Paris (AFP)

Highlights, new measures, new reports: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

- "Exponential" growth in France -

The epidemic has resumed an "exponential" progression in France, with more than 7,000 new cases of infection recorded in 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health said Friday evening.

Since Friday morning, wearing a mask is compulsory in all the streets of Paris under penalty of a fine of 135 euros.

- Hungary will close its borders -

From September 1, "foreign citizens will no longer be allowed to enter the territory of Hungary. Hungarian citizens returning from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days or must present two negative tests," said the head of the Prime Minister's Office.

- Canada: borders closed -

Canada will extend until September 30 the closure of its international borders to foreigners, with the exception of certain Americans, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the government announced on Friday.

- Merkel expects a worsening -

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected the pandemic to develop "even more difficult" in the fall and winter. "We will have to live with this virus for a long time to come (...) The situation remains serious. Take it seriously".

- Record contraction of GDP -

The Canadian economy contracted 38.7% year-on-year in the second quarter, the statistics institute said.

In France, gross domestic product fell by 13.8% between April and June, confirmed Insee, which also measured a brake on inflation in August to 0.2% over one year.

- 18,000 layoffs at MGM Resorts -

The American casino giant MGM Resorts International, hit by the closure or drop in attendance, will lay off 18,000 employees in the United States who are already technically unemployed.

- More than 832,000 dead -

The pandemic has killed more than 832,000 people worldwide since the appearance of the virus at the end of December, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources Friday in the middle of the day.

More than 24.5 million cases of infection have been diagnosed.

The United States is the country most affected with 181,704 deaths. Brazil follows with 119,504 dead, Mexico (62,594), India (61,529) and the United Kingdom (41,477).

- Removal of the governor of Rio -

A Brazilian high court has ordered the impeachment of the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Witzel, suspected of corruption in his management of funds for the fight against the coronavirus.

- Argentina: prolonged confinement -

The Argentine government announced on Friday the extension of containment measures until September 20 as the country reports a record of infections with 11,717 new cases in the past 24 hours.

- Resale of used masks -

Indian police have uncovered illegal channels for the resale of used masks and surgical gloves sometimes recovered from hospital garbage cans.

Police in Navi Bombay, the twin city of Bombay (west), said they had seized 3.8 million single-use surgical gloves which had been washed, dried and wrapped ready for resale.

- Arrests -

Nearly 5,800 people suspected of committing criminal offenses related to Covid-19, such as fraud or even homicides, have been arrested in China since January, the national prosecutor's office said.

In Spain, police said they had arrested a man who claimed the pandemic was a trumped-up lie and incited on social media to attack politicians and institutions.

- An authorized anti-mask demonstration -

Snub for the city of Berlin: German justice has lifted a ban decreed by the municipality of the German capital on a demonstration of opponents to the wearing of masks and to measures against the epidemic planned for Saturday and widely supported by the far right.

burs-acm / am

© 2020 AFP