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| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: Coronavirus deaths have topped 400,000 in Europe, the world's second worst-hit region. The pandemic has killed at least 1,444,426 people worldwide since last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Saturday. Some 61.6 million cases have been officially recorded, of which more than 39 million are considered recovered. Shoppers form queues at so-called "non-essential" stores which have reopened in France for the holiday season, after a month of coronavirus closures. Poland's shopping centres also resume business, while Belgium will allow shops to reopen from December 1. The moves mirror similar easing in Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Ireland has also announced a staggered easing of restrictions to allow some businesses to reopen and for families to gather ahead of Christmas. Hundreds of delegates from Germany's far right AfD gather for a congress that authorities have warned could become a coronavirus hotspot, as the party increasingly aligns itself with militants protesting anti-Covid restrictions. To win approval for the huge gathering at a time when Germans are asked to limit their contacts to just two households at a time, the AfD signed up to stringent rules including compulsory mask wearing and social distancing. Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez announces an easing of restrictions, leaving only two cities in lockdown. Some curbs remain in force, such as the compulsory wearing of masks and the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in closed places. Los Angeles, the United States' second-largest city, announces a temporary ban on gatherings of people from different households, with religious services and protests exempt. The order will take effect Monday and last at least three weeks. burs/erc/txw
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