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| - These are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: US President Joe Biden's massive Covid relief plan is on the verge of clearing Congress, pumping $1.9 trillion into the pandemic-battered economy. Average life expectancy in Italy has been cut by almost one year by the virus, its national statistics office says. In its hard-hit northern Lombardy region it fell from 83.7 years to 81.2 years. The EU will get an extra four million BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine doses over the next two weeks for Covid-19 "hotspots", European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says. Poland reports 17,260 new cases over the past 24 hours -- a record for this year, which the health ministry blames on the spread of the British strain and "increased looseness" among Poles over restrictions. Spanish textile giant Inditex, the owner of fashion retailer Zara, says profits plunged by 70 percent in 2020 to 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion). French protesters occupy three national theatres to demand an end to the ban on cultural activities as frustration with closures grows. The Indian Ocean nation goes into a two-week nationwide lockdown for the second time since the start of the pandemic. Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific says it suffered a record $2.8 billion loss last year and warns of a long road to recovery despite vaccines. Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles children could return to their classrooms next month as the country's second-largest school district lags behind the rest of the US. Prices in Chinese factories rise in February at the fastest pace in more than two years, official data shows, as the country's vast industrial sector recovers from a virus-induced slump. The families of athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics could be barred from entering Japan to watch them, the Games president suggests in an interview with local media. Seven of the most renowned German and Swiss summer music festivals have been cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. At least 2,611,162 people have died of coronavirus around the world since the outbreak began in December 2019, an AFP tally from official sources showed on Wednesday. The US is the worst-affected country with 527,699 deaths followed by Brazil (268,370), Mexico (191,789), India (158,063) and Britain (124,797). burs-eab/fg/lc
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