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Joe Biden, the US president, and Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, said the G7 would donate 1bn covid jabs to developing countries, in order to “vaccinate the world”, before the end of next year. Pictured: Joe Biden and Boris Johnson are seen meeting in southwestern England, 10 June 2021. Photo: UK Prime Minister’s Office 

G7 leaders pledge 1bn doses

Leaders of the G7 group of wealthy economies, who are currently meeting at a summit in the UK, will today promise to provide 1bn covid vaccine doses to the world’s poorer nations by the end of 2022. The US will buy 500m doses, US president Joe Biden said, and the UK will donate 100m doses, UK prime minister Boris Johnson stated. Sources: AFP, AP, Bloomberg, FT and Reuters.

EU scales back J&J jab order

The European Commission will let an option on 100m Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine doses expire, and could donate another 100m J&J jabs that it has provisionally ordered. Sources: Reuters, RTE and Seeking Alpha.

Covidcheck starts up Sunday

Luxembourg’s coronavirus certificate app, officially named Covidcheck and sometimes informally called covcheck, will get up and running this weekend. The app generates a QR code which certifies vaccination status or virus immunity that can be used to attend public places or for travel. The free app begins functioning on 13 June and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play. The code is meant to be usable across the entire EU starting on 1 July. Sources: Delano, Paperjam and 100,7.

WHO warns of autumn covid surge

The World Health Organization said covid vaccination rates in Europe remained relatively low and called on Europeans not to repeat last summer’s “mistake” of minimising precautions only to face a resurgence of infections in the autumn. Sources: AFP, The Guardian and VOA.

Goldman to require US staff to disclose covid vaccine status

The investment bank Goldman Sachs ordered US employees to “[register] your vaccination status” before returning to the office, which is mandatory for most of them starting on Monday. Sources: AFP, CNBC, FT and New York Times.

Amazon shifts back to office plans

Amazon said that corporate employees should work in the office three days a week. In March, it had said that corporate staffers should return five days a week. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Geekwire and Reuters.

Amazon faces Lux privacy fine

Luxembourg’s data protection agency, the CNPD, reportedly could fine Amazon $425m for breaking the EU’s GDPR data privacy rules, according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon declined to comment. Sources: The Hill, Marketwatch and Reuters.

UN signals a famine in Ethiopia

The UN said more than 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are experiencing famine, with 5.5m more at risk. Sources: Axios, BBC, DW and Reuters.

EA hit by cybertheft

Cyberthieves stole the source code to a popular gaming title and software tools from the video game publisher Electronic Arts, Vice reported. Additional sources: Bloomberg, CNN and DW.

JBS paid $11m cyber-ransom

The meatpacking giant JBS paid $11m in bitcoin to cybercrooks who shut down its plants in a ransomware attack. Sources: AFP, BBC, Bloomberg and NPR.

French and Swiss testing digital currency system

The French and Swiss central banks are trialling a wholesale digital currency settlement system. Sources: Coindesk, finews.com and Reuters.

Committee calls for stricter cryptocurrency reserve rules

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, a group of global regulators, called for stricter capital requirements for cryptoassets such as bitcoin. Sources: Bloomberg, FT, The Guardian and Reuters.

State Street created crypto unit

The US custody bank State Street, which has a major presence in Luxembourg, started a new division to handle cryptocurrencies. Sources: CNBC, Coindesk and FT.

Lux financial sector strikes staff deal

Three labour unions have, after months of tense negotiations, settled on a collective work agreement with Luxembourg’s banking and insurance bosses. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.

Luxembourg ranks 4th in global financial centre index

The US is the world’s top financial centre out of 60 markets examined by New Financial, a London-based thinktank. The UK placed second, followed by Switzerland, Luxembourg and Singapore. Despite Brexit, New Financial said the UK’s score “is nearly three times that of France, Germany or Luxembourg.” Sources: Bloomberg, CityAM and Reuters.

ECB inflation forecast

The European Central Bank said it would maintain its current bond purchasing plan, while noting that euro zone inflation has picked up in recent months. Sources: CNBC, FT, Reuters and Seeking Alpha.

US inflation rate highest since 2008

US consumer prices rose by 5% in May, compared to the previous year, up from 4.2% in April. Sources: BBC, CNBC, DW and FT.

Ireland resists global minimum tax

The Irish government indicated that it would “push back” on a proposal to set a worldwide minimum corporate taxation rate. Sources: Politico, Reuters, RTE and Irish Sun.

Macron slapper given 4 months

The man who slapped Emmanuel Macron, the French president, earlier this week was sentenced to 18 months, 14 of them suspended, after a fast track trial. Sources: AFP, BBC, NPR and Reuters.

How to rewrite your CV

A headhunter shares tips on how to get your CV past AI screeners and human recruiters in The Register. One method involves listing skills on an Excel spreadsheet, to play the reliance on buzzwords to your advantage. Although written for IT pros, the advice holds up for people working in other sectors.

Drink at pub while out sick is not a sackable offence, UK judge says

A British employment tribunal ruled in favour of a driver’s unfair dismissal claim, after he was spotted drinking in a social club while on sick leave. The judge said the man, who has a lung condition, had not actually broken any company rules. Sources: BBC, CityAM and Daily Mail.

Beijing to boost wine growing region

Chinese officials plan to develop an area near the Gobi desert into an internationally competitive wine production zone. The area, in the Ningxia region in northern China, is located roughly at the same latitude as the Bordeaux region in France. Sources: Bloomberg and China Daily.

Second Luxembourg co-production headed to Cannes

The animated feature film Where is Anne Frank, produced by Samsa Film and directed by Ari Folman, has been added to this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Another Luxembourg co-production, The Restless, was added to the bill last week. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald