More than 957,000 dead
The pandemic has killed at least 957,948 people in the world since emerging in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Sunday based on official sources.
More than 30.8 million people have been infected.
The United States has the most deaths with 199,268, followed by Brazil with 136,532, India with 86,752, Mexico with 73,258 and Britain with 41,759.
UK imposes hefty fines
People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of the virus could face fines of up to £10,000 (MYR53,300) under tough new regulations to tackle a surge in cases.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that from September 28 people in England will be legally obliged to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to by the National Health Service (NHS) tracing programme.
'Belgium tops 100,000 cases'
Belgium passes the 100,000 mark of infections following a sharp increase in cases in recent weeks, according to figures from the research institute Sciensano.
The trend accelerated radically in the first half of September, reaching an average of 1,000 new daily infections during the week of September 9 to 15, according to the data.
'Italy votes, cases rise'
Italians cast their ballots in a referendum and regional elections, despite warnings against opening polling stations while Covid-19 case numbers are on the rise. Italy has fewer new cases than Britain, France or Spain but it is still recording more than 1,500 daily.
"The country is in a state of emergency; it is utterly contradictory to be massing people together at polling stations, particularly in light of the trend in Europe," Professor Massimo Galli, infectious diseases chief at Milan's Sacco hospital, said.
'Hollywood Covid-era awards'
The first major Covid-era award show for Hollywood takes place today with the Emmys – the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars – looking markedly different to previous editions, with no red carpet and a host broadcasting from an empty theatre in Los Angeles.
'Fewer US election monitors'
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors elections in many parts of the world, says it will only send a small team to observe the US polls in November due to the pandemic.
No short-term observers will be deployed to monitor the election on the day, Katya Andrusz, OSCE spokeswoman, said. The team for the elections on November 3 will consist of just 14 analysts and 30 long-term observers. – AFP
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