FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

U.S. coronavirus cases marked a record increase for a second day in a row, while several European countries reintroduced lockdown measures and other restrictions as new infections surged across the continent.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser.

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE

* The World Health Organization is looking at biosecurity around mink farms in countries across the world to prevent further "spillover events" after Denmark ordered a national mink cull due to an outbreak of coronavirus infections in the animals. * New COVID-19 infections in England have stabilised at around 50,000 a day, the Office for National Statistics said, indicating a levelling off in the steep rise of cases even before England was pushed into a second national lockdown.

* Austria warned that all its COVID-19 intensive care beds could be full within two weeks because of the "much stronger, more serious" second wave of infections. * Romania will impose a nationwide nighttime curfew and close all schools for 30 days from Monday, while Hungary said it would try to avoid closing schools as long as possible but some medical operations will have to be rescheduled as hospital beds are filling up.

AMERICAS * Coronavirus cases in the United States surged by at least 120,276 on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, the second consecutive daily record rise as the outbreak spreads in every region.

* The U.S. mission in Geneva urged World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday to invite Taiwan to a major meeting the body is hosting next week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said she had discussed coronavirus controls and economic relief measures with mainland Chinese officials and that the central government has welcomed her proposals. * Malaysia announced its biggest ever budget -- and one that is crucial for the survival of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's government -- as it seeks to spur economic activity.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * The pandemic is having a knock-on effect on other vital health services in Africa as countries are forced to redirect already stretched resources, a regional head of WHO said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Painkiller aspirin will be evaluated as a possible treatment for COVID-19 in one of Britain's biggest trials, which will assess whether it might reduce the risk of blood clots in people with the disease.

* Humanigen Inc said it had entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense for testing its drug candidate as a potential COVID-19 treatment. * Novartis's canakinumab failed to help COVID-19 patients survive without invasive ventilation compared with standard therapy, the Swiss drugmaker said.

* AstraZeneca plans to start early and mid-stage clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in China this year, a senior executive said. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* U.S. employers likely hired the fewest workers in five months in October, in what would be clearest indication yet that the end of fiscal stimulus and exploding new infections were sapping momentum from the economic recovery. * Japan's household spending slumped in September from a year earlier and real wages slid for the seventh straight month, data showed.

* Germany agreed to offer more aid to its airports to try to save jobs and preserve infrastructure. (Compiled by Linda Pasquini, Devika Syamnath and Vinay Dwivedi; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta, Shailesh Kuber and Louise Heavens)