International
The Covid-19 pandemic in 10 figures
January 30 | By AFP |
Here are 10 key numbers in the Covid-19 pandemic.
6.8 million dead
Since early 2020, more than 6.8 million deaths from Covid-19 have been officially recorded, out of 752 million cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 27.
The United Nations’ health agency, however, considers the figures to be greatly underestimated, saying the real toll could be two to three times higher.
13 billion jabs
Some 13.25 billion anti-Covid vaccine shots have been administered around the world, according to Our World in Data (OWID) on January 30.
While 69.4 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose, only 26.4 percent has in lower-income countries.
Six out of 10 in lockdown
At the height of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, more than 4.5 billion people in 110 countries or territories were forced or called on to stay at home to fight the spread of the virus, according to an AFP count on April 17, 2020.
That represents nearly 60 percent of the world’s population.
Eight schoolchildren out of 10 at home
On April 20, 2020, schools and universities were closed in 151 countries, affecting 1.29 billion youths, or 81.8 percent of schoolchildren and students around the world, according to UNESCO.
Hundreds of billions of masks
On public transport, in schools, in shops and even in the open air, masks have become the most symbolic accessory of the pandemic.
From March to end December 2020, China alone exported 224 billion masks around the world, according to Chinese customs figures.
3.1 percent global GDP drop
By bringing activity to a halt in numerous economic sectors, the pandemic led to a 3.1 percent fall in global gross domestic product in 2020, according to the World Bank. By comparison, GDP fell by 1.3 percent in 2009 during the sub-prime crisis.
GDP then bounced back by 5.9 percent at the world level in 2021.
135 million jobs lost
The pandemic had a heavy impact on employment, with 135 million jobs lost in 2020, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Although the situation has started to pick up, 56 million more people are out of work in 2022 than before the pandemic, and an estimated 37 million are expected to remain so in 2023.
60 percent fewer air passengers
Air travel was hard hit by the pandemic with its lockdowns and border closures. In 2020, the number of passengers more than halved, down 60 percent compared to 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The aviation industry has yet to fully recover.
In 2022, the number of passengers is expected to be 27 to 29 percent lower than that of 2019.
5.2 percent less carbon emissions
Carbon emissions dropped by a record 5.2 percent in 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project (GCP) in November 2022.
That was not sufficient to stop global warming and its impacts in their tracks. The decrease was over a short period. Emissions are expected to hit record levels in 2022.
A quarter more depressions
Cases of anxiety and depression around the world increased by 25 percent in the first year of the pandemic, according to the WHO in March 2022.
Blaming the unprecedented stress caused by social isolation during the pandemic, it said young people and women were the most badly affected.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days ago20th Festival Salvadoreñísimo brings together thousands of salvadorans in Houston
-
International4 days ago22-Year-Old Suspect Arrested After 33-Hour Manhunt in Small Western U.S. Town
-
International2 days agoEcuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
-
International2 days agoTrump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
-
International3 days agoEl Salvador unveils 2025-2029 National Reintegration Plan for returned migrants
-
Sin categoría2 days agoTrump files $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times
-
International2 days agoColombia’s special peace tribunal hands down first sentence against former FARC leaders
-
International14 hours agoTrump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
-
International14 hours agoAsteroid 2025 FA22, 300 meters long, to pass safely near Earth tomorrow
-
International12 hours agoMilei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
-
International12 hours agoBolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction