LONDON - Coronaviruspandemic has reached almost half a million worldwide and the number is increasing daily.

Lebanon

Lebanon is set to extend a countrywide lockdown by two weeks until April 12 to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Germany

Germany's relatively low rate of deaths so far from coronavirus is largely due to the high number of tests being carried out in the country, meaning authorities are simply aware of more cases, including milder ones, a senior virologist said.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany has risen to 36,508 and 198 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has released 250 foreign detainees held on non-violent immigration and residency offences as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) said on Thursday.

India

Three more people infected with coronavirus died overnight in India as the government sought on Thursday to improve basic services to 1.3 billion people locked indoors to slow the spread of the disease.

China

China's control of the coronavirus outbreak continues to improve and the country will keep offering anti-epidemic support globally to the best of its ability, state media cited President Xi Jinping as saying in a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday.

The eastern Chinese city of Shanghai will make all incoming travellers undergo 14 days of quarantine and observation from Thursday in a bid to prevent coronavirus transmission, the local government announced.

Turkey

Turkey can resort to the "highest measure" of adopting a complete curfew if coronavirus infections continue to spread, the government said on Thursday as it clamped down further on medical tools leaving the country.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has established a task force under the country's revised emergency law to deal with the global rise in coronavirus infections and deaths.

Japan banned entry from Europe on Thursday and warned of a high risk the coronavirus would become rampant after a surge in Tokyo, setting up a task force - a step toward a possible state of emergency - though the government said none was yet planned.

Vietnam

Vietnam has sent tens of thousands of people to quarantine camps as waves of overseas citizens return home to escape a coronavirus pandemic spreading in Europe and the United States.

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates will halt all public transport and restrict people's movements in the evening for a weekend nationwide disinfection campaign starting Thursday to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Iran

Iran reported 157 new coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV on Thursday, taking the death toll to 2,234 in the Islamic Republic with 29,406 infected people.

Iran has started an intercity travel ban, an Iranian official said in a televised news conference on Thursday, a day after Iran's government spokesman warned the country might face a surge of cases in the coronavirus pandemic.

Iraq

Iraq is extending a travel ban within the country and to and from its airports until April 11 as part of strict steps to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus, the government said in a statement.

Malaysia

Malaysia on Thursday reported 235 new coronavirus cases in its biggest daily jump, bringing the total number of cases to 2,031.

Indonesia

Indonesia has confirmed 103 new coronavirus cases, bringing the Southeast Asian country's total to 893, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto said on Thursday.

Philippines

The Philippine health ministry on Thursday reported seven new coronavirus deaths and 71 new confirmed infections.

Russia

Russia will suspend all regular and charter flights to and from the country from Friday due to the coronavirus crisis and close all shops in Moscow apart from food stores and pharmacies from this weekend, the government and city authorities said.

Moscow will close all shops except for pharmacies and grocery stores, the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Thursday.