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Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS, June 15, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– Lab-leak theory scientist –
The Chinese scientist at the centre of theories that the pandemic began with a leak from her Wuhan lab denies her institution was to blame in rare comments to the media.
– Pandemic feeds far right –
Germany’s far right has grown more radical and violent during the pandemic, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer says as he presents a report on threats to the country’s democratic order.
– Emirates deep in the red –
Dubai-based airline Emirates posts a $5.5-billion annual loss, its first in more than three decades, after the virus devastated the aviation industry.
– London’s summer of sport –
The Euro 2020 semi-finals and final will be played in front of 40,000 fans at Wembley, while a capacity crowd will witness the Wimbledon tennis finals as part of a new series of pilot events in England.
– Premier League’s bad season –
Clubs in the English top-flight Premier League report a cumulative pre-tax loss of almost £1 billion ($1.4 billion) for the coronavirus-hit 2019-2020 season, according to figures from consultancy Deloitte.
– Covid corruption –
The pandemic has worsened corruption across the EU, Transparency International says, with citizens at times needing personal connections for medical care and some governments using the crisis for their own gain.
– 3.8 million deaths –
The pandemic has killed at least 3,813,994 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.
The US is the worst-affected country with 599,945 deaths, followed by Brazil with 488,228, India with 377,031, Mexico with 230,187, Peru with 188,921 and the United Kingdom with 127,907.
The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies.
The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1748 hrs