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FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

15 Jul 2020 / 06:18 H.

    (Updates with fresh developments)

    July 14 (Reuters) - Alabama, Florida and North Carolina in the United States reported record daily increases in deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, while the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy will recover more slowly than expected.

    DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

    * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

    * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

    * Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and a summary of developments.

    EUROPE

    * France will make it compulsory for people to wear masks in shops and other enclosed public spaces from next month.

    * Spain's populous Catalonia region made a fresh attempt to put an area of 160,000 people under lockdown to stem the latest local coronavirus surge.

    * Belgium, which has reined in the coronavirus after becoming the worst-hit mid-sized country in the world, reported no new coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours for the first time since March 10.

    AMERICAS

    * U.S. educators from California to Wisconsin are opting for online learning rather than a return to classrooms when the school year begins in a few weeks.

    * Canada said it would make it easier for foreign students to study online from abroad and to qualify for a work permit after graduation amid strict border closures.

    * Mexico proposed to the United States an extension to a ban on non-essential travel by land over their shared border for another 30 days.

    ASIA-PACIFIC * Australian states tightened restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the country's southeast.

    * Indian drugmaker Lupin Ltd has shut one of its manufacturing plants in the Gujarat state after employees at the site tested positive for COVID-19.

    MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

    * Egypt has started offering reusable cotton face masks at around 50 cents each alongside the food items provided in its state subsidy programme.

    * Afghanistan faces "catastrophe" as growing COVID-19 cases stretch a health infrastructure already severely weakened by decades of war, the Afghan Red Crescent Society said.

    MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

    * Moderna Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study.

    * Life sciences company IQVIA Holdings Inc said it would collaborate with AstraZeneca Plc to speed up clinical studies of the British drugmaker's potential COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

    ECONOMIC FALLOUT

    * Global equity markets rebounded, buoyed by a surge in cyclical stocks on Wall Street as investors bet the economic recovery would overcome a rollback of California's reopening.

    * Three of the largest U.S. banks set aside a whopping $28 billion for loan losses, in a stark reminder that much of the economic pain from the coronavirus pandemic is still to come.

    * Britain's economy stumbled out of its coronavirus-induced slump in May, dashing hopes of a swift rebound as government budget forecasters said it was on course for its worst year since pre-industrial times.

    * Economic activity in Brazil began to grow again in monthly terms in May, after two sharp consecutive declines in March and April.

    * China's imports in June rose for the first time since the coronavirus crisis paralysed the economy, as government stimulus stoked demand for commodities, while exports, fuelled by medical goods, also rose.

    * Singapore's trade-reliant economy plunged into recession in the second quarter with a record contraction, signalling a rough first half globally and an equally challenging outlook.

    (Compiled by Ramakrishnan M, Anita Kobylinska, Linda Pasquini; Edited by Tomasz Janowski/Keith Weir/Arun Koyyur)

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