FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* France is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by new variants of the disease, French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said, as daily new cases reached an almost two-month peak the day before at more than 95,000. * Denmark plans to offer a fourth COVID vaccine dose in the autumn to those who are over 50 years old, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said as she announced a strategy to curb the spread of the disease over the coming months.

Leaders of the global scheme aiming to get COVID-19 vaccines to the world's poorest are pushing manufacturers to cut or slow deliveries of about half a billion shots so doses are not wasted. 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

* The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 after being postponed for a year due to the pandemic, cost 1.42 trillion yen ($10.4 billion), nearly double the figure quoted in the city's bid for the Games, according to a final budget report. * Chinese capital Beijing reported three new local COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as of 3 p.m., all found during community screening, a local health official said.

* The Universal Beijing Resort said on Wednesday it will reopen on June 25 after being closed for nearly two months, as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Chinese capital falls. EUROPE

* The European Union wants to boost production of vaccines and drugs in Latin America by investing more in the region and by sharing technologies and regulatory practices, the head of the European Commission said. * France is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by new variants of the disease, French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said, as daily new cases reached an almost two-month peak the day before at more than 95,000.

* Denmark plans to offer a fourth COVID vaccine dose in the autumn to those who are over 50 years old, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said as she announced a strategy to curb the spread of the disease over the coming months. AMERICAS

* The United States has delivered about 2.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for children below five years to administration centres while another one million shots will reach the sites soon, the Department of Health and Human Services said. AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST

* Uganda's public debt surged 15% in 2021, finance ministry data showed, as the east African country soaked up fresh debt to finance post-pandemic recovery and shore up sagging revenues. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* COVID-19 vaccines that specifically target the Omicron and other variants are under development, Pfizer 's chief executive said on Wednesday, adding that the company will be able to quickly adapt shots as the novel coronavirus mutates. * Moderna said that an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine designed to target the Omicron variant also generated a strong immune response against the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which have gained a foothold in the U.S. in recent weeks.

* Moderna will build a new research and manufacturing centre in Britain to develop vaccines against new COVID-19 variants, other respiratory illnesses and help improve readiness for any future pandemics. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Copper prices slumped to their lowest level in over a year on Wednesday on increasing fears that rapid interest rate hikes would topple the global economy into recession as China grapples with COVID-19 lockdowns, hitting demand for metals. * Toyota Motor Corp cut its July global production plan by 50,000 vehicles as semiconductor shortages and COVID-led parts supply disruptions continued to curb output.

(Compiled by Valentine Baldassari, Uttaresh.V and Vinay Dwivedi; Edited by Subhranshu Sahu and Shounak Dasgupta)