CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: Latest updates

More than 2.5m cases

2592,845, infections have now been reported and at least 179,646 people have died, according to an AFP tally at 1800 GMT yesterday based on official sources. The United States has the most deaths of any country with 45,150. Italy is the second hardest-hit country, with 24,648 dead. Spain follows with 21,717, then France with 20,829 and Britain with 18,141.

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US state sues China's leaders

The US state of Missouri on Tuesday sued China's leadership over the pandemic, seeking damages over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the pandemic. The first-of-a-kind state lawsuit comes amid calls in Congress to punish China and a campaign by President Donald Trump to focus on Beijing's role, amid criticism of his own handling of the crisis.

Tarawih at holy mosques

Saudi king Salman approved performing Tarawih in the two holy mosques and reducing them with the continued suspension of entry of pilgrims, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques' Affairs said in a statement yesterday. Saudi Arabia plans to ease curfew hours it imposed on several cities during the month of Ramadan.

human trial of Vaccine in UK

Human trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed at the University of Oxford are to begin on Thursday, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced. And one member of the Oxford team said that if trials are successful, millions of doses of vaccine could be available for use by the autumn of this year.

Italy signals longer lockdown       

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte prepared Italians for a longer lockdown Tuesday despite a second successive drop in the number of registered coronavirus cases. Italy is approaching a fateful decision on whether to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses for the first time in nearly two months on May 4.

Spain to let children take walks

Spain will allow children to go outside for walks from next weekend in a loosening of the country's strict coronavirus lockdown. The change came hours after the government first announced that young children, who are currently banned from leaving home under any circumstances, would be allowed to accompany their parents on essential trips.

Scare in South Asia

About 500 people entered self-isolation in staff quarters of India's presidential palace on Tuesday after a person was tested positive of the virus. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his wife tested negative for the coronavirus, his spokesman said, after at least 20 palace officials were infected last week. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan will undergo testing after it was confirmed that the head of the country's biggest charity organisation, Faisal Edhi, whom he met last week, had contracted COVID-19.