BANGKOK, March 12 — Thai officials played down the possibility of “super spreading” of the coronavirus today as they reported a group of friends were responsible for the biggest daily rise in the country's cases since the outbreak began.

TOKYO, March 12 ― Tokyo 2020 organisers said on Thursday that Japan's softball game against Australia on July 22 would be the first event on the schedule, the announcement coming as concerns mount about the potential impact on the Games from the coronavirus outbreak.

SHAH ALAM, March 12 ― The Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) Klang will impose visitor restriction with immediate effect, following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

SINGAPORE, March 12 ― The dollar careened against the euro and yen today after US President Donald Trump rattled markets with a month-long ban on European travel to the United States.

WASHINGTON, March 12 — The US will restrict all travel from Europe with the exception of the UK starting later this week in an effort to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus, Anadolu Agency reported President Donald Trump as saying on Wednesday evening.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — The ringgit retreated slightly from yesterday’s gains to trade moderately lower against the US dollar in the early session today as heightened concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic drove investors away from riskier assets, dealers said.

BEIJING, March 12 — China confirmed only eight new coronavirus infections in Hubei province, the first time the epicentre of the epidemic recorded a daily tally in single-digits, as tough containment measures dramatically slow the spread of the virus in mainland China.

GENEVA, March 12 — The World Health Organisation described the new coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time yesterday, adding that Italy and Iran were now on the frontline of the disease and other countries would soon join them.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — All tourism activities for Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) will continue as planned, according to Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof.

SINGAPORE, March 12 — Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported 12 more cases of Covid-19, including eight which were imported.

BRUSSELS, March 12 — Growth of global trade in services has weakened at the start of 2020 as the coronavirus hits the global economy, notably air travel and container shipping, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Malaysian authorities are tracking around 5,000 citizens across the country believed to have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus at a religious event in the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur, the health ministry said yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — The Health Ministry (MOH) today confirmed 20 new positive Covid-19 cases in the country today, bringing the total number of cases to 149.

NILAI, March 11 — Malaysia is imposing entry bans on travellers from Italy, Iran and South Korea, effective Friday (March 13) following the Covid-19 outbreak in these countries.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 11 — Some key industries in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, were told they can resume work on Wednesday, a day after President Xi Jinping visited the city for the first time since the outbreak began.

JAKARTA, March 11 — A 53-year-old woman has died from coronavirus in Indonesia, the first recorded death from the virus in the South-east Asian country, a health ministry official said today.

PASIR MAS, March 11 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has introduced a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for its officers and personnel assigned at lock-ups and airports in efforts to reduce the risk of being infected with Covid-19.

CYBERJAYA, March 11 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed that one of its employees had tested positive for Covid-19.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Pantai Premier Pathology has been selected and endorsed to provide home-based Covid-19 sampling services for individuals and corporations.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Malaysia's new government will set up an economic action council to tackle serious risks to the economy, notably the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on trade and a crash in global oil prices, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Wednesday.