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Live Updates: Total Number of COVID-19 Cases in the World Surpasses 59 Million

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Currently, people with a positive COVID-19 test result in the UK are required to stay home for 10 days, while their "close contacts" must stay home for two... 23.11.2020, Sputnik International

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A medical staff member works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are treated at the Melun-Senart hospital, near Paris, France, November 20, 2020 - Sputnik International

Live Updates: Total Number of COVID-19 Cases in the World Surpasses 59 Million

04:25 GMT 23.11.2020 (Updated: 15:23 GMT 28.05.2023)

Currently, people with a positive COVID-19 test result in the UK are required to stay home for 10 days, while their "close contacts" must stay home for two weeks. Repeated self-isolation is not excluded.

Stocks rose in their trading on Monday morning, after investors received encouraging news on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, which raised hopes the pandemic and its economic fallout will soon be dealt with.

In particular, economically-sensitive sectors including industrials and energy jumped more than 1.5%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 250.54 points, or 0.86%, at 29,514.02, the S&P 500 was up 18.96 points, or 0.53%, at 3,576.50, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 11.06 points, or 0.09%.

Global equity markets received a boost at the time the Swedish firm AstraZeneca Plc became the latest major drugmaker to say its COVID-19 vaccine could be on average around 70% effective after combined analysis from two dosing regimens. Yet, its shares fell 3.8% as some traders perceived the efficacy data as disappointing compared to AstraZeneca's rivals, Russia's Sputnik V and US' Pfizer vaccine, both of which showed over 90 % efficacy.

Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More.

Table of contents

02:11 GMT 24.11.2020

Latvian Prime Minister Announces Possible New Restrictions Due to COVID-19

01:19 GMT 24.11.2020

Mexico's Registered COVID-19 Death Toll Hits 101,900 Cases

01:10 GMT 24.11.2020

Quarantine Upon Arrival in England to Be Cut to 5 Days With Negative COVID-19 Test - DfT

01:07 GMT 24.11.2020

China Confirms 22 New COVID-19 Cases vs 11 Yesterday

01:05 GMT 24.11.2020

Morocco Plans to Offer Coronavirus Vaccine to At Least 80% of Population - Health Minister

00:47 GMT 24.11.2020

Belize’s PM Johnny Briceno Has Tested Positive for Coronavirus

00:13 GMT 24.11.2020

Total Number of COVID-19 Cases in the World Jumps by Over 1 Million in Two Days, Surpassing 59 Million - Johns Hopkins University

22:25 GMT 23.11.2020

Bangladesh Intends to Increase Fines for Absence of Face Masks Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

21:34 GMT 23.11.2020

16,207 New Cases of COVID-19 and 302 New Fatalities Confirmed, Brazilian Health Ministry Says

20:39 GMT 23.11.2020

Montenegro Tightens COVID-19 Curfew, Related Measures

20:38 GMT 23.11.2020

US to Begin Rollout of New COVID-19 Treatment on Tuesday - Health Secretary

20:08 GMT 23.11.2020

Spain's King Felipe VI in Self-Quarantine After Close Contact With COVID-19 Case

19:53 GMT 23.11.2020

UK’s Johnson Says There Will be No Compulsory Vaccination Against Coronavirus

19:45 GMT 23.11.2020

England Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty Says That Loosening of COVID-19 Rules Over Christmas Will Pose a Risk

19:36 GMT 23.11.2020

UK Aims to Inoculate People Most at Risk From Coronavirus by Easter, PM Johnson Says

19:02 GMT 23.11.2020

US Capital Re-Imposes Strict Coronavirus Measures, Limits Mass Gatherings

17:36 GMT 23.11.2020

China Vows COVID-19 Origins Field Trip, WHO Says

17:30 GMT 23.11.2020

England to See Shops, Gyms Reopen Under New COVID-19 Plan

17:26 GMT 23.11.2020

We Need to Wait to See Efficacy & Safety of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, WHO Chief Scientist Says

