Chinese state TV is reporting the number of deaths from the coronavirus has reached 304 as of Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Australia, Japan and Singapore announced strict travel control Saturday to protect against foreigners who have been in China recently as Lisa Schlein reports though the World Health Organization is advising nations against closing their borders.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier says closing borders will not keep out the virus.
"But the only way to control, to check fever, for example, to identify travel history, to try to monitor who is coming across your border and to see whether they have any signs of infection is through official border crossing points."
China is taking draconian measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Wuhan city, the epicenter of the disease, and 15 other cities have been quarantined, placing an estimated 50 million people under lockdown.
Despite these efforts, the virus continues to spread at a rapid pace.
Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Belarus Saturday for meetings with that country's president. Lucy Fielder reports.
Pompeo met President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday.
Washington and European Union frequently criticize authoritarian rule in Belarus but they've lifted most sanctions since he freed political prisoners and showed more tolerance for opposition.
Pompeo, the most senior U.S. official to visit in more than two decades, said the U.S. supported the country's independence but was aware of its ties to Russia.
"We understand your neighbor. There's a long history with Russia. It's not about picking us between the two."
Relations between Minsk and Moscow soured after the two sides failed to agree on an oil supply contract.
That's Lucy Fielder.
This is VOA news.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to cut security ties with both Israel and the United States in a speech at an Arab League meeting in Cairo.
As AP's Sarah Bassett reports, Abbas denounced a recent White House plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abbas responded angrily to the American proposal which would grant the Palestinians limited self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, while allowing Israel to annex all of its settlements there, which the Palestinians and most of the international community view as illegal as well as keeping most of East Jerusalem.
"I will not have it recorded in my history and the history of the country that I sold Jerusalem."
Abbas says he told Israel and the U.S. that "there will be no relations with them, including security ties" following the deal that Palestinians say heavily favors Israel.
The Arab League's final communiqué described the deal as "a new setback for the three-decade peace efforts."
I'm Sarah Bassett.
Fighting took place across the countryside outside Aleppo on Saturday as Syrian government forces attempted to seize control of a strategic highway that links the capital of Damascus with the north of the country.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a violent attack by Turkey-backed factions on Syrian government posts in the northeastern rural Aleppo countryside.
Heavy fighting also took place between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian army in west Aleppo.
Former Communications Minister Mohammed Allawi was named prime minister-designate by rival Iraqi factions Saturday after weeks of political deadlock.
The choice comes as the country weathers some troubled times, including ongoing anti-government protests and the constant threat of being ensnared by festering tensions between the United States and Iran.
The National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl, is Sunday night in Miami, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City has not been to the Super Bowl in 50 years. But all star quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he thinks his team is ready.
"You have to visualize it if you want to go out there and do it and so for me it's, it's about going out there, just execute the game plan at a high level, trust in the process, trust in my team mates. It's not a challenge too much."
The 49ers last won the Super Bowl in 1995 but will be trying to win a record tying sixth Super Bowl title.
