Image: 123RF / KATERYNA KOM
AMERICAS
* Top White House officials downplayed the possibility of more coronavirus relief, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disparaged Trump for backing away from talks on a comprehensive deal.
* The Marine Corps said its No. 2 officer tested positive, the second senior military official to do so this week, while Bloomberg News reported a top White House security official, infected with the virus, has been hospitalised since September.
* Mexico reported 4,580 new cases on Wednesday, pushing its national tally to almost 800,000, while Brazil passed the mark of 5 million confirmed cases, and deaths approached 150,000 in the second most deadly coronavirus outbreak outside the US.
EUROPE
* A leading German health official warned that Europe's biggest economy could see 10,000 new cases per day unless people stick to hygiene and distancing rules.
* The British government is considering additional local restrictions for parts of northern England as the second wave accelerates, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said.
* Russia reported 11,493 new cases on Thursday, just short of the most confirmed in a single day during the pandemic.
* Poland reported a new record of 4,280 daily cases on Thursday as well as a new daily record of 76 deaths.
* Italy on Wednesday made it mandatory to wear face masks outdoors nationwide as new infections jumped to the highest daily tally since April.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Indonesia reported a record high 4,850 new cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 320,564.
* A South Korean man accused of lying to authorities about his job and whereabouts during a coronavirus tracing probe was sentenced to six months in prison.
* Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the economy was starting to pick up and was likely to continue recovering thanks in part to the boost from fiscal and monetary stimulus measures.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The coronavirus crisis is expected to drive a 3.3% contraction in sub-Saharan African economies and could push 40 million Africans into extreme poverty, the World Bank said on Thursday.
* Tunisia was expected to announce a curfew in the capital after the governors of four provinces that make up greater Tunis called for action to halt a surge in infections.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Gilead Sciences said it had agreed to sell Europe up to 500,0000 courses of its antiviral drug remdesivir, as the continent scrambles to shore up supplies of one of only two drugs approved to treat COVID-19 patients.
* India's drug regulator has knocked back a proposal from Dr Reddy's Laboratories to conduct a large study in the country to evaluate Russia's Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine and has asked it to first test the vaccine in a smaller trial.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* A gauge of Asian shares climbed to a one-month high on Thursday on renewed hopes for more US stimulus, while investors decided a key US political debate ahead of November elections had not altered the odds much.
* The European Central Bank is watching out for signs of a credit crunch as banks see their profits wiped out by the pandemic and brace for a wave of unpaid loans once government support schemes expire.
* German exports rose for the fourth month running and by more than expected in August, boosting hopes for a robust third quarter in Europe's largest economy after the coronavirus shock earlier in the year. — Reuters