First death from coronavirus in the United States confirmed in Washington state The patient was a man in his 50s who had underlying health conditions, according to Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, Washington. County health officials became aware of the case on Friday, he said. "I want to assure that family they are on the hearts of every American," Vice President Mike Pence said in a press briefing Saturday. Coronavirus: Why did infections shoot up in South Korea? Image copyright Getty Images South Korea has seen by far the highest numbers of coronavirus cases outside of China - within a week confirmed cases jumped from a few dozen to more than 900. The country had seemed well prepared and so the skyrocketing numbers have many asking how this happened - and whether a similar sudden outbreak could happen elsewhere. In South Korea, more than half of the Covid-19 cases have been linked to a religious sect and its critics say the group's secretive nature helped the virus go undetected. Why did the number of cases spike so suddenly?
Coronavirus deaths in US top 100,000 Image copyright Reuters The US has passed 100,000 deaths in the coronavirus outbreak in less than four months. It has seen more fatalities than any other country, while its 1.69 million confirmed infections account for about 30% of the worldwide total. Tsunami risk identified near future Indonesian capital Image copyright Getty Images Scientists have identified a potential tsunami risk in the region chosen by Indonesia for its new capital. The researchers mapped evidence of multiple ancient underwater landslides in the Makassar Strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi. If the largest of these were repeated today, it would generate tsunami capable of inundating Balikpapan Bay - an area close to the proposed capital.
Coronavirus: Texas governor mandates wearing of face masks Media playback is unsupported on your device Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered face coverings to be worn in public as coronavirus cases rocket in the state. The directive applies to counties with 20 or more Covid-19 cases, which covers most of Texas' 254 counties. Trump names VP Pence to lead coronavirus response Media playback is unsupported on your device President Donald Trump has appointed Vice-President Mike Pence to co-ordinate the US government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Both men told a White House news conference that the risk to the American people remained very low. The announcement came as new cases of the infection caused by the coronavirus which originated in China spread at a rapid pace around the world. The 60th case in the US is also the first to occur on US soil. The unidentified person in California had "no relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient" with the virus, said the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Coronavirus: Could North Korea handle a Covid-19 outbreak? Image copyright AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS As the number of coronavirus cases in South Korea keeps on rising, attention is turning to how its impoverished neighbour might cope with an outbreak of its own. North Korea is seen as highly vulnerable to infectious diseases, and its healthcare system ill-equipped to deal with them. So far, the country claims to have no cases of Covid-19 - but some observers are questioning whether that can be true. Experts say an outbreak in North Korea would be devastating for a population already suffering from malnourishment and poor health.
Facebook shareholders try to block encryption plan Image copyright Getty Images Investors at Facebook's annual stockholder meeting will vote on a proposal to postpone the firm's plans for end-to-end encryption. The firm says it wants to make the measure the default option across its messaging platforms to protect privacy. But activist shareholders say this would make it nearly impossible to detect child exploitation on Facebook.
'Zoombombing' targeted with new version of app Image copyright Getty Images Zoom has said it will release an improved version of its hugely popular video conferencing app this week. It comes after issues with the company's data security and privacy measures have come under intense scrutiny. The firm said Zoom 5.0 will include upgraded encryption features to help protect data and fend off so-called "Zoombombing". The platform is now being used by hundreds of millions of people for work and leisure, as lockdowns are imposed around the world. "We will earn our customers’ trust and deliver them happiness with our unwavering focus on providing the most secure platform,” Zoom's chief executive Eric Yuan said in a statement.
Coronavirus: How we are living with the virus in Florida and Texas Image copyright Getty Images People in Florida and Texas - where new coronavirus infections are ballooning - have described their opinions about the pandemic and their leaders decisions to restart the economy before defeating the virus. Jay Martinez, 21, South Florida I am worried about the situation in the entire world, not just my hometown of Pembroke Pines, Florida. Kate Hudson says 'Mission: Impossible' star Tom Cruise scaled eight-foot gate to get into party Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. Verizon Media and our partners need your consent to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. Verizon Media will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more. To give you a better overall experience, we want to provide relevant ads that are more useful to you. For example, when you search for a film, we use your search information and location to show the most relevant cinemas near you.