17:19 GMT 23.11.2020

UK Registers 15,450 New Coronavirus Cases

15:40 GMT 23.11.2020

Stocks Open Higher on Wall Street After Latest Vaccine News

15:32 GMT 23.11.2020

Italian Economy May Not Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels Until 2022, Industries Say

14:26 GMT 23.11.2020

Saudi Arabia to Offer Vaccines to All Residents for Free

14:04 GMT 23.11.2020

Venezuela Launches Direct Flights With Russia From 23 November, Aviation Agency Says

12:55 GMT 23.11.2020

US Screened More Than One Million Airline Passengers Sunday, Highest Number Since Mid-March

12:34 GMT 23.11.2020

AstraZeneca's Stock Price Down Despite Interim Report on COVID-19 Vaccine's Efficacy

12:08 GMT 23.11.2020

German Health Minister Expects COVID-19 Vaccination to Start in Mid-December

11:51 GMT 23.11.2020

Top Belgian Diplomat Returns to Work After Recovering From COVID-19

11:35 GMT 23.11.2020

Tougher Lockdown Measures Contributing to Fall in New COVID-19 Cases in Austria, Health Minister Says

11:22 GMT 23.11.2020

Zagreb to Test 50,000 People for COVID-19 in One Week for Free

11:05 GMT 23.11.2020

UNICEF Working With Partners to Ensure Air Delivery of 2Bln COVID-19 Vaccines in 2021

10:50 GMT 23.11.2020

UK to Make Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Decision in 'Shortest Time Possible', Medicine Regulator Vows

09:52 GMT 23.11.2020

Ukrainian President Zelensky, Who Had COVID-19, Says He's Now Tested Negative

09:46 GMT 23.11.2020

Russian President Putin Not Planning Meeting on COVID-19 With Moscow Mayor, Kremlin Says

09:36 GMT 23.11.2020

Palestinian Authority to Introduce Total Lockdown During Weekend Over COVID-19, Prime Minister Says

08:44 GMT 23.11.2020

Number of Coronavirus Cases in Indonesia Surpasses 500,000

08:40 GMT 23.11.2020

France's Danone to Cut Up to 2,000 Jobs Worldwide as Pandemic Damage Control

08:05 GMT 23.11.2020

Russian Vaccine Sputnik V to Start Phase 3 Trials in Mexico Once Registered, Ambassador Says

07:51 GMT 23.11.2020

Venezuela to Cancel Radical COVID-19 Quarantine From December, Maduro Says

07:50 GMT 23.11.2020

UK Prime Minister Johnson Hails Recent Information on Effectiveness of AstraZeneca Vaccine as 'Incredibly Exciting News'

07:42 GMT 23.11.2020

Russia Registers New Record of 25,173 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours, Response Centre Says

07:41 GMT 23.11.2020

UK Seeks to Reduce COVID-19 Self-Isolation Time, Health Secretary Says

07:19 GMT 23.11.2020

Norway Registers 406 New Cases in 24 Hours, Bringing Total to 32,755

07:18 GMT 23.11.2020

Sales of Erotic Items in Norway Spike During COVID-19 Pandemic

07:18 GMT 23.11.2020

AstraZeneca’s Chimpanzee Cold Virus Vaccine Against COVID Shows 70% Efficacy

07:02 GMT 23.11.2020

Gyms and Non-Essential Shops in All Areas Expected to be Allowed to Reopen When England's Lockdown Ends, Reports Say

07:00 GMT 23.11.2020

Former Assam State Chief Tarun Gogoi 'Very Critical' After Contracting COVID-19

06:49 GMT 23.11.2020

Toronto Enters COVID Lockdown

06:33 GMT 23.11.2020

S Korea Closes Night Clubs, Toughens Measures in Capital Area as COVID-19 Cases Spike, Reports Say

05:24 GMT 23.11.2020

Germany Registers 10,864 New COVID Cases, Bringing Total to 929,133

05:23 GMT 23.11.2020

India Records Over 44,000 New Coronavirus Cases

05:23 GMT 23.11.2020

Major COVID Study Ranks Sweden as Worst in Reducing Spread of Epidemic

New firstOld first

02:11 GMT 24.11.2020

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said new restrictions might be imposed to slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

"The situation is worsening. Hospitals are overloaded, the number of patients is growing, which means that hospitals increasingly need to restructure their work, postponing planned operations. It is necessary to look towards increasing restrictions," Karins said after a meeting of the council of coalition parties.

