DUBAI: Countries have been debating exit strategies to buffer the blow of the coronavirus pandemic, with some starting to ease lockdown restrictions to restart local economies. Monday April 20, 2020 (All times in GMT) 15:38 - West Texas Intermediate oil plunged to the lowest level since 1986 at $10.34 per barrel as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand, leaving the world awash with crude. 15:24 - A total of 16,509 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals in Britain, an increase of 449 in 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday. The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus has risen to 124,743. 15:03 - The total number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada rose by almost 7% to 1,611 from a day earlier, official data posted by the public health agency showed. It said the figure for those diagnosed with the coronavirus had climbed to 35,392. The respective figures on Sunday were 1,506 deaths and 33,922 positive diagnoses. 11:36 – Qatar confirmed 567 new cases, bringing country’s total caseload to 6,015. 09:56 – Iran began opening intercity highways and major shopping centers to stimulate its sanctions-choked economy, gambling that it has brought under control its coronavirus outbreak. READ THE STORY 09:39 – Iran’s coronavirus cases increased to 83,505 while fatalities reached 5,209. 09:23 – Spain reported 4,266 new cases, bringing the country’s caseload to 20,453. 09:13 – Kuwait confirmed 80 coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 1,995 infected people. 09:09 – Hong Kong recorded zero new coronavirus cases on Monday for the first time since early March, health authorities said. 08:41 – Sudan has confirmed 26 new coronavirus cases and two fatalities, bringing the totals to 92 infected people and 12 deaths. 08:30 – Palestine reported seven new cases, bringing the total to 449 infected people. 08:05 – The Philippines’ health ministry on Monday reported 19 new coronavirus deaths and 200 additional infections. 08:03 – Singapore’s health ministry confirmed on Monday an additional 1,426 cases of COVID-19 infection, a record daily jump that took the city-state’s tally to 8,014. 07:50 – Russia reported 4,268 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, fewer than 6,060 on the previous day, which took the total number of cases to 47,121. 06:56 – Novartis has won the go-ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct a randomized trial of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 disease, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday, to see if it helps patients. READ THE STORY 06:37 – Kuwait confirmed 62 new coronavirus recoveries, bringing the total to 367 recovered patients. 06:32 – Oman reported 144 coronavirus cases, bringing total to 1,410 infected people. 06:24 – More than 13,400 people linked to a COVID-19 outbreak in a village on the outskirts of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi have tested negative for the coronavirus, the government said. 06:22 – Norway began reopening nurseries after month-long closure as part of the coronavirus regulations. 06:22 – India recorded its biggest single-day spike in coronavirus cases on Monday as the government eased one of the world’s strictest lockdowns to allow some manufacturing and agricultural activity to resume. READ THE STORY 05:45 – Japanese medics are warning more must be done to prevent the coronavirus from overwhelming the country’s health care system as confirmed cases passed 10,000, despite a nationwide state of emergency. READ THE STORY 05:44 – Thailand on Monday reported 27 new coronavirus cases, bringing the nation’s total to 2,792 cases, a senior health official said. 05:14 – New Zealand will next week ease some of the world’s strictest lockdown measures taken to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. 04:43 – Israel’s coronavirus cases increase to 13,654 and deaths reach 173. 04:43 – Number of coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 141,572, with new infections at 1,775. Death toll stood at 4,404. 00:41 – China said total coronavirus cases in the country stood at 82,747, with 4,632 fatalities.