Coronavirus

F9 was due out in May, but will now not reach cinemas until April 2021.

"It's become clear that it won't be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May," a statement said on Twitter.

F9 is the ninth main instalment in the franchise, and will star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Charlize Theron.

"While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration. Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together."

Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that fans will not be allowed into grounds to watch the three-match series, which starts on Friday at the SCG.

Ticket-holders will be given a full refund with no decision yet made over Australia's upcoming three-match Twenty20 international tour of New Zealand.

"Cricket Australia will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation at home and overseas before making a decision on Australian men's international matches beyond the Australian leg of the ODI tournament," said a statement.

Last week the tech giant sent a memo to staff recommending that employees in Washington state work from home.

It has now expanded that request to all of its almost 100,000 workers across 11 office in the US and Canada.

Alphabet is the latest company to make such an announcement as US coronavirus cases have risen to almost 1,000.

"Out of an abundance of caution, and for the protection of Alphabet and the broader community, we now recommend you work from home if your role allows," Chris Rackow, Google's vice president of global security, wrote in an email to workers.

All five cases of the virus in New Zealand have been in the Auckland region.

More than 400 local and international artists were on the cards to perform at the festival, which was due to start tomorrow.

It is the second year in a row the festival has been cancelled, after last year's event was called off in the aftermath of the 15 March terrorist attack in Christchurch.

There were concerns earlier this week that it would be called off again, but it was given the all clear to go ahead on Tuesday, with authorities instead warning anyone who felt sick to stay home.

The company now expects full year underlying earnings between $210m and $235m.

It's previous forecast was between $260m and $270m.

Chief executive Adrian Littlewood said passenger numbers for the first 10 days of this month were down 18 percent on last year, and he expects further decreases in the next few months.

Trading in the company's shares was halted yesterday afternoon as it revised its financial forecasts.

The share price has fallen 16 percent over the past three weeks.

"The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight's schedule of games until further notice,'' the league said in a statement issued shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET.

"The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.''

The player is the Jazz's Rudy Gobert, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That led to Utah's game at Oklahoma City being postponed just before tipoff.

Tom Hanks said on Wednesday that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, learned they had the coronavirus. The 63-year-old Academy Award-winning actor is in Australia, where he was set to film a movie about the life of Elvis Presley.

“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia,” Mr. Hanks said in a statement. “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers, too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”

Haruyuki Takahashi, one of more than two dozen members of the Tokyo 2020 executive board, told Reuters the body had just started looking at scenarios for how the virus could affect the Games.

Takahashi has earlier told the Wall Street Journal that the board had not discussed the impact of the virus, having last met in December before the epidemic spread.

Now, novel coronavirus panic buyers are snatching up ... toilet paper?

Retailers in the US and Canada have started limiting the number of toilet paper packs customers can buy in one trip. Some supermarkets in the UK are sold out. Grocery stores in Australia have hired security guards to patrol customers.

An Australian newspaper went so far as printing eight extra pages in a recent edition -- emergency toilet paper, the newspaper said, should Aussies run out.

The Faleolo Health Centre, built a few years ago by the US government, has been upgraded for the purpose.

On his weekly radio programme, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said four air conditioned tents had been erected on the grounds of the health centre.

The tents, which were donated by the UN children's agency UNICEF to isolate measles patients, can also be used to quarantine patients suspected of having Covid-19, Tuilaepa said.

The tents are phase one of the government's coronavirus contingency plans, he said.