Brazil sees record increase in daily coronavirus cases and a cat in France might be the first known pet feline to survive Covid-19

*)Brazil registers record increase in daily Covid-19 cases

Brazil has registered a new record in Covid-19 cases and more than 1,000 dead in a 24 hour period, according to official figures from Thursday.

With over 438,000 cases, Brazil is second to the US in confirmed infections but its testing rate is 12 times lower.

The lack of widespread testing in Brazil has led some experts to believe the country’s actual number of cases could be higher.

*)Minneapolis burns over racially charged killing of George Floyd

Peaceful rallies gave way to a third night of arson and vandalism in Minneapolis, US, as protesters raged over the death of a black man.

George Floyd was seen on video gasping for breath as a white police officer knelt on his neck, a cop with many complaints and reprimands against him.

Authorities in the US city have acquired reinforcements from the National Guard as they brace for fresh protests over the racially-charged killing.

*)China parliament adopts plan to impose security law on Hong Kong

China’s parliament has endorsed plans to impose a national security law on Hong Kong that critics say will destroy the city’s freedoms.

The law, once enacted, will punish secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and acts that endanger national security.

Hundreds of people were arrested in Hong Kong on Wednesday as thousands protested against pro-China law.

*)Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to scrap a law that protected social media companies.

If enforced, the action would upend decades of precedent and treat internet platforms as "publishers" potentially liable for user-generated content.

With the move, Trump aims to rally supporters after he lashed out at Twitter for applying fact checks to claims he made in two of his tweets.

And finally…

*)French cat survives coronavirus infection

A nine-year-old cat in France is the first known case of a pet having recovered from the coronavirus.

There have only been a handful of other known cases globally, with infected owners being the likely source of the disease.

There are no known cases of humans getting infected from their pets.