let's get more on the declaration by the world health organisation that the world health organisationr made the announcement in the past hour. so far, we have not seen any deaths outside china. for which we must all be grateful, although these numbers are still relatively small compared to the numbers of cases in china, we must all act together now to limit further spread. the vast majority of cases outside china have a travel history to wuhan or contact with someone with a travel history to wuhan. we don't know what sort of damage this virus could do if it we re damage this virus could do if it were to spread in a country with a wea ker were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. we must act now to help countries prepare for that possibility. for all of these reasons, i'm declaring a public emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of coronavirus. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china but because of what is happening in other countries. our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries

the world health organisation calls an emergency meeting. controversy over the rules for president trump's impeachment trial, democrats say the proposals amount to a cover—up. authorities in mexico have prevented hundreds of people from central america from crossing their border, on their way to the united states. and we'll find out why an attempt to set a world record in sri lanka for the largest gathering of twins seems to have failed. it's been confirmed a new virus spreading across china can be transmitted between humans. more than two hundred people have been infected with the virus so far, and in the last hour a fourth death has been confirmed. cases have also been reported in japan, thailand, and south korea. the world health organisation will hold an emergency meeting later this week. our medical correspondent, fergus walsh reports: it's official. china's mysterious new virus can pass from person to person. health authorities there are urging the public not to panic. most cases have come as a result of direct contact with animals, bu

as the coronavirus continues its spread outside china, the world health organisation has declared theglobal health emergency. at least 212 people have now died and almost 8,000 have been infected. china has now effectively quarantined more than 50 million people in wuhan and the surrounding province — but the virus has spread to every chinese region, and cases have now been confirmed in 19 other countries including the united states, india, japan, australia, germany and france. from beijing, the bbc‘s john sudworth. always dress you wuhan‘s medics are locked in a daily battle against this epidemic, with infections still rising steeply. but for trapped british residents, at last a way out. yeah, it's a massive relief. can't wait to get back now and just sort of get away from everything and de—stress, i think. from the rendezvous point at a motorway toll booth, those travelling face multiple health screenings, a bus ride to the airport, then a wait for the flight. but for some there's been serious confusion, especially mixed nationality families like adam bridgeman, his chinese wife, su

the world health organisation are saying is now closed as a global emergency. china. it's because this virus is spreading they are concerned about how lesser developed countries are able to do with it. they are actually saying china has done quite well that containing it. we saw that amazing video of them building a hospital in a couple of days and dave put these towns on lockdown but their worries about, if it gets to these other countries where they don't have the assistance and place, will they build a stop at spreading en masse? and i think there are two things. one is, one of the takeaways from this is it has been dealt with very well in terms of what happened in china and the kind of way that is been treated. there has not been a huge spread. beyond borders in the certain way. but i think also this comes after we talked about brexit. this is from the director general in the world health organisation. we can only stop it together. we talk about internal politics, our borders, strengthening those in a lot of the little discourse. actually, things like this,

the world health organisation says it's not a global emergency, yet. trying to persuade senate republicans that the president should be removed from office. the articles of impeachment against president trump rank among the most serious charges ever brought against the president.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the world health organisation has warned the entire worldthe new coronavirus which began in the chinese city of wuhan. the white house has warned president trump's former national security advisor that his controversial new book can't be published unless he deletes classified information. france is to outlaw the culling of unwanted male chicks by the year 2021, as part of wider animal welfare reforms. currently, male chicks are killed on an industrial scale — because they don't lay eggs and are often not wanted for meat. this report from rich preston — you may find some of it upsetting. about 7 billion male chicks are killed around the world each year. it's common practice in the food industry. male chicks don't grow as quickly as female ones, so aren't considered useful for their meat and, of course, they don't lay eggs. they're sorted shortly after being born and either gassed or sent to high—speed grinders. now france says it will put an end to the practice. translation: certain practices today may be considered shocking to our fellow cit

the world health organisation has delayed a decision until tomorrow about whether to declare a globalncy. the decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one i take extremely seriously, and one i am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. china has been widely praised for its swift and open response to the new virus. the world's most populous country is taking no chances. fergus walsh, bbc news. i spoke to our correspondents rupert wingfield—hayes in tokyo and jonathan head in bangkok — and firstjonathan told me how many people had caught the virus in thailand and what authorities there were doing to prevent its spread. well, rico, they've had four confirmed cases in thailand, three of them chinese, one thai. all of them, it is thought, have been in wuhan. there are eight daily flights from wuhan into thailand. more than one—third of the 30 million tourists who come country every year are chinese so the thais are extremely wary, particularly because huge numbers will come here during the chinese new y

the world health organisation calls an emergency meeting.ident trump's impeachment trial, democrats say the proposals amount to a cover—up. chaos as mexico tries to stop hundreds of people from central america entering on their way to the united states. and we'll find out why an attempt to set a world record in sri lanka for the largest gathering of twins seems to have failed.

