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This paper aims at identifying and explaining the correlation between the Covid-19 and multi-lingualism through cross-country research, drawing on three datasets: WHO data on the expanse of the pandemic, UNESCO data on endangered languages, and the LDI (Linguistic Diversity Index). Results establishing a direct correlation between the pandemic and multi-lingualism vary across the countries, except the USA, India, and Brazil. The three countries experiencing the highest global pandemic caseload occupy the top positions in the number of endangered languages and are among the top ten linguistically diverse countries. Drawing from the research findings, the paper addresses the criticality of investing in multi-lingualism and calls for a shift of perspective among policymakers driven by neoliberal rationale towards greater recognition and higher funding for multi-lingual education.

Most governments around the world are fostering innovation and entrepreneurial systems with a prominent role for venture capital (VC) support policies. However, the debate about the role and impact of VC support policies is still focused on the countries of the Global North. In this context, this paper seeks to describe and analyse the role that the state has played in the emergence and development of the VC industry in India and Brazil, two of the biggest economies of the Global South. We adopt a systemic and evolutionary perspective under the general context of a renewed role for the state in financing innovation. We offer interesting questions and implications to discuss the challenges, scale and impact that could be expected from VC industry support policies in the Global South countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at identifying and explaining the correlation between the Covid-19 and multi-lingualism through cross-country research, drawing on three datasets: WHO data on the expanse of the pandemic, UNESCO data on endangered languages, and the LDI (Linguistic Diversity Index). Results establishing a direct correlation between the pandemic and multi-lingualism vary across the countries, except the USA, India, and Brazil. The three countries experiencing the highest global pandemic caseload occupy the top positions in the number of endangered languages and are among the top ten linguistically diverse countries. Drawing from the research findings, the paper addresses the criticality of investing in multi-lingualism and calls for a shift of perspective among policymakers driven by neoliberal rationale towards greater recognition and higher funding for multi-lingual education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current World Health Organization (WHO) reports claim a decline in COVID-19 testing and reporting of new infections. To discuss the consequences of ignoring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the endemic characteristics of the disease in 2023 with the ones estimated before using 2022 data sets are compared. The accumulated numbers of cases and deaths reported to the WHO by the 10 most infected countries and global figures were used to calculate the average daily numbers of cases DCC and deaths DDC per capita and case fatality rates (CFRs = DDC/DCC) for two periods in 2023. In some countries, the DDC values can be higher than the upper 2022 limit and exceed the seasonal influenza mortality. The increase in CFR in 2023 shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection is still dangerous. The numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita in 2022 and 2023 do not demonstrate downward trends with the increase in the percentages of fully vaccinated people and boosters. The reasons may be both rapid mutations of the coronavirus, which reduced the effectiveness of vaccines and led to a large number of re-infections, and inappropriate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]