The Latvian cabinet and the Crisis Management Council will hold a joint meeting on Tuesday and decide on further actions.

An emergency situation regime is currently in effect in Latvia. Mass events are prohibited in the republic, the work of cafes and restaurants is limited, a mask regime has been introduced, schools and universities have been transferred to distance learning.

01:19 GMT 24.11.2020

01:10 GMT 24.11.2020

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wearing a protective mask, leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain October 21, 2020 - Sputnik International

Quarantine Upon Arrival in England to Be Cut to 5 Days With Negative COVID-19 Test

24 November 2020, 01:54 GMT

01:07 GMT 24.11.2020

01:05 GMT 24.11.2020

Morocco is rolling out a mass vaccination campaign that will span 12 weeks and will cover at least 80 percent of Moroccans, Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb said.

"The goal of the campaign is to preserve public health and to lessen the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic through reducing the number of coronavirus-related deaths," Ait Taleb said, as quoted by Morocco World News on Monday, adding that " the campaign will cover no less than 80% of Morocco’s residents with a safe and effective vaccine."

The health minister added that the vaccination campaign will begin "in a few weeks" and will span 12 weeks with all Moroccans aged 18 and over is eligible to get the vaccine, which will require two injections.

Priority will be given to the elderly, people with chronic medical conditions and frontline workers.

Morocco has over 327,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and the country’s COVID-19 death toll stands at nearly 5,400 according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.

00:47 GMT 24.11.2020

00:13 GMT 24.11.2020

The number of coronavirus cases confirmed all over the world has surpassed 59 million, just two days after the global COVID-19 case count reached the 58 million mark, according to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

As of 03:15 Moscow time on Tuesday (00:15 GMT) , there are 59,070,488 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. The global death toll from COVID-19 stands at 1,394,694. The number of recovered individuals stands at 37,691,380.

In the early hours of Sunday, Johns Hopkins data showed that there were 58,014,491 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, while the global death toll from COVID-19 stood at 1,378,866.

The United States, India and Brazil remain the top three countries in terms of the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases. France comes fourth and Russia is fifth.

The US has registered more than 12 million COVID-19 cases and has the largest COVID-19 death toll of all the countries in the world (more than 257,500).

22:25 GMT 23.11.2020

Due to the increase in the number of patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the authorities of Bangladesh intend to increase fines for the absence of face masks in public places, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said.

The cabinet secretary said that during a regular cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked everyone concerned to strictly comply with the requirements for the mandatory use of masks in accordance with the relevant government order, the official BSS news agency reported.

Islam urged officials to use a dual strategy - encouraging people to wear masks and enforcing stricter measures, such as increasing fines from the current 500 taka ($6) to 5,000 taka ($60).

Earlier, the country's authorities recommended wearing masks in public places and urged companies to refuse to provide services to those who do not wear protective equipment.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, about 450,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Bangladesh, and 6,416 people have died from the disease.

21:34 GMT 23.11.2020

20:38 GMT 23.11.2020

The Montenegrin National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases has extended the duration of the previously imposed curfew and reduced the working hours of cafes and restaurants as part of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the government said on Monday.

On November 13, Montenegro imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew until December 1, banning citizens from leaving home between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. (20:00 - 04:00 GMT). Working hours of shops, cafes and restaurants were also restricted until 8.00 p.m.

"Countrywide #COVID19 preventive measures starting on Wed, Nov 25: 1. Curfew 19:00 - 05:00 [18:00 - 04:00 GMT] 2. Grocery stores, hospitality businesses etc 07:00 - 18:00 3. Ban on inter-municipal movement at weekends 4. Max 4 persons together," the government wrote on Twitter.