the world health organisation says it's not a global emergency, yet.ay 3 of donald trump's impeachment trial, and the democrats have the floor again, trying to persuade senate republicans that the president should be removed from office. the articles of impeachment against president trump rank among the most serious charges ever brought against the president. world leaders warn of a resurgence of anti—semitism, at events to mark seventy—five years since the liberation of auschwitz. beijing has cancelled all major public events for lunar new year, even closing the iconic tourist spot of the forbidden city as the authorities try to containg the spread of the new coronavirus. it comes as three chinese cities have now quarantined three cities. at least 18 people who were infected have died from complications, and there are more than 500 confirmed cases, and it's spreading abroad. china has confirmed its first death outside of hubei province where the outbreak began. the city of wuhan is already in lockdown and the authorities have suspended planes and trai

our top stories: the world health organisation declares a global health emergency as china's coronavirusestinian prime minister, if israel annexes any occupied territory, under president trump's new plan. if you implement any of this, that is the end of us with you. as president trump's impeachment trial nears its close in the senate, a senior adviser to ukraine's president denies his administration felt pressured into opening an investigation linked to joe biden. and ch—ch—ch—changes — as the countdown to brexit

the uk raises the risk level of coronavirus from low to moderate as the world health organisation declareshe coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen which has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak and which has been met by an unprecedented response. a flight carrying 150 britons was scheduled to take off from wuhan, the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, a short time ago. it's due to land at raf brize norton in oxfordshire before passengers are taken to a facility on the wirral, for a quarantine period of 1a days. the chancellor, sajid javid, throws his support behind hs2, as a number of tory mps consider rebelling against the government. the number of rape prosecutions in england and wales has fallen, again, as the number of suspects charged rises slightly. a man has been found guilty of trying to steal a copy of magna carta, smashing the protective glass around the 805—year—old document, using a hammer. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing u

the coronavirus in a bid to stop the outbreak. 17 people are known to have died, as the world health organisational health emergency. after years of campaigning, the bereaved mother of 2—year—old jack wins grieving parents the right to more time off work. less stuff, more memories. why four—fifths of millennials say they value new experiences like holidays and entertainment

country that i mean china was a price for whatever rights and much more transparency with the world health organisation and so on but within china i mean i get a different picture for example just yesterday the people stayed the official. newspaper of the communist party didn't even mention the coronavirus on their front page all you can use it's just a side story so i would say that the hockey is concerned about social stability and of course independent reporting that's only. possible in really restricted amounts lisa what about there in france what measures are french authorities taking to stop the spread of the virus now that we are seeing the 1st cases appearing there. well the authorities have said that they are well prepared there are 3 specific hospitals in paris they're prepared to deal with such infectious diseases the health minister and his bizarre as said yesterday that people if they hat similar symptoms that they shouldn't go to see someone at the hospital or contact their local g.p. there's a special helpline they need to call and then people will come and make some tests at their home

our top stories: the world health organisation declares a global health emergency as china's coronavirus. a warning from the palestinian prime minister, if israel annexes any occupied territory, under president trump's new plan. if you implement any of this, thatis if you implement any of this, that is the end of us with you. as president trump's impeachment trial nears its close in the senate, a senior adviser to ukraine's

level has been raised from low to moderate by the uk's chief medical officers after the world health organisationtbreak a global public health emergency. decaled the coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. it takes just one international flight it takes just one international flight to carry the coronavirus around the world that's why airports are attempting to screen passengers. it is the fear of what the virus could do in poorer countries that has prompted the world health organization to act. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china but because of what is happening in other countries. our greatest concern is the potential for the virus is spread to countries with wea ker virus is spread to countries with weaker health systems. the world health organization defines a public health emergency of international concern as an extraordinary event which requires a co—ordinated international response. the past 20 yea rs, international response. the past 20 years, it has been declared five times for the

