World News Roundup: U.S. Pentagon chief criticizes China; Trump says U.S. investigating whether virus came from Wuhan lab and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Mixed blessing for some, as South Africa shelters homeless in schools, stadiums

South Africa, like many nations, has long viewed homelessness as an inevitable fact of modern life, but the coronavirus epidemic is offering an unexpected chance to give those on the streets a roof over their heads. Thousands are being housed in sports stadiums, schools and other locked-down public spaces, partly to try to stop them contracting or spreading COVID-19, and the government says it wants to ensure they don't slip back though the cracks once the outbreak ends.

For struggling Venezuelans in quarantine, an opportunity in delivery services

Delivery services have become one of the few employment opportunities for Venezuelans living under a coronavirus quarantine in a country already struggling with a recession, hyperinflation and fuel shortages. From merchants who once sold goods in shops to former taxi drivers who no longer have passengers, citizens desperate to put food on their tables are now delivering everything from meat and vegetables, to dog food and home decoration items.

Europe coronavirus cases reach almost 1 million, coming weeks 'critical': WHO

Europe is in eye of the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of cases nearing a million, and should move with extreme caution when considering easing lockdowns, the World Health Organization's regional director said on Thursday. "Case numbers across the region continue to climb. In the past 10 days, the number of cases reported in Europe has nearly doubled to close to 1 million," the WHO's European director, Hans Kluge, told reporters in an online briefing.

U.S. Pentagon chief criticizes China as misleading, opaque on coronavirus

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday he believes China's leaders have been misleading and opaque about the coronavirus outbreak that originated there and does not trust that they are being truthful even now. Continuing the Trump administration's criticism of China's handling of the virus outbreak, Esper told NBC's "Today" show he finds it difficult to believe information from the Chinese Communist Party.

How coronavirus hitched a ride through China

As residents of China's Wuhan began leaving for the first time last week, a Reuters analysis of official statements, data and residents' accounts reveals how the coronavirus took hold and spread to more than 25 areas of the country before a Jan. 23 lockdown of the city.

Why are some South Koreans who recovered from the coronavirus testing positive again?

South Korean health officials are investigating several possible explanations for a small but growing number of recovered coronavirus patients who later test positive for the virus again. Among the main possibilities are re-infection, a relapse, or inconsistent tests, experts say.

'Too early' to lift UK lockdown but coronavirus outbreak peaking, minister says

The United Kingdom's novel coronavirus outbreak is starting to peak but it is too early to lift the lockdown because the virus would "run rampant" if the government eased social distancing measures, health minister Matt Hancock said on Thursday. The United Kingdom has the fifth highest official death toll from COVID-19 in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France, though the figure only covers hospital fatalities and the real number is probably much higher.

Trump says U.S. investigating whether virus came from Wuhan lab

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his government is trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated from a lab in Wuhan, China, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing "needs to come clean" on what they know. The source of the virus remains a mystery. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday that U.S. intelligence indicates that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally, as opposed to being created in a laboratory in China, but there is no certainty either way.

Spanish deaths from coronavirus exceed 19,000

Spain on Thursday reported a rise in its national toll of deaths from the coronavirus in the past day, but figures from the region of Catalonia indicated the real total so far could be several thousand more. The number of people infected also rose, although health emergency chief Fernando Simon said this was due to increased testing and that most concerned people with mild or no symptoms.

Drones, time-slots give Albania's virus lockdown a hi-tech edge

Buzzing overhead, the police drone warns shoppers in Tirana that curfew is approaching and they need to go home, having run checks through the day to make sure no one runs past their allotted 90-minute windows for outside activities. Albania has taken a hi-tech approach to monitor a coronavirus lockdown in place since March 15, co-opting drones that were previously used to detect cannabis fields and speeding cars.