not been respected by the insurgents.
(Reuters)
The
China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved a transaction in which Switzerland's
Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm. Credit Suisse will thus be the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of rules about foreign ownership in 2018.
(Reuters)
The
Department of Health and Social Care reports 5,599 new confirmed cases and 847 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the UK's death toll to 14,576 and 108,692 total cases.
(RTÉ)
The Kurdish-controlled area of
Syria confirms the first death from COVID-19 in
Qamishli; that of a 53-year-old man who tested positive postmortem.
(Reuters)
China revises the coronavirus death toll upward in
Wuhan, where the virus originated, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported deaths from COVID-19 to 4,632.
(BBC News)(CNBC)
Taiwan quarantines 700
Navy sailors after three cases of
COVID-19 were confirmed on board a vessel that recently returned from the island nation of
Palau.
(Reuters)
Pakistan begins repatriating some of
its citizens from the
United Arab Emirates, after the UAE threatened to review its labor ties with countries that refuse to take their nationals back during the pandemic.
(Reuters)
The
Iranian Revolutionary Guards announces it has increased patrols of the
Persian Gulf following a confrontation between
its Navy and the
U.S.'s on Wednesday, and warns that "any error in calculation on [a foreign vessel's] part will receive a decisive response".
(Reuters)
Over 2,000
Israelis protest Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of endangering democracy in the country and using the coronavirus crisis to escape prosecution on corruption charges.
(ABC News)
Swedish auto manufacturer
Volvo Cars resumes full production at its plant in
Torslanda,
Sweden, which had been shut down due to the
COVID-19 pandemic since March 26, 2020.
(Just Auto)
United Airlines reports a
$2.1 billion loss in the first quarter of this year, blaming restrictions on the aviation industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
(CNBC)
In a 6–3 decision, the
U.S. Supreme Court rules that convictions for serious crimes requires a unanimous decision by the
jury, overturning the conviction of the plaintiff, a
Louisiana man, and the 1972 case Apodaca v. Oregon. The ruling paves the way for hundreds of defendants to receive new trials.
(Reuters)
In a deal brokered by
South African mediators,
Lesotho's government says that
Prime MinisterTom Thabane "will immediately resign", in a "dignified and secure" exit from power. Thabane is accused of murdering his ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane in 2017.
(BBC News)
Seoul-based Daily NK reports
North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un is recuperating from a heart procedure done earlier this month, after his disappearance from various events led to speculation about his health.
(Reuters)
Russia reports 5,642 new confirmed cases and 51 more deaths from
COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing Russia's death toll to 456 and 52,763 total cases.
(TASS)
Missouri becomes the first
U.S. state to file a lawsuit against the
Chinese government over the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the government is responsible for the virus's negative impact on the state's economy and that the nation is "hoarding" masks. A
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman says his country is "not under the jurisdiction of U.S. courts"; that "abuse of litigation" does not help the "epidemic response at home in the United States and also runs counter to international cooperation".
(Reuters)
The
Indian Council of Medical Research advises all states to suspend using COVID-19 rapid test kits for two days, after some kits were found to be faulty.
(CNN)
Over the last week, 4.4 million
Americans filed for
unemployment benefits. Since mid-March, 26.4 million have filed, which is more than 15 percent of the workforce.
(BBC News)
Results show that four women win seats in the parliament and that most ministers of the current
government keep their seats, including
PresidentTaneti Mamau. However, it is too early to say whether he would be his party's nomination for President again.
(RNZ)
The Saudi-led coalition announces the extension of a unilateral ceasefire by one month to fight the pandemic. The
Houthis did not accept the coalition's previous ceasefire that expired Thursday. Reportedly, the Houthis "want a lifting of air and sea blockades imposed by the coalition to the regions they control before agreeing to a ceasefire".
(Reuters)
Unknown gunmen attack the headquarters of the
government-backed Pan Say
militia in
Muse,
Shan State. The attackers opened fire with
small arms and
artillery before fleeing in cars and motorbikes. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
(The Irrawaddy)
PresidentDonald Trump signs a US$484billion interim coronavirus relief bill that will add another $310 billion to the small-business
Paycheck Protection Program, as well as provide billions in aid to hospitals and for testing.
(Axios)
The separatist
Southern Transitional Council (STC) announces the establishment of a self-rule administration in southern
Yemen. The internationally-recognized government describes this move as "catastrophic." STC forces are deployed in the city of
Aden as emergency rule is declared.
(Reuters)
Health and environment
The
Lost Apple Project, a non-profit conservationist society based in the
Pacific Northwest, announces the rediscovery of ten cultivars of
apples previously thought to be extinct. The decad almost doubles the total amount of species the society has rescued, bringing the total to 23.
(CNN)
Foreign Minister of
BangladeshAK Abdul Momen says that it is not the responsibility of his country to rescue more than 500
Rohingya refugees who have been at sea for weeks. Momen tells Al Jazeera they "should ask the
Myanmar government first because they are their citizens".
(Al Jazeera)
KingSalman issues an order to partially lift the
curfew in all regions of the country except
Mecca, where a 24-hour curfew continues. Saudi authorities report 16,299 infections and 136 deaths nationwide.
(Al Jazeera)
Delta Air Lines announces it is suspending flights to several small-hub airports after losing
$534 million in the first quarter of this year due to aviation restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
(MLive.com)
A
pug in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, becomes the first dog in the United States to test positive for
COVID-19. Three of the humans it lives with have also tested positive for the disease.
(WRAL-TV)
Bolivia and
Chile agree on a deal to return home hundreds of Bolivian migrants stranded at a makeshift camp in
Santiago. The migrants will be transported to
Iquique where they will spend 14 days in quarantine before finally returning to Bolivia.
(Reuters)
Protests erupt in major cities across
Lebanon for the second day over the country's continuing economic problems. Banks and vehicles are set on fire, and clashes between the protestors and
the army in
Tripoli leave around 40 soldiers injured.
(Reuters)
A fire at a four-story
warehouse under construction in
Icheon,
South Korea, kills 38 construction workers and injures 10 others. An additional 40 people remain unaccounted for. The fire is the most deadly in the country since
2003.
(BBC News)(The Guardian)
Yemeni authorities in
Aden report five cases of
COVID-19, the highest total to date, amid fears that the disease could be spreading undetected in a country where millions face
famine and lack medical care.
(Reuters)
Over 500
Venezuelan migrants block a major
toll road in northern
Bogotá,
Colombia, demanding they be allowed to return home after the coronavirus pandemic caused economic opportunities to dry up.
(Reuters)
(52768) 1998 OR2, a
near-Earth asteroid that is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) wide, makes a close approach of 0.042
AU (6.3 million
km; 16
LD) to Earth. It will not approach closer than this until 2079.
(Sky News)
Syrian businessman and
Syriatel owner
Rami Makhlouf makes an "unprecedented" public appeal to his cousin, President
Bashar al-Assad, on
Facebook, saying a "cadre of officials" are seeking to seize his assets. Makhlouf, who was a part of President al-Assad's inner circle, says he will pay the President himself but not the state.
(The Washington Post)