Paris (AFP)

New assessments, new measures, highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.

- Over a million cases in Brazil -

Brazil surpassed the milestone of one million cases of coronavirus contaminations on Friday, only crossed previously by the United States, a sign that the epidemic is still uncontrolled in the largest country in Latin America.

The new global epicenter of the pandemic, Brazil records 1,032,913 contaminations after a record 54,771 new cases in one day, announced the Ministry of Health.

The country will cross in the coming days the cap of 50,000 dead, after 48,954 deaths on Friday following the inclusion of 1,206 additional deaths in 24 hours.

These data make Brazil the second country in the world where Covid-19 kills the most and contaminates the most - almost four months after the first case - behind the United States, which has exceeded 2 million cases and deplores nearly 119,000 dead, with 705 new deaths Friday in 24 hours.

- More than 20,000 dead in Mexico -

The toll of the Covid-19 epidemic in Mexico has exceeded the threshold of 20,000 dead, the government announced on Friday, which also reported more than 5,000 new cases of contamination in one day.

Authorities have registered an additional 647 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the pandemic in Mexico to 20,394.

In one day, 5,030 new cases of contamination were identified, bringing the total to 170,485 in the country.

- The world in a "dangerous phase" -

The world has entered a "dangerous phase" as countries that had implemented containment measures or restrictions on mobility reopen, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

"The virus continues to spread rapidly, it remains deadly and most people remain exposed," said an official with the organization.

- Italy: calls for "caution" -

Italian health officials have called for "caution" after last week observing "red flags linked to the transmission" of Covid-19, particularly in Rome, indicating that "the circulation of the virus is still significant".

- More than 457,000 dead -

The pandemic has killed more than 457,000 people worldwide since China officially reported the onset of the disease in December, AFP reported from official sources at 7:00 p.m. GMT and overnight from Friday to Saturday.

The United States is the most affected country, with more than 119,000 deaths, followed by Brazil (48,954), the United Kingdom (42,461), Italy (34,561) and France (29,617).

- EU: virtual summit on recovery -

European leaders have started a race against the clock to reach an agreement before the end of July on a massive recovery plan, despite the profound differences noted during a first round table conference.

- Resumption of flights -

Cyprus has further relaxed entry restrictions on its territory, allowing from Saturday the arrival of travelers from France, Italy and Spain, as well as neighboring Lebanon. The country is now open to flights from 30 countries.

An Air France plane from Paris landed in Shanghai on Friday, marking the company's timid resumption of flights to China after a five-month hiatus.

- Deconfinement -

Cinemas and casinos in France will reopen on Monday, the government announced on the night of Friday to Saturday, adding that the stadiums will once again welcome the public from July 11 with a maximum of 5,000 spectators.

Morocco announced on Friday a further relaxation of restrictive measures in force since mid-March to fight the coronavirus pandemic, despite a sharp increase in the number of cases in the past 24 hours.

The Irish Prime Minister has announced that his government will once again speed up the deconfinement process. Places of worship or leisure, gyms, cinemas and hairdressers can reopen on June 29.

In Switzerland, gatherings of up to a thousand people will be allowed under certain conditions from Monday.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian government has announced that tighter confinement will have to be imposed in part of the country, as the spread of the new coronavirus has accelerated since the lifting of many restrictions.

- Beijing inspects imported food -

China has announced that it has launched an inspection campaign for imported food after the recent re-emergence of the new coronavirus in Beijing, with experts noting similarities with European strains of the virus.

© 2020 AFP