Asian markets down as investors look to uncertain 2022

HONG KONG - Asian stocks were mostly down in Wednesday trade as a "Santa Claus rally" showed signs of fatigue and continued fears over the Omicron variant -- as well as uncertainty about economic prospects for 2022 -- weighed on markets.

Covid-19 cases have surged across the world, prompting governments to impose new measures to limit contagion while the travel industry faced thousands of flight cancellations.

Warnings from the World Health Organization that the risk from the variant remains "very high" have compounded the sense that the pandemic is far from over, though data showing a reduced risk of hospitalization has lifted spirits.

Reflecting the uncertainty, Tokyo closed down in thin holiday trade on Wednesday, with the market weighed down by US futures losses.

Seoul was also down, while Sydney and Wellington rose. Europe opened mixed, with London's FTSE slightly up while Paris and Frankfurt fell. 

In China, markets fell, in a slide analysts partly attributed to losses in shares of major liquor brands -- including Kweichow Moutai, one of the world's biggest drinks companies.

"The drop is mostly contributed by some blue chips, in particular the baijiu names," Zhang Gang, a strategist at Central China Securities, told Bloomberg.

"It's likely that some funds want to cash out before the year-end after the recent rebound."

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down as investors eyed uncertain prospects for 2022 as well as a continued debt crisis in the mainland's property market.

A continued regulatory clampdown by Beijing on overseas listings by Chinese firms has also weighed down markets -- though expectations that the country's central bank will add further stimulus in 2022 offered some hope.

FITS AND STARTS 

But trading volumes remain thin going into the new year, when prospects for global growth and the long-term impact of the Omicron variant are expected to become clearer.

Moody's economist Mark Zandi said in a note the Omicron wave would dent growth in the first quarter, but "not have a material impact" on 2022 overall because of a rebound later in the year.

"Even after the Omicron wave abates, there will almost surely be others. But we expect each new wave to be less disruptive to the healthcare system and economy than the wave before it," he said.

Katie Nixon, chief investment officer for Northern Trust Wealth Management, was also upbeat, saying her firm was "pretty constructive going into 2022".

"We're having fits and starts related to this Omicron variant of course. This will create maybe demand delayed but not destroyed," she told Bloomberg TV.

There was also optimism on oil markets, with crude holding a roughly one-month high on hopes that the Omicron variant will not dent global travel in the ways many had feared.

Agence France-Presse

Nievarez wraps up Olympic campaign in rowing

Filipino Olympian Cris Nievarez competes in the men's single sculls in rowing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the Sea Forest Waterway, in Tokyo, Japan on Friday. The first-time Olympian and only Southeast Asian qualifier in Tokyo wrapped up his campaign at 23rd overall. 

-reuters-

100 days to go until Tokyo Olympics

The Rainbow Bridge is illuminated with Olympic colors on Wednesday to mark the 100 days countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Tokyo, Japan. A Kyodo News poll showed more than 70% of people in Japan want the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled or delayed due to COVID-19 fears as Tokyo recently began measures to curb a fourth wave of infections. 

-reuters-

Japan to lift Tokyo area state of emergency as planned on Sunday

TOKYO - The Japanese government's advisory panel on coronavirus measures approved on Thursday a plan to let the state of emergency expire in the Tokyo area as scheduled on March 21, while the capital's governor warned citizens not to let down their guard.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had flagged the move on Wednesday, saying the availability of hospital beds had improved in Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures, where restrictions have remained since early January.

"There was no objection to the plan," Economy Minister Yasuhisa Nishimura, who also heads Japan's coronavirus response, said after a meeting with the advisory panel.

He added, however, that experts noted that infections had been creeping up in recent days, and that a resurgence was bound to occur.

While under pressure to bring COVID-19 under control ahead of the Tokyo Olympics this summer, the government is eager to jumpstart economic activity in the Greater Tokyo area, whose 36 million residents account for 30 percent of Japan's population.

The number of new COVID-19 cases has plunged from a peak in early January, when the third and most deadly wave of the pandemic swept the country. 

But the daily tally for Tokyo remains far from Governor Yuriko Koike's target of reducing the seven-day average to 70 percent or lower than the preceding week.

On Wednesday, the capital reported 409 cases, compared with a peak of 2,520 on January 7, but the highest since mid-February.

"(The state of emergency will be lifted) on the 21st, but does that mean anything goes after that? No, it doesn't, and we have to see it as entering a new stage," Koike told reporters.

