NEW YORK, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- People line up to enter a department store in Brooklyn Borough of New York, the United States, on July 16, 2020. Confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 3.5 million on Thursday in the United States, with deaths over 137,000, while debate over mask-wearing, one of the most effective means of curbing the virus spread, persists around the country.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Zoran Milanovic (L) and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic attend a press briefing after their meeting at the Presidential Office in Zagreb, Croatia, on July 16, 2020. Zoran Milanovic approved here on Thursday incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic another mandate to form a new government, after Plenkovic presented him with signatures of 76 newly-elected parliament members who supported him as the next prime minister.

TEHRAN, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Children cool off in hot weather in Shahr-e-Rey, south of Tehran, Iran, on July 16, 2020.

SAO PAULO, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Cutout photos of fans are seen on the stand at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 16, 2020. Sao Paulos regional football championship will resume on July 22. Matches will be played behind closed doors and under strict sanitary protocols. The Brazilian government reported on Thursday that the country has registered over 2 million cases of the novel coronavirus after 45,403 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, for a total of 2,012,151. According to the Ministry of Health, 1,322 deaths were recorded in the last 24-hour period, bringing the total to 76,688.

AMMAN, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Tourists visit the historical Roman Theater of Amman, Jordan, on July 16, 2020.

GHAZNI, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- A man looks outside from broken glasses at the site of a rocket attack in Ghazni city, Afghanistan, July 16, 2020. Five persons, all civilians, were injured Thursday as four rockets hit Ghazni city, the capital of eastern Ghazni province, amid Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghanis visit to the city, confirmed an army statement released here.

NEW YORK, July 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- People are seen in a park in Brooklyn Borough of New York, the United States, on July 16, 2020. Confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 3.5 million on Thursday in the United States, with deaths over 137,000, while debate over mask-wearing, one of the most effective means of curbing the virus spread, persists around the country.