schema:articleBody
| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has killed 357,311 people worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally at 1900 GMT on Thursday, based on official sources. The United States has recorded the most deaths of any country, with 101,002 fatalities. It is followed by Britain with 37,837, Italy with 33,142, France with 28,662 and Spain with 27,119. In new virus hotspot Latin America, Brazil has now surpassed 25,500 fatalities. There have been 5,747,100 officially recorded cases in 196 countries and territories. France announces the long-awaited nationwide reopening of bars, restaurants and cafes from June 2, albeit with restrictions, and lifts limits on domestic travel in time for the summer holidays. In Paris, where the risk of coronavirus spread remains higher, only the outside terraces of eating and drinking establishments can reopen, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says. South Korea re-imposes a series of social distancing measures it had eased early this month, as several clusters emerge mostly centred around the Seoul metropolitan area. Museums, parks and art galleries will close again from Friday for two weeks, the health ministry says, while companies are urged to re-introduce flexible working and other measures. Sri Lanka will reimpose selective lockdown measures from Sunday to restrict large gatherings after recording its biggest daily surge in infections, mostly found in citizens repatriated last week from Kuwait. Japanese automaker Nissan reports a huge $6.2-billion annual net loss and announces it will shut its Barcelona plant and slash production. British no-frills airline EasyJet says it will axe up to 4,500 jobs, or almost one third of its staff. British media raises hopes of a return to top-flight club football with reports that the English Premier League season is set to restart on June 17, three months after it was suspended. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche says it is planning to test whether a mix of its arthritis drug tocilizumab and Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir could treat severe cases of COVID-19 effectively. UK police close the case into Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide Dominic Cummings, concluding he committed a "minor" breach by driving to a beauty spot at the height of the lockdown. Following the verdict, Johnson's office says the prime minister considers the case closed and "has said he believes Mr. Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances". The EU is asking member states to approve nine billion euros ($9.9 billion) in new health spending as part of the bloc's ambitious recovery plan, a top official says. burs-eab/spm
|