Factbox: the latest in the spread of the coronavirus worldwide

(Reuters) – Reported cases of coronaviruses have crossed 2.5 million worldwide and 172,927 people have died, according to a Reuters count at 1600 GMT on Tuesday.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* For an interactive graph that tracks global spread, open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

* For a US-focused tracker USA With state by county and state map open tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

AMERICAS

* The leaders of the US Congress. USA And the White House agreed on nearly $ 500 billion more in coronavirus relief for the economy.

* President Donald Trump promised to suspend immigration to the country, while Georgia and other US states. USA They began to lift the restrictions that paralyzed their economies.

* Missouri became the first US state. USA In suing the Chinese government for its handling of the coronavirus.

* The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean will contract a record 5.3% in 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak plagues the region, a United Nations agency said.

* Mexico entered what the government calls “Phase 3” of the spread of the coronavirus, the most serious stage, said Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell. * Police in Chile dissolved a new round of anti-government protests in one of Santiago’s central squares late on Monday, arrested 14 and cited rules against congregations aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

EUROPE

* The true extent of the death toll in Britain was more than 40% higher than the daily government figures reported on April 10, according to data including deaths in the community.

* Crowds of youths attacked riot police with fireworks and burning garbage cans in a third night of riots outside Paris, where a strong police presence to enforce the coronavirus blockade has exacerbated tensions.

* Italy is likely to begin easing its coronavirus blockade starting May 4, although the expected pullback will be cautious and calculated, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

* Spain’s cabinet approved measures to support workers and companies struggling under strict coronavirus restrictions while officials applauded the decline in the infection rate.

PACIFIC ASIA

* The WHO said that all available evidence suggests that the new coronavirus originated from bats in China late last year and was not manipulated or built in a laboratory.

* About 500 people isolated themselves at the Presidential House in the Indian capital after a relative of a worker tested positive, authorities said.

* Thailand approved a second automatic visa extension for foreigners to avoid long queues at immigration centers.

* Indonesia will ban the tradition of the mass exodus, known locally as “mudik”, at the end of the Muslim fasting month in May.

* A northwestern province on the front lines of the battle against China’s coronavirus reported its first cases in nearly three weeks, all with travelers from abroad.

* Taiwan’s defense minister apologized and said he was ready to resign after a coronavirus outbreak on a navy ship that visited the Pacific last month just as the country celebrated a major drop in cases.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Millions of children in the Middle East will be impoverished as their caregivers lose jobs due to closings, according to the UN Children’s Fund.

* The coronavirus crisis is sparking anti-Semitism worldwide, fueled by centuries-old lies that Jews are spreading the infection, researchers in Israel said.

* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a rescue package of 500 billion rand, equivalent to 10% of the GDP of the most industrialized nation in Africa, to try to cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic.

* The palm oil market will miss a key period of high demand in 2020, as closures caused by the coronavirus during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan reduce demand in key importing countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

ECONOMIC FLOLOUT

* Stock markets around the world fell on Tuesday as oil prices continued to drop a day after U.S. crude oil futures turned negative for the first time, underscoring the depth of economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. [MKTS/GLOB]

* Home sales in the US USA They declined further in nearly 4 1/2 years in March as extraordinary measures to control the spread of the coronavirus brought buyer traffic to a virtual standstill.

* The Irish economy will shrink by at least 10% this year and could shrink more than 15% if a second wave of coronavirus forces movement restrictions to last six months longer than expected, the government said.

* The number of people facing acute food insecurity could almost double this year to 265 million due to the economic consequences of COVID-19, the United Nations World Food Program said.

* If prolonged, the pandemic could trigger a negative feedback loop in which a worsening economy threatens to destabilize Japan’s financial system, the Bank of Japan warned on Tuesday.

* Black and Hispanic families in the US USA They are suffering the highest incomes due to the coronavirus pandemic, and are less prepared to withstand the blow, according to two studies.