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Spain has broken another unenviable record in the fight against COVID-19, with its death toll surpassing that of China, where the virus is believed to have originated.
This comes as almost half a million Britons apply for universal credit, while a British judge has denied Julian Assange's bail after his legal team argued that coronavirus warranted his release.
Meanwhile in Russia, the virus has delayed a national vote on extending Vladimir Putin's presidential reign as local doctors warn his country is facing an Italian-style coronavirus wave.
This story is being updated regularly throughout the day. You can also stay informed with the latest episode of the Coronacast podcast.
Thursday's key moments
Spain overtakes China with COVID-19 deaths
Spain has registered a 24-hour jump of 738 deaths from COVID-19, pushing the death toll above that of China for the first time.
With 3,434 fatalities in total, Spain now has the second-highest number of deaths globally after Italy's 6,820.
The pressures in the country have seen a Madrid skating rink turned into a makeshift morgue, while the Spanish military has found elderly Spaniards dead or abandoned in aged care homes.
Spanish medical staff, who themselves account for thousands of infected cases, have launched legal proceedings against the Government over the lack of basic protective equipment like masks, scrubs and gloves.
The Spanish army has asked NATO for ventilators, protective gear and testing kits, Armed Forces Chief Miguel Villarroya said on Wednesday.
Spain is on Day 11 of a 15-day nationwide lockdown that is likely to be extended to 30 days. Schools, bars, restaurants and most shops are shuttered. Social gatherings are banned. People are confined to their homes.
"We have achieved a near total reduction in social contact," health emergency chief Fernando Simon told a news conference, adding that Spain was nearing the peak of the epidemic.
The number of Spain's coronavirus cases have increased by a fifth to 47,610.
What the experts are saying about coronavirus:
Coronavirus not enough to bail Assange
An application by Julian Assange's lawyers to have the WikiLeaks co-founder released on bail due to the coronavirus pandemic has been rejected by a judge in London.
His lawyers told Westminster Magistrates Court the 48-year-old should be released as he was at a high-risk of contracting COVID-19 if he remained in prison.
"As matters stand today, this global pandemic does not as of itself provide grounds for Mr Assange's release," Judge Vanessa Baraitser told the court.
The judge said Assange's past conduct showed he was still a flight risk, referring to the fact he skipped bail in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Assange is currently being held at Belmarsh Prison as he fights extradition to the United States over criminal charges relating to the release of classified US Government documents.
Your questions on coronavirus answered:
Half a million Britons seek universal credit
Nearly half a million people in Britain have filed welfare benefit claims in the past nine days, a sign of how the Johnson Government's shutdown of much of the economy is hitting incomes.
Peter Schofield, the top civil servant at the Department for Work and Pensions, told MPs that 477,000 claims for universal credit benefits had been registered since Monday of last week.
Therese Coffey, Britain's work and pensions minister, said it was not clear how many of the people filing claims were self-employed, for whom the Government has yet to announce wage support measures similar to those for employed people.
"I want to assure people that help, even if it is not currently the level of help that they would like, is there to help them, through the safety net of the welfare state," Ms Coffey said.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions was not immediately able to provide further details on the figures.
Coronavirus rains on Putin's tilt for extended reign
Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed a nationwide vote on proposed constitutional amendments that include a change that would allow him to seek another term in power.
If Mr Putin, as critics expect, opts to run again for president in 2024, the new rules would allow the 67-year-old former KGB officer to stay in power until 2036.
Mr Putin didn't set a new date for the plebiscite originally set for April 22, and said a new date would depend on how the coronavirus pandemic develops.
Russian authorities reported 163 more virus cases in the country since the day before, bringing the national total to 658 on Wednesday.
Russia's low case numbers have triggered alarm, given its size and shared border with China.
Denis Protsenko, chief doctor of the top Moscow hospital treating COVID-19 patients, echoed the mayor's sentiment and later told Putin that Russia needed to "prepare for the Italian scenario".
Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak
State-by-state numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases
There have been 2,430 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia. The latest update was at 6:49 PM AEDT on Wednesday, March 25.
- NSW: 1,029
- Victoria: 466
- Queensland: 443
- Western Australia: 205
- South Australia: 197
- ACT: 44
- Tasmania: 41
- NT: 5
ABC/wires
Topics: covid-19, respiratory-diseases, emergency-planning, health-policy, australia, russian-federation, united-kingdom, spain