Coronavirus deaths have surged past 1,50,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the U.S., where President Donald Trump lent his support to protesters rallying against lockdown orders. Also read | Mexican President says Trump promised 1,000 ventilatorsMeanwhile, many of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians are preparing to mark Easter without attending church services. China sharply raised its death toll to 4,636 on Friday after adding another 1,290 fatalities for the city of Wuhan, where the respiratory disease first emerged late last year. Also read | Global death toll crosses 154,000Some small shops will be allowed to reopen Monday, and some children will return to school within weeks. But Spain, where the death toll topped 20,000 on Saturday, has extended its strict lockdown, while Japan, Britain and Mexico have all expanded their current movement restrictions.

Source: The Hindu April 18, 2020 17:15 UTC