Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil rose on Tuesday amid hope that the world’s biggest producers of crude will agree to cut output as the coronavirus pandemic crushes demand, even as analysts warn a global recession may be deeper than expected and big production cuts will be needed.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up by 80 cents, or 2.4%, at $33.85 a barrel by 0657 GMT after falling more than 3% on Monday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was up by 83 cents, or 3.2%, at $26.91 a barrel, having dropped nearly 8% in the previous session.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday unveiled plans for a stimulus package he described as among the world’s biggest as he prepared to declare a state of emergency to stem a rise in new coronavirus infections in major population centres.

Abe will announce the state of emergency for the capital Tokyo and six other prefectures, for a period of about one month, after earlier on Tuesday getting the green light from a panel of experts.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Tuesday, echoing the rally on Wall Street, amid a few glimmers of hope that the coronavirus pandemic could be slowing.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.3% to 18,808.53 while South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.2% to 1,812.87. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.7% to 23,907.52, while the Shanghai Composite jumped 1.7% to 2,814.09.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.3% lower to 5,297.90. Shares rose in Taiwan and most of Southeast Asia, but fell 0.9% in Indonesia.

Singapore, Apr 6 (AFP/PTI) Oil prices fell sharply Monday after a meeting to discuss output cuts between OPEC and its allies was delayed, dimming hopes of swift action to support coronavirus-ravaged energy markets.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate plunged eight per cent at the open in Asia but clawed back some ground and was trading 5.7 percent lower, at USD 26.72 a barrel.

International benchmark Brent crude was down 4.3 per cent to trade at USD 32.64 per barrel.

Hong Kong, Apr 6 (AFP/PTI) After a coronavirus-fuelled wave of panic-buying briefly left Hong Kong's supermarket shelves bare, residents are turning to local producers for fresh food in a city almost entirely reliant on imports.

COVID-19 has threatened global supply chains as countries impose lockdowns and border restrictions, but for Hong Kong's dwindling farming community, the pandemic has sparked a sudden boom in business.

SINGAPORE, April 6 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Singapore which placed two foreign workers’ dormitories as isolation areas on Sunday has identified another dormitory as a new cluster.

The new cluster of Tampines Dormitory at Tampines Place has so far reported three new confirmed cases, said a statement issued by the republic’s Ministry of Health (MOH) late Sunday.

MOH said the two isolated dormitories, S11@Punggol of Seletar North Link meanwhile has to date a total of 63 cases while Westlite Toh Guan of Toh Guan Road East has 28 confirmed cases.

BEIJING, Apr 6 (APP): A Chinese pharmaceutical company has donated Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) to a hospital in Karachi to help Pakistan’s health authorities in their efforts to prevent and control of Covid-19 pandemic.

Hunan Anbang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd (Anbang) has delivered 600 boxes of traditional Chinese medicine to a mobile cabin hospital in Karachi to combat the Covid-19, according to a report of China Economic Net (CEN).

BEIJING, Apr 6 (NNN-XINHUA) – China actively joined hands with the rest of the world to stem the COVID-19 disease, with the exports of medical supplies registering 10.2 billion yuan (about 1.43 billion U.S. dollars).

The items of medical supplies include 3.86 billion face masks, 37.52 million protective suits, 2.41 million infrared thermometers, as well as, ventilators, testing kits and goggles, Jin Hai, an official with the General Administration of Customs, told a news briefing, Sunday.

SEOUL, Apr 6 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea reported fewer than 50 new COVID-19 cases, for the first time since its peak at the end of Feb, as daily infections in Asia’s largest outbreak outside China continued to trend downward.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said today, there were 47 new infections as of midnight on Sunday, compared with 81 recorded a day earlier, taking the national cumulative tally to 10,284.

The death toll rose by three to 186, while another 135 people have recovered from the virus, for a total of 6,598.

TOKYO, April 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With death toll in Japan from the COVID-10 pandemic surpassing 100 Sunday, Japan is most likely expected to declare a state of emergency, the first of its kind in the country, on Tuesday.

Japan’s news agency Kyodo, quoted a government official saying on Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to declare the emergency state on Tuesday and the order will be effected Wednesday, April 8.