TOP HEADLINES

- India passed 20 million cases in the early hours of Tuesday morning, a clear mark of how tragic the crisis is in the country. Deaths are increasing despite international aid flowing to the country and patients are still dying in hospitals as oxygen runs out.

- Spain's government announced it will let regional authorities decide on COVID-19 restrictions after the state of national emergency expires on May 9.

- After detecting cases of the COVID-19 variant first identified in India, Poland declared it will impose quarantine for all travelers coming from Brazil, India and South Africa.

- The United Arab Emirates also extended its travel ban on entry from travelers coming from India, first announced on April 22.

- Young people in Germany have criticized the decision of the government to allow more freedom to vaccinated people as unfair to younger people not yet given the vaccine.

- Pfizer forecasts it will reap $26bn in COVID-19 vaccine sales this year – 70 percent higher than predicted earlier this year, before the U.S. drugmaker signed new contracts for vaccine supplies with governments around the world.

- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged between 12 and 15 early next week, a move that will open the country's vaccination program to millions more people.

- Denmark is set to lift some COVID-19 restrictions as of May 6, reopening indoor entertainment spaces such as theaters, concert venues and cinemas. But there's a catch: entrance to the facilities will only be allowed to those who can show a "corona passport" – proof of being either vaccinated, having recovered from COVID-19 or testing negative for the virus in the previous 72 hours.

- Medical experts and politicians in Italy are concerned the jubilant masses gathered to celebrate the victory of football club Inter Milan in the national league on Sunday could spark a new spread of infections.

- American drugmaker Moderna announced it will supply 500m doses of its jab to COVAX, the global vaccine initiative, with the first 32m doses delivered by the end of the year and the rest by end of 2022. The shots will reach 92 middle- and low-income countries.

- Fears of a new spike of infections are rising in Pakistan as thousands of Shiite Muslim devotees gather in the eastern city of Lahore for a religious procession on Tuesday to mourn the death of Prophet Muhammad's companion and son-in-law Imam Ali.

- Indian Premier League cricket has been suspended over the worsening of the COVID-19 crisis with immediate effect, with no plans to reschedule the tournament. More than 30 Australian cricket players are stranded in the country, unable to fly home because of Australia's recent controversial travel ban.

READ MORE:

A guide to the EU's summer reopening plan

Chinese teenager wins BBC music contest

Personal stories: The first 100 days of Brexit

AROUND EUROPE

Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of industrialized nations are meeting in London on Tuesday for the first time in person in more than two years.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant last year's event was virtual.

Elsewhere, the UK government will provide "breathing space" for people struggling with debt. The scheme will provide those facing financial difficulties with 60 days to get their finances in order without fear of legal action.

Campaigners have welcomed the move and said the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated people's worries.

Toni Waterman in Brussels

Seventeen crew members of an oil tanker moored at the Port of Antwerp have tested positive for COVID-19. Almost the entire crew of 23 are from India, but it's unclear if they are infected with the variant first detected in the country. Tests are under way while those infected remain in self-isolation in their cabins. 

Meanwhile, COVID-19 indicators continue to trend downwards in Belgium. The number of new infections has dropped to an average of 3,009 per day in the past week. Hospital admissions and deaths are also lower, down 13 percent and 0.4 percent respectively. 

Ross Cullen in Paris

France's health secretary says he hopes to see new COVID-19 cases fall below the mark of 15,000 a day in the next two weeks. 

Olivier Veran says that "will allow us to regain control over the epidemic." He also told French media on Tuesday he hopes to bring an end to the obligation to wear a face mask when outside in public "this summer" once "enough French people" have been vaccinated. 

Only then, he warned, can we "lower our guard." 

France's High Council of Public Health is calling on establishments open to the public to ventilate their spaces for at least five minutes every hour. 

Supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential shops are currently open and museums, theaters and cinemas are due to reopen from May 19. 

Meanwhile, the French economy returned to growth in Q1 2021, an uptick supported by renewed consumer spending despite the COVID-19 restrictions.

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt 

COVID-19 infections are no longer rising at the quick pace reported in early April and even some of Germany's notoriously cautious doctors have suggested there is light at the end of the tunnel as the pressure on hospitals subsides. 

A tentative exit from the lockdown is in sight for several states where the incidence rate (the metric measuring average number of cases per 100,000 people) has fallen below 100. Northern states are poised to be among the first to ease restrictions, including the city of Hamburg, which is on Tuesday discussing an end to its curfew. 

Germany's reopening is likely to be guided by vaccine passports or negative test results, but that's proving controversial since critics say it discriminates against younger people who are still months away from getting an appointment. However, Germany's justice minister says in the eyes of the law, it's no longer fair to place restrictions on people who no longer present a health risk to others.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: All you need to know about the EU's plan to reopen this summer

CGTN China: Pakistan to locally produce China's CanSino COVID-19 vaccine

CGTN APAC: Human toll of the second wave of coronavirus in India

CGTN Africa: School reopens in South Sudan after more than a year of closure

Sign up here to get the COVID-19 Europe bulletin sent directly to your inbox.

CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.