More than 1.47 million people have been reported infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and 87,760 have died as of 02:00 GMT.
Italy may start lifting some restrictions by the end of April provided the slowing trend continues, its prime minister told the BBC on Thursday, but the easing can only be gradual.
Spain’s number of daily coronavirus deaths slowed on Thursday after two days of increases as 683 people succumbed in 24 hours, taking the total to 15,238, the health ministry said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a third night in intensive care but is improving as his government prepares to review its most stringent shut down in the peacetime history.
The fallout from the coronavirus could push around half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam said on Thursday.
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has a new $10 billion COVID-19 response plan to assist member states in fighting the pandemic.
The Facility entails $5.5 billion for sovereign operations in African Development Bank countries, and $3.1 billion for sovereign and regional operations for countries under the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional arm that caters to fragile countries. An additional $1.35 billion will be devoted to private sector operations.
“These are extraordinary times, and we must take bold and decisive actions to save and protect millions of lives in Africa. We are in a race to save lives. No country will be left behind.” AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina said.
Two weeks ago, the Bank launched a record-breaking $3 billion Fight COVID-19 Social Bond, the world’s largest US dollar-denominated social bond ever on the international capital market. Last week, the Board of Directors also approved a $2 million grant for the World Health Organization for its efforts on the continent.
Oil prices rose Today on expectations the world’s leading crude producers will overcome obstacles at a meeting later in the day that have so far prevented a deal to cut output in response to a collapse in global demand.
Brent crude LCOc1 futures were up 1.9%, or 62 cents, at $33.46 a barrel by 11:40 GMT after hitting a high of $34.83 early in the session.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures were up 3.2%, or 80 cents, at $25.89 a barrel, after earlier hitting a session high of $27.46 a barrel.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia – a group known as OPEC+ – are set to hold a video conference Today at about 1400 GMT.
The Embassy of Libya in London announced that 31 Libyans have tested positive for Coronavirus, among which 11 children, 8 women, and 12 men, including 6 doctors, 7 of whom have already begun their treatment in the hospital.
In its statement, the Embassy stated that two cases died from Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Yesterday, the British Health Ministry reported that the number of deaths from the pandemic in Britain rose to 938, bringing the total to 7097.
Gold prices held steady on Wednesday as investors awaited the release of minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, which is expected to provide further clues on stimulus measures amid rapid surge in coronavirus cases.
Spot gold were little changed at $1,648.43 per ounce by 17:30 GMT, having hit a near one-month high on Tuesday at $1,671.40. U.S. gold futures settled flat at $1,684.30.
Elsewhere, palladium rose 0.1% to $2,176.79 an ounce, while platinum fell 1.3% to $724.08.
Silver shed 0.7% to $14.89 an ounce, having touched a more than three-week high in the previous session.
Libya’s internationally recognised prime minister Fayez Al-Serraj on Wednesday said Central Bank of Libya governor Sadiq Al-Kabir was to blame for the recent non-payment of salaries to state workers and the non-issuance of letters of credit.
Friction between Serraj and Kabir threatens to undermine the Tripoli government as it fends off a military assault, deals with a blockade of its main oil exports, and prepares to handle a coronavirus outbreak.
Serraj said on al-Rasmiya television channel that he had “tried to avoid a war of words with the Central Bank of Libya, but things have really crossed all lines”.
He said the bank had to hold a board meeting, something that would bring together directors from across the divide of Libya’s conflict, in order to discuss changes he said Kabir seeks in the exchange rate.
Analysts say a meeting of the board, which has more members aligned with the east than with Tripoli, could provide eastern authorities with a chance to try to achieve their long-standing goal of having Kabir replaced.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohamed Al-Qiblawi said that the ministry is continuing to discharge its duties towards the Libyan citizens stranded abroad, adding that they are awaiting a decision from the Anti-Coronavirus Supreme Committee to act and bring Libyans home.
He also stressed that the ministry suggested many ideas to face this issue, among which conducting checkups and analyses for Libyan travelers before their arrival.
For instance, those who test positive will be isolated in hotels allocated for housing Coronavirus patients.
During today’s meeting with the Foreign Minister Abdul Hadi Al-Haweij, the Prime Minister of Interim Government in Eastern Libya Abdullah Al-Thini discussed the conditions of the Libyan citizens stranded abroad under Coronavirus circumstances.
This step is one of the successive measures taken by Al-Haweij to fight and prevent the epidemic in Libya, in coordination with the Anti-Coronavirus Supreme Committee.
Al-Thini stressed that the government will provide all the Libyan citizens stranded abroad with accommodation and other different services until this crisis ends.
The meeting discussed how to activate previously signed health agreements with some countries, as well as the necessity of addressing the Security Council.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page, Libya’s Tripoli-based Ministry of Interior condemned cutting off Tripoli and its suburbs’ water, classifying this act as a war crime.
In an official statement, the ministry accused the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of cutting off water from the capital and its suburbs, describing it as a “violation of human rights, domestic and international laws.”
The statement called on the international and human rights organizations to document this crime and to follow up its perpetrators, according to the mechanisms of the international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions in Libya.
It said that cutting off water supplies amid the measures aimed to limit the spread of Coronavirus in the country could endanger the lives of families and children and could cause a humanitarian disaster, adding that such measures necessitate every single service including water.
Cuts to Tripoli’s water and power supply on Tuesday and Wednesday aggravated conditions for civilians after days of intensified fighting that have undermined preparations to cope with the novel coronavirus.
The Tripoli based Central Bank of Libya (CBL) announced in its latest statistical bulletin today that Libya’s oil revenues totalled 1.9 billion dinars ($1.3 billion) in the first quarter of the year.
The CBL stressed that it provided all the money requested by the Ministry of Health as well as the Medical Supply Organization in support of its anti-Coronavirus efforts, adding that it paid this year’s salaries for January, February and March.
The CBL emphasized that the stoppage of oil production and export during the first quarter of 2020 has led to direct losses of more than US$ 4 billion amidst the collapse of oil prices in the international market.
The total oil revenues received at the Central Bank of Libya for the above period reached 4.771 billion LYD, of which 2.871 billion LYD for oil exported during the month of December 2019, and 1.900 billion LYD the resultant of the total oil export during the first quarter of 2020.
Telecommunications revenues were at 228 million LYD, and they represent the revenues due for the year 2019.
Revenues from the hard currency levy were at 6.110 billion LYD, among which a total of 525 million LYD were allocated to finance the expenses of part III of the financial arrangements during the first quarter of 2020.
The bank alerted to the low amounts of non-oil sovereign revenues, calling on the relevant parties to improve their collection measures.
The statement declared that 169 million LYD were spent on subsidies for medical supplies, 850 million LYD on fuel, and 57 million LYD were spent on subsidies for water and sewage.
Total foreign exchange payments amounted to 4.267 billion USD, of Which 2.775 billion USD spent to finance the accounts of commercial banks including 79 million LYDfor the household head’s provision, 1.263 billion USD for trade finance, 1.433 billion USD for personal transfers for studying abroad and medical treatment, salaries of expatriates, insurance, aviation, as well as payment of personal purposes for the citizens.
1.492 billion USD for government transfers, including497 million USD spent on foreign litigation expenses and foreign transfers for the Finance Ministry, 768 million USD for the National Oil Corporation covering fuel subsidies and other NOC expenses, and 245 million USD to cover the letters of credit for other public bodies.
