Latest Southeast Asia News

A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. The new virus accelerated its spread in China, and the U.S. Consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced Sunday it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Virus death toll in China rises as US prepares evacuation

Jan. 26, 2020 9:23 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — A new viral illness being watched with a wary eye around the globe accelerated its spread in China on Sunday with 56 deaths so far, while the U.S. Consulate in the city at the epicenter announced it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight. China's...

In this Jan. 9, 2020, photo provided by the Anti-Poaching Special Squad, the exterior of a store suspected of selling trafficked wildlife is seen in Guangde city in central China's Anhui Province. The outbreak of a new virus linked to a wildlife market in central China is prompting renewed calls for enforcement of laws against the trade in and consumption of exotic species. (Anti-Poaching Special Squad via AP)

China temporarily bans wildlife trade in wake of outbreak

Jan. 26, 2020 4:17 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities announced a temporary ban on the trade of wild animals Sunday following a viral outbreak in Wuhan, saying they will “severely investigate and punish” violators. Local authorities will “strengthen inspections and severely investigate and punish those...

In this Jan. 21, 2020, handout photo provided by the Office of Civil Defense, Taal volcano emits small amounts of ash in Batangas province, southern Philippines. The government will no longer allow people to live on the crater-studded island that's home to the volcano. (Office of Civil Defense via AP)

Philippine volcano alert lowered, thousands return home

Jan. 26, 2020 12:51 AM EST

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine authorities on Sunday lowered the alert level at Taal Volcano, two weeks after it began spewing ash, steam and rocks, a move that will allow many of the more than 376,000 displaced villagers to return home. A popular tourist destination just south of Manila because of...

Shoppers wearing face masks pay for their groceries at a supermarket in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. The virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, already on lockdown, banned most vehicle use downtown and Hong Kong said it would close schools for two weeks as authorities scrambled Saturday to stop the spread of an illness that is known to have infected more than 1,200 people and killed 41, according to officials. (Chinatopix via AP)

Xi calls situation grave as China scrambles to contain virus

Jan. 25, 2020 6:47 PM EST

BEIJING (AP) — China's leader on Saturday called the accelerating spread of a new virus a grave situation, as cities from the outbreak's epicenter in central China to Hong Kong scrambled to contain an illness that has infected more than 1,200 people and killed 41. President Xi Jinping's remarks, reported...

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2020, file photo, Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi, right, receives a final report from Philippine diplomat Rosario Manalo, a member of the Independent Commission of Enquiry for Rakhine State, at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. When Suu Kyi walked into the International Court of Justice in December, 2019, she gambled the remaining shreds of her hard-won international reputation on a rebuttal of accusations that her country's military committed genocide against minority Rohingya Muslims. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

Genocide charge dents halo of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Jan. 25, 2020 6:17 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — When Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi walked into the International Court of Justice last month, she gambled the remaining shreds of her hard-won international reputation on a rebuttal of accusations that her country's military committed genocide against minority Rohingya Muslims. The court was...

In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, image from China's CCTV video, a patient is carried on a stretcher to an ambulance by medical workers in protective suits in Wuhan, China. China is swiftly building a hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with a new virus that sickened hundreds and prompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities home to millions of people during the country's most important holiday. (CCTV via AP)

China expands lockdown against virus, fast-tracks hospital

Jan. 24, 2020 6:17 PM EST

BEIJING (AP) — China expanded its lockdown against the deadly new virus to an unprecedented 36 million people and rushed to build a prefabricated, 1,000-bed hospital for victims Friday as the outbreak cast a pall over Lunar New Year, the country's biggest, most festive holiday. The number of confirmed...

France confirms 3 cases of virus from China, 1st in Europe

Jan. 24, 2020 6:01 PM EST

PARIS (AP) — France on Friday announced the first cases outside Asia and the United States of the deadly new virus from China, and the country's health minister said Europe should brace for other new cases from the spreading epidemic that she said must be fought like a wildfire. The three confirmed cases,...

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo specialist Brian Giannettino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The U.S. stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 24. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Stocks fall as fears about deadly virus grow; Dow drops 170

Jan. 24, 2020 5:03 PM EST

Health care companies led a broad slide in U.S. stocks Friday as increased fears over the spread of a deadly outbreak of coronavirus rattled markets. The S&P 500 had its worst day since early October and snapped a two-week winning streak. The sell-off followed news that a Chicago woman has become the second...

In this Jan. 23, 2020, photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech at the San Isidro Central School during the distribution of benefits to former rebels in Leyte province, southern Philippines. Duterte has renewed a threat to terminate an accord that allows American forces to train in the country unless Washington restored a visa of a political ally linked to human rights violations. (Karl Norman Alonzo/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

Philippine leader threatens to end US pact over ally's visa

Jan. 24, 2020 3:19 AM EST

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president has renewed a threat to terminate an accord that allows American forces to train in the country unless Washington restored a visa of a political ally linked to human rights violations. President Rodrigo Duterte said in an expletives-laced speech Thursday...

In this Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, file photo, a health official scans the body temperature of a passenger as she arrives at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia. Indonesia is screening travelers from overseas for a new type of coronavirus as fears spread about a mysterious infectious disease after its first death reported in China. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)

AP Photos: Editor selections from the past week in Asia

Jan. 24, 2020 12:33 AM EST

A health official scans the body temperature of a passenger arriving at Indonesia's Jakarta airport, as fears mount over a new virus spreading from China. In other images from the Asia Pacific region this week, a roadside snack vendor in New Delhi waits for customers near a protest site against a new citizenship...

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