the world health organisation calls an emergency meeting.peachment trial, democrats say the proposals amount to a cover—up. authorities in mexico have prevented hundreds of people from central america from crossing their border, on their way to the united states. and we'll find out why an attempt to set a world record in sri lanka

urgency of the situation, and rightly so, we are working with the chinese authorities, the world health organisationpublic health england, to look at what is going on and to ensure we are doing our utmost to stop the virus coming to the uk. and becoming a widespread problem. the home secretary, priti patel. families affected by the grenfell tower disaster have welcomed the resignation of an expert member of the enquiry panel appointed by boris johnson last month. the engineer, benita mehra, stood down after being linked to the charitable arm of the company which supplied the tower block's cladding. campaigners had been threatening to boycott the new phase of the inquiry, which begins this week. 72 people died in the fire injune 2017. abi smitton reports. engineer benita mehra was only appointed to the grenfell inquiry panel last month. since then, victims' families have raised concerns about her former role as president of the women's engineering society. it received funding from the charitable arm of arconic, the company that supplied the cladding to grenfell tower. her resignation comes after surv

this evening the world health organisation gave this update from geneva. as public emergency —— the decision about whether or not to make it a public health emergency of international concern is one i ta ke very of international concern is one i take very seriously. 0ur of international concern is one i take very seriously. our team is on the ground in china to investigate the ground in china to investigate the outbreak and get more information. when i heard they were convening and there would be a press conference so soon i was a bit worried given the numberof soon i was a bit worried given the number of outstanding questions about how to gauge the severity and the risk the situation poses, so i'm frankly happy they are taking their time and trying to compile more evidence and trying to sort through that evidence before they make a decision such as whether or not to declare the situation a public health emergency of international concern. health emergency of international concern. we know that wuhan has reduced transport links around the city, is that appr

england says precautions are in place to minimise the risk from the coronavirus — and the world health organisationeeting later to consider whether to declare a public health emergency. keith doyle has more. at heathrow last night, a china southern airlines flight direct from wuhan landed. it's one of three weekly direct flights to the uk from the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. passengers arriving have been subject to enhanced monitoring, according to the government, but some who arrived last night said they did not notice any checks. i've been through essentially no screening process, at all. so there was no screening at wuhan, and there was no screening as i've landed. this woman on the same flight said there were checks at wuhan airport. she said they took people's temperatures, and on the plane, people wore facemasks. this man arriving at heathrow showed a leaflet given to passengers from public health england explaining what to do if they feel unwell. that's one of the measures introduced at heathrow. planes arriving from the chinese city are taken to an isolated area of terminal

today this former school teacher is an advocate for health and air quality for the world health organisations a public health emergency. you want to see change this year. i do. because the environmental bill is going to be introduced any time now. all i'm asking is that the action is more radical and more urgent. and this year is a key year in rosamund's fight for answers. after a campaign, a second inquest will be held into ella's death this november. the hope — that for the first time ever air pollution will be stated as a contributory cause of death. something that has put ella on the radar of the world's press. oh, goodness me, there was an article in the new york times, south korea, france, sweden. there's nobody in the world that has had it put on their death certificate ever before, because it's an incredibly difficult thing to prove. and her campaign for awareness has the support of people in high places. listen, we've arranged a little chat with somebody who wants to wish you well. phone rings. are you ready? yeah. laughter. i know who that man is! i know who you are! hello. hello,

bbc website gives a pretty accurate tally of cases and where they are located, as does the world health organisation waking up to quite a murky start. there is not mist and foreground, many of us waking up to quite a murky start. there is not mistan quite a murky start. there is not mist an fogey before, look out for many of us but it's a great picture, mainly cloudy, most places largely try during the course of the day. big area of high pressure, been in charge for several days, gradually drifting towards the near continent as we head through the next couple of days. by sunday, that's when we open the doors to atlantic weather systems wringing wet and windy weather but for the here and now, mostly dry, a few spots of rain especially in northern ireland and western scotland with this weak weather front. elsewhere, western scotland with this weak weatherfront. elsewhere, cloud thick enough for the odd spot of drizzle but predominantly astride. one or two brighter spells potentially for eastern england and scotland, fairly limited and temperatures round about eight or 9 degrees, fairly light winds. in

