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China's president called on Monday for an independent review of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic under the World Health Organization once the virus is under control, and defended Beijing's own handling of the pandemic.

China supports a comprehensive review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic led by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the virus that causes the disease is brought under control, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Russia's defence ministry is setting up a mobile field hospital at the largest Siberian mine of the country's top gold producer, Polyus, to treat miners who contract the new coronavirus, the company said on Monday.

Teva Pharmaceutical said on Monday that China has given the go-ahead to its Austedo treatment for Huntington's disease.

Moderna Inc said on Monday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced antibodies that could "neutralize" the new coronavirus in patients in a small early stage clinical trial, sending its shares up 25%.

GlaxoSmithKline said an injection every other month of its cabotegravir drug was shown to avert an HIV infection more effectively than Gilead's daily Truvada pill, potentially giving its ViiV unit a foothold in HIV prevention.

Since September, investors have pumped at least $6 billion into more than two dozen startups that are automating delivery of goods and food, from heavy trucks to sidewalk robots and drones.

The city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China, conducted 335,887 nucleic acid tests on May 17, the local health authority said on Monday, compared with 222,675 tests a day earlier.

Japan's SoftBank Group Corp reported a stunning $18 billion loss at its giant Vision Fund, pushing Masayoshi Son's conglomerate to a record loss and highlighting the deepening crisis at its portfolio companies from the global downturn.

Softbank Group will raise 1.25 trillion yen ($11.7 billion) using Alibaba stock to fund buybacks of its own shares, Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said on Monday.

New Zealand will launch a contact-tracing app on Wednesday to help people track their movements as the country eases one of the world's most rigid lockdowns designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on Monday for giving the World Health Organization (WHO) more teeth to combat emerging diseases that threaten global health.

Top technology services firms are offering payment deferrals, discounts of up to 20% and other sweeteners to some U.S. banks to keep their business as the pandemic forces Wall Street to cut tech budgets, according to executives involved in the talks.

Panasonic Corp's finance chief said the company is seeing strong demand for battery cells from U.S. partner Tesla and they are in talks to expand their joint plant in Nevada, which is now profitable.

Russia on Monday reported 8,926 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide case tally to 290,678.

Switzerland's President opened the World Health Organization's annual assembly in Geneva on Monday, pledging her country's "full support and cooperation" to its leader as it coordinates the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A flood of criticism of the Indonesian government's response to the coronavirus pandemic and the behaviour of many Indonesians has appeared on social media under a hashtag that translates as #IndonesiaWhatever.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

U.S. life science tools company Thermo Fisher on Monday launched its agreed $11.5 billion takeover offer for Qiagen, calling on investors of the German genetic testing specialist to tender their shares.

The Hang Seng Index made rule changes on Monday to allow it to incorporate Chinese internet giants Alibaba, Xiaomi and Meituan Dianping, a move set to shake up the composition of the 50-year-old index.