The government has come under heavy criticism for being slow to evacuate Thais from Wuhan, the centre of the novel coronavirus outbreak which has been locked down since Jan 23 while Japan and the United States started evacuating their citizens on Wednesday. Gen Prayut said the government will use a commercial aircraft in the evacuation, but military planes will also …

China’s viral epidemic has leapt to 170, the government said on Thursday, with more than 1,700 new infections confirmed. Thirty-seven of the 38 new deaths came in hard-hit Hubei province, the epicentre of a contagion that is causing mounting global fear. Another death occurred in southwestern Sichuan province, the National Health Commission reported. The 38 new deaths marked the biggest …

According to the hospital’s director on Wednesday, a Chinese national under investigation for suspected novel coronavirus infection has died in San Lazaro Hospital. San Lazaro Hospital director Dr. Edmundo Lopez stated at a press briefing with officials from the Department of Health that it was not known if the 29-year-old male patient died of nCoV. Lopez said the cause of …

Nadine Lustre’s camp said it’s ready to take on VIVA Artists Agency in a court battle — after the management company warned of  litigation against the actress for suspected contract breach. Lustre’s camp earlier said that the 26-year-old agreed to part with VIVA, citing Article 1920 of the Philippines Civil Code on the principal’s right to terminate the organization under …

Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly dismissed director general of immigration Ronny Sompie on Tuesday (28/1/2020). It was happened amid public uproar over the whereabouts of a graft fugitive, Harun Masiku. Both men have delivered conflicting statements about Harun Masiku. This Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician was the subject of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)’s manhunt for allegedly bribing …

IPOH – A visually-impaired man claimed trial at the Sessions Court here today to five counts of sexual harassment and unnatural sex with his 17-year-old daughter in Batu Gajah. The 43-year-old disabled man was accused of sodomising his daughter between December 26 and 27 last year and on January 7 at a house in Batu Gajah. The charges under Section …

PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad welcomed the chief of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and his delegation at his office at Perdana Putra here. This will be his first official trip to Malaysia since becoming the organization’s top leader in 2017. During his courtesy call in the prime minister’s office, Ismail Haniyeh praised Mahathir for supporting the …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working with the tourism sector to find a strategy to achieve its 3.16-trillion-baht revenue target for 2020 and offset the sharp decline in Chinese tourists this year. A potential stimulus package comprising a financial scheme for local operators and a marketing campaign for international and domestic markets was the main focus of a …

Military medical personnel have been sent to help with the screening of passengers at international airports as another six Chinese nationals entering Thailand were found to be infected with the Wuhan coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases detected in the country to 14. Permanent secretary for public health Sukhum Kanchanapimai said on Tuesday there had been six …

Coronavirus that hits new high of infection and deaths in Wuhan city, China, Indonesia was still reporting no confirmed cases of coronavirus by Tuesday (28/1), although suspected cases continued to be recorded across the archipelago. There are at least eight patients that was reported, two in Bandung, West Java, one in Sorong, West Papua, one in Sidoarjo, East Java and four …