World News Roundup: SoftBank CEO Son says will donate 300 million masks per month to Japan; UK's Johnson making "very good progress" in COVID-19 recovery and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

SoftBank CEO Son says will donate 300 million masks per month to Japan

SoftBank Group Corp CEO Masayoshi Son said he has secured a monthly supply of 300 million face masks for Japan from May after reaching a deal with Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD Co Ltd, which has also started producing masks. SoftBank will donate two different kinds of mask, initially for medical staff, in cooperation with the Japanese government's "mask team", set up to tackle shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak, Son said on Twitter.

UK's Johnson making "very good progress" in COVID-19 recovery

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making very good progress in his recovery from COVID-19, his office said on Saturday, as his health minister said the peak of the outbreak in Britain had not yet been reached. The death toll in British hospitals from the virus has reached almost 9,000, with 980 more deaths reported on Friday. That figure exceeded the deadliest day so far in Italy, which has been the country with the most fatalities so far.

Spain's overnight coronavirus death toll at 510, lowest in 19 days

Spain's daily coronavirus death toll fell for the third day in a row on Saturday after 510 fatalities were reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said in a statement, marking the smallest overnight increase since March 23. Total fatalities from the virus rose to 16,353, from 15,843 on Friday, the ministry said, while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 161,852 from 157,022.

Swiss coronavirus death toll rises to 831

The Swiss death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 831, the country's public health ministry said on Friday, rising from 805 people on Friday. The number of positive tests also increased to 24,900 from 24,308 on Friday, it said.

India to extend nationwide lockdown to tackle coronavirus - state minister

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to extend a nationwide lockdown to tackle the spread of the coronavirus, the chief minister of Delhi state said on Saturday, without disclosing how long the extension would be for. Earlier in the day, Modi held a video conference call with several state ministers to decide on the future course as the current 21-day lockdown ends on Tuesday.

Coronavirus spreads at major Kazakh oilfield's worker camp

Twelve people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at one of the worker camps located next to the giant Tengiz oilfield in Kazakhstan, its operator Tengizchevroil said on Saturday. The Chevron-led group, the central Asian nation's No.1 oil producer, said critical activities in Tengiz had not been impacted and production was continuing as normal.

Rouhani urges Iranians to respect health protocols as coronavirus curbs ease

President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians to respect health protocols to guard against the new coronavirus as "low-risk" economic activities resumed in most of the country on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported. So-called low-risk businesses will resume across the country from Saturday with the exception of the capital Tehran, where they will restart from April 18. Iran is the Middle Eastern country worst-affected by the highly infectious COVID-19 respiratory disease.

Coronavirus keeps relics of Jesus's friend Lazarus behind closed doors

Eight days before Orthodox Easter each year, a casket containing remains of Jesus's friend Lazarus is carried through the streets of the Cypriot town of Larnaca, believed by many Christians to be the saint's second resting place. Only this year, Lazarus's remains are staying inside a stone church in the town due to the coronavirus outbreak and a strict lockdown on the Mediterranean island, which has reported 595 cases of the virus and 10 deaths.

WHO says looking into reports of some COVID patients testing positive again

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was looking into reports of some COVID-19 patients testing positive again after initially testing negative for the disease while being considered for discharge. South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been "reactivated" rather than the patients being re-infected.

China reports rise in coronavirus cases, most from abroad

China reported on Saturday a rise in new coronavirus infections, mostly in travelers arriving from abroad, as doctors in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus initially emerged, warned its behavior was still not well-understood. Tough curbs imposed in China since January have reined in infections sharply since the height of the pandemic in February, although it has spread worldwide to infect 1.6 million people with 100,000 deaths.