Many children between 11 and 15 years old are among the dead.

India reported on Saturday a record high 4,187 coronavirus deaths as pressure mounts on the government to impose a nationwide lockdown.

The Olympic Games, which were scheduled to take place in 2020 but were postponed due to the pandemic, will kick off on July 23.

"This is a terrifying moment for women in Afghanistan," writes Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch. "The April 14 announcement that US troops will leave Afghanistan before September 11 has created a new level of fear in a country already devastated by 40 years of war."

A half marathon was held on Wednesday in Japan, as Olympics organisers hoped to show COVID-19 safety measures would ensure a safe running of the games this summer.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has missed a midnight deadline for putting together a new coalition government.

The body of an employee at the Swiss embassy in Iran was found at the foot of a building in northern Tehran after a "fall", authorities said.

India confirmed more than 20 million coronavirus infections on Tuesday in an official total believed to be a vast undercount.