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  Last update: 04:56 GMT 08.04.2020

  04:56 GMT 08.04.2020

  World

  COVID-19 Live Updates: New York Sees Highest Single-Day Death Toll With 779 New Fatalities - Cuomo

  The pandemic continues to spread and is now closing in on 1,500,000 infected globally. Many countries have introduced severe social distancing measures and closed their borders to curb the disease outbreaks and ease pressure on their healthcare services.

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  Last update: 15:50 GMT 08.04.2020

  15:50 GMT 08.04.2020

  Middle East

  Israel Inks $25 Mln Deal With China to Buy Advanced Equipment for COVID-19 Testing - Report

  On Tuesday evening, the Israeli Health Ministry reported 9,248 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, with the death toll climbing to 65.

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  Last update: 18:40 GMT 08.04.2020

  18:40 GMT 08.04.2020

  Europe

  European Union's Chief Scientist Resigns Over Bloc's Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

  Mauro Ferrari was appointed as the head of the European Research Council (ERC) on 1 January. The agency said that Ferrari had "displayed a lack of engagement" by failing to participate at important meetings and not defending the organisation’s programmes.

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  Last update: 16:10 GMT 08.04.2020

  16:10 GMT 08.04.2020

  Sport

  Cristiano Ronaldo Shows Off His Sprinting Skills in Coronavirus Lockdown Training

  The 35-year-old Juventus star regularly updates his multi-million army of followers on Instagram on how he keeps fit, while Italy’s Serie A, and pretty much the rest of the world, has been put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  Last update: 16:17 GMT 08.04.2020

  16:17 GMT 08.04.2020

  Society

  Users Say Snapchat is Down or Not Working - Reports

  The multimedia messaging application, which is used globally, appears to be experiencing technical difficulties in the United States and some European countries amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to DownDetector.

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  Last update: 16:26 GMT 08.04.2020

  16:26 GMT 08.04.2020

  Europe

  Future of EU in Jeopardy Over Lack of Financial Response to COVID-19 Crunch, Spanish Ministers Warn

  EU financial bodies are currently engaged in negotiations over the monetary and fiscal response to the economic woes brought about by the persisting health crisis, as longstanding economic networks have been disrupted and many businesses shut down.

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  Last update: 14:27 GMT 08.04.2020

  14:27 GMT 08.04.2020

  Viral

  'My Loneliness is Saving Me': Britney Spears Conquers Fans With COVID-19 Meme Promoting Self-Isolation

  The pop star has been quite active on her social media since the coronavirus outbreak. Recently, the singer urged her fans to write “virtual love letters” to their dearest ones during these troubled times and took part in the #DoYourPart challenge, offering financial help to people who have been affected by the outbreak.

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  Last update: 13:25 GMT 08.04.2020

  13:25 GMT 08.04.2020

  Business

  World Trade May Decline by 32% in 2020 Due to Coronavirus Pandemic - WTO

  WASHINGTON, April 8 (Sputnik) - World trade could decrease by as much as 32 percent this year as a result of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said in a new report on Wednesday.