Saudi Arabia on Monday opened hajj registration for foreign residents in the kingdom, saying they will make up 70 percent of the pilgrims after it scaled-back the annual ritual due to coronavirus.

Qatar passed the milestone of 100,000 coronavirus cases on Monday, the health ministry said, as the country presses ahead with plans to re-open its economy.

The Palestinian prime minister called on Israel Monday to close all West Bank crossings, saying a lack of Palestinian control over the access points was responsible for surging coronavirus cases. 

India announced Monday that it had logged nearly 700,000 coronavirus cases, taking it past Russia to become the world's third-hardest-hit nation in the global pandemic.

Wearing full protective gear including a white suit and plastic visor, Ukrainian doctor Marta Saiko checked on an elderly patient hooked up to a ventilator.

Morocco reported Sunday 698 additional novel coronavirus infections, the highest one-day increase since the outbreak began in early March, with numerous cases discovered in a port city factory.

A central Athens brothel was buzzing with clients on a recent hot July afternoon, and its Venezuelan workers were relieved to have the business.

India added a record number of coronavirus cases Sunday, approaching Russia as the world's third-most infected nation as it opens a mass treatment center in the capital to fight the pandemic.

Britain's police said Sunday that revelers who packed London's Soho district the night pubs finally reopened made it "crystal clear" that drunk people cannot socially distance.

Iranian health authorities on Sunday announced 163 new deaths due to the COVID-19 disease, the country's highest official one-day toll since the outbreak began in February.