TOP HEADLINES

- Croatia has been removed from the UK's travel corridor list, and tens of thousands of Britons have less than 24 hours to return home before a 14-day quarantine comes into effect. Portugal has been granted a travel corridor after having been on the FCO "red list" for months. Bookings are now rising for holidays in Portugal while those holidaying in Croatia must decide whether they will pay more money and return home early or keep their existing flights after 0400 on Saturday and self-isolate for a fortnight. 

- Irish PM Micheál Martin has issued a statement confirming that agriculture minister Dara Calleary's has resigned after he went to a golf club event which breached lockdown rules. "His attendance at this event was wrong and an error of judgement on his part. I have accepted his resignation," said Martin, adding that people have "made very difficult, personal sacrifices in their family lives and in their businesses to comply with COVID regulations." Calleary has also "apologized unreservedly to everyone" for attending the dinner hosted by the Irish parliament's golf society in a Galway hotel. 

- The COVID-19 "R" rate has risen to between 0.9 and 1.1 percent, UK government scientists have confirmed. The Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) says the numbers suggest there is a risk that the overall coronavirus epidemic in the UK is growing. A report published on Friday stated that "SAGE does not have confidence that R is currently below one in England." 

- France has recorded the biggest jump in new cases since the end of lockdown in May. There has been a rise of 4,771 new cases in the previous 24 hours, 1,000 more than the previous day, according to the latest figures released by Santé Publique France. 

- Russia reported 4,870 new coronavirus cases on Friday, pushing the country's tally to 946,976, the fourth largest in the word. Authorities said 90 people had died over the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 16,189.

- At least 41 schools in Berlin have reported that students or teachers have become infected with coronavirus, less than a fortnight after schools reopened in Germany, according to AP. 

- Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán told state radio that he will tighten border crossings regulations from the start of September in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as the number of new infections rise in surrounding countries. 

- Birmingham, Britain's second largest city, could soon go back into lockdown in response to a 27 percent rise in new coronavirus cases in one week. 

- Germany has advized against travel to the tourist regions of Sibenik-Knin and Split Dalmatia in Croatia. Slovenia has also added Croatia to its quarantine list. 

- Eurozone economic activity slowed in August as a new rise in cases of the coronavirus in parts of Europe blunted a recovery, IHS Markit said on Friday. The firm's closely-watched PMI index fell to 51.6 points from 54.9 points in July but was still above the key 50 points level which indicates growth.

- Lithuania has made the wearing of masks compulsory at all indoor and outdoors events and also at all catering establishments.

- Spain now has Europe's fastest-rising caseload, with 142 cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks. 

- AstraZeneca has received regulatory approval to conduct part of a Phase III trial of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222 in Russia, according to a filing in the Russian registry of clinical trials on Friday. The trial will involve 150 participants across four medical facilities in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

- Switzerland recorded more than 300 new coronavirus cases on Friday, a level not noted in Switzerland since mid-April. 

- Tour de France organizers have warned teams that they will not be able to take part in the race if they return two positive COVID-19 tests in seven days, said official sources on Friday. 

- The World Health Organization (WHO) says it hopes the coronavirus crisis can be over in less than two years. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the Spanish flu that hit in 1918 took two years to end, adding "Our situation now with more technology, of course with connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading it can move fast." Ghebreyesus also said "At the same time we have the technology and knowledge to stop it." 

- More than 22.5 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 around the world, and more than 14.4 million have recovered. More than 790,500 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

ACROSS EUROPE

Toni Waterman in Brussels 

Belgium’s COVID-19 restrictions are being eased ever so slightly as the latest wave of infections stabilizes. Shopping will be allowed in pairs from next Monday, which could help retailers who have complained of poor sales because people were only allowed to shop solo. Maximum audience limits will also be doubled for indoor and outdoor events.  

And starting 1 September, couples in long-term relationships will be allowed to travel abroad to see each other. Right now, Belgian residents were only allowed to travel to high-risk zones if they were married. 

And speaking of love, European Council President Charles Michel has postponed his upcoming nuptials because of the coronavirus. He was meant to marry his long time partner this weekend in the south of France, but the region is classified as an orange zone. The Belgian government recommends people quarantine for 14 days when returning from an orange zone.

Ross Cullen in Paris

With more than 4,700 cases in the last 24 hours, France has seen its fifth-highest day for coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak in the country in January. 

Young people are making up the bulk of the new confirmed infections and France is currently in the middle of its summer holiday season, with thousands of people mingling on trains and planes as they criss-cross the country to seaside resorts and popular vacation locations. 

Local authorities recognise the need for tourism to boost the economy but are bringing in regional restrictions such as curfews and beach closures, along with making face masks compulsory in many outdoor spaces. 

Toulouse has become the first French city to make nose-and-mouth coverings mandatory in all outdoor spaces. Cities like Paris, Marseille and Lyon currently only mandate masks outside in certain streets.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

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CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 22 new COVID-19 cases, all from overseas

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CGTN Africa: China donates medical equipment to Madagascar

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.