"The first drop of vaccines for (Tokyo's) 14 million has only just begun, and until we're done, we have to fight with our bare hands," she said.

While other parts of the country lifted the emergency status at the end of February, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures extended it, with officials saying they wanted to see a continued decline in infections and hospitalizations.

Under the curbs, restaurants and bars are asked to close by 8 p.m and for companies to allow more telecommuting.

After the lifting of the emergency, the four prefectures will ask eateries to close by 9 p.m., at least until the end of March, to reduce the chance of a resurgence in infections, Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said on Wednesday.

The government's task force will meet later on Thursday to finalize the plan, followed by a news conference by Prime Minister Suga at 7 p.m. (1000 GMT).

So far in Japan, roughly 449,000 people have tested positive and 8,715 have died from COVID-19 as of Wednesday. 

-reuters-

Japan growth slows in Q4 as economy shrinks 4.8 percent

TOKYO - Japan's economy grew at a slower 3 percent in the October-December quarter, government data showed Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic weighed on the world's third-largest economy.

The economy shrank 4.8 percent in 2020 -- its first annual contraction since 2009.

Last year, virus restrictions and a 2019 consumption tax hike forced Japan into recession before a third-quarter rebound to 5.3 percent growth, a figure revised upwards slightly on Monday.

Japan emerged from recession in November after recording its worst contraction since comparable figures began to be collected in 1980, exceeding even the pain of the 2008-9 global financial crisis.

Domestic demand and net exports contributed to growth in the fourth quarter, the cabinet office said, adding that spending on housing and corporate investment rebounded.

While Monday's figure for the fourth quarter was above the 2.4 percent predicted by economists polled by Bloomberg, it sounds the alarm for the first quarter of 2021.

Covid-19 cases began surging in Japan in late December, prompting the government to impose a virus state of emergency in much of the country including Tokyo and Osaka.

"A decline in GDP appears unavoidable in Q1 2021 due to the state of emergency declared by the government in a number of Japanese prefectures," said Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at SuMi Trust, in a note published ahead of Monday's figure.

Japan's virus measures are limited, with bars and restaurants requested but not obliged to close by 8 p.m. and working from home strongly recommended. There are no blanket stay-at-home orders. 

Oshikubo said the relative leniency of these emergency measures could help mitigate the expected contraction in the first quarter.

Agence France-Presse

Tokyo reports 186 new coronavirus cases, infections remain high

TOKYO - Tokyo confirmed Wednesday 186 additional cases of the novel coronavirus, below the average of 256.3 over the most recent 7 days but remaining relatively high.

The single-day increase in the Japanese capital compares with 207 reported Tuesday, 161 on Monday, and 260 on Sunday.

The figures reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions.

The number of patients with severe symptoms and who are hospitalized increased to 32 from Tuesday's 31, the metropolitan government said.

Tokyo is maintaining its alert at the highest of 4 levels, meaning "infections are spreading." 

It has requested establishments serving alcohol and karaoke venues to close by 10 p.m. until the end of August to reduce the risk of infections.

It had also asked residents to refrain from traveling, including to hometowns during the Bon holiday season.

-Kyodo News

Half of Tokyo residents oppose Olympics in 2021: poll

TOKYO, Japan -- Just over half of Tokyo's residents don't think the postponed 2020 Olympics should be held next year, backing either a further delay or outright cancellation because of fears over the coronavirus, according to a poll published Monday.

The survey carried out by two Japanese news organisations is only a single data point, but comes after health experts warned that even a year's delay may not be sufficient to hold the Games safely.

The poll conducted over the weekend found 51.7 percent of respondents hope the Games in 2021 are postponed again or cancelled, while 46.3 percent want to see the rescheduled Olympics go ahead.

Among those opposed to a 2021 Games, 27.7 percent said they want them cancelled altogether, while 24.0 percent would prefer a second postponement.

The telephone poll, conducted by Kyodo News and Tokyo MX television between June 26-28, received 1,030 replies.

Of those who said they want to see the Games held next year, 31.1 percent said the event should be in a scaled-back form, including without spectators, while 15.2 percent said they wanted to see a full-blown Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 was postponed in March as the coronavirus spread across the globe, causing the worst disruption to the Olympics since two editions were cancelled during World War II.

The Games are now scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021, although they will still be known as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Officials from Japan and the International Olympic Committee have warned it will not be possible to postpone again, and even the year-long delay has created significant financial and logistical headaches.

The poll, conducted ahead of the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 5, also found incumbent Yuriko Koike leading her opponents "by a large margin".

