TOP HEADLINES

· Germany-produced COVID-19 candidate vaccine CureVac has produced disappointing results in late-stage trials, where it was shown to be 47 percent effective against the disease. The company has blamed the results on the "unprecedented context of at least 13 variants circulating within the study population subset assessed." 

· Ryanair, together with Manchester Airports Group, is suing the UK government over its traffic-light travel restrictions system, claiming that authorities are not "open" in justifying how destinations are assessed as low-risk and high-risk or offering more clarity on their decision process.

· France will lift its mandatory mask-wearing outdoors rule on Thursday, while ending its unpopular national curfew on Sunday, days earlier than initially proposed. People will still have to wear masks on public transport and in stadiums and crowded places.

· Spain is also moving to allow people to roam the country's streets without wearing face masks "soon," announced Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, without specifying a date.

· Romania has announced it will donate more than 150,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries Ukraine and Serbia because of a surplus of doses, and will resell some other doses after suspending new imports in June. More than 4.5 million people out of the country's 19 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine, missing the government's target of having 5 million people vaccinated by the end of May.

· The UK government is pushing forward a new law under which, if approved by Parliament, from October all staff in care homes will need to get fully vaccinated, unless they have a medical exemption.

· Australia has further restricted the use of AstraZeneca vaccine over safety concerns, recommending that the jab should not be given to those under 60. The decision follows the death of a 52-year-old woman who developed a deadly blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca jab.

· Japanese authorities have announced the state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions will be lifted on June 20, just over a month before the Olympics. In its place, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said there will be some quasi-emergency measures, including limiting opening hours for bars and restaurants.

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ACROSS EUROPE

Penelope Liersch in Budapest

Slovaks only have until the end of June to register for the Sputnik V vaccine. The country became the second in the EU after Hungary to use the Russian jab earlier this month, following months of political debate. 

People are only vaccinated with Sputnik V if they choose the vaccine over AstraZeneca and Pfizer. The deadline to register is due to the 200,000 doses approaching their expiration date. 

Slovakia's unused doses are likely to be donated or sold to other countries, with a final decision to be adopted by the cabinet next week. 

At the moment, people are being vaccinated at designated vaccination points, but the government has confirmed that as of July GPs and pediatricians will also be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines. 

From Thursday masks are no longer required at swimming pools, water parks or wellness centers across the country. 

Ross Cullen in Paris

June 17 marks the first day in France that people do not need to wear a face mask outside in public. The move was confirmed by the prime minister on Wednesday. 

Face masks remain compulsory indoors in public places such as shops, cinemas, theaters and offices. Nose-and-mouth coverings also remain mandatory on public transport. 

The French health minister said on Thursday that "the epidemic is not over but it is declining rapidly and the curfew is no longer justified." 

On Wednesday, prime minister Jean Castex brought forward the end of the curfew to June 20 from its original date of June 30. The curfew is currently in place nationwide from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night.

Speaking to breakfast media on Thursday, the health minister said nightclubs should be able to reopen in July. Olivier Veran also suggested that the government may make the COVID-19 vaccine compulsory for care-home staff.

Paul Barber in London

A new study by Imperial College London suggests that COVID-19 cases are growing in England mainly among young people and those who are yet to receive a second vaccination. 

The React-2 analysis found infections rising quickly between May 20 and June 7 fueled by the Delta variant, doubling every 11 days. 

However, the data imply that the rise in cases is slowing down and that double-dose vaccinations provide very good protection in older age groups. 

It is good news for the government's new target date of July 19 to lift most COVID-19 restrictions, and summer projections for deaths and hospitalizations have been downgraded.

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

The number of new COVID-19 cases is decreasing quickly in Germany, but the few tests coming back positive have the makeup of the Delta variant. 

On Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute said the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India, now represents about 6.2 percent of new infections. Just a week earlier, the proportion of Delta variant cases in samples examined was 3.7 percent.

Germany is not poised to take any action to slow down its reopening plans at this time. The number of new cases is averaging under 2,000 per day.

However, as the UK has revealed in its battle with variants, cases can rise again even when most of the population is vaccinated.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: France starts vaccinating children aged 12 to 17

CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 19 new cases

CGTN America: CDC declares Delta a "variant of concern"

CGTN Africa: South Africa records 19,000+ cases in a day

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded.