FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The case could give fresh momentum to a second wave of claims against insurers, potentially costing the industry billions of pounds. * French drugmaker Valneva's shares dived about 20% on Monday after it warned that the future of its COVID-19 vaccine was in jeopardy.

Millions of Beijing's inhabitants are facing mandatory testing and targeted lockdowns as authorities scrambled on Monday to contain a COVID-19 outbreak traced to a 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds. The venue had only reopened last week as restrictions eased in the Chinese capital. 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

* Beijing's COVID-19 bar outbreak is still "developing", with the city's epidemic control at a "critical juncture", a health official said. State media reported China's vice premier as saying it is necessary to strengthen COVID-19 prevention and control of key places, after her visit to the COVID-hit venue. * Beijing will suspend all offline sports events from June 13, citing high transmission risks of the recent COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in the city, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports said.

EUROPE * Britain's biggest pubs group Stonegate is suing Zurich Insurance and two peers for 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion)alleging the pandemic, government-ordered closures and restrictions triggered business interruption cover multiple times. The case could give fresh momentum to a second wave of claims against insurers, potentially costing the industry billions of pounds.

* French drugmaker Valneva's shares dived about 20% on Monday after it warned that the future of its COVID-19 vaccine was in jeopardy. The firm has been trying to salvage a deal with the European Commission which had said it would terminate an advance purchase agreement for 60 million doses. AMERICAS

* U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers said on Sunday Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines were effective and safe for use in children aged 6 months to 4 years. AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST

* Saudi Arabia announced the lifting of measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the state news agency (SPA) reported, citing an official in the interior ministry. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* French drugmaker Sanofi said an upgraded version of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate it is developing with GSK showed potential in two trials to protect against the virus's main variants of concern, including the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 strains, when used as a booster shot. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* European stocks tumbled to three-month lows on Monday, while Asian stocks also sank, as red-hot U.S. inflation reignited worries about even more aggressive Federal Reserve policy tightening, while a COVID-19 warning from Beijing added to concerns about global growth. * New bank lending in China jumped far more than expected in May and broader credit growth also quickened, as policymakers try to pull the world's second-largest economy out of a sharp, COVID-induced slump.

* German trade with China in April was little affected by COVID-19 lockdowns and consequent disarray in supply chains, the Federal Statistics Office said. * Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in April, adding to fears of a sharp slowdown. GDP would have expanded by 0.1% excluding the impact of a reduction in the government's coronavirus test-and-trace and vaccination programmes, the Office for National Statistics said.

(Compiled by Olivier Sorgho and Rashmi Aich; Edited by Mark Heinrich)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)