Coronavirus: Latest global developments

Coronavirus: Latest global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

Covid Coronavirus Testing -AFP
AFP

- Giuliani positive - 

Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has been leading the president's effort to undo Joe Biden's election victory, tests positive. The former New York mayor has been seen frequently without a mask despite at 76 being part of a high-risk group. 

- Georgia's Republicans mostly maskless - 

Trump holds a rally for Georgia Republican Senate candidates where few wear masks and many ignore social-distancing rules as health officials despair over the nation's soaring death toll.

- UK preps V-day -

The world-first rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is due to start on Tuesday in the UK. Dubbed "V-Day" by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, he has volunteered to take it live on television. Queen Elizabeth II, 94, has also said she will take the vaccine as has Monty Python star Michael Palin, 77, campaigning singer Bob Geldof, 69, and 73-year-old Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.

- China exports surge -

Official figures show China's exports rose at their fastest pace in almost three years in November, with overseas shipments growing 21.1 percent last month thanks to strong demand for medical goods and electronics. 

- Italy toll tops 60,000 - 

Italy records 60,078 deaths with hundreds succumbing daily despite tough new restrictions.

- Jakarta gets Chinese shot -

The world's fourth most populous nation has received 1.2 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccine, which will be examined by Indonesia's food and drug agency as well its Islamic authorities. 

- Romania vote subdued - 

Record low turnout -- around 33 percent -- for the Romanian parliamentary vote is partially blamed on a second wave of the pandemic in the country.

- Mirren: Awful for actors -

British acting legend Helen Mirren sounds the alarm for struggling arts workers in dire straits since the pandemic forced theatres to shut in March.

- Over 1.53 million dead -

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,535,987 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

The US is the worst-affected country with 282,324 deaths. 

After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 176,941 deaths, India with 140,573 deaths, Mexico with 109,717 deaths, and the UK with 61,245 deaths.

- Paris air show grounded -

Organisers of the Paris Air Show say they have cancelled next year's edition of the biannual event, usually held in June.

- Cricket crisis -

Pakistan cricketers locked up in their New Zealand hotel for nearly two weeks complain of being affected "mentally and physically" by strict quarantine protocols. 

And in Cape Town after scrapping their first one-day international match, England and South Africa's cricket boards cancel the second, putting the tour in jeopardy. 

- Nobel at home -

This year's Nobel laureates will not travel to Stockholm or Oslo to receive their prizes following the cancellation of the traditional ceremonies.

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