A worker walks along an empty street during the first day of the nighttime curfew set as part of a state of emergency in an effort to control the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in downtown Ronda, southern Spain, late October 25, 2020. (REUTERS File Photo)
Reuters
European governments prepared on Tuesday to introduce new restrictions to try to curb a growing surge of coronavirus infections across the continent and provide economic balm to help businesses survive the pandemic.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser.
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
EUROPE
* Poland's prime minister called for an end to days of nationwide protests over a near-total ban on abortion, saying those attending were disregarding "massive risks" from the resurgent pandemic.
* France should prepare for "difficult decisions" on new curbs, its interior minister said, a day after the country reported its highest number of COVID-19 patients going into hospital since April.
* German ministers called for targeted, temporary curbs to slow exponentially growing infections, and predicted 20,000 new daily cases at end of the week.
* Russia ordered bars and restaurants to close overnight, RIA news agency reported.
* Less than half of Britons trust news organisations as a source for COVID-19 information, the Reuters Institute said.
AMERICAS
* Fear of the novel coronavirus has cast some Americans as litigants in an unprecedented wave of court battles over voting procedures.
* U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the Senate's confirmation of his third Supreme Court nominee, a month after a similar event preceded a coronavirus outbreak among top Republicans including Trump.
* Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday it would be easier and cheaper to invest in a cure for COVID-19 rather than a vaccine, a sign he is increasingly positioning himself against inoculation programmes.
* The South American Football Confederation is making plans to hold next year's Copa America in stadiums filled with fans if a vaccine is found in time, a senior member said.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Hong Kong will reopen public beaches and relax restrictions on bars and restaurants starting Friday.
* Australia's Victoria state, the epicentre of COVID-19 infections, said it had gone 48 hours without detecting any new cases for the first time in over seven months.
* India's finance minister will meet the premier on Tuesday and could discuss likely steps for stimulus, ET Now reported.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Parts of Yemen are seeing their highest levels of acute malnutrition in children, a U.N. report said, worsened by the pandemic, economic decline, floods, escalating conflict and significant underfunding of this year's aid response.
* A massive $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique is on track to produce its first cargo in 2024 despite coronavirus pandemic disruptions globally, an executive said.
* Dubai airport, the world's busiest for international travel before the crisis, could see passenger traffic fall as much 70% this year, its CEO said.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* South Korea's drug ministry is reviewing whether to fast-track approval of AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate, Yonhap news agency reported.
* European countries are looking at buying millions of COVID-19 rapid tests mostly from Roche and Abbott, as production is stretched by a surge in infections.
* Antibodies against the coronavirus declined rapidly in the British population over summer, a study found, suggesting protection after infection may not be long lasting.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* European equities fell in early Tuesday trading as risk-aversion swept markets, with a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatening the global economic recovery and caution ahead of U.S. elections on Nov. 3. [MKTS/GLOB]
* Spain plans to raise taxes on large companies and wealthy people to fund increased spending on social care and infrastructure as part of its 2021 budget, the government said.
