Iran announced on Thursday that another 75 people had died of the new coronavirus, bringing the overall number of deaths to 429 out of more than 10,000 infections.

Spain's equality minister Irene Montero tested positive for coronavirus and has been quarantined along with her partner, deputy prime minister and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a government statement said on Thursday.

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge on Wednesday, two weeks after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault.

An massive fire ripped through one of Bangladesh's largest slums here on Wednesday, leaving hundreds of shanties gutted and thousands of people homeless, according to media reports.

Iran on Wednesday reported 63 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest single-day toll in the three weeks since the Islamic republic announced the first deaths from the outbreak.

The Taliban on Wednesday rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer to release 1,500 insurgent prisoners ahead of peace talks, saying it wanted 5,000 captives freed before opening negotiations.

China has reported 22 new coronavirus deaths, taking the death toll to 3,158, health officials said on Wednesday, as Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the worst-hit Wuhan city and lauded the authorities and medical staff for "turning the tide" against the deadly epidemic, saying that the initial success has been made in stabilising the situation.

 Sudan's state media says the prime minister has survived an assassination attempt after a blast in the capital Khartoum.