World briefs

CHINA Authorities have taken several people into custody as part of their investigation into the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine facility that killed 29 people. Officials told reporters that preliminary investigations had shown “serious problems exist in the construction, renovation and examination and approval” of the Xinjia Hotel, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The Ministry of Emergency Management announced that the State Council has formed a special investigative team to look into the collapse.

CHINA Four Chinese medical experts and one Italian-language lecturer from Sichuan arrived in Italy yesterday, in a bid to assist the country to fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. They were joined by a voluntary expert team organized by the Red Cross Society of China. In Italy, “we’ll get down to learning about the situation there and exchange anti-epidemic experience and cooperate with the Italian medics,” said Liang Zongan, director of the department of pulmonary and critical care medicine of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

USA President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 30-day ban on most Europeans entering the United States is the latest calamity for airlines already reeling from falling bookings and cancelled reservations as people try to avoid contracting the coronavirus. The ban, to begin at midnight today, won’t apply to Americans trying to return home or to citizens of the United Kingdom. More on p12

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is being tested for the new coronavirus after meeting with Cabinet officials who were exposed to infected people and have now been self-quarantined. Duterte has no symptoms of COVID-19 but wanted to make sure he is healthy and can continue to engage with the public. More on p7

MARKETS Asian shares plunged yesterday after the World Health Organization declared a coronavirus pandemic and indexes sank on Wall Street.

JAPANS’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dived 4.9% to 18,468.99. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 6.6% to 5,348.60. South Korea’s Kospi dipped 4.7% to 1,815.98. Hang Seng lost 3.8% to 24,269.06, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 1.3% to 2,928.80. Thailand’s benchmark plunged 8%.

AFGHANISTAN After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree promising to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture to get intra-Afghan negotiations started. A recent peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban called for the release of up to 5,000 prisoners ahead of the much sought-after negotiations.

MYANMAR The U.S. military yesterday repatriated what may be the remains of service personnel who were lost in action in Myanmar during World War II. The remains from Myanmar’s central Sagaing region were repatriated at a ceremony at Mandalay International Airport after being recovered in a mission carried out by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Embassy said.