United Nations (United States) (AFP)

Japan has affirmed its willingness to host the Olympic Games in 2021 "as proof of humanity's victory over the" coronavirus pandemic, which continues to progress and has infected 7 million people in the United States.

New health measures have been decided in several countries such as Spain, Russia, Israel or France, where the imposition by Paris of particularly strict provisions arouses incomprehension and anger in the region of Marseille (south).

Speaking to the virtual United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded video message, the new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday proclaimed Japan's determination to host the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.

"The summer of next year, Japan is determined to host the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as proof of humanity's victory over the pandemic," Suga said.

- With or without vaccine -

For now, the pandemic continues to progress, with varying rates depending on the continent.

In Europe, 5,128,975 positive cases have been identified, of which 228,459 were fatal.

Worldwide, the toll of the pandemic is approaching one million deaths, with 985,707 deaths recorded since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP on Friday at 18:00 GMT.

Asked at a press conference in Geneva on the possibility that the final death toll from Covid-19 could reach two million, an official from the World Health Organization did not exclude it.

"If we don't do everything possible, the number you are talking about is not only conceivable but unfortunately very likely," replied Michael Ryan, WHO Director of Emergencies.

- Slight acceleration in Europe -

The pandemic accelerated slightly this week, with 295,000 new cases recorded per day worldwide, 3% more than the previous week.

It is in Europe that the rate of contamination is accelerating the most (+ 22% compared to the previous week).

In the United States, the most heavily affected country on the planet, the epidemic is stagnating, but at a high level, and the number of contaminations exceeded 7 million on Friday.

More than 203,500 people have died from the coronavirus in the United States since February, according to the count from the authoritative American University Johns Hopkins.

However, Florida, one of the most populous American states, on Friday lifted restrictions on bars and restaurants, as well as fines linked to Covid-19.

In Spain, the Madrid region is preparing to extend the restrictions already in force to new areas.

From Monday, 167,000 additional inhabitants will be able to leave their neighborhood only for specific reasons: to go to work, to go to the doctor or to take their children to school.

In total, just over a million people, out of a total of 6.6 million, are now subject to these restrictions in the Madrid region.

In the UK, nearly half of Wales will be subject to local lockdown.

Welsh Minister of Health Vaughan Getting announced that from 6 p.m. Sunday it would be banned from entering or leaving the cities of Cardiff and Swansea without a valid reason, such as work or school.

The same provisions will come into force on Saturday in Llanelli.

- Anger in Marseille -

In France, 15,797 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in 24 hours, a few hundred less than the day before.

According to the government agency Santé Publique France, the epidemic is still in "an ascending phase".

In Marseille, the second largest city in France, politicians, entrepreneurs and traders took to the streets on Friday to protest against the total closure of bars and restaurants decided by the government.

This radical measure, which also concerns the city of Aix-en-Provence, arouses anger in the region.

Its entry into force, initially scheduled for Saturday, was postponed to Sunday by the government.

The metropolis of Marseille-Aix is ​​now classified as a "maximum alert zone".

Eleven other agglomerations, including Paris, have been placed by the government in "enhanced alert zone", with among other measures the closing of bars at 10 pm.

The Moscow city hall, faced with a new surge in contamination, asked elderly residents of the Russian capital on Friday to confine themselves and called on companies to give priority to teleworking.

In Israel, the government announced new restrictions on international flights on Friday.

Conversely, Peru will reopen its air borders to a number of countries on October 5, after seven months of closure.

burx-plh / roc

© 2020 AFP