More than 100 restaurants in Hong Kong have refused to serve diners from mainland China during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a human rights group that is warning firms against crossing the line into racial discrimination. The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) found the businesses were posting messages online or displaying notices at their premises barring Mandarin speakers and non-locals, …

Rising Chinese pollution levels measured from space are showing a gradual but uneven industrial pickup after the economic slowdown caused by the nation’s fight to contain the deadly novel coronavirus. Although the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in China’s atmosphere has risen nearly 50% from Feb 17, it was still roughly 20% below the equivalent period last year, according an …

Chinese and Japanese investors will compete to enter Indonesia in the future. This was conveyed by the Investment Committee Member for the Communication and Information Sector of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Rizal Calvary Marimbo, in Jakarta, Monday, (2/3). Rizal explained, Japan as one of the leading investors in Indonesia. For that, it is not easy to defend. Especially at …

GM’s Feb 17 announcement that it would cease its Thai market operations and sell the Rayong plants has shaken the automotive sector in several dimensions. From sales, production, exports and auto supply chains to auto loans, car insurance and the used-car market, the aftermath of the exit remains unresolved. And while Chevrolet Thailand, the local distribution arm of GM, has …

Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco has completed its exit from China with the sale of a 20% stake in a joint venture to a unit of its state-run partner China Resources Holdings (CRH), raising 275 million pounds (1.1 billion baht). Having struggled to crack the Chinese market, Tesco established the Gain Land joint venture with CRH in 2014, combining its 131 …

China declared an immediate and “comprehensive” ban on wild animal trade and consumption, a practice believed to be responsible for the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The highest legislative committee in the country adopted a resolution “prohibiting the illegal trade in wildlife, abolishing the bad habit of overconsumption of wildlife and effectively protecting people’s lives and safety,” state television reported. Previous temporary …

The sharp rise in cases and the global spread of coronavirus outside of China reinforce WHO’s concerns about coping with the epidemic, experts warned Sunday as they called for ever more caution. “There has been a remarkable change towards COVID-19 (new coronavirus) taken over the past 48 hours,” said Professor Devi Sridhar, Director of the Global Health Governance Program at …

According to the Department of Health (DOH), there are 41 new reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines as of Friday morning. This takes the cumulative total of all persons under investigation (PUIs) in the country to 597 on the basis of data released at 10 a.m. by the DOH Given the additions to the register, hospitals …

The government expects public investment spending of more than 400 billion baht in the second quarter to help the flagging economy weather the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said on Thursday. Even before the epidemic that originated in China, the trade-reliant economy has been under pressure, buffeted by the Sino-US trade war, sluggish investment, a delayed …

A hospital director at the epicentre of China’s virus epidemic died Tuesday, state media said, the latest medical worker to fall victim to the new coronavirus spreading across the country. Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died Tuesday morning after “all-out rescue efforts failed,” state broadcaster CCTV reported. China said last week that six medical workers had …