A summary of the latest developments.
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US President Donald Trump is cutting funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the pandemic. The US is the biggest contributor to the WHO budget.
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The number of people dying from coronavirus in the US rose by at least 2,228 - the highest in a single day - on Tuesday to exceed 28,300. The country also has more than 600,000 reported cases, three times more than any other country
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the global economy is expected to shrink by 3 percent this year - the biggest contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
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Some 1.98 million people around the world have now been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 126,500 have died, while nearly 486,500 have recovered.
Here are the latest updates:
Wednesday, April 15
08:15 GMT - India to ease restrictions next week in rural areas
India will permit several activities in rural areas starting next week, including manufacturing and infrastructure building, to provide relief to workers impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown, the government said.
The Home Ministry guidelines came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a nationwide lockdown to May 3.
The easing of the lockdown would start next Monday and take place only in those rural areas where there were no Covid-19 containment zones or hotspots, a Home Ministry release said.
07:48 GMT - China urges United States to fulfill its obligations to WHO
China urged the United States to fulfill its obligations to the World Health Organization (WHO), after US President Donald Trump halted funding to the body over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters during a daily briefing the situation with the pandemic, which has infected nearly 2 million people globally, was at a critical stage and that the US' decision would affect all countries of the world.
The US announced it was halting funding to WHO on April 14 [File: Denis Balibouse/Reuters]
07:24 GMT - Finland to lift capital region lockdown -PM
Finland will lift the roadblocks in place around its capital region after nearly three weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said, in a first act of easening the Nordic country's coronavirus related restrictions.
The travel restrictions to and from the capital region Uusimaa to the rest of the country began on March 28 and were introduced to prevent people from spreading the virus to other parts of the country.
07:04 GMT - Danish schools begin reopening after month-long closure
Denmark began reopening schools on Wednesday after a month-long closure over the novel coronavirus, becoming the first country in Europe to do so.
Nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools were reopening, according to an AFP correspondent, after they were closed on March 12 in an effort to curb the COVID-19 epidemic.
However classes are only resuming in about half of Denmark's municipalities and in about 35 percent of Copenhagen's schools, as other have requested more time to adjust to health protocols still in place.
All are expected to reopen by April 20.
06:41 GMT - IMF board approves emergency support for Burkina Faso, Niger - statements
The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Executive Board has approved support for Burkina Faso and Niger under its Rapid Credit Facility to help the West African nations confront the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund said.
The IMF said the board had approved a $115 million disbursement for Burkina Faso and another $114 million for Niger.
Hello, this is Usaid Siddiqui in Doha taking over from my colleague Kate Mayberry.
05:55 GMT -
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05:30 GMT - Pakistan to ease some lockdown restrictions
Pakistan is easing restrictions on several areas of its economy, including the construction and cement industries, to address rising unemployment and economic stagnation.
Senior Muslim community leaders have also promised to resume prayers in mosques on Friday, defying government orders to limit congregations.
Mufti Taqi Usmani, a prominent Sunni Muslim leader, said mosques would also hold daily congregational prayers at each of the five prescribed Muslim prayer times.
04:50 GMT - Vietnam cracks down on 'fake news' with new decree
Vietnam has introduced hefty new fines equivalent to as much as six months of basic income for those found guilty of disseminating "fake news" or rumours on social media, including on coronavirus.
A new decree says a fine of between 10 and 20 million Vietnamese dongs ($426-$853) will be imposed on those who use social media to share false, untruthful, distorted, or slanderous information.
The new rules extend far beyond the coronavirus, raising concern among human rights groups already heightened by a cybersecurity law that came into effect last year.
"This decree provides yet another potent weapon in the Vietnamese authorities' arsenal of online repression," said Tanya O'Carroll, director of technology at Amnesty International.
04:43 GMT - Japan's Fujifilm ramps up capacity for possible COVID-19 drug
Japan's Fujifilm Holdings says it has expanded manufacturing capacity to "significantly increase" production of its anti-flu drug Avigan that is being tested as a treatment for COVID-19.
Fujifilm expects to increase the production of Avigan up to 100,000 treatment courses by July 2020, about 2.5 times more than at the beginning of March. By September, it expects to be able to produce 300,000 courses, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
Fujifilm is conducting clinical trials of Avigan on patients of COVID-19 both at home and in the US.
04:15 GMT - Thailand extends ban on passenger flights until end of April
Thailand has extended a ban on incoming passenger flights until the end of the month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said on Wednesday.
The coronavirus has emptied airport terminals around the world, including Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok [Jiraporn Kuhakan/Reuters]
Earlier this month, the country's interior ministry said land borders in 21 provinces would be reopened on Saturday to allow Thais in neighbouring countries to return home.
