The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a total of $18 billion so far to help dozens of countries bear the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson said on Thursday. “Since roughly the beginning of April until May 6th, yesterday, we have approved financing for 50 countries under these emergency facilities,” Gerry Rice, the head of the IMF communications department, said at a virtual press briefing.

The president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, once again proposed to postpone fasting for a number of professions, as well as farmers and agrarians, while appealing to fictional fatwas. The corresponding appeal was published on his official website before the start of Ramadan.

On the 5th of May, the media reported that the UN Humanitarian Chief, Mark Lowcock, warned that the number of people starving to death could double by the end of the year due to the economic fallout of the management of the coronavirus pandemic by governments across the world.

On the 30th of April in the capital of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk Region, the city of Yekaterinburg, Russia was carried out the so-called "counter-terrorist operation regime (CTO)" - NAC reports. According to the official version, the decision on the operation was made after receiving operational information.