EUROPE

* France's daily COVID-19 infections reached the highest in more than two months on Wednesday.

* Greece has warned of new restrictions if a worrying rise in daily cases doesn't abate.

* Germany has revised its travel guidance for Belgium, warning against all non-essential trips to Antwerp.

* Poland intends fully reopening schools on September 1 despite a recent renewed infection spike.

AMERICAS

* New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on behalf of all US governors, has lobbied Congress for $US500 billion ($A695 billion) in extra COVID-19 relief.

* Friday looms as the deadline for White House talks with congressional Democrats on a new round of coronavirus relief.

* Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has tested positive for COVID-19.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* A new outbreak in Vietnam has spread to two more provinces after the contagion was declared "under control".

* North Korea's test results for its first suspected case were inconclusive, though authorities have quarantined over 3635 primary and secondary contacts, a WHO official says.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Gambia has imposed a three-week curfew after cases surged over 60 per cent in seven days to nearly 800.

* Three South African provincial hotspots have seen new infections recently slow.

* Doctors in Turkey's hotspots say hospitals are filling up with more cases than reflected in the official count.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The US government will pay J&J over $US1 billion for 100 million doses of its potential vaccine.

* Canada has signed separate deals with Pfizer and Moderna to supply millions of doses.

* CVS Health Corp said it was in talks with the US government to administer coronavirus vaccines at its pharmacies once they become available.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* A resurgence in cases will continue to weigh on the economy and American life until at least the end of next year, Fed policymakers say.

* US private employers hired far fewer workers than expected in July as companies exhausted wages loans.

Australian Associated Press