The Latest: Spain declares 10-day mourning period for dead

The Latest: Spain declares 10-day mourning period for dead

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The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

— Spain declares 10-day mourning period for for nearly 27,000 dead.

— WHO warns that 1st wave of pandemic not over; dampens hopes.

— Britain’s medicines agency authorizes use of remdesivir for COVID-19 patients.

— Kremlin spokesman positive for virus returns home from hospital.

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MADRID — The Spanish government is declaring a 10-day mourning period to pay tribute to nearly 27,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus.

Starting Wednesday until June 5, flags will be at half-mast in more than 14,000 public buildings across the nation as well as on the navy’s vessels, the government announced on Tuesday. King Felipe VI, as Spain’s head of state, will preside over a solemn ceremony to honor the dead once the country emerges from its strict lock-down rules.

The victims were “men and women whose lives have been suddenly cut short, leaving friends and family in great pain, both from the sudden loss and from the difficult circumstances in which it has occurred,” the Spanish government’s spokeswoman, Minister María Jesús Montero, said.

Opposition parties had criticized the left-wing coalition of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for not paying homage to the victims. Health officials on Monday corrected the pandemic’s official death toll, reducing 1,918 official deaths, saying some unconfirmed deaths had been erroneously counted.

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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II will take place on June 24.

“We will...

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