US, UK troops among 3 dead in Iraq rocket attack as US-led coalition responds

BAGHDAD (AFP) -- An American soldier, a British soldier and one US contractor were killed Wednesday, a US official said, in the deadliest rocket attack in years on an Iraqi military base hosting foreign troops. The attack threatens a dangerous escalation, with suspected US-led coalition air strikes promptly targeting Iran-aligned Iraqi fighters in neighbouring Syria, a war monitor said. At least 18 fighters were reported killed. On Wednesday evening, a volley of 18 rockets hit the Taji

March 12, 2020

WHO labels coronavirus a 'pandemic' as Europe scrambles to contain it

GENEVA (AFP) -- The World Health Organization called the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday, issuing a grim warning that the global spread and severity of the illness was due to "alarming levels of inaction". The call came as Europe faced a mounting number of cases -- including a slew of new countries clocking first deaths -- prompting governments to roll out increasingly tough measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus. The number of cases across the globe has ris

March 12, 2020

Italy announces 25b euros package to fight coronavirus

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that Rome was allocating 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) to fight  the novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed 631 people in Italy. "We have allocated an emergency sum of 25 billion euros," Conte told reporters during a break in a meeting on the government's response to the rapidly escalating health crisis. The entire sum "will not all be used immediately," Conte added.  Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said It

March 11, 2020

Biden racks up new primary wins over Sanders

DETROIT (AFP) -- Joe Biden took another big step closer to clinching the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump, with wins projected Tuesday over leftist rival Bernie Sanders in Mississippi and Missouri, two of six states holding primaries. The Mississippi win, projected by US networks, confirmed crucial and overwhelming support from African American voters for Biden, the former vice president under the first black US president, Barack Obama. Results from four more states,

March 11, 2020

China's Xi pays first visit to virus epicentre Wuhan

WUHAN (AFP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan Tuesday for the first time since the city emerged as the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic in January -- a major sign that officials believe the outbreak is under control. Xi's visit came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. China's progress stands in stark contrast

March 10, 2020

Coronavirus: latest developments worldwide

  PARIS (AFP) -- With new tolls and key developments, here is the latest in the coronavirus crisis. Nearly 4,000 deaths Since the novel coronavirus first emerged in late December 2019, 113,255 cases have been recorded in 101 countries and territories, killing 3,964 people, according to an AFP toll based on official sources on Monday around 1700 GMT. In mainland China, where the epidemic started, 80,735 cases have been registered, including 3,119 deaths, but with a decline in new cases

March 10, 2020

Trump wants payroll tax relief to calm virus-spooked markets

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Monday his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and other quick measures as a public health and economic maelstrom brought on by the coronavirus drew closer to him personally. Intending to calm the fears of financial markets over the impact of the epidemic, Trump told reporters that he is seeking "very substantial relief" to the payroll tax. Trump also said he was seeking help for hourly-wage workers to ensure

March 10, 2020

US coronavirus cases pass 500 as defiant Trump praises response

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases soared past 500 Sunday, including two further deaths, as President Donald Trump defended his administration's "perfectly coordinated" response to the epidemic. The virus has reached some 30 US states, with Oregon the latest to declare an emergency, and 60 million people in California and New York are under crisis measures. Two more deaths were reported in Washington state -- both linked to a virus-hit care home near S

March 9, 2020

Oil plunges 20% as another virus-fueled trading week begins

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices are plunging amid worries that an OPEC dispute will lead an economy weakened by COVID-19 to be awash in an oversupply of crude. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $8.77, or 19.3 percent, to $36.50, as of 7:23 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday after earlier touching its lowest price since early 2016. Benchmark US crude fell $8.11 to $33.17. The dramatic losses follow a 10.1 percent drop for US oil on Friday, which was its biggest loss in more than fiv

March 9, 2020

China quarantine hotel collapse kills 10

BEIJING (AFP) -- At least ten people were killed in the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China, authorities said Sunday. Rescuers retrieved 48 people from the rubble, of whom 38 are still alive, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on social media. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou had been repurposed to house people who recently had contact with patients confirmed with COVID-19, the state-run People's Daily newspaper reported. The city

