Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 29 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia is prepared to bring home its citizens in Wuhan following the outbreak of the new 2019 novel coronavirus in the city if it gets the green light from the Chinese government, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced.

He said the Malaysian government will negotiate with the Chinese government on this matter soon.

At present, there are approximately 78 Malaysian citizens in Wuhan.

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Demonstrations have taken place across northern Ethiopia about the failure of the authorities to find a group of 27 students abducted 50 days ago.

The students – from the Amhara community – were kidnapped as they fled an outbreak of ethnic violence at Dembi Dolo University in the Oromia region.

It is not clear who is behind the abduction of the students, believed to be mainly young women, but local officials say armed men are active in the area.

PHNOM PENH, Jan 29 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodia’s economy is projected to remain robust in 2020, despite stronger external headwinds, the Singapore-based ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) said.

“Real GDP (gross domestic product) growth is forecast to moderate to a more sustainable rate of 7.1 percent in 2019 and 2020, supported by robust construction activities, strong domestic credit growth, and buoyant domestic demand,” the press release said.

Inflation is expected to rise to 2.3 percent this year, slightly up from 2.1 percent last year, it said.

BEIJING (AP) — Countries began evacuating their citizens Wednesday from the Chinese city hardest-hit by an outbreak of a new virus that has killed 132 people and infected more than 6,000 on the mainland and abroad.

A Japanese flight carrying evacuees home included four people with coughs and fevers. The three men and one woman were taken to a Tokyo hospital on separate ambulances for treatment and further medical checks.

28 Jan 2019; MEMO: The Popular Conference of Palestinians Abroad has praised the Malaysian parliament’s call to activate parliaments around the world for the sake of defending Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause, Safa news agency has reported.

The Speaker of Malaysia’s parliament, Dato Mohamad Arif Bin Muhammad Yousef, has called on parliamentary counterparts in countries all over the world to defend Jerusalem from Israel’s Judaisation plans.

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan has arrested 113 people charged with being members of Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization outlawed in the Central Asian nation, Prosecutor General Yusuf Rakhmon said on Tuesday.

Among those arrested over the course of this month were two foreigners, one municipal official, and more than 20 university professors, he told a briefing.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting chief of the World Health Organization on Tuesday that he was confident of winning the battle against a “devil” coronavirus that has killed 106 people and spread across the world.

A growing number of countries are planning to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, a central city of 11 million people and epicenter of the outbreak. A chartered plane taking out U.S. consulate staff was set to leave Wuhan on Wednesday, a spokeswoman at the U.S. embassy in Beijing said.

Tokyo, Jan 28 (AFP/PTI) Japan will send a plane to the Chinese city of Wuhan later Tuesday to begin evacuating citizens from the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, the country's foreign minister said.

"We have finalised arrangements, and the Chinese side has communicated to us that it is now ready to accept one chartered flight. Arrangements have been made to secure transportation to the airport," Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.

Beijing, Jan 28 (AFP/PTI) China on Tuesday urged its citizens to postpone trips abroad as the country expands a massive effort to contain a viral outbreak that has killed more than 100 people nationwide.

The recommendation to delay non-essential travel was issued "in order to protect the health and safety of Chinese and foreign people", the National Immigration Administration said in a statement.

SINGAPORE, Jan 28 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Singapore’s Health Ministry today confirmed the fifth case of imported Wuhan coronavirus in the city today.

In a statement issued today, the ministry said the latest case involved a 56-year old Chinese citizen, who had arrived here from Wuhan together with her family on January 18.

She is currently being treated in isolation at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and her condition is reported to be stable.

Based on a report, the ministry said the woman had not displayed any symptoms during her flight to Singapore.