Boris Johnson, who led Britain out of the European Union in January after years of political chaos and paralysis, now finds himself professionally and personally tested like never before by the COVID-19 crisis.

The novel coronavirus has put global trade on hold, placed half of the world population in confinement and has the potential to topple governments and reshape diplomatic relations.

The United Nations has appealed for ceasefires in all the major conflicts rocking the planet, with its chief Antonio Guterres on Friday warning "the worst is yet to come". But it remains unclear what the pandemic's impact will be on the multiple wars roiling the Middle East.

With those worst hit by the virus facing an agonizing death from asphyxia, palliative care specialists in France are struggling amid drug shortages to give victims the most humane end possible.

"It's definitely not as intimate," sighs a woman dressed in a raincoat, mask, gloves and visor after speaking to a friend over one of the imposing barricades that have sprung up all over Wuhan.

A year ago, Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar began his offensive to seize the capital Tripoli from the UN-recognised government, a conflict which has left hundreds dead and over 150,000 displaced.

Is a homemade mask better than nothing at all? With an unknown number of asymptomatic virus carriers, some experts are advising people to fashion their own face coverings to prevent them spreading the disease.   

As Italy mourns thousands of coronavirus dead, and survivors brace for life in an economic wasteland, one rung of society looks to win big: organised crime.

The obituaries posted on a board where the newspapers might otherwise hang tell the story of an Italian village living through a disaster the mayor calls "worse than the war."

Five years after launching its much-criticised military intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is stuck in a costly quagmire with no exit in sight while it grapples with multiple crises at home.

Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Sahel... with the great powers focused intently on the COVID-19 virus, will armed conflicts across the world decrease in severity or intensify? Experts as well as diplomats at the United Nations say there is a serious risk of the latter.