Her precise lead was not specified, in keeping with a media tradition of not publishing polling figures in the days before a vote.

Koike has been heavily involved in preparations for the Games, travelling to Rio for the handover ceremony after the last Summer Olympics.

Earlier this month, she told AFP that the rescheduled Olympics will be safe despite the coronavirus pandemic, pledging a "120-percent effort" to ensure the first-ever postponed Games can go ahead.

Agence France-Presse

Tokyo to ask nightclub workers to take virus tests

TOKYO - The Tokyo metropolitan government will ask people working at nightclubs and similar entertainment establishments to regularly take coronavirus tests, Gov. Yuriko Koike said Sunday.

The policy is part of new measures aimed at stemming the spread of the virus in major nightlife districts in Tokyo, such as Shinjuku's Kabukicho area, she told reporters after holding talks with economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.

Since the relaxation of social and economic restrictions late last month, a number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases have been connected to so-called host clubs, where women pay to be entertained by young men with drinks.

Koike said Tokyo on Sunday confirmed 14 new cases and six of them were found to be involving people in nightlife districts.

On Saturday, the metropolitan government reported 26 new cases, out of which 12 infected with the virus were male employees, aged in their 20s and 30s, working at the same host club in Shinjuku Ward and four others were also suspected of being linked to nightlife establishments.

"With the involvement of experts, I'd like to continue working with the Tokyo metropolitan government," Nishimura separately told reporters, referring to their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in night entertainment districts.

The Japanese government fully ended a nationwide state of emergency on May 25. Tokyo, which has seen the highest number of infections in the country at nearly 5,400, proceeded last Monday with its second stage of loosening business restrictions, including the reopening of most facilities such as cinemas, sports gyms and cram schools.

But just a day after Koike issued a warning or what she calls a "Tokyo alert" amid signs of a possible resurgence of infections.

Tokyo, with a population of roughly 14 million, has mapped out a three-step plan to ease virus restrictions, with museums, schools and sports facilities without spectator stands reopened in the first phase.

Karaoke boxes and bars will be able to reopen in the third phase of the capital's road map. But businesses regarded as "three Cs" of closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings, including nightclubs and live music venues, are not yet part of the three-phase policy.

Still, given that the restrictions are not mandatory, some nightlife establishments in the Kabukicho and other areas have stayed open, with their owners saying they cannot afford to continue losing money.

-Kyodo News-

Japan consumer prices log first drop in more than 3 years

TOKYO — Consumer prices in Japan fell for the first time in more than 3 years last month, official data showed Friday, dragged down by the coronavirus pandemic and collapsing oil prices.

Core prices in April, excluding volatile fresh food, slipped 0.2 percent from a year earlier, reversing a rise of 0.4 percent in March, according to the internal affairs ministry.

It was the first drop in 40 months, the ministry said, and larger than a 0.1-percent drop predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

Month-on-month, prices fell 0.5 percent following a drop of 0.1 percent in March.

"Corona containment evaporated prices pressures," said Capital Economics economist Tom Learmouth.

Japanese inflation will "turn deeply negative over the coming months as services inflation and energy inflation continue to fall sharply," he said in a note.

Energy costs fell sharply year-on-year reflecting lower gasoline and oil products prices, while prices also dropped in the tourism industry hit hard by the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Hotel fees and foreign travel prices sank while the cost of durable goods edged down as consumers stayed home amid the virus woes. School fees also fell.

Government data on Monday showed Japan had dived into its first recession since 2015 in the first quarter of the year and some economists warned the worst was yet to come.

Even before the virus outbreak, the central Bank of Japan had spent years struggling to achieve a two percent inflation target, as consumer spending remained slack despite the bank's massive credit easing.

The bank is holding an extra policy meeting Friday to discuss funding measures for smaller companies.

But central bank chief Haruhiko Kuroda said last week that he did not expect Japan to be "trapped in a deflationary situation".

"Inflation rates in this fiscal year 2020 will be negative, but in fiscal 2021 and 22 inflation rates will be positive," he said at a Financial Times forum.

Agence France-Presse

Japanese actress Okae dies after novel coronavirus infection

TOKYO -- Japanese actress and TV host Kumiko Okae died Thursday of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, her management office said. She was 63.

Okae, who died at a Tokyo hospital at 5:20 a.m., developed a fever on April 3, the office said, adding she was hospitalized after her condition suddenly deteriorated 3 days later and then tested positive for the virus.

