Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. immigration officials evaluate vulnerable detainees for possible release amid pandemic

U.S. immigration officials said on Tuesday they are considering releasing some detainees at high risk for coronavirus infection as detainees and workers have tested positive for the resulting COVID-19 illness. In an email sent to lawmakers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that it had instructed its offices around the country to consider the release of detainees with an increased risk of contracting the deadly respiratory disease. Among those whose cases are being reviewed are pregnant women and detainees ages 60 and older, according to the agency.

Brazil says China will help ensure medical supplies for coronavirus

Brazil's Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said he spoke to China's ambassador to Brazil on Tuesday and the embassy will help ensure fulfillment of Chinese medical supplies to fight coronavirus. Mandetta told reporters that Brazil faces a "serious problem" when it comes to availability of ventilators as confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus rose to 13,717 in the country, with deaths rising to 667, the first time fatalities have exceeded 100 in 24 hours.

Coronavirus takes deadly toll on Canada's nursing homes

With deaths in nursing homes making up almost half of Canada’s coronavirus deaths, provinces are taking control of their workforces, boosting care workers' wages and redeploying health inspectors from hospitals to curb the virus’ spread among seniors. In one Ontario home, more than a third of residents, 27 people, have died since March 25 and more than half its staff have tested positive for the coronavirus as a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) hit workers.

France is fourth country to pass 10,000 coronavirus deaths

France has officially registered more than 10,000 deaths from coronavirus infections, making it the fourth country to cross that threshold after Italy, Spain and the United States. The rate of increase in the number of fatalities also rose on Tuesday for the second consecutive day, official figures showed.

Australia's parliament set to pass huge stimulus plan

Australia's parliament will return on Wednesday in a slimmed down version to pass an emergency A$130 billion ($80 billion) stimulus package as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the country's economy. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Wednesday would become "one of the most important days in the history of the Australian parliament, as we come together across the political divide to save millions of Australian jobs".

Ecuador's former president found guilty of corruption

An Ecuadorian court sentenced former president Rafael Correa on Tuesday to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption charges. Correa, who was in office from 2007 to 2017, left Ecuador three years ago and now lives in Belgium. He and 19 others, including his vice president who is in prison for another corruption case, were accused of accepting $7.5 million in bribes in exchange for public contracts to finance his party's electoral campaigns between 2012 and 2016.

UK PM Johnson, battling coronavirus, set for second night in intensive care

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to spend a second night in intensive care on Tuesday to help his fight against a coronavirus infection, as his designated deputy said he would pull through because "he's a fighter". Johnson is receiving oxygen support but is stable, in good spirits and breathing without assistance, said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in Johnson, adding that he had not needed mechanical ventilation.

In apparent swipe at China, Pompeo calls for transparency in coronavirus fight

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday urged all countries to be transparent and honest as they grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, a thinly veiled swipe at China, which reported no deaths from the illness for the first time since the outbreak began. Separately, a senior Trump administration official urged China to allow the United States to work directly with laboratories in the city of Wuhan, where the virus originated late last year, saying this was critical to saving lives globally.

Venezuelan migrants quarantined in crowded shelters as they return home

Thousands of Venezuelan migrants who have returned to their country this month amid the coronavirus epidemic have been ordered into quarantine in makeshift shelters along the border, according to officials and rights activists. Last week, Venezuelans who had fled the country's economic collapse began returning home as neighboring Colombia restricted economic activity to prevent the continued spread of the virus, leaving many migrants without money to buy food or pay rent.

North Korea testing, quarantining for COVID-19, still says no cases: WHO representative

North Korea, one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday. The WHO, which said it had been receiving "weekly updates" from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang.