Taiwan urges Philippines to lift travel ban on Taiwanese amid coronavirus fear

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan urged the Philippines on Tuesday to lift a travel ban on its citizens after Philippine airlines canceled flights to Taiwan following a government ban on all foreigners traveling from the island to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou made the comments at a regular news briefing in Taipei, adding that some Taiwanese were stranded at airports in the Philippines after the ban was announced earlier this week.

Suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan's Kabul, casualties feared

KABUL (Reuters) – A suicide blast hit Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on Tuesday, security officials said, adding that casualties were feared.

The blast took place at the entrance gate of a government-run defense university, the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, said sources who sought anonymity.

No militant group has claimed immediate responsibility.

Exxon Cracking Down on Employee Travel After Profits Collapse

Exxon Mobil Corp. has been scrutinizing employee-travel budgets since the largest North American oil explorer posted its worst quarterly profit in almost four years, said people with knowledge of the matter.

Auditing teams have fanned out to some divisions to analyze travel requests involving industry conferences, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to talk publicly.

The austerity measures are unusual for Irving, Texas-based Exxon, one of the few major explorers to avoid job or dividend cuts during the 2014-16 oil slump. The restrictions may also signal intensifying concern among Exxon leadership about the prospects for a recovery as China’s coronavirus outbreak slams global energy demand.

An Exxon spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Exxon has been punished by investors since disclosing fourth-quarter results on Jan. 31 and warning that conditions in its chemical business will remain “challenging” for the rest of this year. In the seven trading sessions since that report, the company shed about $20 billion in market value.

— With assistance by Kevin Crowley

Coronavirus case confirmed in San Diego

Coronavirus spreads to 6 US states

Fox News’ Todd Piro reports on the latest news surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

The 13th case of coronavirus in the U.S. has been confirmed in San Diego.

Continue Reading Below

The patient was on board a flight from Wuhan that arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar last Wednesday, according to local media reports.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The first flight had 167 passengers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the passengers were detained under a 14-day quarantine hold.

CHINA'S DAILY DEATH TOLL FROM VIRUS TOPS 100 FOR 1ST TIME

Four patients were examined for the virus and after further testing, one patient tested positive for coronavirus, according to UC San Diego Health.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

That patient has been isolated and under observation until cleared by the CDC.

Trump Downplays Brain Injuries in Iran Attack With Toll at 109

President Donald Trump again downplayed the severity of head injuries suffered by U.S. troops during an Iranian missile attack, as the injury total rose to 109.

Trump spoke to Fox Business in an interview Monday, after the Defense Department said that 109 U.S. service members, or 45 more than previously disclosed, had been diagnosed with a “mild traumatic brain injury” after the Jan. 8 Iranian strike on the Al Asad airbase in Iraq. That strike was in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, an act Trump has regularly touted on the campaign trail.

“They landed in a way that didn’t hit anybody,” Trump said of Iran’s missile strike. “And so when they came in and told me that nobody was killed, I was impressed by that and, you know, I stopped something that would have been very devastating for them.” He didn’t specify what he stopped.

He said he later found out that there were “head trauma” injuries. Trump last month described the injuries as “headaches” and said he didn’t consider them similar to other injuries, such as losing a limb. He echoed that sentiment on Monday.

“Head trauma — that exists, but it’s, you know, I viewed it a little bit differently than most and I won’t be changing my mind on that,” Trump said Monday.

Of the 109 injured, 33 haven’t returned to active duty. Twenty-one of those have been transferred back to the U.S. for further evaluation and treatment, the Defense Department said on Monday.

Trump Just Tweeted A Clip From A TV Show That Was Totally Making Fun Of Him

President Donald Trump shared a video clip he seems to think shows that “tough guys” support him. 

Just one problem: The footage of a biker reacting to a “Make America Great Again” cap was from an episode of Larry David’s HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” And the episode not only mocked the caps but called them “a great people repellent.” 

On Monday, Trump tweeted the clip, which contained at least eight profanities: 

In the episode, the notoriously prickly David discovers that people want nothing to do with him when he wears the MAGA cap so he dons it as a “people repellent.” The cap gets him out of a lunch meeting he had been trying to avoid, and helps him keep the seat next to him at a sushi bar empty.

In the clip shared by Trump, David accidentally cuts off a biker, who angrily pursues him, dropping f-bombs along the way. When David dons the cap, the angry biker ― Trump’s “TOUGH GUY” ― suddenly becomes much friendlier.

Last month, sportscaster and talk-show host Michael Kay asked David if he was worried the episode mocking the MAGA hats would alienate Trump supporters.

“Alienate yourselves. Go. Go and alienate, you have my blessing,” David said to laughs from the audience. “No, I could give a fuck.”