Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
More than 774,000 deaths
PARIS: The pandemic has killed at least 774,832 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.
More than 21.9 million cases have been registered.
The United States has recorded the most deaths with 170,497, followed by Brazil with 108,536, Mexico with 57,023, India with 51,797 and Britain with 41,369.
Vaccine hopes
Australia says it has reached a deal with Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to manufacture the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with Oxford University, and will offer free doses to the entire population.
Iran says it will wait for the World Health Organisation’s approval before buying a coronavirus vaccine unveiled last week by Russia.
And Pakistan regulators approve final-phase testing of a Chinese-made vaccine against the coronavirus, in the country’s first ever clinical trial of its kind.
Lebanon back under lockdown
Lebanese authorities announce a new lockdown and an overnight curfew to rein in a spike in coronavirus infections.
The new measures will come into effect on Friday and last just over two weeks, the interior ministry says, adding that they will not affect the clean-up and aid effort following the devastating August 4 Beirut port blast.
Montenegro postpones school year
The Balkan state of Montenegro says it will postpone the start of the school year by one month due to the “uncertain” status of the pandemic, after a summer of rising coronavirus infections.
M&S axes 7,000 jobs
Marks and Spencer, the British food and clothes retailer, says it will cut around 7,000 jobs, to be implemented over the next three months. The losses will include from its central support centre, in regional management and across its UK stores.
Seoul surge
South Korea orders nightclubs, museums and buffet restaurants closed and bans large gatherings in and around the capital amid a burst of new cases, mostly linked to Protestant churches.
Authorities report 246 new infections, the fifth consecutive day of triple-digit increases after several weeks with numbers generally in the 30s and 40s.
University goes remote
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the largest universities in the US to reopen for on-campus learning, announces it will switch to entirely virtual classes for its nearly 20,000 students, after dozens test positive for the virus in the first week back at school.
French football dampener
The Ligue 1 season opener for France’s top-flight football is postponed after three more people at Marseille test positive for the virus. The club’s match against Saint Etienne scheduled to take place Friday and marking the kick off for the season will now be played in September.
New York’s MoMA returns
The Museum of Modern Art in New York will reopen on August 27, the institution announces, after a five-month shutdown. Entry will be free for the first month, but face masks will be mandatory, there will be timed ticketing with staggered entry and just 25 percent capacity. – AFP
