Fifteen of the new cases are believed to be linked to a single patient, a 61-year-old woman [File: Reuters]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Japan draws criticism over coronavirus response<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship is evacuated, Japan faces deepening criticism over its response to the outbreak.<\/p>\n

Critics say the government’s response has seemed more concerned with managing public perception than the outbreak. Some of the most pointed criticism has come from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Japan is just months away from hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. “The spread of the virus is wider than the government said,” said Shinichi Niwa, an adjunct professor at Fukushima Medical University.<\/p>\n

The government has repeatedly said its response has been appropriate, and some prominent doctors have defended it.<\/p>\n

China revokes press credentials of three at Wall Street Journal over opinion piece<\/h3>\n

China has revoked the press credentials of three Beijing-based reporters for the United States newspaper Wall Street Journal over an editorial headline deemed by the government to be racist and slandering, the foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n

Spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing that Beijing made several representations to the newspaper over the column, which criticised its efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic – but the Journal failed to apologise or investigate those responsible.<\/p>\n

The move follows a complaint about the headline, which referred to the current outbreak in China and called the country the: “Real Sick Man of Asia”.<\/p>\n

‘Terrible situation’: Pakistani students say Imran Khan-led government ignoring them<\/h3>\n

Pakistani students in China say their government is “continuously ignoring and they have disowned us” amid the new coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Wuhan, medical student Rahatullah Khan said students made repeated attempts to reach out to Pakistani authorities, but no “responsible person has contacted us”.<\/p>\n

Khan said students from other countries were being evacuated except for Pakistanis – and it was their “constitutional right to be evacuated” by their government.<\/p>\n

“They are treating us like we are not Pakistanis,” Khan added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

US warns of ‘ongoing risk’ after Japan evacuates victims<\/h3>\n

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned Japan’s release of hundreds of passengers on board a cruise-liner carrying coronavirus victims posed a threat.<\/p>\n

The CDC said there was an “ongoing risk” and keeping the 3,700 passengers on board the ship could have slowed new infections. But it added it “may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship”.<\/p>\n

“To protect the health of the American public, all passengers and crew of the ship have been placed under travel restrictions, preventing them from returning to the United States for at least 14 days after they had left the Diamond Princess,” CDC\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0in a statement.<\/p>\n

New virus cases in China fall again as deaths top 2,000<\/strong><\/h3>\n

New virus cases in China continue to fall with 1,749 more infections and 136 additional deaths announced.<\/p>\n

New cases have fallen to less than 2,000 for the past two days, but officials and analysts have warned the threat of a more serious outbreak remains as workers gradually return to work following a prolonged Lunar New Year holiday.<\/p>\n

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday last month. “Wartime” measures were implemented in some places where residents were prevented from leaving their apartments.<\/p>\n

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