TOP HEADLINES 

• Spanish pharma company Rovi, which bottles or "fills and finishes" Moderna vaccines for markets other than the U.S., said it is investigating possible contamination of Moderna doses in batches bound for Japan.

• Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's vaccine after reports of contamination in several vials, according to drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry. 

• The search for the origins of COVID-19 "has stalled," according to the scientists commissioned by the World Health Organization. In an article published by the scientific journal Nature, the scientists say "the window of opportunity for conducting this crucial inquiry is closing fast," and warn some studies will be "impossible" if they are not continued soon. 

• The Confederation of African Football has appealed to the UK government to grant exemptions to African players who are hoping to return to their home countries next week to compete in World Cup qualifiers.

• The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine marginally increases the risk of heart inflammation, but the risk is higher among those infected with the coronavirus, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.

• The UK public's view of the government's management of the coronavirus crisis has turned negative for the first time since February, and they are worried about the risk of a new wave of infections, according to a survey published on Thursday. 

• YouTube has removed more than a million videos containing "dangerous disinformation about the coronavirus" since the start of the pandemic. Social networks are accused of contributing to the spread of misleading ideas about the virus and vaccines.

• Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson said that a second dose of its vaccine boosted immunity conferred by the first – and so far only – injection. In two clinical trials whose results have not yet been submitted to the scientific community, the extra dose generated antibody levels nine times higher than those seen four weeks after the first dose, J&J said in a statement.

AROUND EUROPE 

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt 

German lawmakers are at odds over extending exceptional "pandemic powers" that have allowed for legal curbs on certain freedoms to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19. 

Members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, including Health Minister Jens Spahn, are pushing for a three-month extension. The powers had been set to expire on September 11. 

The opposition voted unanimously against the extension, but even some within Merkel's party, the Christian Democratic Union, are also pushing back.

Andrew Wilson in London

The UK's Health Department said it had not decided on COVID-19 vaccines for 12- to 15-year-olds after the British press reported the National Health Service planned vaccinations from the first week children return to school in September.

If the policy is adopted, it would follow similar actions in the U.S., Canada, France and the Netherlands. The prospect of boosters for some adults is also still being considered, with further evidence that immunity from vaccination starts to wane after about six months.

Experts have consistently predicted that people can expect to be infected repeatedly over their lifetimes, but each reinfection should be milder. 

Penelope Liersch in Budapest 

Hungary's number of new COVID-19 infections continues to rise, with daily infections now approaching 200. In the last 24 hours 180 new cases have been reported, the highest since mid-June. In the past 24 hours, one person has died, 93 people are in hospital with COVID-19, and nine people are being ventilated. 

Around 240,000 people have had a third dose of vaccine since the program opened at the beginning of August. First-dose vaccinations remain at 5.7 million, with 5.5 million people receiving a second dose. Next week children over the age of 12 will have the opportunity to be vaccinated at schools before the term begins if they've not had a jab already.

Ross Cullen in Paris

France's tourism secretary says that the French summer tourist season had been "saved" despite a resumption of the epidemic. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne estimates that among the French who went on vacation, 85 percent stayed on the territory against 75 percent in 2019, thanks to the "very good performance of the campsites and lodges."

The new term has been postponed to September 13 in the French Caribbean due to the health situation there – coronavirus lockdowns and curfews are in place. 

The finance minister says that support for businesses will now be decided on a "case by case" basis. Bruno Le Maire says that the government is bringing to an end the policy of "whatever it costs" in terms of unlimited financial support for companies, restaurants, and public venues which have been impacted by the pandemic. The prime minister says that third COVID-19 vaccine doses will begin in care homes on September 13.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

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CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 26 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

CGTN America: Mask debate heats up in the U.S.

CGTN Africa: East Africa's tourism sector loses $4.8 billion, 2 million jobs due to COVID-19

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