China's top legislature says it will prioritize legislation on public health this year.
Lawmakers are expected to review and approve the country's biosecurity law this year.
The draft went through a second reading in April.
Legislators will also speed up revision of the Wildlife Protection Law in the hope of submitting the revision for review in the latter half of the year.
A Chinese official says the country will step up efforts to support the development of the new energy vehicle industry.
The government has decided to extend subsidies and tax exemptions for NEV purchases by another two years to restore production and sales.
Restrictions on manufacturing will be lifted, while wider use of NEVs in public service will be encouraged.
Efforts will also be made to step up the construction of charging stations and enhance their interconnectivity.
The World Health Organization has suspended testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients due to safety concerns.
The drug has been touted by U.S. President Donald Trump and others as a possible treatment for the disease.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
"The executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity trial while the safety data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board. The other arms of the trial are continuing. This concern relates to the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in COVID-19."
Last Friday, an observational study published in the medical journal The Lancet found a higher mortality rate among patients receiving the drug.
The WHO has previously advised against using hydroxychloroquine to treat patients or to prevent infection.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the vast majority of shops in England will be allowed to reopen next month.
The government is in the process of gradually easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the country.
Johnson says outdoor markets and spacious car showrooms will be allowed to reopen from June 1st.
"From the 15th of June, we intend to allow all other non-essential retail ranging from department stores to small independent shops to reopen. Again this change will be contingent upon progress against the five tests and only be permitted for those retail premises which are COVID-secure."
As of Monday, the United Kingdom had recorded nearly 37,000 coronavirus deaths.
The Afghan government says 100 Taliban prisoners have been freed as a gesture of goodwill to advance peace efforts.
The spokesperson of the National Security Council says the government released the prisoners on Monday.
The move comes after Taliban militants announced a three-day ceasefire during Eid al-Fitr, a festival marking the end of the fasting month.
Two NASA astronauts will fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and the spacecraft is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon from the Kennedy Launch Complex.
It will be the first launch of American astronauts on an American rocket from American soil since 2011.
The two astronauts are scheduled to arrive at the ISS about 24 hours later.
A Chinese mountaineering team has reached Camp Two of Mount Qomolangma, the world's tallest peak, despite heavy winds.
The camp is at an altitude of 7,790 meters.
It took the squad members several hours to pitch their tents amid strong winds.
The team consisting of members from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the national mountaineering team is measuring the height of the mountain.
A report says California avocados have access to the Chinese market as a result of the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement.
The report released on a U.S. agriculture news website says both countries signed protocols to allow the United States to export avocados to China.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says access to the Chinese market will be worth 10 million U.S. dollars per year.
Germany has approved a 9.8-billion-US-dollar aid package for airline Lufthansa to keep it going through the turbulence of COVID-19.
Economy Minister Peter Altmaier says Germany is still in talks with the European Union's executive commission about possible conditions.
The aid package will also require approval by a shareholder meeting.