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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 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

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

Foxconn says China factories operating at 50% over virus outbreak

  TAIPEI (AFP) -- Taiwanese tech giant and iPhone assembler Foxconn said Tuesday its Chinese factories are operating at 50 percent of seasonal capacity and are expecting to take a hit for the current quarter due to the coronavirus outbreak. Also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn is the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer and makes Apple's iPhones as well as gadgets for other international brands. Foxconn employs more than one million workers acr

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

Tokyo could lose Olympics if not held in 2020, minister says

TOKYO (AFP) -- Tokyo risks losing the Olympics if they're postponed later than this year over the new coronavirus, a government minister said on Tuesday, adding that May looks like the deadline for the decision. The contract for the Games says the International Olympic Committee can withdraw hosting rights if they're not held in 2020, Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto told parliament. Japan's government, Tokyo organisers and the IOC have all pledged to hold the Games on schedule from July 2

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

G7 seeks to inoculate global economy against coronavirus

PARIS (AFP) -- Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank chiefs were set to hold coronavirus talks Tuesday as concerns grew that the epidemic could imperil the health of the global economy. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell "will lead a call with their G7 counterparts" on Tuesday, the Treasury department confirmed in a statement. In addition to scrambling to respond to the outbreak which has now killed more than 3,100 people and

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

Coronavirus: latest developments worldwide

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Infections drop dramatically in China but surge abroad, the US death toll rises to six and the World Health Organization (WHO) warns we are in "uncharted territory". Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis. World spread To date, more than 3,100 have died from the new virus, while more than 90,000 have been infected in 73 countries and territories around the world, according to AFP's latest toll based on official sources at 0600 GMT Tuesday. M

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

US coronavirus death toll rises as Chinese cases fall

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The death toll from the new coronavirus in the United States climbed to six on Monday as the contagion took root in the country's Pacific Northwest and continued its march across the globe. Worldwide, close to 3,100 people have succumbed to the illness even as a clear shift in the crisis was emerging, with nine times as many cases recorded outside China as inside, according to the UN health agency. Andorra, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Tunisia a

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

Global virus death toll tops 3,000 as second man dies in US

BEIJING (AFP) -- The global death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday after dozens more died at its epicentre in China and cases soared around the world with a second fatality on US soil. The virus has now infected more than 88,000 people and spread to over 60 countries after first emerging in China late last year. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, bringing its total past 4,000. A second person die

World NewsMarch 2, 2020