FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

More than 4.2 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 287,349 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 2120 GMT on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization said some treatments appear to be limiting the severity or length of the COVID-19 disease and that it was focusing on learning more about four or five of the most promising ones. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

EUROPE * The United Kingdom's COVID-19 death toll now exceeds 40,000, by far the worst yet reported in Europe, raising more questions about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

* France's death toll from the coronavirus rose by 348 to 26,991 on Tuesday, overtaking Spain to become the country with the world's fourth-highest number of fatalities after the United States, Britain and Italy. * Spain ordered a two-week quarantine on travellers arriving from abroad from this Friday in a bid to prevent visitors from sparking a second wave of the coronavirus.

* Factory and construction workers in Russia were set to return to work after President Vladimir Putin ordered a gradual easing of lockdown measures despite a sharp increase in new cases. * Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was receiving treatment at hospital, Russian news agencies reported.

* Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the government has already approved 5 billion euros ($5.41 billion)worth of state-backed loans to help companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. * Denmark is "very unlikely" to be hit by a second wave of coronavirus, the country's chief epidemiologist said, after the government laid out plans for increased testing and a contact tracing system.

* McDonald's Corp said it plans to reopen all its drive-throughs in the United Kingdom and Ireland by early June, as both countries ease coronavirus-led restrictions on road travel after weeks-long lockdowns. AMERICAS

* Leading U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned Congress that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 80,000 Americans and brought the economy to its knees. * More than 1.35 million people have been infected in the United States and more than 80,606 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 2120 GMT on Wednesday.

* The Canadian coronavirus death toll passed the 5,000 mark on Tuesday and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said major reforms were needed for seniors' residences, where more than 80% of the victims lived. * The top three U.S. airlines have told their flight attendants not to force passengers to comply with a new policy requiring face coverings, just encourage them to do so, according to employee policies reviewed by Reuters.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Chinese health authorities called for vigilance to be maintained as new clusters emerge, even though the peak of the epidemic has passed.

* Japan plans to approve its first antigen testing kits on Wednesday to boost the number of diagnostic tests available to battle the pandemic. * India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government would provide 20 trillion rupees ($266 billion) in fiscal and monetary measures to support an economy battered by a sweeping weeks-long lockdown.

* Tens of thousands of people have booked out seats on Indian trains that are due to restart after a near seven-week lockdown, raising concerns of spreading the virus in the absence of social distancing. * South Korean authorities combed through mobile phone data, credit card statements and CCTV footage to identify people who visited nightclubs at the centre of one of the capital's biggest clusters.

* Singapore plans to test all 323,000 migrant workers living in cramped dormitories that have become a hotbed for coronavirus in the tiny city-state, eyeing an easing of curbs next month to restart its economy. * Indonesia's death toll from the novel coronavirus passed the 1,000 mark, even as authorities signalled they were poised to ease some social restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in the Southeast Asian country.

* The Philippines extended the lockdown of its capital, Manila, to 11 weeks. * Australia's treasurer was tested for the coronavirus after he broke into a sustained coughing bout while giving a speech to parliament.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Saudi Arabia will enforce a countrywide 24-hour curfew during the five-day Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday later this month to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, the interior ministry said.

* Uganda's long-serving President Yoweri Museveni said it would be wrong to hold a presidential election expected for early next year if the pandemic persists. * The International Monetary Fund raised Kenya's risk of debt distress to high from moderate due to the impact of the virus.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * World equity markets slid and safe-haven bonds climbed on Tuesday as rising concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections outweighed stronger economic data from China and upbeat corporate earnings in Europe.

* German economic output probably declined by around 20-25% for several weeks due to the outbreak, the KfW state development bank said. * France's economic downturn is easing as the country emerges from the lockdown, although activity remains mired at levels far below normal, the central bank said.

* Britain extended its job retention scheme - the centrepiece of its attempts to cushion the coronavirus hit to the economy - by four months on Tuesday but told employers they would have to help meet its huge cost from August. * European Union plans for a multi-billion euro defence fund have been thrown into doubt by the economic shock of the coronavirus, officials and diplomats say.

* The Bank of Japan will do "whatever it can" to mitigate the growing fallout from the pandemic, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said. * International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said it was "very likely" the Fund would cut global growth forecasts further as the coronavirus pandemic was hitting many economies harder than previously projected.

(Compiled by Milla Nissi, Uttaresh.V and Krishna Chandra Eluri; Editing by Anil D'Silva Tomasz Janowski and Arun Koyyur)