Japan plans to authorize the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients DUBAI: The coronavirus pandemic continues to hit global economies and devastate societies, as the world fights to tame the infection curve. The UN has issued a new appeal for $4.7 billion, on top of the $2 million it had called for when it launched its global humanitarian response plan on March 25, to protect human lives and control the spread of coronavirus. Thursday, May 7, 2020 (all times are GMT) 18:30 - Jordan announced 21 new cases of coronavirus that were recorded on Thursday. 17:50 - France said the total coronavirus death toll rose by 178 on Thursday. 17:24 - The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Turkey has risen by 57 in the last 24 hours to 3,641, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday. 16:17 - Italy’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 274 to 29,958. 16:15 - Egypt announced 393 new cases of coronavirus and 13 deaths on Thursday. 16:14 - Britain"s COVID-19 death toll has risen by 539 to 30,615, according to figures announced on Thursday by foreign minister Dominic Raab. 15:21 - Jordan announced 11 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday. 15:20 - France is ready to start unwinding its coronavirus lockdown from next Monday as planned, the prime minister said on Thursday, although some regions including the Paris area where the disease is still circulating would keep some restrictions. The country has made enough progress in slowing down the spread of the virus and reducing strain in hospitals to gradually return to normal, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said. Schools, cafes and most shops have been shut for nearly two months. 12:49 - Gatherings of more than five people are banned in Saudi Arabia under new laws announced by the Kingdom"s interior ministry on Thursday. 09:24 – Russia’s coronavirus case tally surged to 177,160 on Thursday after a record daily rise in infections, meaning it now has the fifth highest number of registered cases in the world and more cases than in Germany or France. READ THE STORY 09:14 – Spain said there were 1,122 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s caseload to 221,447. 08:53 – Indonesia reported 338 new coronavirus cases, total now at 12,776. 08:53 – Malaysia said there were 39 new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the cumulative total to 6,467 infections. 08:47 – The number of international tourist arrivals will plunge by 60 to 80 percent in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Tourism Organization said. 08:27 – The British government was reviewing lockdown measures introduced to combat the coronavirus outbreak, with a partial easing expected to be announced this weekend. READ THE STORY 07:52 – Oman confirmed 55 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 2,958 infected people. 07:34 – British economic output is set to crash 14 percent this year owing to the coronavirus, the Bank of England said as it left its interest rate at 0.1 percent. 06:54 – Japan plans to authorize the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients, the government said, with an eye to approving another medication Avigan this month. Above, people walk past an electronic quotation board displaying share prices of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on May 7, 2020. (AFP) 05:09 – The Philippine economy contracted for the first time in more than two decades during the first quarter, but officials warned that the worst was likely yet to come as the nation reels from the coronavirus pandemic. READ THE STORY 04:42 – Thailand reported three new coronavirus cases, no new deaths. 04:41 – Colombia has removed the contact-tracing feature in its official app for informing residents about the coronavirus after experiencing glitches, but aims to reintroduce it using potentially more reliable technology from Apple and Google. 04:12 – A cruise ship being investigated in Australia for sparking coronavirus infections has sailed into Philippine waters to bring Filipino crew members home. 04:05 – The United Nations issued a new appeal for $4.7 billion in funding to “protect millions of lives and stem the spread of coronavirus in fragile countries.” READ THE STORY 03:35 – The number of coronavirus infections rose to 52,952 in India, up by 3,561 over the previous day, the health ministry said, with no signs of it abating despite a strict weeks-long lockdown in the world’s second most populous country. 03:03 – Indians in the UAE have voiced skepticism about a ‘massive’ operation announced by New Delhi to bring home some of the hundreds of thousands of nationals stranded by coronavirus restrictions. 02:43 – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,284 to 166,091, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.