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

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.