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Italy's coronavirus death toll is much higher than reported, statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday in an analysis pointing to thousands of fatalities that have never been officially attributed to COVID-19.

Indian gym and wellness startup cure.fit has laid off as many as 800 of its staff across the country and permanently closed a number of fitness centres to cut costs amid the world's biggest coronavirus lockdown, sources familiar with the situation said.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp said on Monday it will launch an e-commerce service in India this week to enable customers stuck at home during a nationwide lockdown to buy its products from their local retailer.

World leaders launched a pledging "marathon" on Monday - without the United States - to raise at least $8 billion for research into a possible vaccine and treatments for the coronavirus.

The European Union pledged on Monday 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) for the global search for vaccines and treatment for the novel coronavirus, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a pledging conference.

The coronavirus death toll in Iran, one of the hardest hit countries in the Middle East, rose by 74 in the past 24 hours to 6,277, the Health Ministry said on Monday, as mosques were due to reopen in many cities.

Bangladesh authorities said on Monday they will gradually open up more factories, as well as farms and logistics operations, as they try to diminish the economic impact of a coronavirus lockdown which they extended to May 16.

The National Institutes Of Health said on Monday it has started enrolling participants in a study to find out the infection rate of COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, in children and their families in the United States.

Vir Biotechnology Inc and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc plan to begin human testing of their COVID-19 drug candidate by the end of the year, as drugmakers across the globe scramble to find therapies for the highly-infectious virus.

United Nations leaders called on Monday for a global effort to develop and distribute to all at affordable prices vaccines, treatments and testing kits against COVID-19.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Monday launched an updated version of its MacBook Pro, with modified keyboards as the laptop line had faced criticism for typing-related problems, while boosting performance and adding storage.

England's COVID-19 hospital death toll rose 204, the lowest daily increase since late March, to 21,384, the health service said.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 10,581 over the past 24 hours compared with a record of 10,633 on the previous day.

Hairdressers, ironmongers and other shops tentatively opened for business on Monday as Spain began a four-phase plan to reopen the country by the end of June, while the 24-hour death tally from coronavirus stayed under 200 for the second day in a row.

World leaders will hold a pledging "marathon" on Monday to raise at least 7.5 billion euros ($8.2 billion) for research into a possible vaccine and treatments for the coronavirus, although the United States is not directly involved.

New Zealand and Australia could soon open their borders to each other, creating what they call a "Trans-Tasman bubble" as they look to restart their economies after getting their novel coronavirus outbreaks under control.

New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a "travel bubble" between the two countries, even as Australia on Monday reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks.

Mobile operator Vodacom Group said on Monday it had switched on Africa's first live 5G mobile network in three cities in South Africa, with further rollouts planned in other parts of the country.

Vir Biotechnology Inc and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc have identified a drug candidate for treating COVID-19 and plan to begin human testing by the end of the year, the companies said on Monday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 199 on Monday to 40,770, with 26 new deaths, health authorities said.