As scientists across the world work frantically to find a vaccine against COVID-19, which continues its rapid global spread, all eyes are on US-based company Moderna's encouraging early results on a small group of healthy volunteers.

An Indian-origin physician here has succumbed to the novel coronavirus, American Physicians of Indian-Origin (AAPI) has said.

At least 19 million children in parts of Bangladesh and India are at "imminent risk" from flash flooding and heavy rain as Cyclone Amphan makes landfall and the state of West Bengal is expected to take a direct hit from the powerful storm, the UN's children agency has warned.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said the coronavirus coming from India is more lethal than those from China and Italy and blamed the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Himalayan nation on those illegally entering the country from India, as the total number of COVID-19 cases jumped to 427 on Wednesday.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Tuesday asserted that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal and vowed to "reclaim" them from India through political and diplomatic efforts, as his Cabinet endorsed a new political map showing the three areas as Nepalese territory.

 In an ultimatum to the WHO, US President Donald Trump has said he would "reconsider" America's membership of the UN health body and threatened to "permanently freeze" the funding to it if it failed to demonstrate its "independence" from China in the next 30 days.

An earthquake has struck China's southwestern Yunnan province, killing at least four people and injuring 24 others, according to officials.

 Sravya Annappareddy, a 10-year-old Indian-American girl, has been honoured by President Donald Trump for donating cookies to nurses and firefighters and sending personalised greeting cards to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 pandemic in the US, the worst affected country in the world.