The new set of rules will remain in effect until December 8.

So far, the Montenegrin health authorities reported a total of 31,618 coronavirus cases, including 444 deaths, of which 556 cases and five deaths were reported within the past 24 hours.

20:38 GMT 23.11.2020

The United States will begin distributing 30,000 doses of a new therapeutic against COVID-19 on Tuesday, US Health Secretary Alex Azar told reporters.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Regeneron’s investigational monoclonal antibody therapeutic cocktail – the experimental coronavirus treatment given to US President Donald Trump - on Saturday.

"Distribution will begin tomorrow," Azar said on Monday. "We expect to distribute about 30,000 doses of the Regeneron product tomorrow."

The health secretary added that he is expecting additional shipments within weeks.

The treatment is intended for COVID-19 patients over 12-years old experiencing mild to moderate symptoms but who are at risk of developing serious complications resulting in hospitalization and intensive care.

Medical experts said the hope is the drug stems the tide of hospitalizations, as the US remains mired in the second wave of the deadly pandemic.

Trump was treated with Regeneron’s experimental drug in October, after he tested positive for COVID-19.

20:08 GMT 23.11.2020

King Felipe VI of Spain will be isolated for 10 days after being in contact with a coronavirus-positive person, the Spanish TVE broadcaster reported on Monday.

According to the media outlet, Felipe VI came in contact with the infected person on Sunday. The head of state will observe a 10-day preventative quarantine as prescribed by the Spanish Health Ministry. All planned events with the king's participation have been suspended.

Queen Letizia as well as princesses Leonor and Sofia will carry on with their royal duties normally.

In September, the king's eldest daughter, Crown Princess Leonor, self-isolated for 15 days after one of her classmates had tested positive for the COVID-19. The princess later tested negative.

To date, Spain has registered over 1.5 million positive cases, including more than 43,000 deaths.

19:52 GMT 23.11.2020

19:45 GMT 23.11.2020

19:36 GMT 23.11.2020

19:01 GMT 23.11.2020

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued guidance to re-impose strict coronavirus measures, including new limits on mass gathering on Monday, as the number of infection cases in the region continue to grow significantly.

Washington, DC and neighbouring states of Maryland and Virginia have reported 5,039 residents that have tested positive for the coronavirus in past 24 hours.

The new measures will go in effect on Wednesday, November 25, a day before the Thanksgiving holiday.

"The limit for outdoor gatherings is reduced from 50 to 25 people. Indoor gatherings may not exceed ten people," the guidance said.

Houses or worship are exempt if they invite up to 50 people, but not more than 50 percent of their capacity, the guidance also said.

Restaurants may stay open until midnight but should end all indoor alcohol services by 10:00 p.m., while since December 14 they must limit maximum audience from 50 percent to 25 percent, the guidance added.

The local authorities said they "strongly encourage" non-essential businesses to continue teleworking.

17:35 GMT 23.11.2020

The World Health Organization has received an assurance from China that an investigative field trip aimed to find the origins of the coronavirus will be arranged as soon as possible, WHO emergency expert Mike Ryan said Monday.

The virus was first recorded in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the province of Hubei, last December, prompting US President Donald Trump to label it the "China plague", accuse the WHO of Beijing-biased, and even defund the organisation.

17:25 GMT 23.11.2020

Johnson told lawmakers on Monday that on 2 December the government will lift the stay-at-home instructions introduced early this month to rein in a new surge in COVID-19 rates .

Shops, gyms, leisure and personal care facilities will be allowed to reopen, and collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports will be able to resume.

Separately, fans will also be allowed back into stadiums for the first time since March.

17:23 GMT 23.11.2020

The WHO's chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, reffered to the results of the clinical trial of AstraZeneca's inoculation as "encouraging", suggesting they "look forward to seeing the data as we do with other promising results of recent weeks".

"We have to also encourage other developers," she later told a virtual briefing in Geneva.

"We need a variety of vaccines that will target different groups better, and different storage conditions and affordability is important to keep in mind," she went on to note.

