Quarantine ruling: Russia sends woman back after she escapes
MOSCOW — A Russian court on Monday ordered a woman who escaped from a virus quarantine to return back to the hospital she fled and stay under quaranti...
Virus fears rise after Cambodia’s acceptance of cruise ship
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The feel-good story of how Cambodia allowed a cruise ship to dock after it was turned away elsewhere in Asia for fear of spread...
Macao casinos allowed to reopen after anti-virus closure
BEIJING — The Chinese territory of Macao will allow casinos to reopen Friday after a 15-day closure imposed to help block the spread of China's virus ...
Automakers in China gradually reopen after virus shutdown
BEIJING — Automakers are reopening factories in China that were idled by anti-virus controls as they try to reverse a sales slump in their biggest mar...
Asian markets mixed: Japan skids; China helped by rate cut
BANGKOK — Markets were mixed in Asia on Monday, with Japan's benchmark slipping 0.8% after the government reported the economy contracted 6.3% in annu...
Japanese economy sinks amid fears about virus impact
TOKYO — The Japanese economy shrank at an annual pace of 6.3% last quarter as growth was battered by typhoons and crimped consumer spending.
French health minister to run for Paris mayor to end scandal
PARIS — France's Health Minister Agnes Buzyn was named on Sunday as a new candidate for mayor of Paris, a late entry by the country's governing party ...
‘Parasite’ director Bong greeted by applause in South Korea
INCHEON, South Korea — Director Bong Joon-ho smiled and waved at a waiting crowd on Sunday as he arrived home in South Korea, his first trip back sinc...
Quarantine ends for Germans; Italy to fly citizens from ship
BERLIN — More than 100 Germans evacuated from the hard-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak, were set to end their p...
Xi’s early involvement in virus outbreak raises questions
BEIJING — A recent speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping that has been published by state media indicates for the first time that he was leading the ...
Cost of China’s anti-virus fight rises with workers idle
BEIJING — Real estate agent Du Xuekun’s sales usually jump after the Lunar New Year holiday. But this year, Du has been at home for a month with no in...
Silver: NBA, USA Basketball still may play in China in 2020
CHICAGO — The NBA and USA Basketball are still considering playing in China later this year, though the complexities of both the political rift caused...
France announces 1st death of virus patient outside Asia
PARIS — France on Saturday reported the first death outside Asia of a person infected with the new virus from China, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist wh...
New virus cases fall; WHO says China bought the world time
BEIJING — China reported 143 virus deaths and a dip in new cases Saturday while the head of the World Health Organization praised the country's effort...
WHO chief praises China’s virus fight, urges more from world
MUNICH — The head of the World Health Organization is urging governments to step up their efforts to prepare for the COVID-19 virus and says “it’s imp...
Questions complicate efforts to contain new virus from China
WASHINGTON — Reports one day suggest the respiratory outbreak in China might be slowing, the next brings word of thousands more cases. Even the expert...
US defense chief slams China as rising threat to world order
MUNICH, Germany — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order — saying the world's most populous nation...
Amid virus outbreak, concerns about a hockey stick shortage
Jack Eichel snapped his stick over the crossbar in frustration after an empty-net goal sealed a Buffalo Sabres loss, splintering it across the ice. He...
No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
MANILA, Philippines — In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshippers...
US stocks post small gains, major indexes up for the week
Stocks are closing slightly higher on Wall Street Friday, as technology shares rise along with lower-risk sectors. The major stock indexes finished wi...
Amid coronavirus fears, a second wave of flu hits US kids
NEW YORK — A second wave of flu is hitting the U.S., turning this into one of the nastiest seasons for children in a decade.
Boston Uighur woman champions her father’s release in China
BOSTON (RNS) — Samira Imin can’t stop thinking about the times her father took her horseback riding.
With virus, shops in China suffer a star-crossed Valentines
BEIJING — In virus-stricken China, couples can celebrate Valentine's Day with a roast beef salad, hot chocolate, a rose and a note, all delivered to t...
No ‘Plan B’ for Olympics; questions over Chinese presence
TOKYO — Tokyo Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is no “Plan B” for the 2020 Games, which open in just over ...
Global shares rise despite worries on China virus outbreak
TOKYO — Global shares mostly rose Friday despite continuing concerns about the virus outbreak that began in China and its possible impact on global gr...
Health concerns meet politics amid Taiwan’s WHO exclusion
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization is pitting health concerns against geopolitics during the current crisis over t...
Virus renews safety concerns about slaughtering wild animals
BEIJING — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The ge...
Asian stocks rebound from early losses as virus toll grows
Shares rebounded in Asia on Friday after an early sell-off, though Japan's benchmark declined as investors reacted to news of a growing number of case...
Cruise stranded by virus fears ends with roses in Cambodia
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia — Hundreds of cruise ship passengers long stranded at sea by virus fears cheered as they finally disembarked Friday and were w...
Fear, boredom, adventure fill each day on quarantined ship
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Fear. Surprising moments of levity. Soul-crushing boredom.