Paris (AFP)

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

- More than 560,000 dead worldwide

The pandemic has killed more than 560,000 people worldwide, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources on Saturday at 12:00 GMT. Over 12.5 million cases of Covid-19 infection have been officially diagnosed in 196 countries and territories.

The United States is the most affected country, with 134,097 deaths. Follow Brazil with 70,398 deaths, the United Kingdom (44,650), Italy (34,938), Mexico (34,191) and France where the death toll now exceeds 30,000 deaths (30,004).

- Experts in China -

An epidemiologist and an animal health specialist from the World Health Organization (WHO) are going to China this weekend for an exploratory mission to determine the origin of the new coronavirus.

The mission of the two experts comes as the WHO launched Friday a call for vigilance in the face of the recent explosion of contaminations in the world.

- Iran: the economy above all -

While Iran has just recorded a record daily death toll from the epidemic (221 dead Thursday), President Hassan Rohani is calling for the economy to turn at all costs.

We must "continue economic, social and cultural activities while respecting health protocols (...) This is the only way," said Rohani.

For several weeks, the pandemic has been gaining ground in Iran, the most affected country in the Near and Middle East, with a total of 12,635 dead for more than 255,000 cases.

- Califonie releases prisoners -

California will release several thousand prisoners to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in its overcrowded prisons.

Up to 8,000 detainees will be able to claim early release by the end of August, joining the 10,000 others already released since the start of the health crisis.

California, the most populous of the American states with nearly 40 million inhabitants, recorded more than 300,000 cases of infections and more than 6,800 deaths.

- Gates calls for fairness -

American billionaire Bill Gates has called for a fair distribution of drugs and future Covid vaccines worldwide to better fight the pandemic.

"If we let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidder, instead of people where they are needed most, we will have a longer, more unfair and more deadly pandemic," said the founder of Microsoft, in a statement. video message at a virtual international conference on Covid-19 disease.

- Emirates cuts its workforce -

The airline Emirates, which has reduced its workforce by 10% due to the pandemic, could ultimately cut 15% of its employees, or 9,000 jobs.

The largest airline in the Middle East, forced to cease operations in late March due to the epidemic, "probably should" lay off up to 15% of its staff, according to its CEO Tim Clark.

- Europe: craze for the motorhome -

Since the deconfinement, we observe in Europe "a real craze for the motorhome" which is partly explained by the new rules of social distancing, according to the president of the European Motorhome Federation (ECF), François Feuillet.

In Germany, the main European market, more than 10,000 new motorhomes were registered in May (+ 32% year-on-year) while France experienced 3,529 new registrations (+ 2%).

burs-ot / ber / lch

© 2020 AFP