Coronavirus live news: former French president dies of Covid complications; global deaths near 1.5m

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was 94 and served as France’s leader from 1974 to 1981; Lilly to supply 650,000 more doses of bamlanivimab to US government; Spain caps parties at 10 people

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11.45pm GMT

The global Covid death toll is nearing 1.5m, with 1,488,992, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are 64.3m cases worldwide.

In recent weeks, the global daily toll has regularly been above 11,000, with two days over 12,000 seen in the last seven days.

11.35pm GMT

The former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing has died from complications linked to Covid-19, his foundation said on Wednesday.

Giscard, who was 94 and served as France’s leader from 1974 to 1981, had recently been hospitalised in Tours with respiratory problems. He recovered but was re-admitted in mid-November.

Related: Former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing dies from Covid-related complications

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