17:18 GMT 23.11.2020

Another 15,450 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Britain, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,527,495, according to health authorities. The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 206 to 55,230, the data showed.

The death tally in the UK is the biggest among European countries to date.

15:38 GMT 23.11.2020

15:29 GMT 23.11.2020

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The Italian economy may not rebound to production levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic until 2022, the head of the national industrial federation Confindustria said Monday.

"There is a risk of postponing the recovery until 2022," Confindustria Director-General Francesca Mariotti told the national parliament.

She said that the projected increase in gross domestic output of 5 percentage points next year did not seem feasible. The economy is expected to shrink by an average of 12 points by the end of this year.

14:25 GMT 23.11.2020

Saudi Arabia's health ministry cited by state TV said Monday that COVID-19 vaccines will be free for all people living in the Kingdom.

The ministry said it hopes to have enough vaccines to cover 70% of the country's population by the end of 2021, TV channel Ekhbariya tweeted.

14:04 GMT 23.11.2020

12:53 GMT 23.11.2020

12:34 GMT 23.11.2020

Shares of UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca are down by almost 2 percent on Monday despite reports about the effectiveness of its vaccine against COVID-19.

As of 12:17 GMT, the company's shares are down by 1.60 percent.

The company is the third Western vaccine manufacturer that presented its phase 3 results, after Pfizer and Moderna, whose vaccines showed over a 90 percent effectiveness rate each. Meanwhile, Russian-made is said to have demonstrated 92 percent efficacy based on the first interim analysis that was obtained 21 days after volunteers received the first injection.

12:08 GMT 23.11.2020

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has told the RND media group that he expects the coronavirus vaccination to commence as early as mid-December.

“There is reason to be optimistic that a vaccine will be approved in Europe this year. And then we can immediately start vaccination. I have requested that the lands have vaccination centers ready for operation by mid-December. It seems that this will work," Spahn said in an interview out on Monday.

When asked whether it would take another year for the entire population to get vaccinated, the health chief noted it was hard to predict.

"However, many prospective vaccines do not require deep cooling. They can be administered at ordinary doctor's office. Then it will go quickly," he added.

According to the minister, if everything goes as planned, Germany will receive over 300 million vaccine doses.

"Even with two doses for vaccination, we would have enough for our own population, and we could share it with other countries. But … this is under the most favorable scenario. We do not know how each vaccine actually works. And we do not know yet how long the immunity lasts," Spahn said.

11:51 GMT 23.11.2020

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes on Monday announced that she has fully recovered from the coronavirus disease and resumed her duties.

"This Monday, I went back to work. These last few weeks have been testing, although I could still count on your many expressions of affection. Thank you. I leave this ordeal behind and focus on the challenges that lie ahead," Wilmes tweeted.

The minister got infected with the COVID-19 disease and spent a week in intensive care in late October.

11:35 GMT 23.11.2020

The Austrian government's decision to toughen social distancing measures in mid-November as part of efforts to curb the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to a reduction in transmission, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said on Monday.

Amid a surge in new cases, the Austrian government announced a strict lockdown to run from November 17 to December 6. On Monday, 3,145 new positive tests for the disease were announced, a significant drop from the 5,226 new cases registered on Sunday.

"The numbers are still concerning, but we can see that the measures are slowly taking effect," Anschober said at a press briefing, adding that "it all depends on the next two weeks."

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced the launch of a mass coronavirus disease testing program in December. The scheme is expected to begin in the first week of the month with the testing of all the country's teachers and police officers. It is envisioned that the entire population of Austria will be able to receive a test, should they volunteer, before Christmas.

11:22 GMT 23.11.2020

At least 50,000 citizens in Croatia's capital of Zagreb will be tested for the COVID-19 virus, the city administration said Monday.

The authorities specified that the testing for antigen will be free and last until Saturday.

"The main goal of the project is to test about 50,000 people as quickly as possible, primarily those citizens who have clinical symptoms of COVID-19, as well as those who have come into contact with confirmed infected people. Zagreb, together with the city's polyclinics, has identified 12 centers for rapid antigen testing," the city administration explained.

