World News in Brief: June 11

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved funding of US$400 million to support the Indonesian government's reforms to deepen, increase efficiency and strengthen the financial sector resilience.

A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine inside her car at a drive-through vaccination center in Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 10, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)
A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine inside her car at a drive-through vaccination center in Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 10, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the other leaders of the world's most advanced economies on Friday that their G7 summit was a chance to learn lessons from the coronavirus pandemic and ensure they do not repeat the errors made during it.

* A COVID-19 vaccine from Sinopharm unit Beijing Institute of Biological Products has been granted approval for use on people aged between three and 17 in China, a disease control official said.

* The Malaysian government has decided to extend the current restrictive measures in place by another two weeks till June 28 in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Friday.

* The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 8,083 within one day to 1,894,025, with the death toll adding by 193 to 52,566, the Health Ministry said on Friday. According to the ministry, 6,230 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 1,735,144.

* The Philippines will exempt fully vaccinated elderly people from stay-at-home orders to encourage more to get inoculated and help authorities meet COVID-19 immunisation targets, officials said.

* The Japanese government is considering ending a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures as scheduled, but keeping some curbs such as on restaurant hours until the Olympics start in July, media reported.

* The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it will no longer require travellers to wear masks in outdoor transit hubs and in outdoor spaces.

* Johnson & Johnson said the US Food and Drug Administration has extended the shelf life of its single-shot vaccine from three months to four-and-a-half months.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed on Friday to redouble their efforts to secure a trade agreement as soon as possible to unlock such a deal's "huge opportunities".

* Switzerland plans to ease entry restrictions this month and further open up public life as COVID-19 cases continue to decline, the government said on Friday.

* Ocugen said it would no longer pursue an emergency use authorization for its vaccine candidate, Covaxin, and would instead aim to file for a full US approval of the shot.

* The United States will continue to press for a waiver of intellectual property rights for vaccines and treatments even as it and other Group of Seven rich nations sharply expand donations of vaccines to poorer countries.

* OPEC+ oil producers will need to boost their output in order to meet demand set to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.

* Britain's recovery from the pandemic sped up in April as lockdown measures eased, with the fastest monthly growth since July leaving output a record 27.6% higher than a year earlier, when the virus was rampant and lockdown tightest.

* German output is rebounding from its pandemic-induced slump and inflation could rise faster than currently expected, potentially affecting behaviour in the economy, the German central bank said.

* Tanzania has asked the International Monetary Fund for a US$571 million loan to help it tackle the challenges caused by the pandemic.

* About 90% of African countries will miss a September target to vaccinate at least 10% of their populations, a WHO official said.

Xinhua,Reuters