Surge in COVID tally unabated after first 80+K spike in 24 hours

India has had the highest daily increases in more than three weeks and is likely to surpass Brazil and the US. And Germany has added the Canary Islands to its high-risk blacklist. Follow DW for the latest.

India has been reporting the highest daily increases in new cases for more than three weeks. Its total number of cases is likely to soon pass Brazil and the United States if figures continue to rise at the current rate. 

This comes as Germany adds the Canary Islands to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands on its list of high-risk area after authorities there registered 300 new cases daily last week. The move is a heavy blow to the islands, with tourists from Germany one of the main sources of income.

In other news from around the world:

The UN Security Council will hold a high-level summit during the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly later this month to discuss security threats in the world after the pandemic ends.

The meeting "on post-COVID-19 global governance in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security'' will address traditional security threats such as conflicts but also crime and pandemics as well as "adjustments'' to the current international system, said Niger's UN Ambassador Abdou Abarry.

Europe

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is in Germany to scope out the development of a promising coronavirus vaccine candidate and is scheduled to meet with the German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier. Musk said in July that Tesla was building "RNA microfactories" for coronavirus vaccine developer CureVac in Germany. 

Asia-Pacific

India registered 83,883 new cases and 1,045 deaths, bringing its total number of cases to nearly 3.8 million and death toll to 67,376. The Indian Council of Medical Research, the country's top medical research body, said India had conducted nearly 44 million tests for the virus since the pandemic began.

The nation of 1.4 billion people has been reporting the highest daily increases in new cases for more than three weeks, and at its current rate is likely to soon pass Brazil and the United States in its total number of reported cases. 

Japan is considering offering the coronavirus vaccine, when developed and approved, for free to all citizens, according to Kyodo news. The government has said it aims to secure enough coronavirus vaccines for every citizen by the end of the year.

Hong Kong will re-open gyms and massage parlors and extend night-time dining hours as of Friday, as daily infections in the city drop into the single digits. Restaurants will be allowed to stay open an hour beyond the current curfew of 9 p.m., while fitness centers and places of amusement such as clubs can reopen, said Sophia Chan, the city's health secretary.

China's aviation regulator said it will resume direct flights to Beijing from eight countries including Thailand, Cambodia, Greece, Denmark, Sweden and canada from Thursday. The Civil Aviation Administration said it would reimpose curbs on direct flights to the capital if more than three passengers test positive upon arrival.