- Basic income would allow 2.7 billion people to stay at home, a UN Development Programme report says
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the pandemic shows "sheer might of the union"
- A committee of UK MPs says it is "astonished" by the government's failure to plan an economic response to the pandemic
- The cost of the pandemic has pushed Australia into its biggest budget deficit since World War Two
- Brazil registers more than 67,000 new cases in 24 hours, another record amount
- President Trump says he wants schools to reopen and would be "comfortable" sending his young son in
- Globally there have been 15 million cases of Sars-Cov-2 and more than 622,000 deaths
Welcome back to our daily coverage of all things coronavirus. Here are the global headlines so far this Thursday:
- Australia has announced its biggest deficit since World War Two as the country faces the economic fallout from the virus
- The country is in the midst of a second wave and daily new numbers in Victoria have dropped only slightly to 403
- Brazil has seen a record number of new infections, recording more than 67,000 new cases over the past day
- US President Trump continues to push for schools to reopen and says he himself would be comfortable sending his young son to class
- In the UK, a committee of MPs says it is “astonished” how the government failed to plan an economic response to the fallout from the pandemic
Australian economy in worst shape since WW2
The Australian government has revealed its largest budget deficit since World War Two – A$86bn (£47bn; $60bn). And that’s predicted to grow to A$184bn in the next financial year, according to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg."These deficits reveal the real cost to the budget of protecting lives and livelihoods as result of coronavirus," he told reporters today. Frydenberg said it would take “a number of years” to pay back.
Australia was sometimes hailed a “miracle” economy after avoiding recession during the GFC, but it is now entering its first in almost three decades.
Controversially, the current estimates only factor in Melbourne – the Australian city hit hardest by the virus - being in lockdown for another four weeks.
Yesterday, the state of Victoria – of which Melbourne is the capital – recorded its worst day yet, with 484 new infections. Experts have suggested it may need to implement additional measures.
South Korea in recession as exports at 57-year low
In another indication of how hard the coronavirus pandemic is hitting Asia’s economies, South Korea has fallen into recession.Gross domestic product contracted in the second quarter by a worse-than-expected 2.9% in year-on-year terms, the steepest decline since 1998.
Exports, which account for nearly 40% of the economy, were the biggest drag as they fell by the most since 1963.
But the country’s finance minister remains optimistic that the economy will recover swiftly.
"It's possible for us to see China-style rebound in the third quarter as the pandemic slows and activity in overseas production, schools and hospitals resume," Hong Nam-ki said.
South Africa deaths hit daily record
South Africa on Wednesday said it recorded 572 new deaths over the past day, the highest number of daily fatalities so far.It is the worst-hit country in Africa with almost 6,000 deaths and just under 400,000 confirmed infections.
Almost half of the overall number of deaths have been reported in the Western Cape province.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization said the surge in South Africa should be a warning for what’s in store for the rest of the continent which so far has managed to avoid becoming a hotspot of the pandemic.
Brazil sees record daily cases
Brazil has registered a record number of new coronavirus cases - more than 67,000 over the course of the past day.The health ministry also reported almost 1,300 deaths for that period.
With more than 2.2 million confirmed infections, Brazil has the second-worst outbreak after the United States.
The virus is now affecting smaller towns and remote areas with fewer medical facilities in Brazil's huge interior, and indigenous groups are among those increasingly affected.
One prominent leader - Aritana Yawalapiti of the Upper Xingu people - fell ill at the weekend and underwent a 24-hour journey to hospital.
India infections cross 1.2 million
Infections in India have passed 1.2 million, according to data from the health ministry. The country has confirmed nearly 30,000 deaths so far.India went into lockdown in March, when cases were hovering in the hundreds. It started to ease out of it in June, when infections had started to pick up pace - as cities jumped back into action alongside a rise in testing, cases began to go up rapidly.
This prompted several states and cities to reimpose curbs and lockdowns. On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir became the latest to do so, announcing a six-day lockdown.
And hotspots in southern India, like IT hub city Bangalore, which had managed to stave off rising numbers are now very much in the grip of the pandemic. The state the city is in, Karnataka, has now registered more than 75,000 infections.
But it's not all bad news. India's active cases remain low in comparison to the total tally at around 425,000. And its recovery rate continues to be high at over 63%
Australia's Victoria reports 403 more cases
The Australian state of Victoria has reported 403 new cases, with most found in the locked-down city of Melbourne. It is now mandatory there to wear a mask when out in public, with few exceptions.
Today's increase follows on from the 484 infections found in the state yesterday - a daily record which saw Australia overall record its worst day in the pandemic so far.
Although the numbers are stabilising, they're not going down yet. Five people died overnight, while there are over 200 now in hospital. "The maths of this means people will die," said Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews.
A further 19 cases have also been recorded in neighboring New South Wales, where the state capital Sydney is bracing for further outbreaks.
On the whole, Australia has lower numbers than other nations, with 133 deaths and 13,300 cases. But the Melbourne outbreak has driven its virus curve back up.
The latest UK headlines
Good morning and welcome to those of you just joining. Here are the main headlines from the UK this morning:- Prime Minister Boris Johnson is visiting Scotland today where he will meet members of the armed forces to thank them for their response to the coronavirus crisis. Ahead of the visit, he said the response to the pandemic has shown the "sheer might" of the UK union
- A committee of MPs says the government's economic reaction to Covid-19 was rushed and the impact could be "long-term". They describe its failure to plan as "astonishing"
- Another group of MPs has warned the UK is in danger of becoming a "cultural wasteland" because of delays in providing help for the arts
- And charity Refuge says its National Abuse Hotline received 80% more calls than usual in the first three months of lockdown. New figures show more than 40,000 calls and contacts were made, mostly by women seeking help