The United Nations will create a fund to prevent the spread of coronavirus and support the treatment of patients worldwide, Norway said on Monday. The purpose of the fund is to assist developing countries with weak health systems in addressing the crisis as well as to tackle the long-term...

Britain sent in the army to deliver protective equipment to hospitals on Monday and told people to stay at home and heed warnings over social distancing or the government would bring in more extreme measures to stop the coronavirus spread. With some doctors saying they felt like “cannon...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, a pool report said, amid an ongoing political crisis, a raging Taliban insurgency and rising coronavirus cases. Pompeo was set to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani along with his archrival Abdullah...

Turkish authorities will seize factories of mask-producing firms unless they agree to sell products to the government by Monday night, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying, as Ankara seeks to contain the local coronavirus outbreak. Turkey's death toll from the virus...

The Olympics rings are up and the cute wide-eyed mascots are plastered across billboards and commuter trains, but people in Tokyo are increasingly convinced the Games won't happen this summer. After weeks of pressure from athletes and sports associations, the International Olympic Committee...

The United States should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington's offer of humanitarian assistance. Iran is the Middle Eastern nation worst hit by...

 Streets were deserted in the Indian capital on Monday and office buildings shuttered as a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus began and Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to stay at home and save themselves. India has reported 415 cases of the coronavirus and seven...

Hollywood megastar Tom Hanks said he and wife Rita Wilson were on the mend Monday, after two weeks in hospital and self-isolation with the coronavirus. "Hey folks, two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better," he posted in a social media message to fans, urging them to respect...

Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, reversing four straight days of gains, as the capital Beijing ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad. China had 39 new confirmed cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said,...

Dubai's famous malls will shut down for a fortnight under the United Arab Emirates' plan to curb coronavirus, which will also see its airports closed to passenger and transit flights. The decision to close commercial centres takes in shopping centres as well as fresh food markets, but...

Oil prices were mixed in volatile Asian trade on Monday, but remained at multi-year lows due to the double shock of the coronavirus pandemic and the Saudi-Russia price war. Both main contracts plummeted at the open after a trillion-dollar support package for the American economy crashed to...

Racing's 'Dubai World Cup' has been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus, organisers said on Sunday. This year's event was scheduled for March 28. The main race carries a purse of 12 million USD (11.2 million euros) at the state-of-the-art Meydan racecourse in Dubai....

Spanish opera star Placido Domingo said Sunday he had tested positive for the new coronavirus, adding he and his family were "in good health". "I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus," the 79-year-old wrote on his Facebook...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will quarantine herself at home after being treated by a doctor who has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a government spokesman said Sunday. "The Chancellor has decided to quarantine herself immediately at home. She will be tested regularly in...

France this week launched an online test aimed at helping people who are worried they may have contracted the coronavirus to assess their symptoms, and guide them as to what steps to take next. The test, approved by the French health ministry, went live on Wednesday on the website...

Iraq on Sunday imposed a total nationwide lockdown until March 28 to fight the novel coronavirus, as the number of cases grew and the death toll climbed to 20. Most of Iraq's 18 provinces had so far imposed their own local curfews but the new measures would include the whole of the country,...

A rocket attack by forces of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar on Sunday killed one person and also injured two children from the same family, said the country’s UN-recognized government. Haftar militia rockets hit a house in Ain Zara, south of the capital Tripoli, said a statement by the...

Dubai carrier Emirates said Sunday it has dramatically cut its passenger flight destinations to 13, down from 145. It's a pivotal move that reflects the dramatic slowdown in traffic through the airline's hub in Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, due to disruptions caused by the...

The coronavirus outbreak has claimed its first fatality among French medical personnel, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Sunday, as the country prepares for an expected surge in cases. The minister, who paid tribute to front-line medical staff during an appearance on LCI television,...

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Netherlands rose by 573, or nearly 16%, to 4,204, Dutch health authorities said in a daily update on Sunday. The death toll in the Netherlands rose by 43 to 179, with victims aged between 57 and 97.