FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Hopes of an improvement in key economic growth metrics in China have increased as more COVID-19-related restrictions ease there. In Europe, recent tourism-related transport disruptions should improve gradually, including in Spain where the police are working to hire more staff to deal with the influx of visitors. 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. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan will gradually reopen to tourists after two years but foreign visitors will be required to wear masks, take out private medical insurance and be chaperoned throughout their stay, the government said. * The Universal Beijing Resort will reopen on June 15 after being closed more than a month to comply with China's prevention measures, but it will cap the number of visitors at no more than 75% of capacity.

EUROPE * A top airline industry official said Britain should have responded "a hell of a lot better" to COVID-19 and argued aviation should have been more forceful in challenging government-mandated border closures during the pandemic.

* Long lines at Madrid Barajas Airport in recent weeks should ease as the Spanish police work on hiring more staff to deal with the surge in tourism from the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said. * The EU's chief executive sought to reassure angry European lawmakers that Poland would receive no COVID economic recovery funds before it has acted to reinstate independent courts.

* German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is cutting a trip abroad short after testing positive for the coronavirus on her first stop in Pakistan, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday. AMERICAS

* The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are estimated to make up nearly 5% and 8% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of June 4, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. * The U.S. Treasury announced the first state awards from a $10 billion COVID-19 aid program aimed at boosting broadband internet access in underserved communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Louisiana and New Hampshire.

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST * South Africa's economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, recovering to a pre-pandemic level, thanks to a strong performance by sectors like manufacturing, data from the statistics agency showed.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday will vote on whether to recommend authorizing Novavax Inc's vaccine, which the drugmaker hopes can become the shot of choice among some American vaccine skeptics.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Chinese equities closed higher on Tuesday, helped by gains in consumer stocks on hopes of a demand recovery as Beijing further eased COVID-19 curbs, while investors booked profits in some shares that had rebounded sharply in recent sessions.

* China's exports are expected to have expanded at a faster pace in May as factories reopened and supply chain disruptions calmed after Shanghai began to emerge from a lockdown, while imports also likely rose, a Reuters poll showed. * Oil prices were steady in a seesaw session on Tuesday as worries about economic growth offset supply concerns and the prospect of higher demand as China relaxes lockdowns set to control the coronavirus pandemic.

(Compiled by Dina Kartit and Uttaresh.V Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Mark Potter)