The deadly coronavirus outbreak will cost world tourism at least $22 billion owing to a decline in Chinese tourist spending, said Thursday the World Travel and Tourism Council president. More than 2,760 people have been killed by the COVID-19 virus, mostly in China–where it first appeared in December–and more than 81,000 have been infected in over 45 countries. The loss …

A Public Health Ministry announcement designating Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease will take effect on Sunday, giving authorities more weapons to combat the spread of the virus. The latest victim is a 21-year-old Thai salesman whose job brought him exposure to foreign tourists, said Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary. The country has not yet had a death from …

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has refused to rule out postponing international football matches in response to the escalating global threat of the coronavirus. This weekend’s matches in the leading two divisions in Switzerland, where football’s global governing body Fifa has its headquarters, were postponed on Friday after the government banned all events involving more than a thousand people. “The health of …

The United States has decided to postpone a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries it had planned to host on March 14 due to worries about the coronavirus outbreak, two US officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. US President Donald Trump had invited leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to meet in Las …

A group of Democrat Party MPs targeting Deputy Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow, who won the fewest votes in Friday’s no-confidence vote, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha must work on improving the government’s image. Gen Prayut and five other cabinet ministers survived the no-confidence vote, though two were not grilled during the four-day debate. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon walked away …

Trade exhibitions, once a growth driver for tourism, are in retreat as events are cancelled or postponed in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is keeping a close eye on the most prominent marketplace, ITB Berlin 2020, as the health and interior ministries of Germany discuss whether they will hold the event, scheduled for March …

With the current political turbulence that has been happening in Malaysia recently, it was revealed by Tun Mahathir himself that he was proposing to lead a unity government by inviting lawmakers from across the Opposition parties to join him. Tun Mahathir himself proposed the idea of a non-partisan and grand coalition ,a move that would see the country being governed …

PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali stopped by and distributed chocolates to journalist waiting outside Perdana Putra today. On her way to the Prime Minister’s Office at around 10am, she stopped by at the entrance to greet about 30 media personnel waiting there. Siti Hasmah handed out buckets of chocolates as she passed by a …

KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has agreed to return as chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) three days after he quit as Malaysian PM. Party secretary-general Marzuki Yahya confirmed in a statement on Thursday, that Bersatu’s supreme council has unanimously rejected Mahathir’s resignation as party chief in a meeting last Tuesday. “Following the meetings today and YAB …

PUTRAJAYA – Dr Mahathir’s first official act as the interim prime minister of Malaysia was the announcement of RM20-billion stimulus lot to support the economy against the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak. Dr Mahathir also complimented the country’s health workers for efficiently holding Covid-19 in Malaysia. The country’s economic forecast was also reported today to grow at between 3.2 and …