Germans protest virus restrictions

Berlin, May 10

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Police in Germany say dozens of people were detained at protests against the pandemic restrictions after some rallies turned violent on Saturday.

Berlin police said 86 persons were detained after bottles were thrown at officers during a demonstration on Alexanderplatz, a large central square in former East Berlin. One officer was injured, and another was injured in a separate incident in front of the Reichstag building where 45 persons were detained.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities were left worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country’s first weekend of eased restrictions. The new outbreaks — and the fears of a second wave of contagion — underscored the dangers authorities face as they try to reopen their economies. While Germany reported 215 new cases, more than 4.1 million people have been infected globally. —Agencies

Russia sees 11,012 cases in 1 day

Moscow: Russia’s count of coronavirus infections has climbed above 2,00,000 after its highest daily tally of new cases. Figures released on Sunday recorded 11,012 new cases of the virus for a total of 2,09,688, with 1,915 deaths. Russian officials say the sharp rise in numbers can be attributed to increased testing, at least in part. More than half the infection cases and deaths are recorded in Moscow, which will remain under a lockdown for the rest of the month.

More than 60k infected in Africa

Johannesburg: Africa has 62,673 confirmed cases, according to a tally from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Africa CDC says that all but one of the continent’s 54 countries, tiny Lesotho, has confirmed cases of the virus. South Africa has the most with more than 9,420 registered. The widespread shortage of testing capacity continues to be a challenge and means the true figures are likely to be much higher. Some countries are easing lockdowns even as cases rise.

Bangladesh death toll rises to 228

Dhaka: Bangladesh has reported 14 more deaths due to coronavirus and registered a record 887 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 14,657. Fourteen more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 228. Fresh cases were detected after examining 5,738 samples at 36 authorised laboratories across the country.

China reports 14 new cases

Beijing: China’s National Health Commission reported 14 new confirmed cases, the highest number since April 28 and up from only one case a day earlier, as per the data published on Sunday. Of the new cases, two were imported infections. The remaining 12 confirmed cases were locally transmitted, including 11 cases in the northeastern province of Jilin. Newly discovered asymptomatic cases were at 20, the highest since May 1.

The most-affected nations

• Nations: Deaths
• US:  80,186
• UK: 31,855
• Italy: 30,560
• Spain:  26,621
• France:  26,310