Spain's strict coronavirus lockdown has sent the unemployment rate to a near four-year high.
A total of 282,891 registered as jobless last month, leaving the number out of work at 3.8 million — one in seven working-age Spaniards.
More than 300,000 had already lost their jobs in March, when a state of emergency was declared.
Meanwhile France is aiming to deploy its “StopCOVID” contact-tracing app by June 2. The app will use Bluetooth connectivity to warn users if they have come into contact with someone infected.
European and other world leaders, as well as banks and international bodies, pledged yesterday at a videoconference hosted by the European Union to give $8 billion (£6.4 billion) to fund research into a potential vaccine.
The US and Russia were both absent from the event, but France’s President Emmanuel Macron said he was confident that the US will join the international search for a vaccine.
In Germany, researchers from Bonn University said a study based on fieldwork in Gangelt, a town with one of Germany’s highest death tolls, suggested that the number infected with the virus could be 10 times the official total.
In Italy, the number of people currently infected has fallen below 100,000. However the BBC reported that a helpline for victims of extortion had seen a doubling in calls, especially from small businesses.
Finland is to ease some lockdown restrictions on 1 June, with cafes and restaurants reopening. Schools will reopen on 14 May, while Finland’s borders will partially reopen.
