FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

* Australia's conservative government clashed with state lawmakers over how fast to relax social distancing restrictions, as the number of new cases showed a steady decline. AMERICAS * Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of betraying the American people, saying he knowingly lied about the deadliness of the novel coronavirus in what amounted to a dereliction of duty. * The U.S. government is set to end enhanced screening of some international passengers for COVID-19 and drop requirements that travellers coming from the targeted countries arrive at 15 designated U.S. airports.

AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot said that it should know before the end of the year whether its experimental vaccine would protect people from COVID-19, if it is allowed to resume trials which were paused this week.

The global death toll from the coronavirus crossed 900,000 on Wednesday. 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

* Austria reported 664 new cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since late March. * Napoli president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has tested positive for COVID-19, the Serie A club said.

* The Czech Republic reported more than 1,000 cases for a second day in a row, as it widened compulsory wearing of face masks. ASIA-PACIFIC

* India reported record jumps in new infections and deaths on Thursday, taking its tally of cases past 4.4 million. * Tokyo's government dropped its coronavirus alert by one notch from the highest level as cases continue to trend down, opening the path for a loosening of restrictions on night-time activity.

* Indonesia reported a record high 3,861 new cases on Thursday, one day after the capital's governor said it would reinstate widespread social restrictions as hospitals fill up. * Australia's conservative government clashed with state lawmakers over how fast to relax social distancing restrictions, as the number of new cases showed a steady decline.

AMERICAS * Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of betraying the American people, saying he knowingly lied about the deadliness of the novel coronavirus in what amounted to a dereliction of duty.

* The U.S. government is set to end enhanced screening of some international passengers for COVID-19 and drop requirements that travellers coming from the targeted countries arrive at 15 designated U.S. airports. * Los Angeles County health officials said on Wednesday that trick-or-treating and Halloween gatherings would be banned in the face of the pandemic.

* New York City restaurants will be able to resume indoor dining at 25% capacity at the end of the month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. * The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in Latin America passed 300,000 on Wednesday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * A $580 million deal signed by the Kenyan government to lease medical equipment was a "criminal enterprise" that flooded hospitals with overpriced, unnecessary equipment, a senate committee said in a report.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Twenty-six scientists have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the early-stage trial results of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine.

* British scientists have developed a four-level scoring model for predicting the death risk of patients hospitalised with COVID-19, saying it should help doctors quickly decide on the best care for each patient. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* The tech-led reboot of stock markets stalled in Europe on Thursday as traders pulled back to hear just how twitchy the European Central Bank has become about the euro's run-up in recent months. * Indonesian stocks plunged 5% on Thursday and the central bank intervened to steady the rupiah after COVID-19 curbs were re-imposed in Jakarta.

* The number of firms declaring insolvency in Germany was 6.2% lower than in the first half of last year despite the coronavirus crisis, partly because of a rule designed to keep firms afloat in the pandemic. * Polish banks are more resilient to the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus than most other European countries' banks and their stable outlook is safe, Moody's said.

* South Korea is preparing the fourth supplementary budget of this year of around $6.6 billion to aid struggling small businesses facing mass closures amid restrictions. (Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Devika Syamnath; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Peter Graff)