Around the world...

CORONAVIRUS has now infected about five million people across the world and killed more than 328,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates from around the world:

lebanon

Lebanon’s prime minister has warned of a major food crisis in the Mediterranean country which is facing an unprecedented economic and financial crisis made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab also warned of eventual “starvation” in the Middle East that he said may spark a new migration flow to Europe.

He urged the United States and the European Union to establish a dedicated emergency fund to help the conflict-prone region.

Lebanon, one of the most indebted nations in the world, defaulted for the first time in March on its sovereign debt.

Anti-government protests that erupted in October over widespread corruption subsided during a nationwide lockdown since mid-March to blunt the spread of the coronavirus, but sporadic protests continue.

Mr Diab’s government is seeking a rescue programme from the International Monetary Fund while grappling to deal with the financial crisis that saw the local currency crash, people’s savings devastated and prices and inflation soar in the past few weeks.

In a stark warning, Mr Diab said many Lebanese people may soon find it difficult to even afford bread.

spain

The top official in charge of easing Spain’s lockdown has said the country will only reopen to foreign tourists in July, once safety for both locals and visitors can be guaranteed.

Wary of the competition from other Mediterranean countries already reopening borders, hoteliers and officials in touristmagnet islands and coastal regions have been pressing Spanish central authorities to relax curbs in place to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

But environment and energy minister Teresa Ribera said that an early massive opening to visitors would be “irresponsible”.

“Our idea is to work on safe origins and destinations thinking on July rather on June,” she said.

She added that rebounds of the outbreak in China, South Korea and Singapore have been associated to imported infections.

CHINA is convening its biggest political gathering of the year and US President Donald Trump has said he is considering meeting world leaders in June, as doubts simmer over how safe is safe enough with the pandemic still not under control.

From meatpacking plants in Colorado to garment factories in Bangladesh, workers are concerned about risks they face as they return to work after shutdowns.

The safety questions apply even at the highest levels of the political spectrum.

Mr Trump tweeted that having leaders of the G7 fly in next month for a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland would be a “great sign to all” of things returning to normal.

In March, the president cancelled the meeting because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying leaders would confer by video conference instead.

The District of Columbia remains under stay-at-home orders at least until June 8, though Maryland began relaxing the restrictions last week.

At the same time, leaders of the G7 member nations are in some cases still