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| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis. China reports 27 new infections in Beijing where a new cluster linked to a wholesale food market has sparked fears of a second wave and led to mass testing and neighbourhood lockdowns. "The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe," says Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian, with the number of confirmed infections from the new outbreak hitting 106. The South Pacific nation reports its first new cases in almost a month when two recent arrivals from Britain test positive after being released early from quarantine to visit a dying relative. But British researchers offer some better news, hailing a potential "major breakthrough" with the steroid dexamethasone, which has been found to save the lives of one-third of seriously ill patients in clinical trials. The pandemic has killed at least 436,813 people worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT Tuesday, based on official sources. The United States has the most deaths with 116,127, followed by Brazil with 43,959, Britain with 41,736, Italy with 34,371 and France with 29,436 fatalities. Hungarian MPs vote to revoke anti-coronavirus emergency powers that had triggered international criticism amid fears of a power grab by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. But several prominent government-critical NGOs warn in a joint statement that the revocation is an "optical illusion" leaving the authorities with enhanced powers. The English top flight football Premier League returns on Wednesday after 100 days in the deep freeze. Aston Villa will kick off against Sheffield United for the first match, to be followed later in the day by Manchester City v Arsenal. Countries that rely on services like tourism are suffering the worst economic damage in the pandemic, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath says. burs-eab/jmy/dl
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