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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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International

Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka

Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.

The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.

An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.

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Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.

Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.

Internacionales

Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages

May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.

In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.

Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.