FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Worldwide COVID-19 deaths crossed 1.5 million on Thursday, as South Korea's capital required most establishments to close at 9 p.m. each day and Italy banned midnight mass and movement between towns over Christmas and New Year. 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.

Worldwide COVID-19 deaths crossed 1.5 million on Thursday, as South Korea's capital required most establishments to close at 9 p.m. each day and Italy banned midnight mass and movement between towns over Christmas and New Year.

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

* Spain's Catalonia region will not relax restrictions as planned because of worsening infection rates, prompting some ski slopes to postpone their opening next week. * France will ensure free vaccinations for all and has earmarked some 1.5 billion euros ($1.82 billion) of next year's social security budget to cover the cost.

* Britain will pay 120,000 pounds ($161,676) to individuals who suffer any severe side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines. AMERICAS

* U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said he would publicly take a coronavirus vaccine to demonstrate its safety. * IBM and U.S. officials are sounding the alarm over hackers targeting companies critical to the distribution of vaccines.

* Costa Rica has signed an agreement with Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE for the manufacture and delivery of 3 million COVID-19 vaccines next year. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Victims of the world's worst industrial disaster 36 years ago in India said the pandemic has worsened their plight. * Indonesia recorded its biggest daily rise in infections on Thursday, with its COVID-19 task force attributing the jump to a lag in some areas reporting cases.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * A partial lockdown will begin this weekend in the Gaza Strip after infections spiked in the densely populated territory.

* South Africa tightened some restrictions in the Eastern Cape province where infections are rising the most, curbing movement and gatherings, but decided against reinstating a nationwide lockdown. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Challenges in Pfizer Inc's supply chain for the raw materials used in its COVID-19 vaccine played a role in its decision to slash its 2020 production target. * Moderna Inc said it expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses of its experimental vaccine available globally in the first quarter of 2021.

* AstraZeneca and Oxford University have given conflicting accounts of how they came upon the most effective dosing pattern for their vaccine. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian shares scaled a record high on Friday on the growing prospect of a large U.S. economic package, while hopes that vaccine rollouts will boost the global economy underpinned investor sentiment. * A bipartisan, $908 billion coronavirus aid plan gained momentum in the U.S. Congress on Thursday as conservative lawmakers expressed their support.

* U.S. bankruptcy filings fell last month to their lowest in more than 14 years, a jarring disconnect with a worsening economic outlook as COVID-19 cases surge. * Japan will establish subsidies for regional banks that shore up their core strength through mergers and integration as part of efforts to revive regional economies.