Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service.

The UK, which has the biggest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “worst case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.

Johnson, at a hastily convened news conference in Downing Street after news of a lockdown leaked to local media, said the one-month lockdown across England would kick in at a minute past midnight on Thursday morning and last until December 2.

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., parent company of coffee-and-donuts chain Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins, said it’s in talks to be acquired by private equity-backed Inspire Brands.

The New York Times reported the talks earlier, saying Inspire will take Dunkin’ private at $106.50 a share, citing two people with knowledge of the negotiations who weren’t identified. The deal -- valued at $8.8 billion -- could be announced as soon as Monday, the newspaper added. The price is a 20% premium over Friday’s closing price, when the company had a market capitalization of $7.3 billion.

“Dunkin’ Brands confirms that it has held preliminary discussions to be acquired by Inspire Brands,” Karen Raskopf, a Dunkin’ spokeswoman, said in a statement, declining to offer further details and cautioned that there’s is no certainty an agreement will be reached.

A second medical clinic funded by six-time NBA champion and Charlotte Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan opened in the North Carolina city earlier this week.

Local investors and citizens breathed a sigh of relief at Moody’s decision to delay South Africa’s credit rating assessment. The delay gave the Rand a welcome boost at the beginning of last week.

However, reports that the government is once again considering plans to provide further financial support to Eskom is likely to place the Rand under pressure once more. Economists have predicted that the financial bailout for Eskom could be the tipping point that will see Moody’s downgrade South Africa to junk status.

The WTO Appellate Body has published the first of two rulings expected this year on subsidies in the large commercial aircraft dispute between the US and the EU.

Social media is abuzz in Zimbabwe after the country's biggest brewer and Anheuser-Busch InBev associate unit Delta Corporation said it is running out of ingredients for the manufacture of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, raising fears beer could run out in the next few days.

A leading opposition politician in Zimbabwe has vowed to expel Chinese investors who are "looting" the country if he wins presidential elections due in July.

“We will kick out the Chinese companies,” Nelson Chamisa was quoted by the privately owned New Zimbabwe news site as saying.

The Trump administration has extended negotiations on steel and aluminium tariffs for 30 days with Canada, the EU and Mexico.

It has also reached an agreement in principle with Argentina, Brazil and Australia.