The Spanish parliament on Thursday approved the extension for six months of a state of emergency declared to fight a surge in coronavirus infections.

French schools will require all students aged six and over to wear face masks in class, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday ahead of a new coronavirus lockdown starting at midnight.

Until now masks were mandatory only for students 11 and older, but Castex told lawmakers in parliament that new efforts were needed "to protect all our children, teachers and parents."

France was preparing to begin a new month-long national lockdown as Germany imposed drastic new curbs, with European leaders set to meet Thursday to discuss the explosive spikes in coronavirus infections on the continent.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to push for a "lockdown light" in crisis talks with Germany's regional leaders Wednesday, as the number of coronavirus cases soars and hospital beds fill up.

French officials said Tuesday that tougher restrictions are looming to counter an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases as doctors warned many hospitals are just days away from being overrun with patients.

Iran's official novel coronavirus fatalities crossed the 33,000 mark on Tuesday, the health ministry said, as the country set new records in both daily deaths and infection cases.

Italian officials faced a backlash on Monday after imposing coronavirus restrictions aimed at "saving Christmas", as other hard-hit countries enforced curfews in a bid to avoid fresh national lockdowns.

A campaign by Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford to feed England's poorest children during school holidays has turned into a political football, throwing the spotlight on increased poverty during the coronavirus outbreak.

Chinese officials were racing Sunday to smother a fresh coronavirus outbreak in the country's far northwest after 137 new infections were discovered.

Spain declared a national state of emergency on Sunday to tackle a second coronavirus wave as the World Health Organization reported a third straight day of record new infections across the world.