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 carried out in the Netherlands and the results should be known on Sunday, she adde

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 Taliban stick to pledges to open a dialogue with the Western-backed Kabul government and push back agains

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 occurred in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,00

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 Health Security. The number of deaths in China -- where the virus was first detected --

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 positive, but the results of his wife and son are negative," it said. The man is rela

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 came as authorities said they had identified the first case in the US that was of unknown origin. &q

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 Index lost 2.8 percent to 8,965.61. The losses were slightly more modest than Monday, when the Do

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 placed in isolation, without offering further details. The health ministry said it had rei

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 proportion of ingredients used to make medicine is made in China, where the virus was first identified. &qu

BEIJING (AFP) -- China on Tuesday reported another 71 deaths from the novel coronavirus, the lowest daily number of fatalities in over two weeks, which raised the toll to 2,663. The National Health Commission also reported 508 new confirmed cases, with all but nine in hard-hit Hubei province. It is up from Monday's 409 cases nationwide. Multiple provinces in China have reported zero new cases for several days in a row now, with the World Health Organization saying Monday that the coronavirus

BEIJING (AFP) -- The World Health Organization warned Monday that the new coronavirus might be around for months but said the measures China implemented have prevented the infections of hundreds of thousands of people. Bruce Aylward, leader of a joint WHO-China mission of experts, said the world can learn from the nation's approach to restraining the virus. "The single biggest lesson is speed. Speed is everything and what worries me most is, has the rest of the world learned the lesson o

PARIS (AFP) -- Infections jump sharply outside China. Italy locks down several cities. Stocks tumble on world markets. Here are the latest developments in the new coronavirus crisis. 2,592 dead in China Mainland China's official death toll hits 2,592, with more than 77,000 people now reported infected. For the first time since the Cultural Revolution, China postpones its annual parliament session when Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping gather to rubber-stamp bills and bu

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong will bar non-residents arriving from South Korea from Tuesday morning in response to the growing coronavirus outbreak, the city's security chief said late Monday. "Considering the development of the epidemic in South Korea, the Security Bureau will issue a red travel alert," John Lee told reporters. "We also urge Hong Kong residents not to travel there unless necessary," he added. (AFP)

NAJAF-- Iraq on Monday confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in an elderly Iranian national in the southern shrine city of Najaf, according to health officials. Iraq, a country with a dilapidated healthcare system, often hosts pilgrims and religious students from Iran, where 12 people have died of the novel coronavirus since an outbreak there was first reported last week. Iraq had blocked travel to and from the Islamic republic days before announcing a seminary student in Najaf was the c

DUBAI (AFP) -- Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed on Monday their first novel coronavirus cases, the countries' health ministries announced, adding all had come from Iran. Kuwait reported three infections and Bahrain one in citizens who had returned home from the Islamic republic. (AFP)