A familiar figure who appeared in TV dramas and variety shows, Okae underwent an operation for breast cancer last year.

She underwent radiation treatment from the end of January to mid-February, according to the office.

Kyodo News

Japan's modern, ancient capitals to tighten coronavirus curbs

TOKYO -- Tokyo will ask a range of businesses to close during a month-long emergency to fight the new coronavirus, the governor of the Japanese capital said on Friday, as the ancient capital Kyoto warned of spreading contagion and urged tourists to stay away.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike had been feuding with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government over what businesses should shut during the emergency, highlighting Abe's desire to minimise fallout for a struggling economy and fueling concerns that his measures are too little, too late.

Koike told reporters late on Thursday she and Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura had reached an agreement, and she was expected to hold a news conference on Friday.

The governor will stick to her plan to ask a range of businesses, including pachinko parlors and internet cafes, to close and restaurants to shorten their hours, but bowed to central government pressure to keep department stores, home-furnishing centers and barber shops open, public broadcaster NHK said.

"It's about protecting lives ... so I think Tokyo residents understand the need to act quickly," Koike told reporters, adding she wanted the measures to take effect on Saturday.

Abe declared the emergency on Tuesday for Tokyo and 6 other prefectures, but the details of how life would change in the Japanese capital had to be hammered out in tense inter-governmental talks.

Abe's move came after a jump in coronavirus cases in Tokyo sparked concern that Japan was headed for the sort of explosive outbreak seen in many other countries.

The number of cases in Japan rose to 5,548 on Thursday, with 108 deaths, NHK said. Tokyo accounted for 1,519 cases, heightening concerns about sluggish action.

Other regions are now clamoring to be included in the national emergency.

The governor of Aichi in Japan's industrial heartland, which hosts Toyota Motor Corp, was to declare its own state of emergency on Friday and has asked to be added to the government's targeted regions. Gifu in central Japan was also poised to issue an emergency declaration, media said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that experts consulted by the government had not recommended that other regions be included in the emergency.

KYOTO TELLS TOURISTS TO STAY AWAY

The governor of Kyoto prefecture and the mayor of the ancient capital also asked to be included, while urging tourists to stay away from its famous palaces, temples and gardens.

"I call on all people who love Kyoto and tourists from all over the world - until this situation is ended, to protect yourself and your families, please refrain from visiting Kyoto," Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa told a news conference.

Some experts fear the feud between Tokyo and the central government could undermine Abe's goal to cut person-to-person contact by 80 percent to slow the pace of the pathogen's spread.

"The tension between Koike and the cabinet will definitely damage the impact of the (emergency) declaration," said Kenji Shibuya, head of the Institute for Population Health at King's College, London.

"There is zero chance of achieving 80 percent."

Koike, once seen as a possible future premier, had pressed Abe to declare a state of emergency sooner and made clear she wanted to quickly ask a range of businesses to close.

In late March, she warned Tokyo could face a full "lockdown" if infections surged, although Japanese law does not mandate penalties for residents who refuse to stay home or businesses that stay open.

Abe has stressed Japan's state of emergency is not a lockdown, and critics say he is sending a mixed message that confuses residents as well as businesses.

Koike will also create a fund for businesses that meet her requests to close, NHK said. Abe has rejected calls to compensate such businesses in a 108 trillion yen ($993 billion).

-Reuters-

Virus sparks wild stock market swings

TOKYO - Global stock markets suffered wild swings on Friday over the spiralling coronavirus crisis that has killed nearly 5,000 people and disrupted sport, schools and society across the planet.

The virus has affected all walks of life, not sparing sports stars, celebrities or world leaders, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing he was in self-imposed quarantine after his wife tested positive.

It has also forced the sealing off of entire countries, draconian government measures not seen in peacetime, and the scrapping of global sporting and cultural events from Broadway to basketball.

Japan's stock market plunged more than 10 percent at its low on Friday, following the worst day on Wall Street since the crash of 1987 as traders scrambled to sell everything on fears the virus will catapult the world into a deep recession.

But the Nikkei rallied to close 6 percent down on huge volatility as traders weighed emergency big-bang measures by central banks in the United States and eurozone, and government fiscal stimulus packages.

An extraordinary day of trade in Australia saw the main stock market close higher by four percent after falling by eight percent at one point, with some players apparently seeing buying opportunities in the carnage.

Forager Funds' Steve Johnson described the day's trade as "completely and utterly nuts".

'Worst in a century'

The human toll also continued to rise, with nearly 131,500 people infected across 116 countries and territories, and 4,925 dead, according to an AFP tally.

