(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Reuters
The U.S. economy grew solidly in the second quarter, pulling the level of gross domestic product above its pre-pandemic peak, as massive government aid and vaccinations against COVID-19 fueled spending on goods and services.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
* Portugal announced a three-stage plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions, including scrapping a night-time curfew, as the country's vaccination rollout speeds up, helping to bring a recent surge in infections under control.
* Greece's south Aegean islands were marked dark red on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's COVID-19 map on Thursday after a rise in infections, meaning all but essential travel to and from the region is discouraged.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Britain's U.N. ambassador warned on Thursday that half of Myanmar's 54 million people could be infected with COVID-19 in the next two weeks as Myanmar's envoy called for U.N. monitors to ensure an effective delivery of vaccines.
* Isolation and the absence of family and friends have taken a toll on athletes' mental health at the Tokyo Olympics, with some struggling to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic.
AMERICAS
* U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday to extend a moratorium on evictions to protect millions of U.S. renters and their families that is set to expire this week amid a deadly rise in coronavirus infections, the White House said.
* Brazil plans to cancel a contract signed in March for 10 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said on Thursday as the South American nation struggles with one of the worst outbreaks in the world.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran will become the first country outside of Cuba to start producing one of the Communist-run island's homegrown vaccines on an industrial scale.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The U.S. Food & Drug Administration extended the shelf life for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine to six months from four-and half months.
* Emergent Biosolutions said it would resume production of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine at its troubled Baltimore facility, where operations were stopped in April after millions of doses were found to be contaminated.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian shares managed a semblance of calm on Thursday as the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled it was in no rush to taper stimulus, though the mood was fragile as investors waited to see if Beijing could stem the recent bloodletting in Chinese shares.
* Europe's top energy companies signalled confidence in a lasting recovery from the pandemic impact by drawing on higher oil prices to boost shareholder returns and reassure investors as they roll out risky climate strategies.
* The rush to online shopping during the pandemic drove prices higher for goods ordered over the internet, eroding a long-standing cost advantage and possible evidence that overall inflation may become more persistent than thought, according to a new report from tech giant Adobe.
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