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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.

Indonesia is set to release about 30,000 prisoners early as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to avoid a possible surge in coronavirus infections in its overcrowded prisons.

Indonesia confirmed 114 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,528, a health ministry official said.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Tuesday said he had signed a regulation to let the government significantly raise spending in its fight against the coronavirus and widen the 2020 budget deficit to 5.07% of GDP.

Amazon.com Inc is at the front line of responding to outbreaks of the novel coronavirus in the United States, delivering essential goods while more than half the population faces government stay-at-home orders.

Warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the United States went on strike on Monday to call attention to safety and wage concerns for people laboring through the coronavirus crisis.

Russia on Tuesday pushed back legislation that would require all smartphones, computers and smart TV sets sold in Russia to come pre-installed with Russian software, by six months until January 1, 2021, the TASS news agency reported.

Japan Display said on Tuesday it has finalised a deal to raise $200 million from "an overseas customer," which sources have said is Apple.

Vivendi closed on Tuesday the sale of a 10% stake in Universal Music Group (UMG) - home to Taylor Swift and The Beatles - to a Tencent-led consortium, in a deal giving UMG an enterprise value of 30 billion euros ($33 billion).

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 take the step.