JERUSALEM -- Benny Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival, was selected on Thursday as the parliament's speaker amid an emerging deal on a unity government with Netanyahu.

Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party, was backed by 74 lawmakers, while 18 lawmakers voted against him and 28 abstained, the spokesperson's office of the parliament, or Knesset, said in a statement. (Israel-Parliament)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. government on Thursday designated 20 individuals and companies based in Iran and Iraq, accusing them of supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and other Iranian-backed militias.

The Department of Treasury said in a statement that the designated individuals and entities provided support to or act on behalf of the IRGC-QF, as well as transferred lethal aid to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq such as Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH). (US-Sanctions-Iran)

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ROME -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 8,165 lives in locked-down Italy by Thursday, with the cumulative number of cases reaching 80,539, according to new data released by the Civil Protection Department.

Speaking during a nightly televised press conference, Agostino Miozzo, director of Civil Protection Department and coordinator of the Technical and Scientific Committee, confirmed that there are 4,492 new coronavirus infections compared to Wednesday, bringing the nationwide active infections to 62,013 cases. (Italy-Coronavirus-Tally)

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TEHRAN -- Iran on Thursday announced the implementation of a social distancing plan for one week starting Friday, official IRNA news agency reported.

The plan is aimed to reduce human contacts, stop holding gatherings and avoid unnecessary movements, as part of the country's efforts to contain a raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the plan, all the schools, universities, shopping centers, parks, swimming pools, and entertainment centers will be closed for the period. Besides, further limitations will be put on intercity travels by air, train and buses. (Iran-COVID-19)

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NEW YORK -- The United States reported 82,404 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 6 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday (2200 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has surpassed China to become the country with most COVID-19 cases in the world, according to the CSSE.

The nationwide tally grew over 10,000 cases in less than five hours. The state of New York has become the epicenter of the country's outbreak with 37,802 cases reported. New Jersey and California have reported 6,876 and 3,802 cases, respectively, according to the center. (US-COVID-19-Update) Enditem

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