The virus, which first emerged in China in December, has quickly spread around the world even as cases in Asia have leveled out in recent days.

China claimed "the peak" of the pandemic had passed its shores, but infections and deaths jumped dramatically in Italy, Spain and Iran, which announced 75 new deaths on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said it was "the worst health crisis in France in a century" as he ordered schools and universities closed "until further notice" -- following similar moves in many other countries.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a grim warning to the public over the virus, which has predominantly killed the elderly and other people with already weakened immune systems.

"More families, many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time," Johnson said, as he urged people with symptoms to stay at home.

With countries imposing travel bans -- Australia was the latest to recommend citizens reconsider foreign travel -- global tourism has ground to a halt, and many people have been left stranded as dream holidays turned to nightmares.

Betul Akcagoz, a tourist from Turkey on holiday in Vienna, told AFP: "So bad. There is nothing to do. I hope we can go back to Turkey because in our country, they said they might close the borders too."

"I hope they won't because we don't want to be stuck here."

The chaos extended to Europe's airports, where confused passengers scrambled to redraw their plans after US President Donald Trump this week banned all travellers from mainland Europe for the next 30 days.

"We just got off our plane and we're going to go straight back -- we can't believe it," said 29-year-old Tiara Streng, queuing with three friends at London's Heathrow Airport for a return flight to Colorado.

'A little bit crazy'

The virus has cut a swathe through sporting events around the planet.

The NBA basketball league in the United States was this week shut down for 30 days.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix became the latest high-profile casualty on Friday, with the event cancelled just hours before the action was due to start after a McLaren team member tested positive.

In England, Chelsea's players and coaching staff were ordered into isolation as Callum Hudson-Odoi became the first Premier League player confirmed positive, as doubts swirled over the rest of the season.

The virus has placed a major question mark over the "Greatest Show on Earth", the Tokyo Olympics, with Trump saying "maybe they postpone it for a year."

But Japan's Olympic minister said neither organizers in Tokyo nor the International Olympic Committee were thinking "at all" about delaying or cancelling the Games, due to open on July 24.

With authorities warning large gatherings should be avoided during the outbreak that the WHO has officially classified as a pandemic -- entertainment venues like Disneyland have been closed and the curtain this week also came down on Broadway.

Ted Levitt, a 63-year-old pensioner came to New York from Maryland with his daughter to watch "Hamilton" and thought the measures were overblown as he learned on Thursday the show was cancelled.

"I think it's not as bad as they say but I guess you've got to stop it somehow. I think everybody's getting a little bit crazy," he told AFP.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

COVID-19 fears hit stock market

Pedestrians walk past a display showing Tokyo's stock benchmark Nikkei Stock Average after a morning trading session in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 4.5 percent, losing more than 1000 points, in fear over further development of coronavirus cases in the nation.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

WHO warns of pandemic risk after virus peaks in China

GENEVA - The new coronavirus has peaked in China but could still grow into a pandemic, the World Health Organization has warned, as infections mushroom in other countries.

Financial markets have gone into a tailspin after grim news of deaths and outbreaks in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, even as the Chinese epicenter appeared to be calming, with the death toll at its lowest for 3 weeks.

But the situation is worsening in other countries, with more than 2,000 cases and 30 deaths reported abroad, prompting a raft of restrictions on travelers from infected nations.

South Korea, Italy and Iran have logged particularly sharp increases in infections and deaths, while several countries in the Middle East reported their first cases of the novel coronavirus.

But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyes insisted the virus could still be contained, praising China's drastic quarantine measures in several cities for helping to prevent an even bigger spread.

"For the moment we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale deaths," Tedros told reporters in Geneva.

He added, however, that countries should be "doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic."

The term "pandemic" is used to describe an illness that spreads across numerous communities.

SOUTH KOREA HOTSPOT

South Korea, which has the largest number of cases outside China, reported 60 more infections and 1 more fatality on Tuesday, raising its death toll to 8 and total patients to nearly 900.

South Korea's outbreak has centered around a religious sect in Daegu, the country's fourth largest city.

The country is on its highest "red" alert. As part of the containment efforts, school holidays were extended nationally while the 2.5 million people of Daegu were told to remain indoors.


The US Centers for Disease Control raised its caution level to warn Americans against "all non-essential travel to South Korea."

Italy, which has reported 7 deaths and over 200 cases, has locked down 11 towns, while upcoming football matches in its Serie A and the Europa League will be played behind closed doors.

