But the psychological impact of surviving the virus that has claimed the lives of those around him is taking a greater toll than the physical effects of the illness itself. The spread of COVID-19 has been rapid. At the time of writing, there were more than 113,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide — the vast majority concentrated in China’s Hubei province …

Wearing blue surgical masks amid a coronavirus outbreak, 220 couples exchanged vows and kisses in the central Philippines to launch their married lives. Lovers and their relatives braved the virus, which has killed 2,442 people globally, to attend a mass ceremony sponsored by the coastal city of Bacolod. The lobby of Bacolod’s city hall was a sea of white shirts …

An elderly Chinese tourist hospitalised in France has died of the novel coronavirus, becoming the first fatality in Europe, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn says. France has recorded 12 cases of the virus, out of a global total of 69,092 according to Centres for Disease Control data collated by Johns Hopkins University. The vast majority of those suffering from the virus are …

When Wang Ming Ming was five years old there was a knock at the door. A representative from the family planning unit in the Chinese town where she lived had an envelope to deliver to her parents. Inside was a fine for 2,500 RMB. For Ming Ming’s parents the sum, around $500, was equivalent to more than two years of …

China’s Hubei province has reported 81 more deaths from coronavirus, bringing the total to 780 and taking the global count past that caused by the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003. The national health commission confirmed cases across China had risen to 37,198, with 811 deaths. The number of people who died from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) reached 774. The announcements came …

A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute has killed two people and then gone on a far bloodier rampage in north-eastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror. At least 21 people were killed in all, 31 were injured and others were believed to be still inside the building …

There are calls for people to stop eating bat meat from an “extreme” animal market in Indonesia, amid fears over the coronavirus. WARNING: This story contains images and descriptions that some people may find distressing. The self-proclaimed “extreme” market — officially named Beriman — sells a variety of animals for food, including bats, rats, snakes and dogs. Syerly Sompotan, Deputy …

A second Chinese city will go into lockdown in an effort to control the spread of a new virus that has left 17 dead in the country. Authorities have suspended planes and trains in and out of Wuhan – a city of 11 million people – as well as all public transport within the city. Similar measures will take effect …

The affair of the alleged Chinese spy seeking asylum in Australia has grown even murkier, with Beijing saying he is nothing but a confidence trickster and common criminal Nine newspapers reported on Saturday that Wang “William” Liqiang has provided Australia’s counter-espionage agency ASIO details of how China’s senior military intelligence officers fund and conduct political interference operations in Hong Kong, …

The Chinese embassy in Canberra has hit back at Australian media reports of a man who says he worked as a secret Chinese operative for five years, saying he is a convicted fraudster. Wang Liqiang told Nine Newspapers he was seeking asylum in Australia, and was willing to detail his operations working as an intelligence agent for the Communist Party. …