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Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for more protection care for the country's medical workers.
He made the remarks in an instruction on protecting the medical workers who are taking part in preventing and controlling the novel coronavirus epidemic.
He says efforts should be strengthened to relieve their stress, provide them with daily necessities, arrange time for rest, and give them encouragement.
Over 30-thousand medical workers have been sent to Hubei and the city of Wuhan — the epicenter of the outbreak — to fight the epidemic.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China is confident in winning the fight against the novel coronavirus amid the support of the international community, including the ASEAN group.
He made the remarks while speaking at the dinner party of the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease.
"Hubei province and Wuhan have been at the epicenter of this outbreak and the situation in these places has been brought under effective control. There is also good news from other places outside of Hubei province. For instance, the number of confirmed cases has dropped for 15 consecutive days and the numbers of recovered and discharged cases are also rising."
Wang Yi adds that the number of discharged cases was bigger than the number of confirmed cases for the first time as of Tuesday, meaning that the epidemic is controllable.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that a WHO team of experts is currently in China to find answers to some unknowns of the coronavirus.
He says the international community needs to step up preparedness and balance funding for simple public health interventions and vaccine R&D.
He thanked Canada for its contribution to fighting the virus.
Earlier, Canada said it will provide two million U.S. dollars to the WHO to help countries fight against the virus.
More than half of China's large industrial enterprises in major provinces have resumed operations while smaller companies are reported to be getting up to speed fast.
Tang Shemin with the National Development and Reform Commission says authorities are coordinating to help middle, small and micro sized enterprises to address issues such as labor shortages and logistics disruption.
He says a series of preferential policies will also be implemented.
"We will see to the implementation of a series of preferential policies, including toll free exemption, cutting pension contributions and delaying the payment of housing provident fund to reduce cost for the businesses and facilitate their operation resumption."
The coronavirus forced many provinces to delay the resumption of work for at least a week in an effort to keep people from contracting and spreading the virus.
Police say eight people are dead in shootings at two locations in the German city of Hanau.
A statement says authorities are searching for the person or people responsible, and that it is not immediately clear what the reason for the shootings may have been.
Local media report that the first shooting took place in a hookah lounge in the centre of the city of about 100,000 people.
The supsect or suspects then apparently went to another part of the city, where shots were fired in another hookah lounge.
Hanau is in southwestern Germany, about 20 kilometres east of Frankfurt.
The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate is calling on the parliament to hold an extraordinary session on Monday to vote on giving confidence to his new government.
Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi says the government will be independent and competent.
He says that his cabinet lineup will be for all Iraqi people and gain their confidence through its accomplishments.
"We will work on bringing back our nation's prestige and will take the necessary procedures to hold early, free and fair elections far from the influence of money, weapons, and outside interventions."
Allawi was appointed as prime minister-designate earlier this month to form an interim government after months of political turmoil and anti-government protests in the country.
He was given 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to the parliament for approval.
US retail giant Costco is set to begin the construction of its second store in Shanghai.
According to the Shanghai Land Market website, Costco and Galaxy Holdings have won the rights to use land in the eastern area of the Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao Industrial Zone.
Costco, which has a members-only customer base, first entered the Chinese mainland in August last year.
