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A Beijing district put itself on a "wartime" footing and the capital banned tourism and sports events on Saturday after a cluster of novel coronavirus infections centred around a major wholesale market sparked fears of a new wave of COVID-19.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 78 on Saturday, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the tally of new cases increased by 346.

Sexual activity among young American men has declined sharply since 2000, with nearly a third reporting no sex with a partner in the prior year, according to a survey study published on Friday that suggests social media and electronic gaming might be filling the void.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said on Saturday it signed a contract with Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands to supply Europe with a vaccine against the coronavirus, with deliveries starting by the end of 2020.

The United Kingdom's death toll from confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 181 to 41,662 as of 1600 GMT on June 12, according to government data released on Saturday.

Russia reported 8,706 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, raising its cumulative tally above 520,000 as data showed that more than 2,700 people infected with the virus had died in April.

Brazil's COVID-19 death toll overtook Britain's on Friday to become the second highest in the world with 41,828 dead, but the World Health Organization said the nation's health system was standing up to the pressure.

Iran will reimpose restrictions to stem a surge in coronavirus cases if health regulations are not observed, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday.

Drugstore chain CVS Health Corp joined Walmart Inc in announcing it will stop keeping beauty and personal care products designed for people of color in locked display cases, after the practice drew criticism online.

India reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases on Saturday, adding 11,458 confirmed infections and taking the its total count to more than 300,000, according to data from the federal health ministry.

Indonesia reported on Saturday 1,014 new coronavirus infections and 43 more deaths, taking the total number of cases to 37,420 and fatalities to 2,091, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

The Philippines' health ministry reported 607 new coronavirus infections and 22 more deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 25,392 and fatalities to 1,074.

The top U.S. infectious disease official on Friday cautioned that the "blips" of rising coronavirus hospitalizations being reported by some states could get out of control if robust contact tracing regimes are not put in place.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is not concerned about a second wave of coronavirus cases, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Australia's largest state of New South Wales on Saturday reported its first locally transmitted COVID-19 case since late May, a sign the threat from the pandemic is far from over as social distancing restrictions continue to be eased.

Authorities in Beijing have temporarily shut a major wholesale agricultural market following a rise in locally transmitted novel coronavirus infections in China's capital city over the past two days.

A Beijing district official said on Saturday the district was in "wartime emergency mode" following a spike in novel coronavirus cases centered around a major wholesale market there.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 348 to 186,022, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday.

The top U.S. infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Friday cautioned that the "blips" of rising coronavirus hospitalizations being reported by some states could get out of control if robust contact tracing regimes are not put in place.

Facebook Inc fired an employee who had criticized Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by U.S. President Donald Trump this month, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue.