FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
* Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said parts of the service economy will reopen as scheduled on Saturday as the country's vaccination rate surpasses 40%. ASIA-PACIFIC * The Olympics must not be a burden on medical systems, Japan's chief government spokesman said, amid worries that daily athlete testing will tax health resources already stressed in fighting a rebound of COVID-19 cases. * Residents in Cambodia's capital gathered to demand food from the government, outraged at what they called inadequate aid distribution during a tough lockdown that bars people from leaving their homes.
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Several Indian states have run out of vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive, authorities said, as new infections surged to another daily record. Due to the shortage of vaccines, they added, vaccination centers in Mumbai will be shut for three days starting Friday. 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
* Britain said it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases. * France detected its first cases of contamination with the B.1.617 variant, currently very present in India, the country's Health Ministry said on Thursday.
* From May 2, Ukraine will impose an entry ban on non-nationals arriving from India, its deputy health minister said. * Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said parts of the service economy will reopen as scheduled on Saturday as the country's vaccination rate surpasses 40%.
ASIA-PACIFIC * The Olympics must not be a burden on medical systems, Japan's chief government spokesman said, amid worries that daily athlete testing will tax health resources already stressed in fighting a rebound of COVID-19 cases.
* Residents in Cambodia's capital gathered to demand food from the government, outraged at what they called inadequate aid distribution during a tough lockdown that bars people from leaving their homes. * China's aviation regulator said it would suspend an Air France flight from Paris to Shanghai for two weeks from May 10 due to COVID-19 cases.
* Japan is prepared to provide 300 respirators and 300 oxygen concentrators to India once talks are finalized, the chief cabinet secretary said. AMERICAS
* Brazil's Senate on Thursday approved a bill to suspend patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and medications during the pandemic. * Brazil on Thursday became the second country to pass 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, after the United States.
* Costa Rica will for the next week close non-essential businesses across the center of the country, the government said on Thursday. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Uganda has detected the Indian variant, stirring fears the East African nation could suffer a resurgence of cases just when its outbreak has waned, a senior health official said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Russia has produced the world's first batch of vaccines for animals, its agricultural regulator said. * Indonesia's drug regulator approved the vaccine of China's Sinopharm, which it will use in a private immunization scheme where companies buy government-procured vaccines to inoculate their staff.
* Contract drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions said on Thursday it hopes to respond to U.S. regulators within days on how to resolve problems at its Baltimore plant. ECONOMIC IMPACT
* World stocks held near a record high and the euro was on course for its best month in nine as strong U.S. data and corporate earnings plus the Federal Reserve's commitment to supporting the economy fuelled investors' appetite for risk. * Taiwan's economy grew at its fastest pace in more than a decade in the first three months of 2021 as the "work from home" boom sparked strong global demand for the island's hi-tech exports.
* The economies of Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Italy contracted in the first quarter, data showed, as restrictions to curb the third wave of coronavirus stifled output. * Turkey's tourism revenues fell 40% and foreign visitor arrivals dropped 54% in the first quarter, data showed.
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