Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Kazakhstan pressing authorities to be wary of Russian and Chinese investment and influence.

Bringing a message similar to one he has delivered repeatedly to other countries, Pompeo was telling senior Kazakh officials on Sunday that the attractiveness of such investment comes with a cost to sovereignty and may hurt, instead of help, long-term development.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A scary new virus from China has spread around the world. So has rising anti-Chinese sentiment, calls for a full travel ban on Chinese visitors and indignities for Chinese and other Asians.

Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have refused to accept Chinese customers. Indonesians marched near a hotel and called on Chinese guests there to leave. French and Australian newspapers face criticism for racist headlines. Chinese and other Asians in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific complain of racism.

BEIJING (AP) — The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies.

BEIJING, Feb 1 (APP): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that Pakistan’s help and support to China in the difficult time view of new coronavirus outbreak had once again highlighted the deep friendship between the two countries.

SEOUL, Feb 1 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s export kept falling for 14 straight months through Jan, on the lowered number of working days, caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, a government report showed today.

Export, which takes up about half of the export-driven economy, amounted to 43.35 billion U.S. dollars in Jan, down 6.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The outbound shipment continued to slide for the 14th consecutive month, since Dec, 2018.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China National Energy Administration on Saturday urged coal miners to resume production to keep the market supplied and stabilize prices amid the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 250 people and infected over 10,000.

The administration will strictly ban activities such as raising coal prices beyond their contracts, refusing to fulfill medium-to-long term contracts or restricting coal sales outside the production areas, it said in a statement on its website.

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authorities announced Saturday that 11,791 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Friday. A total of 259 people have died of the disease.

The National Health Commission said in its daily report that 1,795 patients remained in critical condition, and 17,988 people were suspected of being infected with the virus as of the end of Friday.

A total of 243 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s death toll from a new virus rose to 259 on Saturday and a World Health Organization official said other governments need to prepare for“domestic outbreak control” if the disease spreads in their countries.

Beijing criticized Washington’s order barring entry to most foreigners who visited China in the past two weeks.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced similar measures on Saturday, following Japan and Singapore.

31 Jan 2019; MEMO: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammed denounces US President Donald Trump’s “unfair and heavily one-sided” so-called peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, unveiled at the White House on Tuesday.

SETIU, Jan 31 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Aid totalling RM107,235 has been channelled from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MOA) to 307 farmers impacted by natural disasters in Terengganu last year.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, said 47 people whose farms were damaged by calamities like drought and flood received RM92,235 from the ‘Tabung Bencana Tanaman Padi’ (padi planter’s disaster fund) to get them back on their feet.

“For 260 people whose homes were damaged by flood, RM15,000 was given by the National Farmer’s Organisation (NAFAS).