these drastic measures have been welcomed by the world health organisation.g was done quickly, but more importantly, it was shared immediately. and that's why korea, japan, thailand were able to diagnose the new coronavirus quickly. in all chinese cities, medical teams are preparing for an influx of patients with the coronavirus, which causes pneumonia. staff at this wuhan hospital isolation ward are worried. translation: we are worried about our work here and get even more worried when we see the news every day. i always say to others it's ok as we are well protected. actually, i was just saying that to keep them calm. we are actually afraid and worried. but as long as we are here, our own sense of duty will help us to do the job. translation: we are still all young ourselves, so honestly we feel lost and afraid. our family members are worried too, but as long as we wear the protective clothing, we'll be ok. travellers had already left wuhan before the transport shutdown was in place. with a five—day incubation period, many may have carried the virus to othe

world health organisation has just declared the coronavirus a global health emergency.for people to invent the future". he wants the uk to emulate the success of silicon valley, delivering trillions for the uk economy. there are many who are excited by the uk's government's new commitment to science and technology — borisjohnson has vowed to double state funding of research and development. but can the country catch up with us and china — which have the advantages of scale and years of high level investment? what does the government need to do to attract the best talent to the uk. how do they support the new industries. and how quickly will it deliver? particularly if some of the olders industries are sacrificied in order for the uk to diverge from european regulation. joining us now is eileen burbridge — chair of tech nationand partner at venture capital. you have been with mike pompeo and dominic rob today. you're listening to these lands in the trade deal. we had an opportunity to very much like wasjust read out we got to emphasise how flourishing the uk tech economy

infections have also spread to at least 15 other countries, and the world health organisation is meeting whether the virus constitutes a global health emergency. downing street has confirmed that a flight to bring british nationals back to the uk from wuhan, the chinese city at the heart of the outbreak, will leave tomorrow. robin brant sent this report from shanghai. today was supposed to be the day they got out and away from this. the death toll and the number infected continues to rise here in china. the city of wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak, but britons are still stuck there because of bureaucracy. we were really worried about the reports of younger and younger children becoming sick. and at the time, they said it was fine, but when i received a call the next day, they said that only i could go and my son would have to stay, which obviously was very devastating to hear. english teacher natalie‘s son can't go because he has a chinese passport. chris hill has a similar problem. his wife and daughter have dual nationality. would you be willing to leave your family behind to go

the un's world health organisation is to hold an emergency meeting on wednesday. mazumdar is following the story. a city on high alert. wuhan, where this mysterious virus first emerged, is racing itself. several hospitals in the city are already dealing with hundreds of cases. more than a dozen health workers have been infected. this virus which can cause severe lung problems appears to be spread through close contact with infected people. there are particular concerns ahead ofa lunar there are particular concerns ahead of a lunar new year as millions get ready to travel for the holidays. china says the situation is under control but many more cases are expected. the outbreak has already hit several areas of china, including the capital, beijing, and shanghai. a handful of cases have also been identified in other countries in the region. two in thailand, one injapan and one in south career. now the us has also confirmed a case, a traveller from china who became sick in seattle. the last time a new coronavirus emerged was when it come from camels to humans in saudi

our top stories: the world health organisation has warned the entire world needs to take action to stoponavirus which began in the chinese city of wuhan. the white house has warned president trump's former national security advisor that his controversial new book can't be published unless he deletes classified information. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the straits times leads with two articles about the spread of the coronavirus from china. it says more people have been infected than during the sars epidemic. the virus is also making font—page news in the japan times. their report details the repatriation of more than 200 people from wuhan. up to 650 have asked to be brought home. and finally, the new york time's international edition features two british police officers working to return stolen art back to nigeria. it tells the story of how a handwritten note sparked their efforts to help return two benin bronzes, many of which are on display in western museums. yesterday here on newsday we heard about the so called ‘doomsday‘ glacier, in the middle of th

the world health organisation's said its emergency committee will meet again tomorrow to decide whethers has now risen to the level of a global health emergency. so let's take a look how fast the virus is spreading. officially, more than 6000 people have been infected worldwide. to put that into context, that number was just 581 on 23 january — that's last thurday — when the chinese government placed wuhan into total lockdown. so far 132 people have died. that number has risen from just 17 deaths on 23 january, outside mainland china, the virus has spread to 17 other countries — including hong kong and taiwan. you can see from these figures, why the who is reassessing the scale of the problem. natalie francis is a uk citizen living and working in wuhan — the so—called epicentre of the outbreak. the british government is evacuating all uk citizens who want to leave on a flight scheduled for tomorrow — but natalie has had to turn down a seat on that plane because her 3 year old son will not be allowed to go with her. we spoke to natalie and she explained her situation. we heard on the cha

