Paris (AFP)

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

- Tightened restrictions in Italy -

Despite the clashes in recent days between law enforcement and opponents of the curfew in Naples and Rome, Italy has decided to tighten the restrictions: cinemas, theaters, gyms and swimming pools must close from Monday and until November 24.

Bars and restaurants must stop serving after 6:00 p.m. and 75% of classes in high schools and universities will be held online.

- Catalonia: confine the weekend?

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The regional government of Catalonia (north-eastern Spain) said on Monday to consider a possible confinement of the population at home during the weekends, a measure more severe than the night curfew in force since Sunday in the country.

"It is a scenario which is on the table, since it is during the weekends that there are the most social interactions", declared the spokeswoman for the regional government.

- New record in France -

France set a new daily record on Sunday with more than 52,000 positive cases, and their real number could even be "around 100,000 per day", according to Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council which guides the government.

The prospect of new confinement is taking shape in the country in the face of a second "brutal" wave which could even be "stronger than the first", Professor Delfraissy was alarmed on Monday.

- Bar of 43 million cases crossed -

The pandemic has killed at least 1.15 million people worldwide since the end of December, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources Monday at 11:00 GMT.

Almost 43.1 million cases have been officially diagnosed, of which at least 29.19 are now considered cured.

The United States is the most bereaved country with 225,239 dead, followed by Brazil (157,134), India (119,014), Mexico (88,924) and the United Kingdom (44,896).

- Merkel's party deprived of congress -

Angela Merkel's conservative party announced on Monday the postponement of its congress in early December to elect a new president and potential candidate for the chancellery in 2021, being unable to bring together its delegates due to a worsening pandemic in Germany.

- Melbourne is falling apart -

Imposed for three months, confinement will finally be lifted in Melbourne, no new case of coronavirus having been recorded in the last 24 hours in the state of Victoria of which Melbourne is the capital.

The obligation placed on some five million inhabitants of Australia's second city to stay at home will be lifted overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, and restaurants, beauty salons and shops will once again be able to welcome customers.

- Lufthansa: threats to employment -

Up to 30,000 jobs are threatened within the first European airline group Lufthansa, due to the drop in air traffic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, its management warned on Monday.

The group had already announced in September its intention to cut more jobs than the 22,000 already planned in a plan announced in the spring.

- WHO worried about "vaccine nationalism"

The boss of the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Sunday for global solidarity in the distribution of any future vaccine against the coronavirus.

"Let me be clear: vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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© 2020 AFP