FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus

More than 3.7 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 258,186 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 1648 GMT on Wednesday. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. EUROPE * The European Union is backing calls for a timely review of the international response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization's performance, according to the draft of a resolution for ministers to debate at the WHO. * Deaths in Italy climbed by 369 on Wednesday, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new infections also rose by 1,444. * Spain has extended the state of emergency imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people's movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown. * In France, data from the INSEE statistics office shows a nationwide increase in deaths at home, particularly pronounced in some of the low-income suburbs ringing central Paris. * Germany's confirmed cases increased by 947 to 164,807, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Wednesday. * The United Kingdom has drawn up a three-stage plan to ease the lockdown that was first imposed at the end of March, The Times newspaper said. * Russia plans to ease its restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus in three stages, officials said on Wednesday. * Russian soldiers and medical workers providing coronavirus assistance in Italy will start returning to Russia from Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported, as the number of new cases in Russia rose by more than 10,000 for the fourth consecutive day. * Russia's culture minister tested positive, becoming the third confirmed cabinet member to catch the disease, the TASS news agency reported. * Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will open their borders to each others' citizens from May 15, creating a Baltic "travel bubble" within the European Union. AMERICAS * U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would announce new members of his coronavirus task force by Monday, as its focus turns to medical treatments and easing restrictions on businesses and social life. * Death toll in Canada rose by about 5% to 4,111 on Wednesday, official data posted by the public health agency showed.

* Colombia's mandatory quarantine will be extended by a further two weeks, its president said, although additional sectors will be allowed to start returning to work. * The Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) will loan Argentina $4 billion to help finance projects to combat the growing coronavirus impact. Confirmed cases topped 5,000 on Tuesday, though they remain far below the level of large neighbouring countries Chile, Brazil and Peru. * Confirmed cases in Peru have now exceeded 50,000. ASIA-PACIFIC * China will expand its funding if needed to support the United Nations initiative to speed up development of vaccines and treatment for COVID-19, the foreign ministry said. * Singapore's health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 788 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state's tally to 20,198. * Hundreds of Indian police have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, raising alarm among an over-stretched force as it attempts to enforce the world's largest lockdown to contain the pandemic. * India's eastern Chhattisgarh state's chief minister has accused federal government-run NMDC Ltd NMDC.NS of diverting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) money owed to the state to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's coronavirus fund, according to a letter seen by Reuters. * COVID-19 has set Indonesia's poverty eradication efforts back by a decade, its finance minister said after regional elections were postponed. * Australia will have a COVID-19-safe economy up and running by July, its prime minister said as his government seeks to get one million unemployed people working again. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Turkey said it has brought the coronavirus outbreak under control, two months after it first erupted across the country, and will set out new social guidelines and business practices to prevent any resurgence. * Shops and industrial enterprises in Bahrain can open from Thursday while restaurants will stay closed to in-house diners, the Health Ministry said, as the Gulf state eases restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. * The World Bank will grant $7 million to Zimbabwe to help it fight the new coronavirus pandemic that is expected to worsen an already struggling economy and food crisis, a bank spokesman said on Wednesday. * Yemen on Wednesday reported the first three cases of the novel coronavirus in the southern province of Lahaj, one of whom has died, and another infection in the southern port of Aden.

* Uganda's president has called on international creditors to cancel all of Africa's debts to ease the economic distress caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. ECONOMIC FALLOUT * Global shares struggled on Wednesday as weak economic data, doubts about the easing of coronavirus lockdowns and simmering U.S.-China tensions cast a pall over markets. * Investment firms must take particular care to treat their customers fairly as trading by less experienced retail investors surges in volatile markets, the European Union's securities watchdog said. * Italy's public debt is set to rise to nearly 160% of gross domestic product this year as the economy shrinks due to the crisis, the EU executive estimated. * India's services activity suffered a shock collapse in April as the lockdown crippled global demand, causing a historic spike in layoffs and reinforcing fears of a deep recession in Asia's third-largest economy, a private survey showed. * South African private sector activity fell to a new record low in April, a business survey showed, as company closures due to lockdown led to a collapse in demand. (Compiled by Sarah Morland, Uttaresh.V and Vinay Dwivedi; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Tomasz Janowski, Anil D'Silva and Mark Heinrich)