With police manning checkpoints to enforce a blockade, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that residents could face weeks of lockdown.

IRAN FEARS

The disease -- officially known as COVID-19 -- spread to new countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman.

At least 12 people have died in Iran, the highest toll outside China.

But there were concerns the situation might be worse than officially acknowledged. The semi-official ILNA news agency quoted 1 local lawmaker in hard-hit Qom -- a religious center -- who said 50 people had died there.

The Iranian government denied the report, and pledged transparency.

Even so, authorities have only reported 64 infections in Iran, an unusually small number that would mean an extremely high mortality rate.

Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies program, said a team from the UN agency would be arriving in Iran on Tuesday.

But he cautioned against drawing any conclusions about the mortality rate. Iran "may only be detecting severe cases" because the epidemic was still at an early stage, he said.

Several countries have taken measures to prevent arrivals from Iran.

CHINA PEAK

In China, 508 new cases were reported, with all but 9 at the epicenter in central Hubei province. Although that was up from 409 on Monday it was much lower than new infections being reported just a week ago.

China's death toll reached 2,663 on Tuesday, after 71 more people died.

WHO's Tedros said the epidemic peaked in China between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2.

China has placed some 56 million in Hubei and its capital under quarantine since late last month, while other regions have enacted some forms of travel curbs and measures to keep millions more people indoors.

Bruce Aylward, leader of a WHO mission of international experts, said late Monday it was time for China to start lifting some of the restrictions.

"Obviously they want to get society back to a more normal semblance of what probably is the new normal, because this virus may be around... for months," Aylward said.

Reflecting the disquiet, global markets plunged on Monday, with Wall Street off 3.6 percent.

Bargain buying helped some Asian markets into the green on Tuesday, but disquiet remained, with Tokyo dropping 3 percent by lunchtime.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

4th person from quarantined Japan ship dies: local media

TOKYO - A fourth person has died after being taken to hospital from a quarantined coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off Japan, local media reported on Tuesday.

Public broadcaster NHK and other local outlets said the fatality was a man in his 80s, with the Yomiuri Shimbun saying the man had tested positive for the new coronavirus and died of pneumonia.

The health minister did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the reports.

Three others, all Japanese, have so far died after becoming sick on the ship. Two were confirmed to have the new coronavirus, while the health ministry declined to comment on whether the third person tested positive for the virus.

At least 691 people who were on board the Diamond Princess have so far tested positive for COVID-19, according to the health ministry.

Around a 1,000 people were allowed to leave the ship after it completed a 14-day quarantine if they tested negative and displayed no symptoms.

But several people who left the boat after getting the all-clear have since tested positive, and the health ministry has admitted some people were allowed to disembark despite not being tested during the quarantine.

Separately, Japan has confirmed at least 156 cases of infection with the virus, and 1 death.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Love boat: Valentine's Day on a quarantine cruise

TOKYO, Japan – "Cupid's avocado" for dinner, heart-shaped messages for the crew, but also painful separation: for those trapped on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruiseship, Friday is no ordinary Valentine's Day.

Wearing a red dress and a red hair tie, the ship's entertainment manager Natalie posted a Valentine's Day video on Twitter to try to keep spirits up.

"I just wanted to check in with everybody and say that we are all hanging in there, doing fine and keeping together as a big family," she said, admitting with a smile: "This hasn't been my regular attire for the last week or so."

Passenger Matt Smith, 57, was marking Valentine's Day on board with his wife of 21 years, Katherine Codekas, also 57 -- and admitted this was not their first-choice location for the special day.

"After 21 years of marriage, we don't make a big deal of it, but I usually get Katherine a card at least," he told AFP from the ship.

"I think she was a little disappointed with our setting," he added. "Facebook reminded me this morning that three years ago we were in Las Vegas. Way to rub it in!"

Passengers on board were being offered a "Valentine's Day" breakfast, Smith said.

"We were reminded what day it was by the delivery of what the crew member said was a 'special' breakfast," he said.

"Not sure why hard-boiled eggs, sausage, and sautéed mushrooms are special."

The dinner menu, on the other hand, promises several special treats in honor of the day.

"Cupid's Avocado and Shrimp salad" to start, followed by "Shrimp Valentine Japanese style with rice and vegetables."

The main course is the French classic Coq au Vin with mashed potato and vegetables, and a "Valentine's Day surprise dessert of the day" is promised.

