Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

Beijing, Mar 3 (PTI) The coronavirus death toll in China climbed to 2,943 with 31 more deaths, while 125 confirmed cases were reported, the lowest since the virus outbreak in the country, Chinese health officials said on Tuesday even as the deadly disease wrecked havoc globally with the total number of deaths crossing 3,000 and infections surging past 89,000.

China's National Health Commission, (NHC) said on Tuesday it received reports of 125 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths on Monday in the country.

JAKARTA, Mar 3 (NNN-ANTARA) – One of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Merapi, erupted earlier today (Tuesday), spewing a column of thick ash by up to six km high and posing as a potential to disturb flights, a senior official said.

The eruption of Mount Merapi in the main island of Java, was detected two km from the crater. The volcano unleashed dangerous volcanic gas and hot clouds, head of Indonesian Research and Technology Development for Geological Disaster Agency (BPPTKG), Hanik Humaida, said.

SEOUL, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Six South Korean Navy sailors were wounded on Tuesday as a grenade exploded inside a high-speed battleship for unknown reasons during maritime drills off the southern coast, Yonhap news agency reported citing the Navy.

The grenade explosion occurred on the 130-ton patrol killer boat at about 1:00 p.m. local time off the southern coast.

Among the 30 sailors abroad the vessel, two were seriously injured and four others sustained light injuries. Those were sent to nearby hospitals.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A recently dismissed security guard freed dozens of hostages and was subdued by police after walking out of a shopping mall in the Philippine capital on Monday, ending a daylong hostage crisis in an upscale commercial district near the police and military headquarters, officials said.

The former guard at the Greenhills shopping center, identified by police as Alchie Paray, left the mall in San Juan City in metropolitan Manila with the remaining hostages, who were then secured by police. Several others had managed to escape earlier, police said.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised an earlier live-fire rocket artillery exercise to confirm his military’s combat readiness and “further kindle the flames of training revolution,” state media said Tuesday.

The report by the Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea’s military detected what appeared to be two short-range ballistic launches of projectiles that landed in the North’s eastern sea.

TOKYO (AP) — Shares in most Asian markets tracked overnight gains on Wall Street, but Tokyo’s benchmark fell back Tuesday as gnawing concerns over the virus outbreak chilled buying sentiment.

Traders were awaiting talks between central bankers and other financial leaders of the Group of Seven industrial nations on how to tackle the slowdown brought on by the outbreak that began in China and has spread to dozens of countries, killing 3,100 people and sickening 90,000.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s coronavirus caseload continued to wane Tuesday even as the epidemic took a firmer hold beyond Asia, with three countries now exceeding 1,000 cases and the U.S. reporting its sixth death.

The health ministry announced just 125 new cases detected over the past 24 hours, China’s lowest number since Jan. 20. Another 31 deaths were reported, all of them in the hardest-hit province of Hubei. The figures bring China’s total number of cases to 80,151 with 2,943 deaths.

BEIJING, Mar.2 (APP): Pakistan is an important neighbour of Afghanistan and will continue to play a pivotal role in the peace and reconciliation process in that country, Cheng Xizhong, visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law said on Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Muhyiddin Yassin took office as Malaysia’s new prime minister on Monday, capping a week of political chaos caused by the shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad, and as the country’s economy weakens mainly due to the spread of the coronavirus.

In a marked difference from the administration of his outspoken 94-year-old predecessor, the publicity-shy Muhyiddin, 72, made no public remarks to state media called for his first day in office.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The projectiles North Korea fired on Monday flew 240 km (150 miles) and reached 35 km in altitude, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

North Korea fired two short-range projectiles off its eastern coastal city of Wonsan - from where it has fired a series of missiles - into the sea on Monday, JCS said.

The North appears to be continuing a firing drill that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw last Friday, JCS said.