Hot Off The Press

These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today. 

Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.  

ASEAN, China enhance cooperation in response to COVID-19

The ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) and the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers met on Thursday in Laos to discuss to how to respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The ACC’s special meeting, initiated by Vietnam as Chair of ASEAN, was attended by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretary-General.

Chairing the meeting, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh said the event aimed to implement the ASEAN Chair’s Statement released on 14 February on the bloc’s collective response to COVID-19. – Viet Nam News

Coronavirus: China reports 889 new confirmed cases; death toll reaches 2,236 with 118 new fatalities

Mainland China had 889 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, the National Health Commission said on Friday (Feb 21), up from 394 cases a day earlier.  That brings the total accumulated number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 75,465. 

The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China reached 2,236 as of the end of Thursday, up by 118 from the previous day. – The Straits Times

South Korea COVID-19 cases soar to 156

South Korea confirmed 52 more cases of COVID-19 coronavirus on Friday, taking its overall figure to 156 and making it the worst-infected country outside China.

Altogether, 39 of the new cases were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern city of Daegu, the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. – The New Straits Times

Bird flu warning after Vietnam outbreak amidst COVID-19, what’s next?

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has issued a directive on the prevention of bird flu as AH5N1 avian influenza is re-emerging in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese sources, on February 17, 2020, in the southern province of Tra Vinh, there was an outbreak of AH5N1 bird flu that killed more than 55,000 chickens.

In order to prevent the spread of avian influenza, the movement of poultry and imported products from Vietnam and other parts of the country would have to be curtailed, according to a Directive of the Ministry of Agriculture dated 18 February, 2020. – Khmer Times

Ruling to make or break FFP

The Constitutional Court will on Friday deliver a ruling in the loan controversy that has engulfed the Future Forward Party (FFP), and while some academics don't expect the party to be dissolved, they believe its executives may be held responsible.

The court will rule on whether to dissolve the FFP over allegations that it accepted a 191.2-million-baht loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, possibly a violation of the organic law on political parties. – Bangkok Post