| Just in: Google faces a European Union probe into advertising technology, barely two years after regulators shut down nearly a decade of investigations.
Delta surge | Early evidence suggests that the highly contagious delta variant, which has prompted global concern as it leads to new surges of Covid-19, is spreading in pockets of the U.S. The genomics firm Helix found that cases of the mutation first documented in India appear to be growing far faster in counties with lower vaccination rates. As Jonathan Levin reports, those are primarily in the South. Staying power | Since being installed as a technocratic prime minister four months ago, Mario Draghi has won plaudits for overseeing the rollout of Italy's vaccination program and his plans to spend about $230 billion of recovery funds. Now, as Chiara Albanese explains, none of the political groups backing the 73-year-old former European Central Bank president sees any upside in trying to oust him before his term ends in two years. Opening taps | Russia is considering proposing an OPEC+ oil-output increase at the group's meeting next week, as Moscow expects the current global deficit to persist in the medium term. Goldman Sachs estimates the market is running a deficit of 3 million barrels a day. The group is still withholding as much as 5.8 million barrels a day of production from the market.  The U.K. formally started negotiations to join an 11-nation trans-Pacific trading bloc, part of its bid to diversify its commerce post-Brexit. Britain has been eager to forge new trade ties since its split from the EU, a move that has caused trade to decline with its largest partner. Green shoots | Venezuela's economy will expand slightly this year after contracting by about four-fifths since 2012. And while the hyperinflation of years past persists, it has moderated dramatically. Behind the turnaround is Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has borrowed from the capitalist playbook to institute reforms that bear little resemblance to the "Socialism of the 21st century" pursued under the late Hugo Chavez. Digging in | An eight-month civil war in Ethiopia and the need to bolster domestic support are making its leaders less willing to compromise in a dispute with Sudan and Egypt over its giant Nile dam, according to Sudan's water minister. Simon Marks and Mohammed Alamin report that tensions are building as the Horn of Africa nation prepares to fill the reservoir. What to Watch -
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they are close to agreement on an infrastructure compromise but are still wrangling over how to pay for their plan. -
Nicaraguan police arrested journalist and presidential hopeful Miguel Mora on terrorism charges in a broadening crackdown on government opposition ahead of a November election. -
Kim Jong Un's sister said the U.S. has "wrong" views in thinking North Korea might be offering an opening to return to talks, in comments made after a Biden envoy said the U.S. was ready for dialogue. -
European efforts to prevent global warming by constructing more efficient buildings are faltering, according to an independent think tank that specializes in climate-neutral architecture. -
New Yorkers today choose a candidate for a new mayor from a wide-ranging field in the Democratic primary that includes an ex-cop, a failed presidential candidate, and a Wall Street executive. And finally ... More than a year after being forced to lock down, the world's financial centers have yet to see a full return to the office. Workplace activity in London, New York and San Francisco is still 50% below pre-pandemic levels, while low vaccination rates in Hong Kong are a major obstacle to full reopening. Frankfurt's financial district remains eerily deserted, and a spike in Covid-19 in Singapore means working from home is again the default. It may not be until September that employees fully re-emerge, and they may demand changes in work behavior.  A worker in Frankfurt's financial district. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg | 
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