FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

China introduced more restrictions near Beijing as local infections rose, while the World Health Organization expressed disappointment the country had not yet authorised a team of international experts to examine the origins of the novel coronavirus. 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 * French ministers told hospitality industry representatives that restaurants and cafes will not re-open on the anticipated Jan. 20 date. * Spain increased the pace of its campaign to inoculate people, with close to 140,000 people vaccinated.

China introduced more restrictions near Beijing as local infections rose, while the World Health Organization expressed disappointment the country had not yet authorised a team of international experts to examine the origins of the novel coronavirus.

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 * French ministers told hospitality industry representatives that restaurants and cafes will not re-open on the anticipated Jan. 20 date.

* Spain increased the pace of its campaign to inoculate people, with close to 140,000 people vaccinated. * Germany is extending its nationwide lockdown until the end of the month and introducing tougher restrictions.

* The BBC said it would be providing its biggest education offer in its history as England and Scotland entered new lockdowns, which will see most children out of school. AMERICAS

* Los Angeles health officials have told first responders to stop bringing adult patients who cannot be resuscitated to hospitals, citing a shortage of beds and staff. * Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the whole nation was frustrated by how slowly provinces are vaccinating people.

* Brazil's syringe manufacturers said they will supply 30 million syringes and needles for the country's vaccination program after the government said it would requisition surplus supplies. * Colombia has authorized emergency use of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Australian health authorities are bringing forward the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines by two weeks to early March.

* North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded party workers for ensuring "stable situations" against the pandemic, even as he said his five-year economic plan had failed "tremendously". MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Nigeria hopes to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one-fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme. * Senegal President Macky Sall announced a new state of emergency.

* Iran and Oman have registered their first two cases of a highly contagious coronavirus variant that emerged in Britain. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc may take about two months to determine whether doses of the company's COVID-19 vaccine can be halved to double the supply of the shots in the United States, according to the agency. * There is no indication that the coronavirus variant identified in South Africa is more transmissible than the one spreading fast in Britain, the World Health Organization's technical chief on COVID-19 said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * China's services sector activity expanded at a slower pace in December, as sporadic coronavirus outbreaks tempered the recovery in consumer confidence and weighed on new business growth.

* British new car sales fell nearly 30% last year in their biggest annual drop since 1943 as lockdown measures hit the sector. * Thailand's economic outlook would be substantially affected by a surge in coronavirus cases, minutes of the central bank's last policy meeting showed on Wednesday.