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Google on Tuesday defended the impartiality of its search results after users in Japan seeking to corroborate rumors of an imminent state of emergency declaration by the government were met with no results on its website.

A survey of Line Corp's chat app users in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures in partnership with Japan's health ministry found 7.1% of respondents in the capital reporting at least one of the symptoms of the coronavirus.

Sierra Leone has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 37-year-old man who traveled from France on March 16 and had been in isolation since, the president said on Tuesday.

Clear and consistent messaging about lockdown measures, why they are needed, and about the practicalities of social distancing such as food and finances, are crucial to their potential for slowing outbreaks of disease, researchers said on Tuesday.

Microsoft Corp said it has seen a 775% jump in a month for Teams calling and meeting in Italy, withdrawing an earlier statement that the surge was for its cloud services in regions around the world that enforced social distancing to curb transmission of the coronavirus.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared a public health emergency over the coronavirus epidemic on Tuesday and said an additional $24.9 billion would be spent to cushion its impact on Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Britain on Tuesday said those carrying out phase-1 clinical trials needed to have a risk assessment in place in response to the coronavirus outbreak or they could be halted, though the action does not affect COVID-19 trials.

China will start releasing information from Wednesday on coronavirus patients who show no disease symptoms, ordering them into quarantine for 14 days, a health official said, after the mainland witnessed its first rise in infections in five days.

Residents of China's Wuhan city, ground zero for the coronavirus pandemic, have mixed emotions as containment measures are lifted and the community infection rate slows to a trickle, with some praising the government and others ruing the economic costs.

Japan's capital recorded more than 70 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday for its highest tally in a single day, as pressure built on the prime minister to order a lockdown with a minister saying a containment strategy was stretched to the limit.

Vietnam will begin 15 days of social distancing from Wednesday to curb community transmission of the coronavirus, the Southeast Asian country's prime minister said on Tuesday.

Germany needs a law in future to ensure the supply of medicines in the country, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told Bild newspaper on Tuesday as the world is in the grips of a coronavirus outbreak.

The city of Jena in eastern Germany has decided to make people wear face masks when shopping or traveling by public transport, stepping up efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and becoming the first city in the country to introduce the measure.

Asked about the possibility of introducing an obligation to wear protective face masks, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that the masks Germany has are for critical workers such as medical staff.

Shares in meal-kit delivery firm HelloFresh jumped to a record high on Tuesday after it said it expected strong first-quarter sales and profit due to a surge in demand as coronavirus lockdowns prompt more people to cook at home.

Xiaomi Corp on Tuesday reported a 27% jump in December-quarter revenue, its fourth consecutive quarter of growth, and above analyst expectations, in spite a weak outlook for the global smartphone sector.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday a patient who tested positive for coronavirus had died, the country's first confirmed death resulting from the virus, the Belta news agency reported.

IKEA, the world's biggest furniture brand, said on Tuesday it has started making protective gear such as aprons and facemasks for hospitals battling the spread of coronavirus, and aims to step up output further.

The Swiss death toll from the coronavirus epidemic has risen to 373, the country's public health agency said on Tuesday, from 295 people on Monday.

Iran's death toll from coronavirus has reached 2,898, with 141 deaths in the past 24 hours, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV on Tuesday, adding that the total number of infections has jumped to 44,606.