March 8, 2020

'This is not a drill': WHO urges world to take virus more seriously

BEIJING (AFP) -- World health officials have warned that countries are not taking the coronavirus crisis seriously enough, as outbreaks surged across Europe and in the United States where medical workers sounded warnings over a "disturbing" lack of hospital preparedness. Global markets tumbled again over concerns about the impact on the economy and as countries took more drastic steps to prevent contagion of a disease that has killed more than 3,300 people and infected nearly 100,000

March 6, 2020

Coronavirus triggers work-from-home trend in Seattle

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Tech firms in Seattle, a new focal point for the coronavirus epidemic, were telling employees this week to take advantage of technology to work remotely in an effort to contain the outbreak. Ten of the 12 US fatalities from the outbreak have been in the northwest state, leading to an emergency declaration by the state and proactive measures in the community where tech plays a major role in the economy. Online retail and cloud computing colossus Amazon, which has transfo

March 6, 2020

US tests stranded cruise ship passengers for coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Passengers on a cruise ship stranded off the coast of San Francisco were confined to their cabins Thursday as tests were conducted to determine if any of the nearly 3,500 guests and crew had contracted the new coronavirus. Authorities said the Grand Princess, which had been scheduled to dock on Wednesday, would remain at sea until the test results of those who had shown symptoms of the virus are known. The California National Guard said it had flown test kits to the ship

March 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] How the coronavirus has hit global sport

  PARIS (AFP) -- The International Olympic Committee insist that a potential cancellation or postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the global spread of the deadly coronavirus were "not mentioned" at a meeting of their Executive Board on Wednesday. However, the virus, which has killed 3,200 people while infecting 90,000 in more than 60 countries worldwide, is having a major impact on world sport. AFP Sport looks at the latest effects on Wednesday: TOKYO OLYMPICS Int

March 5, 2020

Hungary, Slovenia report first coronavirus cases

BUDAPEST (AFP) -- Hungary and Slovenia reported their first confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday in two Iranian students and a third patient who recently travelled back from Morocco via Italy. "Two patients have been taken into medical care due to coronavirus infections," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook video message. "Two foreigners, students studying in Hungary, Iranians, they are currently symptom-free it seems, but confirmed as inf

March 5, 2020

New boost for Biden as Bloomberg quits White House race

  NEW YORK (AFP) -- US media tycoon Michael Bloomberg quit the Democratic presidential race and endorsed frontrunner Joe Biden on Wednesday, after blowing more than half a billion dollars on a gamble that failed to inspire voters. The billionaire had bet his White House run on Super Tuesday but failed to win any of the 14 states up for grabs on the most important day in the primary season. A lack of charisma, limping debate performances, controversy over "stop and frisk" policie

March 5, 2020

World Bank unveils $12b aid package to combat coronavirus

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The World Bank unveiled a $12 billion aid package on Tuesday that will provide fast-track funds to help countries combat the coronavirus outbreak. "The goal is to provide fast, effective action that responds to country needs," World Bank President David Malpass told reporters. He said it is critical to "recognize the extra burden on poor countries" least equipped in the struggle to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The funds, some of whic

March 4, 2020

US leads global fight against coronavirus economic threat

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US Federal Reserve on Tuesday led the global charge in response to the growing economic risk posed by the new coronavirus, announcing an emergency interest rate cut after the UN health agency said the world has entered "uncharted territory." But the Fed's stimulus, which came hours after the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers pledged to take action using "all appropriate policy tools," wasn't enough to prevent Wall Street stocks fr

March 4, 2020

US puts new limits on journalists from China state-run media

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is limiting the number of journalists from five Chinese state-run media outlets who can work in the United States. A State Department announcement Monday cited China's increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation of American and other foreign journalists in China for an action that comes amid efforts by foreign governments to influence US politics through state media. It said the US was not planning to place any restrictions on the

March 3, 2020

Virus alarms sound worldwide, but China sees crisis ebbing

BEIJING (AP) -- Iranians hoarded medical supplies, Italians urged doctors out of retirement and South Koreans prepared to pump billions into relief efforts Tuesday as the virus epidemic firmed its hold around the globe. Mushrooming outbreaks in the Mideast, Europe and South Korea contrasted with optimism in China, where thousands of recovered patients were going home. A growing outbreak in the United States led schools and subways to sanitize, quickened a search for a vaccine, and spread fea

March 3, 2020