FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The United States and China joined in calling for an investigation into the global handling of the pandemic as an EU resolution won endorsement at the World Health Organization's annual meeting, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the organisation.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * More than 4.85 million people have been reported to have been infected globally and 318,539 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 1548 GMT on Tuesday.

* 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 * Britain's COVID-19 death toll nears 43,000, underlining the country's status as the worst-hit in Europe and raising more questions about the handling of the crisis.

* German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia agreed to gradually dismantle border crossing restrictions and controls as soon as the pandemic allows. * The United States said it would this week start delivering 200 medical ventilators to Russia, which has the world's second highest number of confirmed cases.

* Spain's government is to ask parliament for a two-week extension of a state of emergency. * Sweden, which has opted for a more open strategy in combating the virus than other European countries, has the highest number of deaths in Europe per capita from COVID-19.

AMERICAS * The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeded 1.5 million and total deaths crossed 90,000, according to a Reuters tally.

* President Donald Trump defended his use of a prescription malaria drug to try to ward off the coronavirus despite medical warnings. * The Trump administration awarded a contract worth up to $812 million for a new U.S. company to manufacture drugs and drug ingredients to fight COVID-19 on American soil.

* Data from a small, early-stage safety trial testing Moderna Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine does not provide critical data to assess its effectiveness, Stat News reported. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Australia and China traded barbs in an increasingly acrimonious diplomatic spat over Australia's support for a global inquiry into the origins of the pandemic, as Australia recorded its 100th fatality. * Cases in India reached 100,000, matching its number of intensive care beds, and the rate of increase of new infections showed little sign of slowing.

* Hong Kong extended a restriction on public gatherings for at least another two weeks as authorities still report new coronavirus cases occasionally. * Kyrgyzstan will lift most of the remaining restrictions in the coming days, reopening the retail and services sectors and public transport, the government said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Egypt registered 720 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily toll since detecting the first confirmed case in February.

* South Sudan's vice president and his wife, who serves as defence minister, have tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on Monday. ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* The euro and Italian government bonds continued on Tuesday to cheer German- and French-led plans for a 500 billion euro EU coronavirus recovery fund, though stock markets were suffering fatigue after their best day in months. * Jobless claims in Britain leapt in April to the highest level in nearly 24 years.

* U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told senators he was willing to consider extending and modifying a payroll loan program for small businesses. * Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress said they were in no hurry to work on another coronavirus relief package.

* U.S. homebuilding dropped by the most on record in April, underlining fears that the pandemic would lead to the deepest economic contraction in the second quarter since the Great Depression. * Investors are bearish on stocks, especially riskier assets, and expect a slower economic recovery as the risk of a second wave of infections persists, a BofA fund manager survey showed.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Aditya Soni ; Edited by Tomasz Janowski, Alex Richardson and Sriraj Kalluvila)