News Headlines - 30 January 2020
▽Coronavirus: WHO declares global health emergency | DW
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern.
The health agency described the emergency as an "extraordinary event" as other countries are at risk. Therefore a coordinated global response is required in order to contain a virus that broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan three weeks ago.
▽As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Anti-Chinese Sentiment - The New York Times
In Japan, the hashtag #ChineseDon’tComeToJapan has been trending on Twitter. In Singapore, tens of thousands of residents have signed a petition calling for the government to ban Chinese nationals from entering the country.
In Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam, businesses have posted signs saying that mainland Chinese customers are not welcome. In France, a front-page headline in a regional newspaper warned of a “Yellow Alert.” And in a suburb of Toronto, parents demanded that a school district keep children of a family that had recently returned from China out of classes for 17 days.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus that has sickened about 9,800 people - the overwhelming majority in China, with all of the 213 deaths there - has unleashed a wave of panic and, in some cases, outright anti-Chinese sentiment across the globe.
Japan's former emperor Akihito, who abdicated last year, collapsed and lost consciousness at his residence yesterday.
When the 86-year-old fell, Empress Emerita Michiko was nearby and pressed an emergency alarm at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Akihito was still unconsciousness when the doctor arrived but was snoring. He was taken to his bedroom for recuperation.
▽Mexico's economy shrinks for first time in 10 years, in blow to president - Reuters
Mexico’s economy contracted last year for the first time in a decade, data showed on Thursday, as businesses curbed investment due to concern over the economic management of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and forecasts for 2020 are also weak.
Adjusted for seasonal swings, Latin America’s no. 2 economy contracted by 0.1% in 2019 after growth of just over 2% the previous year, according to a preliminary estimate published by national statistics office INEGI.
▽New York City Stores Must Accept Cash, Council Says - The New York Times
The City Council approved legislation on Thursday that prohibits stores, restaurants and other retail outlets from refusing to accept hard currency.
The measure puts New York at the forefront of a national movement to rein in so-called cashless businesses: New Jersey, Philadelphia and San Francisco all approved such bans last year, and several other cities are considering similar moves. Massachusetts has had a law requiring retailers to accept cash and credit since 1978.
But New York City officials have also targeted ride-sharing and meal-delivery apps, as well as facial recognition for building entries - all in an effort to blunt the impact of advancing technology on those who are unable to use it because of financial circumstances, unwilling to for philosophical reasons or vulnerable to its darker aspects.
