The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday hailed the success of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, adding that he hoped it could be certified for use in the bloc.

North Korea has requested Covid-19 vaccines and is expected to receive nearly two million doses, according to the Gavi vaccine alliance, part of the WHO-backed Covax programme, although the isolated country has insisted it is virus-free.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday shut down entertainment centres including cinemas and suspended dine-in services at restaurants, tightening coronavirus restrictions amid a spike in infections.

Economic recovery in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to accelerate this year following a double whammy shock, but growth will be uneven due to unbalanced access to the coronavirus vaccine, the IMF said. 

Initial data from Israel's coronavirus vaccination campaign shows the Pfizer/BioNTech jab protects against serious illness, but it is not yet clear whether it slows transmissions or spells progress toward achieving herd immunity, experts say.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia is working to increase production of its homemade Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in foreign countries.

A French lab will start producing Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in March, while another  will begin making the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech in April, Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Wednesday.

British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac on Wednesday announced plans to jointly develop a coronavirus vaccine with the potential to counter multi-variants of Covid-19.

World Health Organization experts on Wednesday inspected a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan that some US officials said could have been the source of the coronavirus, as global vaccine hopes rose with strong results reported for Russia's Sputnik V jab.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday suspended entry from 20 countries, ranging from some neighboring states to the United States, in a bid to curb a jump in coronavirus infections.

The interior ministry announced the "temporary suspension" would be effective from 9.00 pm (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.