More than 1.6 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 103,664 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0200 GMT. (Full Story)
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
* U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.
AMERICAS
* The number of cases detected in the United States rose past half a million with more than 18,600 deaths, as President Donald Trump said the decision on when it was safe to reopen the country would be the biggest he had ever had to make.
* Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google said they will work together to create contact tracing technology that aims to slow the coronavirus spread by allowing users to opt into logging other phones they have been near.
* Uruguay started to repatriate 112 Australians and New Zealanders from a cruise ship hit by coronavirus and stranded in the La Plata River near the capital of Montevideo since March 27, the government said.
* Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets of Brasilia on Friday, drawing crowds and greeting followers in his latest public pushback against social isolation measures to fight the outbreak.
EUROPE
* Britain's COVID-19 death toll neared 10,000 on Saturday after health officials reported another 917 hospital deaths, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued to make "very good progress" in his recovery from the virus.
* Spain registered its lowest one-day increase in deaths from the disease since March 23 on Saturday, as thousands of businesses prepared to reopen under a loosening of nationwide lockdown restrictions.
* Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte extended a nationwide lockdown until May 3, though he said a few types of shops would be allowed to re-open next week.
* Germany's number of confirmed infections rose by 4,133 on Saturday to 117,658, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
* The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was looking into reports of some COVID-19 patients testing positive again after initially testing negative for the disease while being considered for discharge. South Korea had reported such cases on Friday.
* The chief minister of Delhi state said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to extend a nationwide lockdown, but the federal government did not confirm this decision.
* China reported on Saturday a rise in infections, mostly in travellers arriving from abroad, as doctors in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus initially emerged, warned its behaviour was still not well-understood.
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday called for citizens across Japan to avoid evening spots like bars and restaurants, NHK reported, in a ratcheting up of social distancing guidance.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians to respect health protocols to guard against the new coronavirus as "low-risk" economic activities resumed in most of the country on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.
* The WHO warned countries on Friday to be cautious about lifting restrictions and voiced alarm it was taking hold in Africa.
* Yemen reported its first case on Friday, as aid groups try to prepare for an outbreak where war has shattered the health system and spread hunger and disease.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* The two top Republicans in the U.S. Congress vowed on Saturday to oppose Democrats' demands to boost a proposed $250 billion (£201 billion) bill to aid small businesses by adding money for hospitals and state and local governments.
* U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told major airlines on Friday he wants them to repay some of the $25 billion in cash grants the U.S. Congress approved last month to cover payroll costs as airlines weather an unprecedented crisis, three industry officials briefed on the matter told Reuters.
* The pandemic will trigger the worst economic fallout since the 1930s Great Depression in 2020, with only a partial recovery seen in 2021, the head of the International Monetary Fund said.
* The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits in the last three weeks has blown past 15 million, with weekly new claims topping 6 million for the second straight time.
* European Union finance ministers agreed on half-a-trillion euros worth of support for their economies but left open the question of how to finance recovery.
(Compiled by Frances Kerry)
