Headlines
• China identifies first Indian variant in Guangdong
• Sweden and Italy lift some restrictions
• Russia allows UK flights
• UK manufacturing PMI up to 65.6
• Italy provides €50m to help treat Long Covid
• Glasgow to move to level two restrictions
World news
• The WHO has announced a new naming system for variants using Greek letters, aiming to simplify discussions and remove stigmas around the names. The four main variants are:
• Malaysia goes into lockdown with only essential businesses allowed to operate, people can only go outside for necessities, and most schools are closed.
• Glasgow to move to level two restrictions.
• Chinese authorities in Guangdong province have cancelled flights and locked down communities in response to the first community outbreak of the Delta variant.
• The IHS Markit/CIPS Manufacturing PMI for the UK reached a high last month of 65.6, up from 60.9 in April.
• Heathrow Airport has opened Terminal 3 for passengers arriving in the UK from countries with a high risk.
• The European Commission has proposed that member states exempt vaccinated travellers from having to quarantine between EU nations.
• Peru’s death toll has more than doubled after a review of official figures – giving it the world’s highest death rate per capita. The official number of deaths rose from 69,342 to 180,282, in line with so-called excess death figures.
• The economy in Northern Ireland should return to its pre-Covid level of output by the first half of 2023. However, it may be 2024 before all jobs lost are replaced, according to Ulster University economists.
• Sweden is lifting restrictions today, with bars and pubs allowed to stay open two hours later in the evening, and cinemas, theatres and other indoor venues allowed to hold up to 50 people, with social distancing measures in place. Outdoor sports arenas are also reopening.
• Italy is lifting restrictions today. Indoor dining is now allowed and sports stadiums are reopening, but with limits on capacity.
• In Turkey, the daily overnight curfew will begin an hour later from today and restaurants will reopen to a limited number of customers.
• UK house prices rose 10.9% in the year to May, with the average house price rising to £242,832, up £23,930 over the past 12 months, according to Nationwide.
• France has opened up vaccination to all adults from today.
• Russia to allow flights to the UK and seven other countries to resume from 2 June, but travel restrictions to Turkey and Tanzania have been extended for another three weeks.
• Germany has lowered its coronavirus risk assessment from very high to high.
• Members of Australia's women's softball team have become the first international athletes to arrive in Japan for the Olympics.
• Poland will start offering vaccinations to children aged 12-15 years from 7 June.
• The Copa America football tournament will take place next month in Brazil after original host Argentina pulled out.
• Vietnam has suspended incoming international flights to its capital and tightened restrictions. The inbound flight suspension to Hanoi will apply from 1-7 June.
• The Philippines has prolonged restrictions in the capital and nearby provinces until mid-June. Religious gatherings remain capped at 30% of venue capacity, while dining in restaurants can operate at 20% in the capital region and non-essential travel is prohibited.
• Gun sales in the US rose 64% in 2020 with 20% being new gun owners. Research by the FBI’s NICS showed background checks topped 1m a week in March 2020, with one week in April this year recording a record 1.2m checks.
• The Italian government has allocated €50m to help treat the estimated 164,000 people suffering from serious health problems associated with ‘long Covid’.
