Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Wednesday on optimism that China’s latest actions may help curtail some of the expected economic damage from the virus outbreak.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.1% to 23,330.11 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 6,967.20. South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.5% at 2,169.29. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up nearly 0.9% to 26,910.45, while the Shanghai Composite jumped nearly 2.0% to 2,836.68.

BEIJING (AP) — Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in other places showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it.

Ten people from the cruise ship tested positive and were taken to hospitals, while all 3,700 crew and passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said. More tests are pending.

PYONGYANG, February 4. /TASS/: North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has ordered restrictions to be placed on foreign diplomats entering and exiting the country in attempt to prevent the spread of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus that originated in China’s city of Wuhan, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said via Facebook Tuesday.

4 February 2020; AFP: As the deadly coronavirus has spread worldwide, it has carried with it xenophobia -- and Asian communities around the world are finding themselves subject to suspicion and fear.

When a patient on Australia's Gold Coast refused to shake the hand of her surgeon Rhea Liang, citing the virus that has killed hundreds, the medic's first response was shock.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE (France), Feb 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Around 20 of the 250 people flown back to France from China on Sunday because of the coronavirus outbreak are presenting symptoms of the virus, the country’s health minister said.

SEPANG, Feb 4 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived here Monday night for a two-day working visit to Malaysia.

The special aircraft ferrying Imran Khan and his high-level delegation from Karachi landed at the KL International Airport (KLIA) at about 10.15 pm.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia, which sent its first batch of one million medical gloves to Wuhan, China today, will be sending another million on Wednesday, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said.

The second batch will be sent through a MASkargo flight, following the first batch through an AirAsia flight commissioned by the government on Monday to bring back Malaysians from the 2019 novel coronavirus-hit city.

HONG KONG, Feb 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Standing at the picket line, just 200 metres from her hospital entrance, Kaddy Chan wished she could report for duty as usual.

For weeks now, the outpatient nurse and her colleagues have been grappling with shrinking supplies of surgical masks and hazmat suits, avoiding trips outside the wards, so as to keep their protective gear free from contamination.

“If we don’t close the border, no amount of resources would be sufficient to deal with the onslaught of sick people,” said Chan.

BEIJING (AP) — The death toll in mainland China from the new type of virus has risen to 425, with the total number of cases now standing at 20,438, officials said Tuesday.

The new figures come after the country opened a new hospital built in 10 days, infused cash into tumbling financial markets and further restricted people’s movement in hopes of containing the rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact.

Japanese officials were deciding whether to quarantine more than 3,000 people on a cruise ship that carried a passenger who tested positive for the virus.

3 February 2020; AFP: China said Monday it urgently needed medical equipment and surgical masks as the death toll from a new coronavirus jumped above 360, making it more deadly than the SARS crisis nearly two decades ago.

BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authorities Monday said it received reports of 2,829 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 57 deaths on Sunday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Among the deaths, 56 are in Hubei Province and one in southwest China's Chongqing, according to China's National Health Commission.

Another 5,173 new suspected cases were reported on Sunday, said the commission.