PARIS (AP) -- Coronavirus cases surged in Italy, and France closed the world-famous Louvre Museum on Sunday as the deadly outbreak that began in China sent fear rising across Western Europe, threatening its tourism industry. The number of countries hit by the virus climbed past 60, and the death toll worldwide reached at least 3,000. New fronts in the battle opened rapidly over the weekend, dee...

TOKYO (AP) -- The coronavirus has claimed its first victim in the United States as the number of cases shot up in Iran, Italy and South Korea and the spreading outbreak shook the global economy. Governments stepped up efforts to contain the disease. Saudi Arabia closed Islam's holiest sites to foreign pilgrims. In Japan, professional baseball teams played in deserted stadiums. The French governm...

DUBLIN (AFP) -- Ireland on Saturday confirmed its first case of coronavirus after a man who had returned from northern Italy tested positive, the government said. Health officials said the man, from the east of Ireland, was "receiving appropriate medical care" after they followed "established protocols" in testing and diagnosing him with COVID-19. "The case is associated with travel from an aff...

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) -- Luxembourg on Saturday announced its first case of infection by the new coronavirus: a man who recently returned from Italy, Health Minister Paulette Lenert told reporters. The man in his 40s returned to Luxembourg "at the beginning of the week" and, after "more recently" exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, had a test that confirmed the disease, she said. A second test is being ca...

DOHA (AFP) -- After nearly two decades of conflict that has ravaged Afghanistan's impoverished population, the United States and the Taliban signed an accord Saturday that Washington hopes will mark the beginning of the end of its longest war. The pact signed in Doha would see the United States and foreign partner forces pull all their troops from Afghanistan within 14 months, provided the Talib...

SEATTLE (AFP) -- The first fatality from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, as President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Americans not to panic. Health officials said the man who died in Washington state was one of a handful with no known links to global hot zones to have contracted the virus -- indicating that the pathogen was now likely spreading in communities. The death occ...

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's prime minister on Friday defended his call for schools across the country to close over the new coronavirus, an abrupt decision that stunned officials and parents alike. The move, announced Thursday, came as the country stepped up its response to the outbreak, and the operator of Tokyo's Disney resorts said its two parks would close for around a fortnight -- the latest in a...

PARIS (AFP) -- The situation improves in China while the list of countries hit globally grows, with a first case in Latin America. The WHO warns the world is "simply not ready". Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis. More than 45 countries hit There have been more than 82,100 infections and 2,800 deaths worldwide, according to the latest toll from Johns Hopkins Center for ...

COPENHAGEN (AFP) -- Denmark reported its first coronavirus case Thursday, a man who had returned from a skiing holiday in northern Italy which has become a hotspot for the disease. "The man who came back from a skiing trip with his wife and son on February 24 has been suffering since then from a cough and a temperature," Denmark's public health agency said in a statement. "The man tested positi...

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday said it was not inevitable that the novel coronavirus would continue to spread in the United States, as he said he is considering travel restrictions on Italy and South Korea and appointed his vice president to lead the response. His optimism about containing the pathogen contradicted a senior health official in his own administration and c...

ROME (AP) -- Italy reported a 45 percent one-day increase in people infected with the coronavirus as other countries in Europe recorded their first cases Tuesday, producing evidence that travelers are carrying the virus from the European outbreak's current epicenter. Italian officials reported 11 deaths and 322 confirmed cases of the virus, 100 more than a day earlier. While the majority were co...

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Wall Street stocks suffered a second straight rout Tuesday, with losses picking up after US health officials warned the virus was likely to hit the world's biggest economy. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 27,083.46, down 3.1 percent and about 875 points. The broad-based S&P 500 sank 3.0 percent to 3,128.51, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite In...

ALGIERS (AFP) -- Algerian authorities on Tuesday announced the country's first case of the novel coronavirus, in an Italian citizen who arrived in the country on February 17. "One case was confirmed positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), out of two suspected cases (both) of Italian nationality," the North African country's health ministry said. State television said the infected person had been p...

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- American health authorities said Tuesday they ultimately expect the novel coronavirus to spread in the United States and are urging local governments, businesses, and schools to develop plans like canceling mass gatherings or switching to teleworking. Officials are also worried the outbreak poses a threat to the the security of the US drug supply chain because a high proporti...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House on Monday sent lawmakers an urgent budget request for $2.5 billion to address the deadly coronavirus outbreak, whose rapid spread and threat to the global economy rocked financial markets. The White House budget office said the funds are for vaccines, treatment, and protective equipment. The request could advance quickly through Congress and came as coronavirus...