Francis stood under a canopy erected on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica while leading a special prayer service as rain soaked the usually crowded cobblestone square.
The US State Department said it is providing $2.9 million to help India prepare labs, activate case finding and event-based surveillance, and support technical experts for preparedness.
"The coronavirus outbreak has inflicted an unprecedented shock on financial markets and economic activity, with policymakers struggling to avert a longer-lasting downturn," Fitch said.
Spain, which has recorded more coronavirus deaths than any other country except Italy, said the national death toll had increased overnight by 769 to 4,858, a rise of around 19%.
The new coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 25,000 people, with Europe accounting for most of the deaths.
Lights spelt out 'Merci', French for ‘Thank you, and 'Stay at home' in English on Friday night in support for health workers as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb.
There have been 100,717 cases including 1,544 deaths as of 6:00 pm Eastern time (3:30 am IST). The biggest cluster by far is in New York, home to almost half the cases, overwhelming the hospital system.
The US President issued orders for General Motors to produce ventilators for coronavirus patients under the Defense Production Act as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the country.
Andrew Cuomo also took an apparent swipe at US President Donald Trump's claim that New York was exaggerating its needs for resources to fight the outbreak.
The season endings of three major CW dramas, Supernatural, The Flash and Legacies, out of which the former is coming to an end, has been pushed back due to incomplete production amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.
Actress Shilpa Shetty took to Instagram to post a video of sweeping her garden and penned a note saying that she was grateful for the efforts of house helpers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked India's 1.3 billion people to stay indoors for three weeks in the world's biggest lockdown, shutting down Asia's third-largest economy and leaving millions of economically vulnerable people without work.
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