China has accused the United States of smearing Beijing and shirking responsibilities to the World Health Organization (WHO), after President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the UN health body.

Unemployment claims in Britain jumped by 69 percent last month as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and hit the labour market.

The WHO chief has promised an independent review of the global pandemic response, after countries at a virtual meeting of the World Health Assembly called for a probe.

The US has set aside $11bn to ramp up coronavirus testing as the country reopens.

Globally, there have been more than 4.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 318,500 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 1.8 million people have recovered.