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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 […]
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. […]
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 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 […]
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 (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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Friday reported eight new deaths from coronavirus, taking its overall toll to 34, as the number of infections jumped again in the Islamic republic, among the worst-hit countries. An additional 143 cases have been detected over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 388, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. It is the highest number of new cases for a single day since […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Two South Africans were contaminated by the new coronavirus while serving as crew members aboard a cruise ship that was quarantined for three weeks in Japan, officials said Friday. The pair, the first South Africans confirmed to have the virus, are being cared for in Japan but they do not show symptoms of the illness linked to COVID-19, South Africa’s health ministry said. The government was informed by Tokyo […]
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis postponed his official appointments Friday and was working from home, the Vatican said, a day after cancelling a scheduled appearance at mass because of “a mild ailment”. Francis, 83, had appeared earlier in the week to be suffering from a cold. He was seen blowing his nose and coughing during the Ash Wednesday service, and his voice sounded hoarse. He celebrated morning mass as usual and […]
by Celia Lebur and Emmanuel Akinwotu, with Emmanuel Anule in Abuja Agence France Presse LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Residents of Nigeria’s economic hub Lagos scrambled for hygiene products Friday, after the chaotic megacity of 20 million announced the first confirmed case of new coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa. Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement overnight that the infected person was an Italian citizen who flew in from Milan, at the heart of Europe’s […]
