Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Putin warns global market rivalry rising amid coronavirus pandemic

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that international rivalry on global markets was rising because of a fall in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "Against the backdrop of falling global demand, the struggle for international markets for deliveries of fuel and raw material goods, food, and other products has intensified," Putin said at a government meeting broadcast on state television. Turkey says it is still delivering parts for U.S. F-35 jets

Turkey is still producing and delivering parts for U.S. F-35 jets despite being suspended from the program nearly a year ago over its purchase of a Russian anti-aircraft defense system, Defence Industry Director Ismail Demir said on Thursday. Washington announced last July, when the first Russian S-400 units arrived in Turkey, that it was suspending Ankara from the F-35 program and expected to "wind down" Turkey's involvement by March 2020. Spain steps gingerly towards normality, but Madrid and Barcelona may lag

Spain was weighing up further steps on Thursday to bring life back to normal as the coronavirus epidemic ebbed, but the capital Madrid and the city of Barcelona could remain under tight restrictions for the time being. Both cities and their surroundings have registered the highest number of coronavirus deaths and infections in Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the global pandemic. Detained American claims he plotted Maduro's capture in Venezuela TV statement

A former U.S. soldier captured in Venezuela said on Wednesday that he had been contracted by a Florida security firm to seize control of Caracas' airport and bring in a plane to fly President Nicolas Maduro to the United States. Venezuelan authorities on Monday arrested the man, Luke Denman, along with fellow U.S. citizen Airan Berry and 11 others, in what Maduro has called a failed plot coordinated with Washington to oust him. Gas leak at South Korea-owned factory in India kills 11, hundreds hospitalized

At least 11 people were killed in India in a gas leak at a South Korean-owned factory making polystyrene products that made hundreds of people sick and led to the evacuation of villagers living nearby, officials said. The accident occurred some 14 km (9 miles) inland from the east coast city of Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh state, at a plant operated by LG Polymers, a unit of South Korea's biggest petrochemical maker, LG Chem Ltd . Exclusive: Virus exposes gaping holes in Africa’s health systems

African nations are facing a surge of COVID-19 cases with less than one intensive care bed and one ventilator per 100,000 people, a Reuters survey has found. Even in a best-case scenario, the continent could need at least 10 times the number it has now as the outbreak peaks, an analysis of researchers' projections showed. 'What's the point of staying?': Gulf faces expatriate exodus

A popular Saudi talk show host told private businesses this week it was their national duty to lay off foreign rather than local employees, warning that the dominance of Saudi Arabia's workforce by expatriates was a "real danger". Khaled al-Oqaily's comments on his daily TV show encapsulated the dilemma faced by 35 million foreigners who form the Gulf's economic backbone: as firms shed jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price crash, and governments move to protect citizens' jobs and wages, should they stay or go? German officials warn coronavirus is far from over

German officials warned on Thursday that the coronavirus crisis is far from over despite the country slowly reopening its economy and trying to get life back to normal. Germany has reported more than 166,000 infections and more than 7,000 deaths but the European Union's most populous country has fared better than some of its peers due to early testing and distancing measures. UK will announce very limited easing of lockdown, PM Johnson's spokesman says

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a very limited easing of Britain's coronavirus lockdown next week, adopting a cautious approach to ensure there is no second peak of infections, his spokesman said on Thursday. Johnson is due to announce the next steps in Britain's battle to tackle the novel coronavirus on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current measures that have all but shut the economy and kept millions at home. China says it backs WHO in tracing COVID-19, denounces U.S. 'lies'

China said on Thursday it supports the World Health Organization (WHO) in trying to pinpoint the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and accused U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of telling one lie after another in his attacks on Beijing. The virus has killed more than 255,000 people worldwide, including more than 70,000 in the United States, the worst-affected country, since it was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.