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2.09pm BST

The Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) is in talks to test a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Italian researchers, the dean of the Brazilian university told Reuters.

With the world’s worst outbreak outside the US, Brazil has become a leading front in the global race for a vaccine, as clinical trials are likely to yield results faster in places where the virus is widespread.

Soraya Smaili, the president of Unifesp, said on Wednesday: “We are already in advanced discussions with Italy’s Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute. We expect to bring it here, the accord is already moving forward and we’ll be able to do a lot of studies with this vaccine.”

The Italian researchers want to conduct midstage trials and final phase three studies involving thousands of subjects in Brazil, Smaili said.

2.01pm BST

Around the world at a glance:

Some powerful US senators are pushing back against an attempt by the Trump administration’s Treasury Department to weaken a watchdog panel involved with overseeing $2.4tn in pandemic aid, according to three congressional aides. The Trump administration has petitioned the US supreme court to invalidate the Obamacare law, which added millions to the healthcare safety net, seeking to scrap coverage during the novel coronavirus crisis.

More than 9.62 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 489,208 have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 1222 GMT on Friday.

Russia reported on Friday 6,800 new coronavirus cases, the first daily rise below 7,000 since late April, taking its nationwide tally of infections to 620,794.

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