"Coq au Vin, yes please," tweeted Yardley Wong, who has been posting her efforts to keep her young son entertained on the quarantined vessel.

"A special meal for Valentine's Day, a reserved bottle of red," she added, with her usual hashtag #hanginthereDiamondPrincess and a picture of a bottle of wine.

She also posted a drawing by her six-year-old son for Valentine's Day, with the caption "Stay strong, we are with you Diamond Princess."

'THEN SHE WAS GONE'

American passenger Jackie joked that she had big plans for Valentine's Day on the cruise, which has proved far from the gala holiday everyone planned.

"We're going to have a formal night on Valentine's Day in our cabin. Take some pics, have some laughs," she tweeted.

Another passenger cut out paper hearts and left them on her door for the crew to read, with messages including: "Thank you for all your hard work" and "Thank you for taking care of us."

More than 200 people on board the ship have been diagnosed with the newly named COVID-19 and taken to local hospitals. Those remaining on board will be in quarantine until at least February 19.

While passengers are battling isolation, fear and boredom, some members of the crew have voiced concerns about their conditions, including eating together and sleeping two to a cabin.

But the coronavirus has also ripped some couples apart for Valentine's Day, including at least one on their honeymoon.

Kent Frasure was forced to say goodbye to his partner Rebecca, who has contracted the virus and is now in isolation in hospital.

"We said 'goodbye, see each other later' and gave each other a hug. We didn't have a goodbye kiss because we didn't really know what was going on," Kent told CNBC.

"Then I watched her walk down the hallway, turn the corner and then she was gone."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taxi driver in Tokyo tests positive for coronavirus - NHK

TOKYO - A taxi driver in Tokyo has tested positive for the coronavirus, NHK public TV reported, marking a further spread of the disease in Japan even as authorities said some passengers aboard a ship quarantined off its coast would finally be allowed to disembark.

The broadcaster, quoting sources, said the health ministry was trying to trace the route of the contagion, adding that the driver said he had carried passengers who appeared to be Chinese.

No further details were immediately available, including word on the condition of the man, who NHK said was in his 70s. The case is likely to raise further concerns about the spread of the flu-like virus given how many people a city taxi driver has likely been in contact with.

The news came after Japan said it would allow some elderly passengers on the quarantined cruise liner who test negative for the new coronavirus to disembark ahead of schedule and another 44 new cases were confirmed aboard the Diamond Princess.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said elderly passengers who have preexisting conditions or are in windowless rooms would be allowed to leave starting from Friday, rather than the originally targeted date of Feb. 19, and complete their quarantine ashore.

With the number of those infected on the cruise ship now up to 218 plus 1 quarantine officer, concerns have been raised about conditions on the ship, where about 3,500 people remain on board.

The liner was quarantined on arrival in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Feb. 3 after a man who disembarked from the liner in Hong Kong before it traveled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus that has now killed more than 1,350 in mainland China.

About 80 percent of the ship passengers were aged 60 or over, with 215 in their 80s and 11 in their 90s, according to Japanese media. The ship typically has a crew of 1,100 and a passenger capacity of 2,670.

Separately, NHK also reported on Thursday what a doctor in central Japan had tested positive for the virus. It was not immediately clear whether he had any connection to China.

Hundreds of infections have been reported in more than 2 dozen countries and territories besides China, but only 2 people have died from the virus outside mainland China - 1 in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines.


Japanese nationals who have been staying in hotels or other facilities since returning on 4 charter flights from China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, have begun going home.

All 197 people from a Jan. 29 flight who tested negative were either home or en route and another 200 or so from a second flight could head home later on Thursday, NHK said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Number of coronavirus-afflicted Filipinos in Japan cruise ship rises to 11

MANILA - The number of Filipinos confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while on board a quarantined cruise ship moored off Japan has climbed to 11, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

All of the Filipinos who got the virus are crew members of Diamond Princess, Foreign Affairs Secretary Eduardo Meñez said in a text message to ABS-CBN News.

"All of them are now confined in various hospitals in and around the Tokyo area," the agency said in a statement, adding they are responding well to treatment.

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo has sent supplies to the patients and also those still quarantined inside the ship.

"An embassy team also visited the hospitals this afternoon to speak with the doctors and social workers assigned to the Filipino patients in order to ensure their well-being," the agency added.

The ship has been kept in quarantine since Feb. 3 after a passenger, who disembarked in Hong Kong, was found to be infected with the virus.

Passengers are expected to stay until Feb. 19, 14 days after the isolation period began.


