New photos show the holy Muslim site of Mecca before and after Saudi Arabia stopped foreign pilgrims entering the country amid coronavirus fears. One was taken on 14 February, the other is from Thursday. Saudi Arabia has reported five cases of the coronavirus.

Image source, Maxar Technologies

Image source, Maxar Technologies

More than 700 people - including many students - are in quarantine in the Russian city of St Petersburg as they may have been in contact with an Italian student who was diagnosed on Thursday.

There have been no coronavirus deaths in Russia and there are only seven registered cases.

But there is growing scepticism and speculation about inefficient testing.

President Putin has attempted to quash those fears, saying he had been told by the security services this was is a foreign ploy to misinform Russians and the only way to fight it was to tell the truth.

Image source, Getty Images

Global stock markets have fallen sharply as investors continue to worry about the broader economic effects of the coronavirus.

London's FTSE 100 share index fell more than 3% and there were similar declines in other European markets.

Earlier on Friday, markets in Asia had seen big falls, with Japan's Nikkei share index dropping by 2.7%.

On Thursday, US share markets recorded steep declines, with all three main indexes down by more than 3%.

Read more here.

Cameroon has confirmed its first case, becoming the fourth country in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.

The health ministry said a French man who had arrived in the capital Yaoundé nearly two weeks ago had tested positive. He is now in quarantine.

This brings the number of coronavirus cases on the continent to 29.

A rush on hand sanitiser to protect against the coronavirus has seen homemade versions spring up, including one based on a handmade vodka.

But vodka maker Tito's quickly shot down a tweet suggesting the use of its spirits is strong enough for that purpose.

Some people are combining rubbing alcohol and aloe vera for a sanitiser. That can work as long as the version is at least 60% alcohol.

But posts on social media that suggested Texas-based Tito's Handmade Vodka could be used instead saw the company cite the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to quickly refute the idea.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

One of the world's largest cinema chains, Cineworld, says it is not expecting the release of any more films to be delayed due to coronavirus.

The chain - which operates more than 700 picture houses across the US and Europe - says studios have committed to their film schedules for the rest of the year, but warned that there could be "no certainty as to the future impact" of the virus.

It comes after the release of the latest James Bond film was delayed by seven months.

Shares in Cineworld have fallen 7% recently, despite the company saying that the outbreak had not dampened demand at the box office.

It now says it could look to reduce costs or postpone investment "should conditions relating to Covid-19 continue or worsen".

Owners of restaurants in Chinatown in the Japanese city of Yokohama have been sent anonymous letters calling Chinese people "germs", The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports., external

“Chinese people are garbage! Germs! Devils! Nuisance! Get the hell out of Japan now!” read one letter in red ink.

Business owners often receive abusive phone calls and letters whenever social problems related to China emerge, according to the Yokohama Chinatown development cooperative association.

A total of 140 British citizens are among the 2,500 people aboard a cruise ship being held off San Francisco after a passenger died of the coronavirus.

There are another 21 suspected cases - 10 of them crew members - on the Grand Princess.

Testing kits have been flown by helicopter to the ship after the death of a man in his 70s.

David Chiu, a Democratic member of the California state assembly, said the ship may be kept in quarantine there for two weeks.

"It's got to dock at some point, our state's public health infrastructure and expertise is second to none, so the chances are if there's any place to dock - California is as good as any," he said.

"But that being said, obviously we all have concerns to ensure it's done well, both to serve the passengers on the ship and also to protect the broader community in California."

Image source, AFP

The Dutch authorities have reportedly confirmed the first coronavirus-related death in the Netherlands.

The victim was an 86-year-old man who had been taken to Ikazia Hospital in Rotterdam, local media said.

We told you earlier that Starbucks branches in the US and Canada had temporarily banned reusable cups in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Well the ruling now apparently applies to the UK too.

The coffee chain said customers would still receive a 25p discount for bringing reusable cups with them, but drinks would only be served in paper cups. Its Europe spokesman, Robert Lynch, said the move came "out of an abundance of caution".

UK rail companies Great Western Railway and LNER have also banned reusable cups on trains - but GWR scrapped the policy after criticism.

Read the full story here.

Video has emerged from Australia of claw machines filled with toilet roll.

It comes as Australians have been buying toilet paper en masse because of fears they could run out if forced to self isolate.

This is despite authorities stressing there is no shortage - given most of the nation's rolls are made locally.

Read more here.

Many large events are being cancelled in affected countries. Sporting events including the Six Nations rugby, Italian football matches and the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix have already been disrupted. In the UK, the government has said it may restrict large-scale gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

So what are your rights if you have a ticket to something that gets called off?

A Bollywood movie award ceremony has been called off due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards was due to run for three days starting 27 March. But organisers have decided to postpone the event because of the "sensitivity" of the mounting crisis.

There are at least 31 confirmed cases in India so far.

Image source, AFP

A British man who travelled from London on 28 February has been confirmed as Thailand's latest coronavirus case.

The Ministry of Public Health said on Friday that the 43-year-old had transited in Hong Kong for a few hours on 29 February. He went to a private hospital in Thailand on 3 March with a fever. He is currently undergoing treatment.

There are 48 confirmed cases of the virus in Thailand.

The Vatican has confirmed that one patient has tested positive for coronavirus in a clinic within the city state.

The clinic has suspended all non-essential appointments and is only keeping the accidents and emergency department open.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Indian consumers are wary of buying imported products from China - such as colours and toys - ahead of the Holi festival, The Times of India has reported.

India is gearing up for the Hindu festival of colours on 10 March amid rising cases of the coronavirus in the country. There are at least 31 confirmed cases so far.

Chinese goods worth around 5bn rupees ($67m; £52m) have been stocked by importers for the festival but nay now remain unsold, the paper said citing estimates by trade bodies.

One trader was quoted as saying that the Chinese products were bought in December and it would be “difficult to clear the stock now”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced that he will not take part in any large public gatherings for Holi this year.

Image source, EPA

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have put the city of Bethlehem under quarantine after seven people were diagnosed with the coronavirus there.

The Israeli Defence Ministry said it had imposed emergency measures, with all people "forbidden from entering or leaving".

The Israeli military's Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) said it was "working closely with the Palestinian Authority" to stem the spread of the virus.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK government's chief scientific adviser has said he does not think a working vaccine will be produced in time to affect the current coronavirus outbreak.

Sir Patrick Vallance told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't think we will get the vaccine for this outbreak.

"I don't think we'll get something in time or at scale for this outbreak."

There is currently no vaccine available to protect people against the disease.

Researchers have begun to test some on animals, and if that goes well there could be human trials later in the year.

But even if scientists can celebrate having developed a vaccine before Christmas, there is still the massive job of being able to mass-produce it.

Sir Patrick added that it was “not unreasonable to assume that we will end up with a vaccine” within the next 18 months.

Find out more about the search for a vaccine here.

Starbucks has temporarily stopped making drinks in customer-provided cups in the US and Canada.

"We are pausing the use of personal cups and 'for here' ware in our stores," the coffee giant said in a statement., external

"We have provided scenario-based procedural information to our store teams on how to report and support anyone that may express they’ve been impacted by the virus, including store closure decision making support," it added.

The company has also modified or postponed large meetings across its offices in North America and restricted all business-related air travel, both domestic and international, until 31 March.

Image source, AFP

Ten leaders of South Korean religious sect group Shincheonji have tested positive for the virus, reports Yonhap news.

The vast majority of the country's positive cases have been linked to the religious group. South Korea reported 309 more cases on Friday, bringing its total number of cases to 6,593. Of these, 43 people have died.