According to the latest data, Croatia has confirmed 3,308 new COVID-19 cases and 49 related fatalities over the 24 hours, bringing the total infection tally to 103,718 and the death toll to 1,353. The national government has toughened a set of restrictions to contain the surge, adding ban on public gatherings, closures of night clubs, casinos and bars, and the mandatory wearing of masks.

11:04 GMT 23.11.2020

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is conducting discussions with logistical and health partners to ensure the air delivery of 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 to low- and middle-income countries in 2021 as part of efforts coordinated by the COVAX Facility, according to a press release published on Monday.

"To kickstart preparations, UNICEF together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), briefed major global airlines last week on the expected capacity requirements and discussed ways to transport close to 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. This is in addition to the 1 billion syringes that need to be transported by sea-freight," the press release read.

According to UNICEF, more than 350 logistics partners took part in the discussions, and further work is set to be undertaken to identify potential gaps in supply chains.

The agency is set to coordinate the purchase and delivery of vaccines secured through the COVAX Facility to 92 low- and middle-income countries, according to the press release.

The COVAX Facility was established by the World Health Organization, Gavi vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to accelerate the development of vaccines against the coronavirus disease and ensure that all countries across the world have equal access.

10:48 GMT 23.11.2020

Britain medicine regulator said Monday it was set to make a final decision on Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate "in the shortest time possible", as soon as it receives exhaustive data about the novel inoculation.

"It is our job now to rigorously assess these data and the evidence submitted on the vaccine’s safety, quality and effectiveness," said June Raine, chief executive of Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

She went on to say that because "we have received this data through a rolling review", the watchdog has already kickstarted its analysis, promising that the decision will be made "without compromising the thoroughness of our review."

09:51 GMT 23.11.2020

09:45 GMT 23.11.2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains contact with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who also heads the State Council's coronavirus response group, but does not currently plan any bilateral meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"No, there are no such plans for the near future”, Peskov told reporters when asked if Putin plans a meeting with Sobyanin.

"On the other hand, Sergei Semyonovich [Sobyanin] heads a unit of the governmental response centre, he works with regions directly, this is why he certainly maintains constant contact with the president. If there is no meeting, this does not mean they do not communicate. They communicate all the time, every day”, Peskov specified.

Media reports have recently emerged about purported plans to meet to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the Russian capital.

09:35 GMT 23.11.2020

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Sputnik) – he prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammad Shtayyeh, on Monday announced the introduction of a complete nationwide lockdown from Friday until Sunday as part of anti-COVID-19 measures.

"By an order of President [Mahmoud] Abbas, it was decided to close all welfare facilities from Friday morning until Sunday in all provinces”, Shtayyeh said at the opening of a cabinet meeting.

Early in November, Abbas issued a decree extending the coronavirus-linked state of emergency for 30 days.

To date, the Palestinian Authority has confirmed 84,340 cases of the disease, with 71,096 recoveries and 714 fatalities, according to the state-run news agency WAFA.

08:43 GMT 23.11.2020

08:39 GMT 23.11.2020

Paris-based multinational food company Danone is set to slash about 2,000 jobs both at its headquarters in the French capital and abroad as part of its recovery strategy following the COVID-19 crisis, the company announced on Monday.

Danone said in a statement that its transformation plan "Local First" seeks to simplify the processes inside the company, including decision making, in particular, by granting power to local offices worldwide.

"This simplification and evolution in the role of our common functions will translate in reductions of around 1,500 to 2,000 positions in local and global headquarters, with up to 25% of current job positions for our global headquarters”, the statement read.

It added that the implementation of the plan will take into account "specific policies" designed by the company to combat the current health crisis.

Another pillar of the company's reshaping strategy includes the advance of digitisation and other sources of productivity. Danone expects the plan to return the company to profitable growth in the first half of 2021. In addition, the plan seeks to deliver a billion euros (over $1.187 billion) in savings by 2023, which the company plans to reinvest in its brands and its margins.

