FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Pfizer and partner BioNTech plan to ask U.S. and European regulators within weeks to authorize a booster dose of its vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Pfizer and partner BioNTech plan to ask U.S. and European regulators within weeks to authorize a booster dose of its vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. 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

* Spain's Canary Islands and its Mediterranean region of Valencia have asked the government to bring back curfews to counter a soaring infection rate among unvaccinated youngsters that is threatening to scupper the vital summer tourism season. * French people who want to travel to Spain and Portugal should get vaccinated first, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, clarifying a government call not to travel to the two countries issued the previous day.

* The Dutch government is expected to reimpose restrictions on nightclubs, music festivals and restaurants on Friday in response to a surge in infections among young adults, local media reported. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Having escaped the worst when the pandemic erupted last year, Southeast Asia is now suffering dramatic rises in deaths and cases, while vaccination shortfalls and highly contagious variants derail containment efforts. * North Korea has rejected planned shipments of AstraZeneca's vaccine that were being organised under the global COVAX distribution scheme due to concerns over side effects, a South Korean think-tank said.

* Myanmar's military ruler said Russia had agreed to supply 2 million doses of vaccine from this month, as the Southeast Asian country reported another record in cases and deaths. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to help reopen schools in the fall, including recommending masks indoors for everyone who is not fully vaccinated and three feet of distance within classrooms. * Rio de Janeiro officials will limit attendance at the Copa America soccer final between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana on Saturday to 6,500 spectators, or 10% of the famed stadium's capacity, the mayor's office said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Construction of a new plant in Senegal to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines is expected to begin later this year, and the facility should produce 25 million doses per month by the end of 2022, the financers of the project said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Finance ministers of the world's 20 largest economies are set to urge faster distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests across the world, but are not making firm new commitments, according to the latest version of a joint communique.

* Europe's drug regulator has found a possible link between very rare heart inflammation and vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, it said, stressing that the benefits of the shots outweighed any risks. * The gap between the two shots of the Sputnik V vaccine can be extended up to 180 days and it will remain effective, the Russian Direct Investment Fund said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * U.S. stocks moved higher on Friday, following gains in equities in Europe, while Treasury yields rose and the dollar held firm as markets took a cautious breather amid fresh concerns about the pace of economic recovery from COVID-19.

* Britain's post-lockdown economic rebound slowed sharply in May despite a relaxation of social-distancing rules, according to official data that also showed a hit to carmakers from the global shortage of microchips. (Compiled by Federico Maccioni; Edited by Alex Richardson)