Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Canada Arrests Trucker Leaders
Canadian police begin arresting leaders of the trucker-led protest that has choked the capital's streets for three weeks. Massive operation begins to clear the trucker-led protests against COVID health rules.
Hong Kong To Test Whole Population
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says the city is planning to introduce mandatory testing for its entire population of more than 7.3 million, with its hospitals overwhelmed by spiralling cases.
New Leader Postponed
Hong Kong's government postpones plans to pick the city's new pro-Beijing leader as the financial hub struggles to tackle its worst-ever outbreak.
HK Domestic Workers 'Abandoned'
Hong Kong's foreign domestic workers are being "abandoned", with some forced to sleep rough or being denied treatment after testing positive, charities say.
China Bounties For Carriers
Several Chinese cities are offering bounties worth tens of thousands of dollars for leads on smuggling rings that have brought the virus over the border from Hong Kong.
mRNA Jabs For Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) chooses six African countries – Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia – for mRNA vaccine production plants, in a push to ensure the continent can make its own jabs to fight COVID.
New Zealand Police Rule Out Force
New Zealand police rule out forcibly clearing anti-vax protesters who have camped around parliament in Wellington for 11 days, saying they do not want to provoke violence on the streets of the capital.
Asia Air Travel To Bounce Back
Air travel is expected to pick up in Asia as more virus-hit countries lift border curbs, says plane-maker Airbus. The region is expected to account for a bulk of aircraft demand in the next 20 years.
G20's Careful Approach
The Group of 20 biggest economies are committed to taking a careful approach to unwinding support introduced during the pandemic, the group's chair Indonesia says after a meeting of its finance chiefs.
Vaccine Row Remains
European Union (EU) and African leaders do not reach a breakthrough at their Brussels summit over a dispute around Africa's calls for a temporary intellectual property waiver to allow the generic production of vaccines and treatments.
Over 5.8 Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,860,577 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Friday.
The US has recorded the most COVID deaths with 931,741, followed by Brazil with 641,902 and India 510,905.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID-19, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.