International

Egypt detects second coronavirus case

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — Egypt on Monday reported its second case of a novel coronavirus, more than two weeks after announcing the first confirmed infection in Africa. The foreigner is showing “minor symptoms” and has been quarantined, the ministry and the World Health Organization said in a joint statement. Other people who had contact with the patient are undergoing medical tests, it added. Egypt announced its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus on February 14. […]

Netanyahu rival Gantz urges ‘change’ as Israel votes

ROSH HAYAAIN, Israel (AFP) — Former military chief Benny Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger in elections Monday, voiced hope the country would “change the tune,” after a year of political stalemate. “It’s about time that we be much more united,” Gantz said after voting in the central town of Rosh Haayin. “I hope that today will be the day that we change the tune, stop the mudslinging (and) stop the lying,” he […]

North Korea fires unidentified projectile: South’s military

by Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South’s military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over. The move comes as nuclear negotiations with the United States are at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired. The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area […]

Second man dies of coronavirus in US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The second fatality from the novel coronavirus on US soil has been confirmed, health officials said Sunday. The man, who died Saturday, was in his 70s and had “underlying health conditions,” according to the public health office in King County, Washington state. The death occurred Saturday in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people. It is the second […]

Armenia confirms first coronavirus case

YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP) — Armenia on Sunday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, an Armenian citizen who recently returned from Iran and who was in stable condition in hospital. Around 30 people who had been in contact with the patient had also been placed in isolation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Facebook. Neighboring Azerbaijan registered its first case of the COVID-19 virus on Friday, a Russian who had also arrived from Iran. On […]

Global coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 with new China count

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The number of deaths globally in the new coronavirus outbreak passed 3,000 on Monday, as China reported more 42 deaths. The new fatalities were all in the virus epicenter Hubei province, the National Health Commission said, bringing the overall toll in mainland China to 2,912. Health officials also reported the lowest daily tally of fresh infections since late January, with 202 new cases. In China, the number of reported new cases […]

Czech health official confirms first 3 coronavirus cases

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AFP) — The Czech Republic has recorded its first three cases of the new coronavirus: two men and a woman recently arrived from northern Italy, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said Sunday. A fourth person, a woman, is still undergoing tests. “We have the first three cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the new coronavirus,” Vojtech told reporters. The virus was found in a man born in 1952 who had attended a […]

France closes Louvre as virus cases mount in Europe

by Caroline Taix and Juliette Collen with AFP bureaux PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s famed Louvre museum closed Sunday as coronavirus cases mounted across Europe and beyond, with the global death toll nearing 3,000 and Italy reporting a near doubling of cases in 48 hours. The virus has now infected more than 88,000 people and spread to more than 60 countries around the world, well beyond the epicenter in China where it first emerged late […]

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 […]