China

This is despite the number of people killed by the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, increasing.

Students spoken to by RNZ Pacific said their universities had either postponed or cancelled the school year and advised foreign students to return home if they can.

Some institutions were also advising students who went home for the holidays not to return until advised to do so.

The number of total confirmed cases in China rose to 4,515 as of 27 January, up from 2,835 a day earlier.

The country has meanwhile further tightened travel restrictions to try to curb the spread of the virus.

The city of Wuhan, thought to be the epicentre of it, is already in effective lockdown as is much of surrounding Hubei province.

The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and there is no specific cure or vaccine.

Most of the deaths have been of elderly people or those with pre-existing respiratory problems.

The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread.

The number of deaths in Hubei rose from 56 to 76, with five deaths elsewhere. Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans.

At least 44 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia.

There have been no deaths outside China.

There are currently 1,287 confirmed cases in China, 41 of whom have died.

It comes as China is begins celebrations of the Lunar New Year, one of the most important dates in its calendar.

Many events have been cancelled and a new hospital is being built in the city of Wuhan.

The virus has now spread to Europe, with three cases confirmed in France.

The first case was in Bordeaux, while the other two were in the Paris area, the French health minister said on Friday night.

And one case has been confirmed in Australia.

WHO officials made the announcement following two days of emergency committee meetings of health experts on the virus.

The coronavirus has infected more than 600 people worldwide, though mostly in China. As of Jan. 23, Chinese authorities have reported 17 deaths from the virus so far.

Cases have been reported in China, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the United States. The virus causes a fever and, in some cases, difficulty breathing.

Anyone who concealed new cases would "be nailed on the pillar of shame for eternity", the political body responsible for law and order said.

The warning came as state media said six people had now died from the virus, which causes a type of pneumonia.

It's been confirmed the virus can pass from person to person.

The world's biggest online shopping event raked in more than $30.8bn (210bn yuan; £23bn) in sales in 16.5 hours of trading, surpassing last year's all-time-high.

A gala featuring pop star Taylor Swift launched the 24-hour shopping blitz.

It marked Alibaba's first Singles' Day since the exit of its colourful founder, Jack Ma.

He was replaced as executive chairman by Daniel Zhang earlier this year after stepping down to focus on philanthropy and education.

The firm said sales reached $1bn in a little over one minute of trading on Singles' Day.

As many as seven new deals have been agreed and signed between China and Samoa, ahead of a summit on China-Pacific Islands economic cooperation.

The China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum was expected to be the announcement platform for Beijing’s US$1trn Belt and Road initiative, which intends to offer cheap loans to developing countries.

Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua is leading China’s delegation in Apia, the capital of Samoa. The meeting takes place just one month after Solomon Islands and Kiribati formed diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Dame Meg Taylor was speaking at a Pacific Island development forum hosted by China in Samoa this week.

Countries needed to be more ambitious than meeting Paris Agreement targets, she said, and China could be an "important ally" by taking the lead in "escalating its ambition level and its commitments" under the Paris Agreement.

"To just meet our Paris targets is no longer enough," she said at the third China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum.

Experts say the arrangement in Central Province would give the developer and other Chinese firms a strategic inlet into Solomon Islands, which until last month was one of Taiwan's dwindling allies in the Pacific.

The government traded Taiwan for China in a move that it said would promise more development for the nation.