S Korea battles second wave

South Korea said for the first time it is in the midst of a "second wave" of coronavirus infections as World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global cases, with the total rising by 183,020 in a 24-hour period.

The biggest increase, of more than 116,000, was from North and South America, WHO said in a daily report. Total global cases have passed 8.9 million with more than 468,000 deaths, it added.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) had previously said South Korea's first wave had never really ended.

But KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong yesterday said it had become clear that a holiday weekend in early May marked the beginning of a new wave of infections focused in the greater Seoul area, which had previously seen few cases.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon told a briefing that while daily numbers may be at manageable levels, if recent infection rates continued the city could soon see hundreds of cases a day.

As of midnight Sunday, South Korea reported 17 new coronavirus cases, the first time in nearly a month. The country has reported a total of 12,438 cases, with 280 deaths.

Cases around the world are rising especially in Latin America with Brazil now registering over 50,000 deaths. There are also fears of a second wave with Australians being warned against travelling to Melbourne.

Brazil falls into that bracket with President Jair Bolsonaro comparing the virus to a "little flu" and arguing that the economic impact of shutdowns is often worse than the virus itself.

Brazil is the second worst-affected country behind the United States, another country where political infighting has prevented a unified policy to handle the virus.

Mexico, Peru and Chile are also hard-hit as death tolls soar and healthcare facilities are pushed toward collapse.

Mexico City has delayed reopening markets, restaurants, malls, hotels and places of worship, with the country now recording over 20,000 deaths.

Highlighting the region's woes, Peru passed 8,000 deaths on Sunday.

FETE IN FRANCE

In Europe, meanwhile, the feel-good factor continues as countries ease their lockdown restrictions.

Thousands of French danced and partied well into yesterday for an annual music festival, in the first big blow out since the lockdown.

Revellers packed the streets of Paris, most shunning masks and social distancing, to enjoy concerts in cafes and on street corners.

Although none of the usual extravaganzas were held beyond what French electronic music legend Jean-Michel Jarre billed as the world's first live virtual "avatar" concert, many felt the authorities were too lax.

"This is not what a gradual end to the lockdown looks like," said Dr Gilbert Deray.

Swimming pools and cinemas also reopened yesterday -- with one cinema opening one minute after midnight for a sneak preview of the upcoming French comedy, "Les Parfums" (The Perfumes). 

Children up to the age of 15 also returned to school as attendance was switched from voluntary to compulsory, reports AFP.

SECOND WAVE

Fears remain, however, that the virus, may be on its way back even as countries where infections have ebbed lift their lockdowns to restart battered economies.

Australians were warned yesterday to avoid travelling to Melbourne, as the country's second biggest city tightened restrictions over fears of a second wave.

Victoria state has recorded more than 110 cases in the past week -- many of them in Melbourne -- prompting leaders of other regions to warn against visiting the city's six designated virus "hot spots".

China, Germany and Japan are also battling new outbreaks with some reintroducing containment measures.

Kyrgyzstan also reported a significant rise in coronavirus cases yesterday, less than a month after the Central Asian nation's government lifted restrictions in key cities.

MARKETS DIP

The spike in infections increased nervousness in the business world as markets mostly fell yesterday.

After enjoying a broadly positive week, with equities rallying from their March trough, traders turned cautious on news of a worrying jump in fresh cases in several US states including California, Texas and Florida.

German airline group Lufthansa, meanwhile, says it has backup plans ready in case shareholders reject a nine-billion-euro ($10.1 billion) pandemic rescue plan agreed with the state.

Like rival airlines, Lufthansa was plunged into crisis after efforts to contain the coronavirus brought air travel to a near standstill for several months this year.

Investors are to meet Thursday to sign off on the rescue.

SPORTING CONCERNS

The sporting world has been re-emerging from the darkness, although for every step forward it seems to take one back.

Japan announced that up to 5,000 fans will be able to attend football and baseball games from July 10 but the presence of fans at other sporting events, notably in the Balkans, appears to have caused problems.

Five players from Serbian club Red Star Belgrade tested positive for coronavirus after playing a match attended by 16,000 people, the club said yesterday.

Montenegro, which had declared itself virus-free, announced a new cluster of cases, predominantly football fans who had travelled to Belgrade to watch the match.

In neighbouring Croatia, Borna Coric became the second top tennis player, after Grigor Dimitrov, to test positive after taking part in an exhibition tournament featuring world number one Novak Djokovic.