Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BANGKOK (AP) — The global march of the new virus triggered a vigorous appeal from the World Health Organization for governments to pull out “all the stops” to slow the epidemic, as it drained color from India’s spring festivals, closed Bethlehem’s Nativity Church and blocked Italians from visiting elderly relatives in nursing homes.

As China, after arduous weeks, appeared to be winning its epic, costly battle against the coronavirus, the fight was revving up in newly affected areas of the globe, unleashing disruptions that profoundly impacted billions of people.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares slipped Friday as fears about the virus outbreak once again dominated financial markets.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei dived 3.1% to 20,663.32. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 2.1% to 6,259.20. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.3% to 2,037.08. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 2.1% to 26,213.51, while the Shanghai Composite slumped 0.9% to 3,049.95. Shares also dropped in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

5 March 2020; AFP: Almost 300 million students worldwide faced weeks at home with Italy the latest country to shut schools over the deadly new coronavirus, as the IMF urged an all-out global offensive against the epidemic.

More than 95,000 people have been infected and over 3,200 have died worldwide from the virus, which by Thursday had reached some 80 countries and territories.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is eroding access to Tibetan language learning and resources in the Tibet Autonomous Region while carrying out so-called “bilingual education”, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

China, while ensuring its minority Tibetan community gets education in their native tongue, has sidelined Tibetan-language classes by making Mandarin Chinese the primary language of instruction, said the report released on Thursday.

(Reuters) - The fast-spreading coronavirus has reached some 80 nations with more new cases now reported outside China where the flu-like illness first emerged late last year.

- Globally, there have been over 95,300 cases and more than 3,200 deaths, according to a Reuters tally. (tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7)

- Mainland China reported 139 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 80,409. The uptick was driven by an increase in cases in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, where new infections climbed to 131 from 114 a day earlier.

SINGAPORE, March 5 (NNN-BERNAMA) — An ease in the Malaysian economy as well as the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak seemed to have taken a toll on its tycoons, says Forbes Asia, which released its 2020 Forbes Malaysia Rich List Thursday.

Forbes Asia said the wealth of the country’s 50 richest fell for a second straight year due to a weaker ringgit and a decline of close t 10 percent in the country’s benchmark stock index.

Their collective net worth of US$79 billion is down 7.0 per cent from a year ago, it said.

PUTRAJAYA, March 5 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for now will be in charge of all federal ministries and departments until the appointment of new Cabinet ministers.

Muhyiddin’s ministerial functions were stated in the Federal Government Gazette, Ministers of the Federal Government (No.2) Order 2020 uploaded on the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ website.

SEOUL, Mar 5 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea confirmed 438 more cases of COVID-19 on Thursday (today), raising the total number of infections to 5,766.

As of midnight local time, the number of infected patients totaled 5,766, up 438 from 24 hours ago. Four more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 36.

Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), updated the data twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time.

CHINA, Mar 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) – COVID-19 continued its spread across the globe, despite travel restrictions aimed at curtailing its spread.

As the global death toll reached over 3,000, South Korea said, it has confirmed 599 new cases, far higher than the daily tally reported in China. With 4,335 confirmed infections and at least 28 deaths, South Korea has the second-largest national caseload. However, it has tested more than 100,000 people, far more than most nations.

NANCHANG, China (AP) — In a lively Muslim quarter of Nanchang city, a sprawling Chinese factory turns out computer screens, cameras and fingerprint scanners for a supplier to international tech giants such as Apple and Lenovo. Throughout the neighborhood, women in headscarves stroll through the streets, and Arabic signs advertise halal supermarkets and noodle shops.