(Reuters) – The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to rise on Thursday, after the World Health Organization said the global case count would reach 1 million and the death toll 50,000 in the next few days and economic pain deepened with another record week of jobless claims in the United States.

DEATHS, INFECTIONS

** More than 954,000 people have been infected across the world and over 48,300 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

** For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

** U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

EUROPE

** Italy’s daily death toll on Wednesday was the lowest in six days, but the overall number of new infections grew and the government extended its national lockdown.

** Britain’s prime minister promised to ramp up testing, as a poll said more than a half of Britons think the government was too slow to order a lockdown.

** 570 people have died in nursing homes in France’s eastern region, suggesting the national death toll could be far higher than thought.

** Switzerland’s government said it was still far too early to relax measures.

** Spain’s death toll exceeded 10,000 on Thursday after a record 950 people died overnight, but health officials noted a slowdown in proportional daily increases in infections and deaths.

** The separatist government of Spain’s Catalonia region asked the national military for assistance.

** Portugal extended its state of emergency by another 15 days.

** Greece has quarantined a migrant camp after 20 asylum seekers tested positive, its first such facility hit since the outbreak.

** Russia’s medical equipment delivery to the United States drew anger from critics at home who pointed out severe shortages at home.

AMERICAS

** A record 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, and another four states told residents to stay at home – orders which now affect more than 80% of Americans in 39 states.

** The presidents of United States and Brazil discussed cooperation as Brazil’s health minister warned that infection rates and lack of medical supplies were a big concern.

** Brazil confirmed its first indigenous coronavirus case deep in the Amazon rainforest.

** Colombian health workers took to the streets of Bogota to show support for colleagues and protest what they say are salary delays amid the pandemic.

** Mexico’s president urged companies to keep paying workers or face public scorn, even as criticism of his economic management grows.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

** Mainland China logged fewer new infections on Thursday, but measures restricting movement were tightened in some areas due to a fear of more imported cases.

** India will pull out of a three-week lockdown in phases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as officials battle to contain the country’s biggest cluster of infections in New Delhi.

** Facing calls to declare a state of emergency, Japan’s prime minister was derided on social media for instead offering people cloth masks, pointing to growing frustration with his handling of the crisis.

** Indonesia’s coronavirus death toll rose to 170 on Thursday, passing South Korea as the country with the highest number of recorded fatalities in Asia after China.

** WHO expects the number of cases in Malaysia to peak in mid-April, saying there are signs of a flattening of the infection curve.

** Singapore suffered its fourth death on Thursday, a day after it reported a record number of new cases that took its total to 1,000.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

** The United Nations and Western allies are pointing to coronavirus to push Yemen’s combatants to agree to fresh talks to end a war that has left millions vulnerable to disease.

** Hackers linked to the Iranian government have attempted to break into the personal email accounts of staff at the World Health Organization, sources told Reuters.

** Turkey’s tourism minister said he expected flights to return to normal by the end of June, as the country planned to step up measures if the virus keeps spreading and people ignore “voluntary” quarantine rules.

** A United Nations agency has negotiated a humanitarian corridor to keep food aid flowing in southern Africa after most countries shut borders.

** Zambia recorded its first death.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

** World equity markets hovered between small gains and losses Thursday, as the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to rise and economic pain deepened with another record week of jobless claims in the United States. [MKTS/GLOB]

** World food prices fell sharply in March, hit by a drop in demand and a plunge in global oil prices, the United Nations food agency said.

** Global financial regulators said they are in talks with governments to allow key staff at financial firms to work on site to keep markets open.

** The economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to undermine NATO defence targets as governments move closer to spending goals only by virtue of shrinking economies.

** The European Commission proposed measures to protect the EU economy, including a short-time work scheme and easier access to funds for farmers and fishermen. It also apologised to Italy for a lack of solidarity but promised greater help with the economic fallout.

** The European Central Bank has delayed its overarching strategy review by six months until mid-2021.

** Luxembourg, the EU’s largest investment hub, has tightened disclosure rules in the face of market volatility and asked funds to disclose whenever client demand to exit exceeds 10% of total assets.

** Spain has shed 900,000 jobs since it went into lockdown, a drop documented over less than three weeks.

Compiled by Sarah Morland, Milla Nissi, Aditya Soni and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, William Maclean, Sriraj Kalluvila.