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Germany will consider relaxing restrictions next week on shops introduced last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus while keeping social distancing rules in place until May 3, according to a government proposal seen by Reuters.

Germany wants to allow some shops to reopen next week while keeping social distancing rules in place, said two participants in a video conference on Wednesday between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany's 16 states.

Abbott Laboratories Inc said on Wednesday it would begin shipping a new coronavirus blood test that can tell whether a person has ever been infected and plans to ramp up manufacturing to produce 20 million tests per month by June.

The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that he regretted President Trump's decision to pull funding for the agency and called for world unity to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.

Vietnam will extend its coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, for seven days, although restrictions will be lifted in some areas outside of the Southeast Asian country's main cities, the government said on Wednesday.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization senseless and dangerous, and said it would be challenged.

Rotterdam's Ahoy concert hall had been gearing up for the glitter and glamour of next month's Eurovision song contest - but on Wednesday it opened its doors to medics instead as the Netherlands' newest care centre for coronavirus patients.

Belgium has extended its measures to restrict the spread of the coronavirus by two weeks until May 3, Belgian broadcaster RTBF said on Wednesday.

Amazon will close its warehouses in France until at least early next week after a court ordered it to limit deliveries to essential goods such as food and medical supplies.

U.S. President Donald Trump's move to halt funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic prompted condemnation on Wednesday from world leaders who appealed for cooperation and unity.

British fashion brand Barbour has turned over its production line to making protective gowns for frontline healthcare workers battling the coronavirus outbreak, reviving memories of its patriotic efforts in both world wars.

China has approved early-stage human tests of two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus as the country where the disease was first detected battles to contain imported cases, especially from Russia.

China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus that killed over 100,000 people worldwide, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The shifts are long and the scenes are heartbreaking inside a Maryland hospital where nurses and doctors have been treating coronavirus patients for weeks, unable to let family inside to visit loved ones on their death beds.

The leader of Britain's main opposition party on Wednesday accused the government of being too slow to impose a lockdown when the novel coronavirus first hit the country.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 734 to 28,153, health authorities said on Wednesday, with 189 new deaths.

The daily number of deaths from the coronavirus in Spain fell slightly on Wednesday to 523 from 567 the previous day, the health ministry said, as the country was ramping up testing that could allow it to further ease tough restrictions.

Germany will consider relaxing restrictions next week on shops introduced last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus but extend limits on movement until May 3, several participants in talks between regional and central government said on Wednesday.

Amazon said on Wednesday it may temporarily close its warehouses in France after a court ordered the e-commerce giant to limit deliveries in the country to essential goods like food and medical supplies.

Japan urged its citizens on Wednesday to stay home, as media reports warned that as many as 400,000 of them could die of the coronavirus without urgent action, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came under pressure to hand out more cash.