CNBC Asia

The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asian countries and supports the livelihood of nearly 200 million people there who depend largely on farming and fishing.

It estimates it can potentially produce "millions" of coronavirus vaccine doses by the end of this year and "hundreds of millions of doses" in 2021 if the vaccine is successful.

Germany's coronavirus infection rate has reportedly edged up while Spain's daily death rate has eased.

HSBC set aside more money for potentially larger loan losses due to the coronavirus pandemic and weakening oil prices.

Oil prices fell in the afternoon of Asian trading hours. West Texas Intermediate for June delivery dropped 16.59% to $10.66 per barrel. International benchmark Brent crude futures also declined 5% to $18.99 per barrel.

Covid-19 has infected at least 3 million people around the world, killing at least 208,131 people.

More than 1.9 million unemployment claims have been filed in Texas since the outbreak began and the state has paid out more than $2 billion, Abbott said.

"We believe that the overarching federal plan seems to be very much based on science," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's emergencies program, said of the U.S.

Some countries are considering issuing so-called immunity passports to people who have antibodies against Covid-19, enabling them to travel or return to work.

The World Health Organization warned Monday that children across the world will die as the coronavirus pandemic forces some countries to temporarily halt vaccinations for other deadly diseases such as polio.

Capacity to test broadly throughout the population and to trace contacts with those who test positive for Covid-19 is a crucial element of the state's plans to lift restrictions, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have previously said.

Earlier last week, Cuomo released the preliminary results of a statewide coronavirus antibody testing study, which indicated that an estimated 13.9% of the New Yorkers have likely had Covid-19 already.

WHO is holding a press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese and Singaporean economies were already weak before the coronavirus outbreak worsened over the past month, said Steve Cochrane, chief Asia Pacific economist at Moody's Analytics.

Total number of coronavirus infection cases around the world was more than 2.96 million and at least 206,265 people have died.

PetroChina and Sinopec are set to post earnings later this week, with Bernstein's Neil Beveridge expecting "very significant losses in the first quarter" for the two firms.

All countries need to be on guard in the fight against Covid-19 before the fall flu season, according to Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The Bank of Japan of Monday announced on Monday an enhancement of its monetary policy easing measures to combat the hit on Japan's economy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.