Paris (AFP)

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

- Europe: "very worrying" situation -

The evolution of the pandemic in Europe is "very worrying", without being similar to March-April, warned the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mortality levels "four to five times higher than in April" could occur "by January" if "prolonged strategies to ease" restrictions were carried out, warns the WHO.

- EU: avoid generalized containment -

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called on the twenty-seven, who meet at the summit on Thursday, to "do what is necessary" to "avoid generalized containment", when the rebound of the pandemic leads them to toughen their measures .

The next session of the European Parliament, from October 19 to 22, will be held by videoconference and not in Strasbourg, where MEPs have not set foot for seven months.

- New restrictions in London -

The nine million inhabitants of London will no longer be able to meet friends and family inside, announced the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the government preparing to raise a notch level of the alert in the British capital.

- France: searches and demonstrations -

French Prime Minister Jean Castex is due to detail the new restrictions on Thursday to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the day after the announcement of night curfews from Saturday in the Paris region and in eight metropolises.

This government communication was parasitized by searches Thursday morning, in particular at the homes and offices of the Minister of Health Olivier Véran and the former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as part of a judicial information on the management of the health crisis.

Several hospital unions and caregivers collectives are organizing a day of protest strike on Thursday, to demand "massive immediate hiring".

- Over 1.09 million deaths

The pandemic has killed more than 1.09 million people worldwide since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP Thursday at 11:00 GMT.

Some 38.57 million cases have been officially counted, of which more than 26.6 million have been cured.

The United States has the most deaths (216,904), ahead of Brazil (151,747), India (111,266), Mexico (84,898) and the United Kingdom (43,155).

- Germany: record number of daily cases -

Germany, which announced new restrictions in the 16 regional states on Wednesday, recorded 6,638 cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, a record since the outbreak of the pandemic.

- China: 10 million screened in Qingdao -

Nearly 10 million people have already been tested in four days in Qingdao (east), a Chinese metropolis which organizes an express screening after the discovery of a mini-outbreak.

- Ryanair reduces its flights -

Ryanair will again reduce its flight capacity, bringing it down this winter to 40% of last year's level, against 60% initially planned.

- New Zealand: Facebook page closed -

Facebook shut down the New Zealand AdvanceNZ party page two days before a general election, accusing the party surfing conspiracy theories of promoting disinformation about the pandemic.

© 2020 AFP