China is now tightening quarantine restrictions for travellers in Beijing and other major cities, as number of imported cases have increased.
Of the 78 new cases, 74 were imported infections, up from 39 imported cases a day earlier.
According to reports, all travellers entering the Chinese cities will be subject to centralised quarantine and health checks.
Those arriving in Shenzhen will be tested, while visitors from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be banned in the Chinese territory of Macau.
Meanwhile, rules have been relaxed in the epicentre of the virus, Hubei province, and several Chinese cities have seen no new infections in recent days.
So far, the country has recorded nearly 3,300 deaths and nearly 82,000 infections.
Israeli forces killed 35 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.
Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi is set to be buried in the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday evening, four days after he was killed in a helicopter crash along with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other people.
A Russian missile attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed at least six people and wounded at least 11 on Thursday, local authorities said.
A furious China launched "punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts", sending up heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te.
Nine people have died and around 50 were injured after a structure collapsed at a campaign event for the Citizens' Movement party in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.
Broadcasting every weekday, Georgia Tolley goes beyond the headlines to speak to government ministers, decision makers, analysts and local experts to find out how the news will impact those of us living in the UAE.
Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman and CEO, Colm McLoughlin, announced that he will be stepping down from his role after 55 years in the travel retail industry and 41 years of leadership at Dubai Duty Free. Colm joined the Business Breakfast to reflect on his epic career.
78% of AI users are now bringing their own AI tools to work, but what does this mean for employers? Zubin Chagpar, Senior Director and Business Group Leader, Modern Work and Surface Devices, Microsoft CEMA tells us more.