Up to 100 people will be allowed to enter at each border checkpoint a day, and they will be subject to a 14-day state quarantine.
04:10 GMT - Japan urges people to curb interactions
Japan's citizens should do everything they can to limit interactions with others and curb the spread of the coronavirus, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday as the country reported 457 new confirmed cases.
Japan wants people to reduce interactions by 70 percent and a state of emergency came into force at the weekend.
However, compliance is not mandatory and the authorities have offered no financial support for those who cannot work from home and risk losing their income.
The government is now considering a proposal to hand out 100,000 yen ($933.45) to each person to help cushion the blow.
03:50 GMT - Human rights groups call on Thailand to release prisoners
A group of 11 Thai and international human rights groups are calling on the government to release prisoners to protect them against the risk of contracting the coronavirus in severely overcrowded jails.
In a joint letter to the director general of the Department of Corrections, they noted there were more than 379,000 people in detention, and urged the authorities to release a number of categories of prisoner including those above the age of 60, the sick, those on pre-trial remand and inmates who have nearly completed their sentences.
.@ManushyaFdn joined 11 human rights organizations in the joint letter urging the Department of Corrections in #THAILAND to immediately release prisoners & ensure the health & safety of prison population & staffs during #COVID19 crisis.
Access it here👉🏻https://t.co/HjMUwN1LDj pic.twitter.com/CXyXXoepPf
— Manushya Foundation (@ManushyaFdn) April 15, 2020
A number of other countries, including Turkey, are releasing prisoners to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
You can read more about the effect that coronavirus is having on prison systems around the world in the stories below.
More:
02:40 GMT - Masks made compulsory in Singapore
Everyone in Singapore must now wear a mask when they go outside after a sharp jump in coronavirus cases over the past two days.
Anyone found without a mask will be fined 300 Singapore dollars ($212), while repeat offenders could be prosecuted in court and face higher fines, the Health Ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. It said exemptions would be made for children below two years old or those with special needs.
Singapore now has 3,252 cases after reporting 386 new infections on Monday, and 334 on Tuesday. The government distributes masks free of cost to all residents.
Residents receive free reusable masks distributed by the government at a community centre; all people now need to wear one when they go outside [Edgar Su/Reuters]
02:20 GMT - New Zealand's Ardern takes pay cut amid coronavirus lockdown
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is taking a 20 percent pay cut for the next six months. The salary cut also applies to government ministers and public service chief executives, Ardern said in a news conference on Wednesday.
"It's about leadership," she said.
"If there was ever a time to close the gap between different positions, it's now."
01:50 GMT - Trump move to cut WHO funding under fire
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said now is "not the time" to be cutting funding to the WHO, and the medical community has also criticised the move.
Dr Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association called it "a dangerous step in the wrong direction that will not make defeating COVID-19 easier".
Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, said while reforms might be needed, it is not the time.
"It's not the middle of a pandemic that you do this type of thing," he said.
Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"This virus doesn't need passports. In a few short months, it has travelled to all of the continents of the world except Antarctica. If there were ever an event that showed us how we need to work tougher as a global community, this is it."
01:30 GMT - South Koreans voting in parliamentary election
Polling stations opened in South Korea at 6am (21:00 GMT) for the country's 21st legislative elections.
300 seats are up for the grabs in the National Assembly, chosen by a combination of direct votes and proportional representation.
Turnout is expected to be high (it reached a record during last week's early voting) despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Voters have to wear masks, gloves, undergo a fever check and maintain social distance while moving only in a guided path in polling stations.
People must wear masks and gloves to vote in South Korea's election for a new National Assembly [Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo]
The governing Democratic Party has benefitted from the government's response to the coronavirus. Having once been the location of the largest outbreak outside China, the country has just reported 27 new cases, 16 of them imported from overseas.
Kelly Kasulis explored the mood of the nation ahead of the vote. Results are expected by Wednesday evening.
23:45 GMT (Tuesday) - Iceland to start lifting restrictions from May 4
Iceland is planning to lift restrictions it introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
From May 4, universities and high schools will reopen with some limitations while schools for younger children will operate as normal.
Hair salons, dentists and museums will be allowed to operate, while gatherings of as many as 50 people will be allowed. A two-metre (6.5-feet) social distancing rule will remain in place.
The government estimates the prevalence of the virus in the general population is about 1 percent.
More:
23:30 GMT (Tuesday) - Trump to withhold WHO funding over pandemic response
Trump says he will, at least temporarily, halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump claimed the WHO had "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable".
He also accused the UN agency of promoting China's "disinformation" about the virus, which he said probably led to a bigger outbreak than would otherwise have happened.
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera's continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
You can read all the updates from yesterday (April 14) here.
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2020-04-15 08:29:15Z
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