The US House of Representatives approved a $2.2 trillion aid to help cope with the economic downturn inflicted by the intensifying coronavirus pandemic, and President Donald Trump quickly signed it into law.
Deaths, Infections
* More than 551,800 people have been infected globally and nearly 24,900 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread.
* U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map.
Europe
* Italy recorded 919 deaths from coronavirus, the highest daily toll anywhere in the world, while the number of confirmed cases eclipsed the total in China.
* The number of confirmed cases in Germany has risen to 48,582 and 325 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Saturday.
* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his health minister tested positive for the coronavirus and said they were self-isolating.
* Latest data from Spain's health ministry show the death toll stabilising.
* French health authorities reported 299 new deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, taking the total to 1,995.
* Switzerland's government has allowed regional authorities to shut down or restrict economic sectors temporarily if needed.
* Hungary, where the epidemic is expected to peak in June or July, is imposing a two-week lockdown.
America
* Confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States reached 100,040 on Friday, the highest number in the world, a Reuters tally showed.
* Trump on Friday invoked emergency powers to require General Motors Co to build much-needed ventilators for coronavirus patients after he accused the largest U.S. automaker of "wasting time" during negotiations.
* New York plans to build eight temporary hospitals to meet an expected surge in coronavirus patients.
* Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro cast doubt on Sao Paulo's death toll from coronavirus and accused the state governor of manipulating the numbers for political ends, without giving evidence for his claims.
Asia And The Pacific
* China's authorities plan stronger steps to revive the economy, as the nation on Saturday reported no new locally transmitted infections for the previous day.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping told Trump on Friday that he would have China's support in fighting the coronavirus.
* Tokyo has confirmed more than 50 new coronavirus infections, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday as the governor of Japan's capital urged citizens to stay indoors.
* Australia stepped up enforcement of social distancing rules on Saturday, implementing fines, closing beaches and threatening stricter measures if people defy pleas to stay at home.
* Vietnam will limit domestic flights and stop public gatherings for two weeks from Saturday, as it aims to keep the number of cases under 1,000.
* Indonesia said it would allow regional authorities to impose lockdowns, in a major shift in strategy after previously resisting tougher restrictions.
Middle East And Africa
* Turkey halted all intercity trains and limited domestic flights on Saturday, as the number of coronavirus cases jumped by a third in a day to 5,698, with 92 dead.
* Iraqi doctors say the country may be singularly unprepared for the coronavirus, with the number of cases at 450 and deaths at 40.
* Iran started an intercity travel ban, as its death toll rose to 2,378 on Friday.
* South Africans struggled to adapt to confinement rules, with many city streets no less crowded than normal as a strict lockdown begun.
* Algeria extended its curfew to nine more provinces.
Economic Fallout
* Stocks across the globe fell on Friday after a historic three-day run-up, as skittish investors kept indices on track for their worst monthly and quarterly performances since 2008, while the dollar fell by the most in any week since 2009.
* Canada said on Friday it will cover 75% of wages for small businesses and the central bank cut its key interest rate to the lowest level in a decade.
* The European Central Bank chief urged EU leaders to act more decisively as the bloc feuds over how far to go to cushion the economic hit of the pandemic.
* Investors rushed into cash and out of bonds at a record pace over the past week, BofA's weekly fund flow data showed on Friday.
* Mexico will likely take the longest in Latin America to recover, S&P said on Friday, a day after it cut ratings of Mexico and national oil company Petroleos Mexicanos.
* The Reserve Bank of India slashed interest rates.
* Japan is planning a stimulus that could be worth 10% of its economic output.
* The U.S. Open originally scheduled for June 18-21 has become the third of golf's four major championships to get postponed, the New York Post reported.
* Italy's fashion industry body said the men's fashion shows scheduled for June 19-23 would be held in September.
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