Paris (AFP)

New assessments, new measures, highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.

- USA: 9.3% unemployment -

American gross domestic product will fall by 6.5% in 2020 due to the pandemic, according to the American Central Bank.

The Fed forecasts an unemployment rate of 9.3% in 2020 and 6.5% in 2021. In February before the economy stopped, it was 3.5%, its lowest in 50 years.

- Call for a "fairer" economy -

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) calls on governments to modernize and cooperate for a "fairer and more sustainable" economy, as the world economy is expected to experience a recession this year. '' at least 6% which will worsen inequalities, according to this institution.

"Governments must seize this opportunity to design a fairer and more sustainable economy, make competition and regulations smarter, modernize taxation, spending and social protection," advocates the OECD.

- Nearly 413,000 dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 412,926 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. GMT.

Nearly 7.3 million cases have been officially diagnosed in 196 countries and territories.

The United States is the most affected country, with 112,402 deaths. This is followed by the United Kingdom with 40,883 dead, Brazil (38,406), Italy (34,114) and France (29,319).

- France: no "epidemic recovery" -

No indicator suggests a resumption of the epidemic in France despite the gradual lifting of containment, announced the Directorate General of Health. Only 23 people have died in the last 24 hours in France and some 933 Covid-19 patients are still in intensive care (compared to more than 7,000 at the peak of the epidemic in April).

President Emmanuel Macron will address the French on Sunday evening after two months of near silence, while many political and union leaders are calling for speeding up the consolidation.

The government has presented a new crisis budget, the third since the start of the crisis. It plans an additional 45 billion euros in a context of recession with a fall in GDP of 11% and 800,000 jobs lost.

- Record budget in Japan -

Japanese MPs adopted a record new extraordinary budget of around 262 billion euros, the heart of a second massive plan to support the economy of 958 billion euros.

In total, all state aid to support businesses and households in the country should thus reach the astronomical sum of more than 1,900 billion euros, mainly in the form of loans.

- The EU towards reopening -

The European Commission will publish its proposals for a "gradual and partial" lifting of travel restrictions at the external borders of the European Union from 1 July this week.

For its part, Austria will reopen on June 16 its border with Italy, closed since March, and lift controls with 31 countries excluding Sweden, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

- Australia: the oval balloon is shaped -

The oval ball resumes its rights on the mainland where, after XIII rugby at the end of May and Australian football on Thursday, it will be the turn of Super Rugby, limited to five local franchises, to return to competition on July 3.

© 2020 AFP