FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide coronavirus spread

* Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of imported frozen food, although the World Health Organization downplayed the risk of the virus entering the food chain. * About a quarter of South Korea's medical clinics closed on Friday for a one-day strike in protest at government plans to train new doctors.

New Zealand extended a lockdown in the country's biggest city in response to the first national coronavirus outbreak in months, while Britons were rushing back from summer holidays in France ahead of the planned 14-day quarantine for all travellers from across the Channel. 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.

* Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE

* Britain will buy potential COVID-19 vaccines from U.S. drugmakers Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc, bringing the total number of deals by the UK government to six. * Britain's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France will lead to a reciprocal measure, French junior minister for European affairs said.

* UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the reopening of the economy to resume, saying a rise in infections had now levelled off. * Ukraine reported 1,732 new coronavirus cases on Friday, a single-day record.

* Spain reported 2,935 new infections on Thursday, the highest number since the country's lockdown ended. AMERICAS

* Mexico, having hit over half a million official cases and 55,000 deaths, will help produce a vaccine that could be distributed in the region next year. * Dario Vivas, 70-year-old governor of Venezuela's Caracas capital district and strong ally of President Nicolas Maduro, died on Thursday of COVID-19.

* Peru surpassed half a million cases and has the highest fatality rate in Latin America. ASIA-PACIFIC

* An inquiry showed that health officials in Australia's most populous state made "unjustifiable" and "inexcusable" mistakes which allowed cruise ship passengers with COVID-19 to disembark in March in central Sydney. * Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of imported frozen food, although the World Health Organization downplayed the risk of the virus entering the food chain.

* About a quarter of South Korea's medical clinics closed on Friday for a one-day strike in protest at government plans to train new doctors. * North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lifted a three-week lockdown in the city of Kaesong and nearby areas after "inconclusive" test results on a suspected case.

* Vietnam has registered to buy a Russian COVID-19 vaccine, as it fights a new outbreak after several months with no local cases. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The Kuwaiti cabinet said on Thursday it would start implementing the fourth stage of the gradual go-to-normality plan on Aug. 18. * Seven African countries will start administering coronavirus antibody tests from next week, a regional body said on Thursday.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * A coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by a unit of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) appeared to be safe and triggered antibody-based immune responses in early and mid-stage trials.

* Coronavirus vaccine developer CureVac BV raised $213 million in its initial public offering in New York. * The Trump administration's vaccine project is recruiting scientists in South Africa and Latin America to help test possible vaccines in U.S.- backed clinical trials, Reuters has learned.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * The euro zone's trade surplus with the rest of the world ballooned in June as the bloc's drop in imports of goods outpaced the fall of exports amid a global slide in trade due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bloc also suffered the biggest drop ever recorded in employment in the second quarter.

* Global shares dipped on Friday after lacklustre Chinese economic data and worries about a delay in U.S. fiscal stimulus discouraged some investors from taking on risk. * China's retail sales slipped in July, while the recovery in the factory sector struggled to gain momentum.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska, Ramakrishnan M and Devika Syamnath; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Arun Koyyur and Tomasz Janowski)

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