FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Developing Asia is likely to clock up its weakest growth in nearly six decades this year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday, as measures to contain the virus hammer economic activity. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Major stock markets in the Gulf were subdued in early trade on Thursday as concern rose that a spike in new cases in China and the United States would slow global economic recovery. * South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said casinos, cinemas, personal care services and certain forms of accommodation would be allowed to operate.

China's capital, Beijing, has mandated coronavirus tests for hundreds of thousands of people as it widens measures against a new outbreak of the disease that has sent anxious residents pouring into clinics for voluntary tests, putting a strain on the system.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Nearly 8.37 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 448,485​ have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 0859 GMT on Thursday.

EUROPE

* The United Kingdom said on Thursday that China, Russia, and Iran were looking to exploit weaknesses exposed by the coronavirus outbreak, amid suggestions Beijing had used the crisis to push through new security legislation for Hong Kong.

* The pandemic has exposed the weakness of the European Union, and Germany will use its presidency of the bloc to promote solidarity and economic prosperity among its 27 member states, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

* Switzerland's highly valued property market could suffer a fall in prices if the economic effects of the pandemic are worse than expected, Swiss National Bank Deputy Chairman Fritz Zurbruegg said.

* The Czech Republic will in the coming weeks loosen many remaining restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, allowing larger crowds to gather, letting people mostly ditch protective face masks and permitting zoos and museums to return to normal operations.

* Russia on Thursday reported 7,790 new cases of the coronavirus, its lowest daily rise in infections in six weeks, bringing the nationwide total to 561,091.

AMERICAS

* Several U.S. states including Oklahoma reported a surge in infections on Wednesday, days before a planned campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa that would be the nation's largest indoor social gathering in three months.

* The Navajo Nation has reimposed 57-hour weekend curfews to protect citizens from a surge in coronavirus cases in neighboring Arizona.

* Mexico's health ministry on Wednesday reported 4,930 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 770 additional fatalities.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Beijing's latest coronavirus outbreak has been brought under control, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of China's Center for Diseases Prevention and Control.

* Kazakhstan's former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has self-isolated after testing positive for COVID-19, his spokesman Aidos Ukibay wrote on Twitter.

* Developing Asia is likely to clock up its weakest growth in nearly six decades this year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday, as measures to contain the virus hamper economic activity.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Major stock markets in the Gulf were subdued in early trade on Thursday as concern rose that a spike in new cases in China and the United States would slow global economic recovery.

* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said casinos, cinemas, personal care services, and certain forms of accommodation would be allowed to operate.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Drugmaker Gilead Sciences said it will soon begin enrolment of pediatric patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 in a late-stage study testing its experimental drug, remdesivir.

* Israel has signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, the prime minister said.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* Global stocks drifted on Thursday as a spike in coronavirus cases in some U.S. states and China crushed hopes of a quick global economic comeback from the pandemic.

* The Japanese yen strengthened slightly on Thursday as growing concerns about a rise in new cases underpinned safe-haven demand for the currency, while the U.S. dollar was little changed versus the euro.

* The Swiss National Bank stuck to its ultra-expensive monetary policy on Thursday, keeping in place the world's lowest interest rates and repeating its pledge to intervene in the foreign currency markets as necessary to curb the strength of the safe-haven Swiss franc.

* The International Energy Agency (IEA) has laid out a compelling path on how governments can use the recovery after the recession brought on by the coronavirus outbreak to switch to renewable energies and help meet global climate change goals.

* German travel industry sales declined by 23% in the January-March period compared to the previous quarter, Germany's statistics office said on Thursday, as the sector came to a virtual halt in March due to the pandemic.

* Spain's trade deficit shrank 17.1% in the first four months of 2020 from the same period a year earlier. It fell to 9.18 billion euros ($10.32 billion), as imports fell more than exports amid the coronavirus lockdown.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)