International

COVID-19 has nearly doubled in 48 hours in Italy

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Infections by the new coronavirus has nearly doubled in the last 48 hours in Italy, the head of the country’s civil protection body said Sunday. Since the start of the epidemic, 1,694 people have tested positive for COVID-19 including those who have died and those who have recovered, Angelo Borrelli told a press briefing. As of Friday, the figure was 888. Five more people died on Sunday, bringing Italy’s death toll […]

Trump aides defend US coronavirus response

by Jim MANNION WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday defended the US administration’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic after the first confirmed death on American soil and rising criticism of the state of US preparedness. Pence and Health Secretary Alex Azar made the rounds of Sunday talk shows with the message that risks from the disease remain low for most Americans, while promising to make up for testing shortfalls. “We […]

EBC interviews residents in Catalonia, Spain after first confirmed coronavirus case

(Eagle News) — EBC (Eagle Broadcasting Corporation) Spain Bureau correspondent Lyn Tumbaga Diez reports on the first confirmed coronavirus disease case in Catalonia, Spain and interviews some of the residents there. The confirmed COVID-19 case is a 36-year old Italian woman who lives in Barcelona, the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region.  She contracted the virus after a 10-day trip to see her family and friends in Italy. Many of the residents in Barcelona, however, felt […]

US President Trump moves to calm virus fears after first death on US soil

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump moved to quell fears about the novel coronavirus after the first death on US soil was confirmed Saturday. The US fatality occurred in Washington State’s King county, which includes Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, said health officials. The victim was not immediately identified, but Trump told reporters that the victim was a woman in her late 50s. “We’ve taken the most aggressive […]

First coronavirus death on US soil in Washington state reported

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The first death from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, in Washington state, health officials said Saturday, after a handful of cases of unknown origin were detected, indicating the disease was spreading in the country. The fatality occurred in King county, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, officials in the state told AFP. The victim […]

US, Taliban sign historic deal on Afghanistan’s future; timetable for full troop withdrawal within 14 months set

  by Gregory WALTON Agence France Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — The United States signed a landmark deal with the Taliban on Saturday, laying out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months as it seeks an exit from its longest-ever war. The agreement is expected to lead to a dialogue between the Taliban and the Kabul government that, if successful, could ultimately see an end to the grinding 18-year conflict. […]

At least one wounded as rockets hit Libya capital, airport

TRIPOLI, Libya (AFP) — Rockets targeted areas of the Libyan capital Tripoli on Friday, including its only working airport, wounding at least one person and causing material damage, several sources said. Forces backing the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, blamed the attacks on rival forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, an eastern strongman who launched an offensive to take the capital last April. Rockets targeted the Al-Hadaba al-Khadra, Souk al-Joumaa and Abu […]

US reports third case of novel coronavirus of unknown origin, heightening fears of outbreak

US health officials on Friday reported a third case of the new coronavirus transmitted to a person who did not travel overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, indicating the disease was spreading in the country. Authorities said the new case concerned a person living in the western state of Oregon. The adult patient, who has been hospitalized, was known to have had contact with people at an elementary school. Oregon […]

Coronavirus: latest developments worldwide

PARIS, France (AFP) — A growing number of countries affected; a black week for the world’s stock exchanges; numerous events cancelled. Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis, whose risk assessment was on Friday classed by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the highest level. – First in sub-Saharan Africa – The new coronavirus has infected 84,117 people and killed 2,870 around the world, according to an AFP toll based on official sources […]

Luxembourg becomes first country to provide free public transport

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) — Luxembourg will become the first country in the world on Saturday to offer a free public transport system as the government tries to reduce particularly dense car traffic. Some cities have already taken similar partial measures but the transport ministry said it was the first time such a decision would cover an entire country. The free transport, which is being flagged as “an important social measure”, will affect approximately 40 percent of households […]

S. Korea reports 594 more coronavirus cases, total 2,931

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea confirmed 594 more coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest increase to date for the country and taking the national total to 2,931 infections with three additional deaths. More than 90 percent of the new cases were in Daegu, the centre of the country’s outbreak, and its neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement. Three women in the Daegu […]

Germany quarantines 1,000 as coronavirus cases push past 50

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Around 1,000 people were in quarantine in Germany’s most populous state Friday, as the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Europe’s biggest economy rose above 50. The district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia said it had to take the step of keeping around 1,000 home as an infected couple had participated in carnival celebrations in mid-February. Schools and kindergartens were also shut in the district until Monday as […]