FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

* Mexico's factories were still hurting in August from the pandemic, with production falling and firms cutting workers, though the pace of deterioration in business conditions eased for a fourth straight month. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Nearly two million children returned to school in Jordan on Tuesday after a five month-absence, although authorities were forced to suspend teaching in some areas due to a spike in cases. * Saudi Arabia has postponed its fourth Future Investment Initiative conference to January 2021 from October this year, the organisers said, due to global travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

New York City's public school system, the country's largest, will delay the opening of classes by 11 days to Sept. 21, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.

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 * Europe can live with COVID-19 without a vaccine by managing outbreaks with localised lockdowns, the WHO's regional director said, adding he did not expect a return to full national-level restrictions.

* Tens of millions of pupils around Europe returned to school on Tuesday, with hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time set to become the new normal. * Russia's case tally passed the 1 million mark.

* Poland is banning from Wednesday direct flights from 44 countries including Spain, Israel and Romania. * French companies will have around a week to adopt new, strict rules on the compulsory wearing of face masks in the workplace.

ASIA-PACIFIC * India reported the most new COVID-19 cases of any country in the past week, its nearly half a million fresh infections pushing the global tally up by 1%, while overall global new deaths in the past seven days fell by 3% compared to the previous week, the World Health Organization said.

* Japan's health ministry said it planned to participate in the WHO's COVID-19 vaccine programme. * Hong Kong began free testing for all its residents, as the mainland Chinese-led initiative faced scepticism from the city's medical community and public.

AMERICAS * Senate Republicans are likely to take up their COVID-19 relief bill next week offering $500 billion in additional federal aid, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said.

* President Donald Trump's administration will restart tours of the White House on Sept. 12. * Mexico's factories were still hurting in August from the pandemic, with production falling and firms cutting workers, though the pace of deterioration in business conditions eased for a fourth straight month.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Nearly two million children returned to school in Jordan on Tuesday after a five month-absence, although authorities were forced to suspend teaching in some areas due to a spike in cases.

* Saudi Arabia has postponed its fourth Future Investment Initiative conference to January 2021 from October this year, the organisers said, due to global travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* AstraZeneca expanded its agreement with cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica to mass-produce its potential COVID-19 vaccine, as it looks to scale-up supply ahead of a possible U.S. fast-track approval. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* A gauge of global stocks kicked off September on a higher note on Tuesday, as data in major economies showed manufacturing demand rebounding from coronavirus-induced lows, while the U.S. dollar remained weak. * The euro zone economy has experienced a strong recovery in the third quarter even though the most recent data in August have been less robust, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said.

* Germany expects the economic devastation to be less severe than originally feared this year, but it now sees a weaker rebound next year, two sources told Reuters. * South African state companies have requested billions of rand in funding from the government to help them weather the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

(Compiled by Milla Nissi, Uttaresh.V and Vinay Dwivedi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Gareth Jones and Maju Samuel)