PARIS -- The new coronavirus has killed more than 70,000 people across the globe, the majority in Europe, according to an AFP tally Monday at 1100 GMT. Out of a total of 70,009 killed in the pandemic, 50,215 are in Europe, according to figures compiled from official government data and the World Health Organization.   Italy is leading the global death toll with 15,877 fatalities, followed by Spain with 13,055, the United States with 9,648 and France with 8,078. (AFP)  

France asked South Korea on Monday to share its knowhow related to containing the novel coronavirus, Seoul's transport ministry said, as both countries are striving to stop the spread of the highly contagious disease. French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari made the request during a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Hyun-mee, and the two sides agreed to maintain active communication in their fight against COVID-19, according to Kim's office. The French minis

The head of the United Nations health agency on Monday asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in to come to the fore in the global war against the coronavirus so that other countries can follow in his country's footsteps, Cheong Wa Dae said. Speaking on the phone with Moon, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said South Korea's "comprehensive strategy," involving aggressive testing, diagnosis and tracing, is working effectively. He req

PARIS (AFP) -- The number of officially reported coronavirus cases worldwide topped the one million mark on Thursday, signifying a sharp acceleration in the number of infections and deaths over the past few weeks as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads exponentially. What do the latest figures tell us? At least 1,000,036 infections have been reported worldwide and 51,178 deaths, according to an AFP tally on Thursday at 1900 GMT. In the past seven days, as many new cases have been diagnosed

A Pakistani court on Thursday overturned the death sentence for British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted 18 years ago in the kidnapping and beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Pearl's brutal murder sparked revulsion and an international outcry in early 2002, putting pressure on Pakistan's military government just as it was trying to remake its image following years of backing for the hardline Islamist Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan. Omar Sheikh's lawyer

President Donald Trump cast doubt on the accuracy of official Chinese figures on its coronavirus outbreak after US lawmakers, citing an intelligence report, accused Beijing of a cover up. "How do we know" if they are accurate, Trump asked at a press conference. "Their numbers seem to be a little bit on the light side." Trump insisted that "the relationship with China's a good one" and that he remained close to President Xi Jinping. However, controversy around Bei

　People in South Korea spent more time using applications on their mobile devices last month, data showed, amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. 　Koreans spent an average of 3.9 hours a day on mobile apps in February, up 7 percent from a year ago, according to global mobile data analytics firm App Annie. 　Korea was the No. 2 country in the world in terms of the average time that people spent on mobile apps. China topped the list with five hours, while Japan was No. 3 with 3.5 hours.

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) -- Ethiopia's election commission announced Tuesday that general elections due in August would be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, in a setback for the country's fragile democratic transition. "Because of issues related to the coronavirus, the board has decided it can't conduct the election as planned according to the calendar it announced, so it has decided to void that calendar and suspend all activities," it said in a statement. (AFP)

TOKYO (AP) -- Popular Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, who drew inspiration from the American comedic icon Jerry Lewis, has died from the coronavirus, becoming Japan's first known celebrity victim of the disease. He was 70. Shimura, who attracted fans of all generations with his slapstick comedy and funny faces, had been treated at a Tokyo hospital and died on Sunday, according to his agency, Izawa Office. He was diagnosed with pneumonia after contracting the coronavirus. He was hospitalized on

BERLIN (AFP) -- In the race against the coronavirus, Germany is betting on widespread testing and quarantining to break the infection chain, a strategy borrowed from South Korea whose success in slowing the outbreak has become the envy of the world. Germany is already carrying out more coronavirus tests than any other European country at a rate of 300,000 to 500,000 a week, according to officials. But Chancellor Angela Merkel's government aims to ramp that up to at least 200,000 tests a day,

The controversial French professor who believes the anti-malaria drug chloroquine can help beat the coronavirus, has claimed that a new study he has conducted confirms its "efficiency" at combatting the virus. But several other scientists and critics of microbiologist Didier Raoult, who heads the infectious diseases department of La Timone hospital in Marseille, were quick to cast doubt upon his findings. They said the testing was not carried out in a controlled study and that th

Spain and Italy have demanded more European help as they fight still-surging coronavirus infections amid the continent's worst crisis since World War II. In the U.S., authorities urged millions around New York City to stop traveling to keep the virus contained. From Milan to Madrid to Michigan, medics are making tough choices about which patients to save with the limited breathing machines they have. The confirmed global death surpassed 31,000 and new virus epicenters emerged in key U.S. ci