(Reuters) – The pandemic has stoked hunger for trusted news in a time of global crisis and a clear majority of people want media organisations to be impartial and objective, The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism said.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news
EUROPE
* Six people have been arrested on suspicion of swindling the French state out of 12 million euros ($14 million) in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, the Europol police body said.
* British pilots, cabin crew, travel agents and other workers are urging politicians to save the summer holiday season by reopening routes abroad.
* Russia reported the most confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in a single day since February.
* Ireland’s health minister said it is too early to say whether an increased presence of the Delta variant will delay a further easing of restrictions beyond July 5.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Japan’s daily rate of vaccinations has reached a crucial milestone of 1 million, government data showed.
* Alcohol, high-fives and talking loudly will be banned for the reduced numbers of Olympic ticket holders allowed into venues.
* Australia’s largest city of Sydney reintroduced “soft touch” curbs to contain a widening outbreak of the Delta variant.
* Taiwan will extend its curbs until July 12, the health minister said. A major Taiwanese Buddhist group said it was hoping to buy doses of BioNTech’s vaccine.
* Passengers on two flights between Australia and New Zealand have been ordered to immediately isolate and undergo testing.
AMERICAS
* Federal authorities have seized at U.S. airports unauthorised versions of remdesivir destined for distribution in Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported.
* Brazilian federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into a contract for doses of a vaccine made by India’s Bharat Biotech, according to a document seen on Tuesday.
* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 residential eviction moratorium is expected to be extended by another month, sources said.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Israel empowered health officials to quarantine anyone deemed to have been exposed to the especially infectious Delta variant.
* Mall operator Majid Al Futtaim said retail revenues in the United Arab Emirates in the latter part of 2021 are likely to exceed those seen before the pandemic.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The World Health Organization said its review of Russia’s vaccine production had found some issues with a Russian plant which fills vials with the Sputnik V shot. A source close to UfaVITA said the company had fully addressed these concerns.
* Vaccines made by AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech alliance remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants.
* The University of Oxford said it was testing anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* World shares edged higher and the bond market calmed after reassurances from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that the Fed is not rushing to hike rates, but European stocks struggled to gain momentum. [MKTS/GLOB]
* The German cabinet approved a draft budget for next year to finance more COVID-19 measures, an official said.
* Sweden’s economy will grow substantially faster than previously expected this year, the government said.
* The European Commission approved Belgium’s plan to recover from the pandemic and transform the economy in coming years.
* Men suffered bigger jobs losses across the euro zone during the pandemic, a European Central Bank study found.
* Italy needs an EU-wide expansionary fiscal policy to achieve long-lasting growth after the pandemic, Prime Minister Mario Draghi told parliament.
(Compiled by Juliette Portala and Ramakrishnan M. ; Edited by Arun Koyyur)
