FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell last week, but millions laid off because of COVID-19 continue to receive unemployment checks, suggesting the labor market could take years to heal from the pandemic, even as hiring resumes. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * Nearly 7.43 million people have been reported infected with the novel coronavirus around the world and 416,755 have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 1510 GMT on Thursday. * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell last week, but millions laid off because of COVID-19 continue to receive unemployment checks, suggesting the labor market could take years to heal from the pandemic, even as hiring resumes.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * Nearly 7.43 million people have been reported infected with the novel coronavirus around the world and 416,755 have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 1510 GMT on Thursday.

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

* Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and a summary of developments. EUROPE

* The European Commission is seeking a mandate from EU governments to buy up to six promising coronavirus vaccines in advance from pharmaceutical firms, two officials told Reuters. * Europe could face a surge of COVID-19 infections in the coming weeks caused by mass protests over the last two weeks, European Union officials and experts said.

* Central Europe's Visegrad Group of countries said they backed special measures to recover from the virus outbreak but the distribution of EU funds should not disadvantage countries that have managed the pandemic well. * England's COVID-19 Trace and Track programme is functioning effectively nationwide, although it can still be improved, programme leader Dido Harding said after the first numbers of people tested and traced were published.

* Russia reported 8,779 new cases, taking its nationwide tally past the half-million mark. * France's finance minister said it should speed up its gradual return to work and business activity, as new data showed the economy lost half a million jobs in the first quarter alone.

AMERICAS * From apple packing houses in Washington state to farm workers in Florida and a California county known as "the world's salad bowl," outbreaks of the coronavirus are emerging at U.S. fruit and vegetable farms and packing plants.

* President Donald Trump said he will begin staging campaign rallies again as he seeks to rebound from a drop in opinion polls after his handling of the pandemic and mass protests against police brutality and racism. * The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Amazon and eBay to stop selling unproven or unsafe disinfectants on their platforms, Bloomberg reported.

* Pandemic threatens Latin America's once vibrant culinary scene. ASIA-PACIFIC

* China is offering candidate coronavirus vaccines to employees at state-owned firms travelling overseas, as it seeks more data on their efficacy, the state news outlet Global Times reported. * Kazakhstan has locked down several towns and villages and tightened restrictions in one of its provinces following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

* Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan offered to help neighbouring India disburse cash to the public during the coronavirus lockdown, citing a report that Indians were struggling to make ends meet, but India rejected the offer. * Japan may start allowing business trips to and from Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand in the next few months, the Yomiuri daily said.

* Australian officials warned Black Lives Matter protesters they could be fined or arrested if they breach coronavirus restrictions. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The pandemic is accelerating in Africa, spreading to the hinterland from capital cities where it arrived with travellers, the World Health Organization said. * South Africa's mining production fell sharply during March and April, when output was largely halted during a strict lockdown, official data showed.

* Paraguay's coronavirus camps, obligatory for anyone entering the country, have garnered praise from international health bodies for helping stem the spread of the epidemic. * Nigeria's minister of women's affairs urged the judiciary to speed up prosecution of rape cases, which had reached an "alarming rate" three times the typical level as women and children were locked down with their abusers.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * World shares took their biggest tumble in five weeks as a sobering economic outlook from the U.S. Federal Reserve challenged market expectations, while bonds rallied on bets that yet more stimulus would be needed to ensure recovery.

* Governments around the world have spent $10 trillion in fiscal actions to respond to the pandemic and its economic fallout, but significant further efforts are needed, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday. * France's junior European Affairs minister said the EU must reach a deal on a proposed 750 billion euro economic recovery plan by July.

* Turkish banks' reliance on short-term foreign currency debt is proving a concern for investors as it risks piling on pressure within the banking system and on falling reserves in the wake of the pandemic. (Compiled by Anna Rzhevkina, Sarah Morland; Editing by Nick Macfie and Kevin Liffey)