the world health organisation urges all countries to take action.se chains of transmission can still be interrupted. it's official. the european parliament votes to approve the brexit withdrawal deal — before the uk leaves the eu on friday. the uk is bid farewell with this musical sendoff. # for auld lang syne, myjo # for auld lang syne...# and we are being reminded by the european union that the future relationship between the eu and uk is to come and that will be harder than what was to come before. the washington post reinstates a reporter who tweeted about an historical rape allegation against basketball legend, kobe bryant. i know it has been all but inevitable but for the first time i can send you that brexit is definitely happening. that is because the european parliament has voted to approve the eu's brexit deal with the uk. they voted 621—49 in favour. the uk will now leave the eu with a deal at 11pm uk time, and midnight in brussels this friday. as soon as the result was announced many members broke out in song. # for auld lang syne, myjo

this the world health organisation has called for concerted international action to stop the spread ofe been postponed for a year. senators in washington have begun two days of questionning in donald trump's impeachment trial, as the president and his allies have accused the former national security advisorjohn bolton of betrayal. and on our website, there's more on the moment the european parliament ratified britian's brexit agreement. some meps burst into a rendition of auld lang syne following the vote. it was the final hurdle before the uk leaves the eu on friday. that's all. stay with bbc world news.

we will come back to brexit in a moment, but let me update you on what the world health organisation organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. the death toll in china, has now passed 170 — with more than 8000 cases. there are also confirmed infections in every region in mainland china — as well as at least 15 other countries. this started in wuhan around a month ago — there are now confirmed cases in australia, singapore, taiwan, malaysia, south korea, japan, vietnam, cambodia — and we can now add thailand and the philippines to that list. further afield, there are cases in north america — the first person— to— person case has just been confirmed there. also cases in sri lanka, nepal, germany, france. and in the last 2a hours we've had more confirmed in finland, the uea, and india. this just in from the who. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china, but because of what is happening in other countries. russia has also partially closed its 4000 km eastern border with china. here's sarah rainsford in moscow. for the

the world health organisation says it's not yet a global crisis.orrespondent stephen mcdonell is in bejiing and sent this update. people are pretty worried about it and are frankly relieved that the authorities are taking such drastic measures to try and bring the situation under control or at least try and stop it from getting worse. right across china events which you would normally have during the spring festival had been cancelled. in beijing, the temple fairs that you normally have at this time of year have been called off, in guangdong province cinemas closed for the entire period. in shanghai they are preparing to shut down disneyland. and in the province next to wuhan, other cities, more cities are following the lead of wuhan, shutting down all public transport. that means nobody coming in and out of the cities, even within the cities, nobody moving around. we now have people who have died outside wuhan as well, somebody in a province quite close to here, another person in the north—east. people in wuhan have struggled to find a spot in the

the headlines: the world health organisation declares a global health emergency as china's coronaviruss in 18 other countries. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china, but because of what is happening in other countries. the race is no on to develop a vaccine before the virus takes hold. we'll be at a laboratory in san diego, which is spearheading the research. i'm lewis vaughan jones, in london. also in the programme:

this of the outbreak on national television the disease also got the attention of the world health organisation they've called for an emergency meeting to decide whether or not to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern that's a title reserved only for the most serious of epidemics and with the lunar new year millions of chinese around the world are expected to return home to their families one can only hope beijing will have the situation under control. as the trying to teach what goes on in the u.s. russia is never far from democrats won't bring you that story and much more often this. operations understand that a cost of doing business is buying and building support in washington d.c. and that includes staffing up with former members of congress put them on your payroll you want to hire a chief of staff from a powerful senator or a committee. member get their chief of staff put them on your payroll as a lobbyist this is what washington does on a bipartisan basis in fact i think it's the only point of true bipartisanship and do you see is corporate influence ov

