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The European Commission closed its daily briefing in Brussels on Tuesday with a poem, to bring some cheer amid the coronavirus gloom.

Thousands of Malaysian commuters, many with suitcases stuffed with clothes, crossed into neighbouring Singapore on Tuesday evening, prepared for at least two weeks away from home, hours before their country starts to seal its borders.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, banned gatherings of more than 50 people and ordered the closure of bars and restaurants on Tuesday in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Armenia on Monday declared a state of emergency until April 14 to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, and postponed a referendum on changes to the Constitutional Court until after the emergency.

Indonesia has confirmed 38 new coronavirus cases in the past two days, bringing the total number of infections to 172, with 5 recorded deaths, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said on Tuesday.

Uber Technologies Inc on Tuesday began suspending shared rides on its ride-hailing platform in the United States and Canada to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Facebook Inc said Tuesday it plans to award $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries to address the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan and the United States reaffirmed their readiness to adopt "all appropriate measures" to guard their economies from downside risks posed by the coronavirus outbreak, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday.

British mobile operator O2, owned by Spain's Telefonica, said it had received reports of some customers struggling with its voice network as Britons started working from home to avoid coronavirus.

The Spanish government is planning to grant unemployment benefits to workers temporarily laid off as part of its measures to mitigate the economic effects of the coronavirus epidemic, according to a draft document prepared by the Labour Ministry.

A Northern Irish supermarket opened one hour early on Tuesday to allow older customers to shop safely and avoid coronavirus-related panic buying, sparking similar moves south of the border in Ireland.

Axis Security, whose technology provides organizations secure control of private application access, said on Tuesday it raised $17 million in early stage funding.

Britain's biggest airports including Heathrow and Gatwick have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask that any government support for the aviation industry should include help for airports, which they said could have to shut completely.

Spain's tally of coronavirus cases surpassed 10,000 on Tuesday and the number of fatalities rose to 491, said Fernando Simon, the head of the country's health emergency center.

Thousands of French workers were stuck in traffic on Tuesday as Switzerland tightened border controls under new emergency measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Tuesday it had identified hundreds of antibodies that could treat the coronavirus and it planned to begin clinical trials by early summer, sending the drugmaker's shares up 10%.

China has authorised clinical trials on its first vaccine developed to combat the new coronavirus, according to a report in the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily.

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

Vietnam will introduce mandatory quarantine for all visitors from the United States, Europe and ASEAN countries to curb the spread of coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday.

Thailand is to close schools and entertainment venues including its racy night spots, and even call off one of its most important holidays of the year to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister said on Tuesday.