Notably, Danone said it had targeted its operating margin to return to over a 15 percent level by 2022 and achieve "3% to 5% profitable like-for-like revenue growth”.

Danone unveiled its ambition to reshape its structure last month following an improvement in sales in the third quarter, after the company had seen its operation affected by the coronavirus crisis.

08:05 GMT 23.11.2020

Russian coronavirus vaccine Gam-COVID-Vac, trade-named Sputnik V - Sputnik International

Russian Vaccine Sputnik V to Start Phase 3 Trials in Mexico Once Registered, Ambassador Says

23 November 2020, 08:57 GMT

07:51 GMT 23.11.2020

Venezuela will cancel its strict quarantine imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic starting December, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said.

"We are going into the 7 days of radical, conscious and voluntary quarantine... It is the last quarantine week of the year that prepares us for December's safe easing in certain economic sectors," Maduro said on his Twitter account on Sunday.

The Venezuelan government imposed what it called a "radical quarantine" in March after first COVID-19 cases were registered in the country. In June, the government implemented the 7+7 method which consists of seven days of open economic activity followed by seven days of strict self-isolation.

07:47 GMT 23.11.2020

07:41 GMT 23.11.2020

Russia has registered a new daily record of 25,173 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up from the 24,581 the day before, bringing the total to 2,114,502, the federal response centre said on Monday.

The previous record of 24,822 COVID-19 cases was registered on 21 November.

"In the past 24 hours, Russia has confirmed 25,173 COVID-19 cases in 85 regions, of which 5,917 (23.5 percent) were detected with people showing no clinical symptoms”, the response centre said, adding that the case count has reached 2,114,502.

Moscow recorded the highest single-day increase, with 6,866 COVID-19 cases, up from 6,575 the day before. The Russian capital was followed by St. Petersburg with 2,926 cases (up from 2,668 the day before) and the Moscow Region with 971 cases (up from 949 the day before).

The response centre reported 361 coronavirus fatalities, down from 401 the day before, raising the country's death toll to 36,540.

As many as 16,002 coronavirus patients were confirmed to have recovered, down from 18,008 the day before, bringing the total to 1,611,445.

07:37 GMT 23.11.2020

07:18 GMT 23.11.2020

Sales of Erotic Items in Norway Spike During COVID-19 Pandemic

23 November 2020, 07:10 GMT

07:17 GMT 23.11.2020

AstraZeneca’s Chimpanzee Cold Virus Vaccine Against COVID Shows 70% Efficacy

23 November 2020, 07:12 GMT

07:01 GMT 23.11.2020

06:59 GMT 23.11.2020

The health condition of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi deteriorated on Monday morning, and he is “very very critical”, Indian doctors said. He was put under invasive ventilation on Saturday night.

06:49 GMT 23.11.2020

Toronto, Canada's biggest city, has entered lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, as private indoor gatherings have been banned.

05:24 GMT 23.11.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Nightclubs in South Korea’s Seoul capital area will be banned and restaurants ordered to shut down earlier as authorities toughen social distancing guidelines amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, Yonhap reported.

According to the news agency, authorities have increased the distancing guideline to Level 2 just days after imposing Level 1.5, as new daily infection rates have surpassed 300 over the past five days.

Under the new guidelines, restaurants will be forced to shut down at 9 p.m. while gathering will be limited to 100 people at most, the agency reported.

The Level 2 guidelines, the third-highest in a five-tier scale, also place a number of dynamic restrictions on sporting event attendance and indoor cafes.

The measures only apply to the capital Seoul and parts of the surrounding Gyeonggi region, which have consistently proven epicenters of transmissions in the country.

South Korea was the first country outside China to experience an outbreak of COVID-19 in February but, as most East Asian nations, relied on its experience with the SARS outbreak at the beginning of the century to avoid explosive outbreaks with some success.

The country now has over 31,000 cases, with 509 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak.

05:23 GMT 23.11.2020

05:22 GMT 23.11.2020