Việt Nam News

 The new coronavirus outbreak can now be described as a pandemic, the head of the World Health Organisation announced on Wednesday.

Italy has recorded its deadliest day of  the coronavirus crisis despite locking down the entire country, as New York deployed the National Guard to contain a disease that has sown worldwide panic.

The Afghan government will gradually release 5,000 Taliban prisoners starting this week if the insurgents significantly reduce violence, President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman said early Wednesday, seeking to resolve a dispute that has delayed peace talks between the militants and Kabul.

The death toll from the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine hotel in east China rose to 26 on Wednesday, with three more people feared still trapped in the rubble, according to state media.

Stern-faced EU leaders warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe's borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support.

Women mostly stayed off Mexico City's streets Monday as part of a protest against the country's soaring rate of gender violence. The "Day Without Us" strike was staged to highlight the more than 1,000 women and children murdered in Mexico last year.

Italy's prime minister told people to "stay at home" as the government limited travel and banned public gatherings across the whole country to combat the threat posed by the new coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation warned Monday there was now a "very real" threat that the new coronavirus outbreak will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled.

Venezuela's electoral system was damaged but not destroyed after a fire broke out in a warehouse used to store voting equipment, the National Electoral Council said on Sunday.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders secured crucial endorsements Sunday from prominent black supporters just days ahead of the first round of voting to pit them in a head-to-head contest.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday visited the US Southern Command, where he signed a defense agreement with the United States enabling joint development of military capabilities, officials said.

North Korea fired three unidentified projectiles into the sea on Monday, Seoul's military said, the second such weapons test by Pyongyang in a week.

Italy has second-most virus deaths, infections after China.

All eyes will be on Russia at the gathering of OPEC countries and their allies on Friday, with the cartel hoping to convince Moscow to back drastic production cuts to counter the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, once a favourite to win the Democratic presidential nomination, dropped out of the race on Thursday, setting up a two-man duel between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday he would not run in October's election, ending months of speculation over whether he would seek a third term.

A ceasefire in northern Syria agreed between Russia and Turkey came into force on Friday, aiming to halt intense fighting that has sparked a humanitarian disaster and raised fears of their armies clashing.

Passengers on a cruise ship stranded off the coast of San Francisco were confined to their cabins on Thursday as tests were conducted to determine if any of the nearly 3,500 guests and crew had contracted the new coronavirus.