World Coronavirus Dispatch: 70 pc US immigration officers face furloughs

Air France plans to layoff more than 7,500 while in Singapore movie theatres plan to reopen soon

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 11 million on Friday, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months. Almost a quarter of the known global deaths have occurred in the United States - nearly 129,000. Latin America, where Brazil has 1.5 million cases, makes up 23 per cent of the global total of people infected. India has become the new epicentre in Asia, with cases rising to 625,000. Asia and the Middle East have around 12 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. Read more here

Let’s look at the global statistics:

• Total confirmed cases: 1,10,80,529
• Change over yesterday: 2,07,343
• Total deaths: 5,25,209
• Total recovered: 58,75,999

Nations hit with most cases: US (27,95,072), Brazil (15,39,081), Russia (6,66,941), India (6,48,315) and Peru (2,95,599)

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

70 per cent US immigration officers face furloughs: About 13,400 employees from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be furloughed by August due to a decline in revenue from immigration and visa application fees that help fund the agency, the New York Times reports. Administration officials blame the pandemic for a 50% drop in fees from applications since March. Read more here

Air France set to cut more than 7,500 jobs: Europe's second-biggest airline Air France-KLM plans to cut more than 7,500 jobs at its French arm. The cuts will take place over the next three years. In a statement, the firm said: "Recovery looks set to be very slow". Read more here 

1,000 workers in Brazil pork plant test positive: More than 1,000 workers at a JBS SA pork plant in Brazil, or a quarter of those tested, were infected with Covid-19. While almost all have recovered, the high rate of infection reveals the challenges meat companies face across the world. Read more here

EU says budget rules to return after crisis: Budget restrictions for European Union member states will apply again after the coronavirus-driven recession is over, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said. The EU’s stability pact -- rules to ensure members pursue sound public finances and coordinate fiscal policy -- remains active. Read more here

Restaurants open in England: Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants in Northern Ireland and England are ready to welcome customers for the first time since lockdown began in March. But going to the pub will be very different, due to a range of new restrictions including limited numbers, mandatory table service and protective screens. Read more here

Broadcasters repackaging old TV material in absence of sports, reality content: Broadcasters are having a hard time trying to replace cancelled sporting events and live-action TV shows. So networks are heading back in time -- piecing together new shows out of clips from old programs and movies, newscasts, interviews, documentaries and footage of major events. Read more here

Movie theaters, hotels to reopen in Singapore: Cinemas will be able to open their doors to movie-goers starting on July 13, limiting the maximum capacity to 50 people in each theater hall. Hotels will accept leisure guests after receiving the permit from the government, according to new guidelines. Read more here

Specials

Natural immunity offers clues for Covid-19 vaccines, therapies: Scientists are inching closer to understanding how antibodies and immune cells are unleashed by the body in response to the novel coronavirus. Vaccine development typically centers on creating an antibody response to prevent infection from a virus. Here's the latest on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2. Read more

Moving in with your parents is often seen as a mark of irresponsibility. The pandemic might show the country that it shouldn’t be: A recent analysis US, indicated that about 2.9 million adults moved in with a parent or grandparent in March, April, and May; most of them were 25 or younger. Perhaps the pandemic is an occasion—an unwelcome one, sure—to reappraise a living arrangement that is often maligned, yet has become more and more common, in part because of how the past few decades have altered the arc of adulthood. Read more here