Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
(Reuters) - European countries need to join forces to shield their banks, one of the bloc's top regulators said, potentially using a 500 billion euro ($545 billion) EU recovery fund to do so.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* More than 5.44 million people have been reported infected with the novel coronavirus globally and 344,635 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 1401 GMT on Monday.
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
* For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.
* For Eikon users, click on MacroVitals cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and a summary of developments.
EUROPE
* The Dutch agriculture ministry said it had found what it believes to be a second case of a human becoming infected with the new coronavirus after coming in contact with a mink that had the virus.
* Finland said on Monday it plans to place between June and August orders for protective equipment and respirators worth 100 million euros ($109 million) to prepare for a possible upsurge in demand for the equipment.
* Latvia aims to become one of the first countries to launch a smartphone app using a new toolkit created by U.S. tech giants Apple <AAPL.O> and Alphabet's <GOOGL.O> Google to help trace coronavirus infections.
* Iceland eased its national alert, allowing for public gatherings of up to 200 people and night clubs and gyms to reopen as the country nears complete recovery from the outbreak.
* The German government is recommending that states ease some social distancing regulations from June 6 but continues to urge that limits be placed on social gatherings, Bild newspaper reported.
* Belgium will not return to the strict measures imposed for nearly two months even if there is a second wave, its interior minister said.
* Europe's top two club basketball competitions have been terminated this season without naming any winners, organisers EuroLeague Basketball said.
AMERICAS
* The White House on Sunday said it was restricting travel from Brazil to the United States, two days after the South American nation became the world's No. 2 hotspot for coronavirus cases.
* Argentina extended a mandatory lockdown in Buenos Aires until June 7 and tightened some movement restrictions, after a steady increase in the city's confirmed coronavirus cases in recent days.
* Mexico's president said the coronavirus could cost as many as a million jobs in the country.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Australia's economy must not become reliant on government stimulus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will say on Tuesday, as Canberra unwinds state support and accelerates plans to spur growth.
* A researcher leading Thailand's push to manufacture a coronavirus vaccine says its aim is to make it cost-effective and accessible to Southeast Asia, and play a part in preventing a supply shortage globally. {nL4N2D71YN]
* Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would lift a state of emergency for Tokyo and four remaining areas later in the day but it could be reimposed if infections picked up. Abe said Japan will lift limits on regional travel on June 19, Kyodo news agency reported.
* India on Monday posted its biggest single-day jump in cases, overtaking Iran to become one of the 10 worst-hit nations. The government reopened domestic air travel after a day of "hard negotiations" as some states sought to limit the number of flights.
* Kazakhstan has tightened lockdown measures at its biggest gas condensate field, Karachaganak, after confirming the first coronavirus case among its staff.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Syria reported 20 new cases on Monday, the largest single-day increase to date, the health ministry said
* Mosques, churches and businesses in the occupied West Bank will reopen on Tuesday in an easing of restrictions, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said.
* Finance minister Mohammed al Jadaan said Saudi Arabia's economy is solid and can deal with the coronavirus crisis despite the need to cut spending. [L8N2D50JR]
* Zambia's information minister said she had tested positive, but was asymptomatic and had gone into self-isolation.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Stocks gained modestly on Monday after a survey showed German business morale rebounded in May, while investors kept a close eye on escalating U.S.-China tensions in a thin trading session. [MKTS/GLOB]
* Israel's economy contracted by an annualised 7.1% in the first quarter, the Central Bureau of Statistics said, with the coronavirus outbreak hitting trade, investment and consumer and government spending.
* The number of Portuguese young people seeking jobless benefits spiked 52% last month from a year earlier, way above the increase for other age groups, data showed.
* French government measures to prop up the economy through the coronavirus crisis have cost $490 billion, the equivalent of 20% of gross domestic product, the finance minister said.
* Vietnam plans a $679 million cut in corporate income tax for small enterprises this year to help them overcome the impact of the pandemic.
(Compiled by Linda Pasquini, Sarah Morland, Angus MacSwan and Vinay Dwivedi; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Giles Elgood and Tomasz Janowski)
