World News Roundup: Spain reports 6,600 new coronavirus cases; Polish new virus constraints will not influence election: PM and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. could become 'coronavirus epicenter', UK locks down, Olympics on hold

The United States could become the global epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as Britain went into lockdown and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics looked like being postponed by a year. But the Chinese province of Hubei, where the virus was first identified in December, said it would lift travel restrictions on people leaving the region as the epidemic there eases.

U.S. newspapers call on China to reverse expulsion of journalists

Publishers of three U.S. newspapers urged China on Tuesday to reverse the expulsion of a about a dozen of their journalists, calling the move "uniquely damaging and reckless" at a time when the world is sharing the burden of fighting the coronavirus. China announced on March 18 it was revoking the press accreditations of all American journalists in the China bureaus of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, which were due to expire at the end of 2020.

Italian coronavirus cases likely '10 times higher than reported'

The number of cases of coronavirus in Italy is probably 10 times higher than the official tally of almost 64,000, the head of the agency that is collating the data said on Tuesday. Latest figures show 6,077 people have died from the infection in barely a month, making Italy the worst-affected country in the world, with close to double the number of fatalities in China, where the virus emerged last year.

Spain reports 6,600 new coronavirus cases overnight, over 500 dead

The number of new coronavirus cases in Spain jumped on Tuesday to 39,673 from 33,089 cases registered on Monday, the health ministry reported on Tuesday. The number of fatalities rose to 2,696 overnight from 2,182, the ministry said.

First hearse arrives at Spain's makeshift ice-rink morgue as coronavirus toll mounts

The first hearse arrived on Tuesday at Madrid's ice rink, hastily transformed into a makeshift mortuary as Spanish authorities scrambled to deal with a rising death toll from the coronavirus. Spain is Europe's second-worst hit country after Italy, with 2,696 deaths and nearly 40,000 confirmed cases after 6,600 cases and more than 500 deaths were reported overnight, the sharpest daily increase since the start of the crisis.

A Brazilian woman caught coronavirus on vacation. Her maid is now dead

Last Monday, housekeeper Cleonice Gonçalves suddenly fell ill while working at an apartment in Leblon, an exclusive neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro tucked between the mountains and the city's famous beachfront. Her family called a taxi for the 63-year-old when they learned of her condition. It took Gonçalves two hours of traveling through twisting switchbacks to reach her home in the small town of Miguel Pereira, deep in the mountains. At around 6 p.m., she checked into the town's local hospital, complaining of difficulty urinating.

As Bolsonaro flouts warnings, coronavirus spreads in Brazil

Augusto Heleno, a national security advisor to Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, treated Tuesday, March 17 much like any other workday. The 72-year-old former Army general attended cabinet meetings in the capital of Brasília, embraced colleagues and visited the cafeteria in the presidential palace, according to people familiar with his activities. But there was an unusual piece of business pending: He was awaiting the results of a coronavirus test.

France eyes 'shadow army' of fruit pickers as coronavirus bites

France appealed on Tuesday to workers laid off by the coronavirus crisis to help farmers pick fruit and vegetables that will otherwise be left to rot in the fields due to a shortage of seasonal workers. Farmers forecast a nationwide shortage of around 200,000 farm laborers over the harvest period as tight border restrictions imposed to help curb the spread of coronavirus make it much harder to recruit from outside France.

Polish new virus constraints will not influence election: PM

New constraints that are being introduced in Poland due to coronavirus will not influence the presidential election scheduled for May 10, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday.

'Can you hear me?' Video conferencing complicates EU coordination

The European Union's decision-making process is being sorely tested by video conferencing during the coronavirus pandemic, EU officials say, with one calling it a "catastrophe". A virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday was punctuated by technical problems, speakers who were unsure if they could be heard and a lack of translators.