A Filipino crew member of the ship was among 10 people who earlier tested positive of the new coronavirus. The sailor was the first known case of a Filipino infected with COVID-19.

Also on Thursday, Japanese authorities confirmed that another 44 people inside the ship tested positive of the virus.

They raise the number of infections detected on the ship to 218, in addition to a quarantine officer who also tested positive for the virus.

Of the newly diagnosed cases, 43 are passengers, and one a member of the crew.

So far, 713 people have been tested, with officials saying they are currently limited by capacity. The ship carries an estimated 3,600 passengers.

The DFA also clarified that "no Filipinos [were] included in a new group of 44 persons who tested positive for the virus." - with a report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Swimming: Olympic titlist Joseph Schooling back with ex coach for Tokyo

Singapore's Olympic butterfly champion Joseph Schooling is reuniting with former coach and mentor Sergio Lopez in the United States as he seeks to regain his lost form in time for Tokyo.

The 24-year-old failed to qualify for the 100m semifinals at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea, last July finishing equal 24th and with a best time 2.54 seconds slower than his 2016 Olympic record.

He told Singapore's Straits Times newspaper in an interview on Thursday that he spent time with the Spaniard after the Southeast Asian Games last December and had "started thinking a little differently."

"I just like what Sergio does on a personal level, but also in the pool, and he inspires me to be the best version that I can be, on a day-to-day basis," he said.

"We're focusing more on mid-distance stuff. The yardage might be a little more than the past eight to nine months. And that's where I need to be right now.

"I need to be fit enough to swim the 200m fly if I want to do the 100m fly the way I want to," added the Singaporean, who spent five years at university in Austin, Texas, before returning home last year.

Schooling, who beat American great Michael Phelps in the 100 meters butterfly final in Rio to become Singapore's first Olympic gold medalist, said he will link up with Lopez at Virginia Tech from Sunday.

He will train with a group of 15 Olympic hopeful swimmers from Hungary, Poland and Hong Kong and work with Lopez until the Games, which start in July.

American Caeleb Dressel looks to be the hot favourite for the 100m butterfly in Tokyo, having set a world record time of 49.50 seconds last year in Gwangju.

"It's going to take at least 49-mid to 49-low to win (in Tokyo)," said Schooling. "It is going to take a lot quicker than what I swam in Rio to win." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'Olympics will go ahead': Tokyo organizers slam virus rumors

TOKYO—Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers said Thursday the Games would "go ahead as planned," slamming misinformation over the new coronavirus for triggering panic.

Chief executive officer Toshiro Muto revealed that organizers had set up a task force to combat the fast-spreading disease that has killed over 560 people and infected at least 28,000 -- the vast majority in mainland China -- but promised that the Games would be not derailed.

"The Olympics will go ahead as planned," he told reporters after a Paralympic project review.

"It is important to remain objective and cool-headed. We don't want to alarm the public. The infection is still limited and there is no problem staging the Olympics based on the current situation."

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) spokesman Craig Spence complained that scaremongering had created an "info-demic" that could skew public perception in the run-up to the Olympics and Paralympics.

"Fear is spreading quicker than the virus," he said. "It's important we quell that fear. Only 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China, so let's put things into perspective.

"If you compare those rates with the common flu, they are still relatively small numbers," added Spence.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared this a pandemic. We dealt with the Zika virus in Rio and in these matters we need to rely on the experts.

"We will follow the advice of the World Health Organization. Every organizing committee looks into countermeasures, and we have measures in place from previous Olympics and Paralympics here in Tokyo. It is standard practice, it's business as usual."

More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the flu-like coronavirus.

GLOBAL PANIC

Japan has had no reported deaths so far, but 45 cases have been detected, including at least 20 people on a cruise ship carrying more than 3,700 passengers and crew quarantined off Yokohama.

The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

Japan has warned citizens against non-essential travel to China and fast-tracked new rules including limits on entering the country as it tries to contain the spread of the virus.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday pledged that preparations for the Olympics would proceed as normal.

"The coronavirus is beginning to have an impact on tourism," he said. "But the government will continue to steadily prepare for the Games in close cooperation with the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the local organizing committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government."

The Japanese government has chartered 3 flights to repatriate 565 Japanese nationals from Wuhan, the central Chinese city hardest hit by the virus.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike promised at the weekend to implement "thorough measures" to protect people from the virus.

The health scare has led to the cancellation of Olympic qualifying events in China such as boxing and badminton.

The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 24 with the Paralympics starting on Aug. 25. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com