this of the outbreak on national television the disease also got the attention of the world health organisation they've called for an emergency meeting to decide whether or not to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern that's a title reserved only for the most serious of epidemics and with the lunar new year millions of chinese around the world are expected to return home to their families one can only hope beijing will have the situation under control. and in all of his story to bring it to you still to come the trial of the preacher inside a room both sold in the u.s. russia is not far from the minds of all the democrats who break it down a story done to more in moments. you know world big partisan mob and conspiracy it's time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that mainstream media refuses to tell more than ever we need to be smarter we need to stop slamming the door on the back and shouting past each other it's time for critical thinking it's time to fight for the middle for the truth the time is now we're watching closely watching the hawks. so wha

and the world health 0rganisation become. and the world health organisation more than 600 people died, 8000 people infected. this time, the proportion of those who contracted the disease who have died is much smaller and they want to keep it that way. but they want to keep it that way. but the fear is that there are so many more people travelling now in china and abroad. six times as many people flying out of china every year than they were in 2002 when the sars outbreak occurred. and this is why there is a fear that this could become a global problem and by the world health organisation is still monitoring it. stephen, thank you. deeq 0mar is a junior doctor working in wuhan where the virus first emerged. thank you forjoining us. we want to get your perspective as a resident of wuhan and a doctor. tell us how you are feeling about what is going on. of course, hi everyone. first and foremost, we are concerned as eve ryo ne and foremost, we are concerned as everyone should be. but at the same time we are trying to handle the situation in a calm manner. not go

the headlines: the world health organisation declares a global health emergency as china's coronavirus spreads. at least 200 people have now died and there are cases in 18 other countries. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china, but because of what is happening in other countries. the race is no on to develop a vaccine before the virus takes hold. we'll be at a laboratory in san diego, which is spearheading the research. i'm lewis vaughan jones, in london. also in the programme: with less than 2a hours until brexit, we look at britain's chances of striking quick trade deals with the rest of the world, including china. and the high tech trainers said to feel like running on trampolines — are they giving professional athletes an unfair advantage? live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. hello. it's 1am in london, 9am in the morning here, in singapore, and 2am in geneva, where the coronavirus has been declared a global public emergency by the world health organization. in the last hour, china's nationa

in the city of wuhan in china — has been classified as a global health emergency by the world health organisationave been infected in the country and 213 have died. let's go live to hong kong and speak to the bbc‘s mariko 0i. why did it take so long for the who to declare coronavirus a global health emergency? i think that's a lot of questions that critics of the who have been asking, why they didn't declare it sooner, whether there is any question to declare it as such because there is a significant impact on chinese economy. and they have finally declared it is a global emergency while the death toll continues to rise in the virus continues to spread. it's no surprise that people are concerned. the long queue behind me, you can't actually see the end of the queue. these are the people waiting to find facemasks. there is a bit of irony here that only a few months ago, people won't allowed to wear facemasks. wearing them to protect themselves from this virus. just explain really the situation on the ground here. how concerned situation on the ground here. how concerned are situation on the ground

the scientists say they will now share the information with the world health organisation.of the team, dr mike catton. it is the development of vaccines to assess vaccines, animal models are very helpful so there are colleagues working in australia to develop models to test candidate vaccines on. having the virus is a crucial step to allow them to proceed. the white house is talking of suspending all china—us flights amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. china‘s national health commission says the death toll has risen to 132 with nearly 1,500 new cases confirmed, taking the total number of confirmed cases to nearly 6,000. hong kong has announced stringent new measures. from there, rupert wingfield—hayes. if carrie lam was aiming to calm fears in hong kong about the coronavirus, her face mask sent a different message. mrs lam is under huge pressure now to shut the border with china, and, today, she partially capitulated. "intercity services to china will be suspended," she said. "flights will be cut by half. ferries will also be stopped." by thursday morning, the

but the world health organisation says its not a global problem yet, although cases have been confirmedes, and as of the last few hours, in france. stephen mcdonnell sent this report from beijing. you can't move around china at the moment without being aware of this crisis. health screening is in place at transport hubs across the country. public celebrations marking the lunar new year being cancelled and the inconvenience is considerable. at most, people are welcoming decisive action from the government. translation: china is a very strong country, it can definitely control the virus, also a vaccine will be developed, we are very confident. translation: typing this thing will go away in the near future, like sizing 2003. now the government'sjob is to prevent its spread, i think it will disappear by itself. in wuhan, hospitals are stressed to the limit. i had a fever and a cop so i am worried that i am infected. i don't know the results yet but i am concerned, and a bit nervous i have the virus. wuhan is a very large city with a large population. the medical capacity of wuhan alone cann

the world health organisation is to meet later — amid warnings that the entire world needs to take actionfrom university of california is professor anne rimoin, an epidemiologist with the ucla fielding school of public health. professor rimoin has been working in the democratic republic of congo on research into infectious diseases including ebola. welcome to the briefing. you worked in the democratic republic of congo on research into infectious diseases including ebola. what did you learn there that you think can be applied to what's happening now with coronavirus?” be applied to what's happening now with coronavirus? i think we have learned a lot from the recent ebola outbreak that has occurred in drc, the outbreaks that occurred in west africa, and also many other outbreaks that have happened over the past several years, including theaker, mers, and the sars outbreak. we have learned it is very important to work with communities, it's very important to diagnose people as quickly as possible with rapid tests a nd quickly as possible with rapid tests and communication is very, very impo

but the world health organisation has said it is not yet a global health emergency. reports from beijing. this is the moment a city of 11 million people was effectively shut off. pa ramilita ry police guarding the station, as all departing trains are cancelled. in the hospitals, medical staff in full bodysuits are treating hundreds of infected patients. while images on social media appear to show a system struggling to cope. empty shelves in the shops and scuffles over food. we spoke to one british man now stuck inside wuhan. it's a very surreal feeling. you know, knowing especially that if you go outside, there is potential to catch such a deadly virus. and when you look outside the window, what's the atmosphere like? does it feel like a city under a blanket of fear? oh, yeah, 100%, 100%. behind me, if you saw the street at night time where i normally live, it's a very vibrant street, lots of restaurants, and it's open until 2am and chinese families come and they're celebrating, but if i show you out there now, it's dead. on china's main evening news, the lead item?

but there are still so many unknowns — the world health organisation has delayed a decision until tomorrow whether to declare a global health emergency. the decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one i take extremely seriously. and one i am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. china has been widely praised for its swift and open response to the new virus. the world's most populous country is taking no chances. fergus walsh, bbc news. it looks as if britain and the us are on a collision course over the chancellor's plans to impose a tax on the big tech companies such as facebook and apple, which make profits in this country. the so—called tech tax is due to come into force in april. downing street said today the new tax would go ahead despite a threat of retaliation from washington. our economics editor faisal islam reports from the world economic forum at davos in switzerland, where the argument came to a head. the virtual business giants of the tech world have a very physical presence on the stree

the world health organisation is meeting to decide whether the infection poses an international publicy. there have been no cases in the uk so far and ministers say the risk to the public is low. tulip mazumdar reports. this is the epicentre of a new outbreak. hospital staff are dealing with hundreds of patients. more than a dozen health workers have been infected. this virus, which can cause severe lung problems, appears to be spread through close contact with infected people. there are particular concerns ahead of the lunar new year as millions get ready to travel for the holidays. china says the situation is under control, with many more cases are expected. translation: that we were in government advice is if there is no urgent need outsiders should not visit wuhan. wuhan residents should not leave unless there are special circumstances. this is where we can reduce the flow of people, reduced the possibility of contagion and prevention and control can be successful. the outbreak has already hit several areas of china, including the capital beijing and shanghai. a handful of cases ha

this the world health organisation has called for concerted international action to stop the spread of coronavirus. the world indoor athletics championships, due to be held in the chinese city of nanjing, have been postponed for a year. senators in washington have begun two days of questionning in donald trump's impeachment trial, as the president and his allies have accused the former national security advisorjohn bolton of betrayal. and on our website, there's more on the moment the european parliament ratified britian‘s brexit agreement. some meps burst into a rendition of auld lang syne following the vote. it was the final hurdle before the uk leaves the eu on friday. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news — it's hardtalk with shaun ley. hello and welcome to hardtalk, i'm shaun ley. so much smoke has been generated by australia's bushfires, it's created a plume the size of the continental united states. nasa tracked it as it circumnavigated the globe. drought and record temperatures have created a giant tinderbox, yet australia's government insists it's too simplisti

the world health organisation says the whole world needs to take action to stop the spread of the newedical correspondent, fergus walsh. this was the last british airways flight this was the last british airways flight from china. anotherflew in from bashan, it follows the foreign office advising against all but essential travel there. the suspension of ba flights to and from mainland china is until friday, but it may be extended. my worry was, i thought, well, ifi it may be extended. my worry was, i thought, well, if i get it and i go into hospital, i would rather be going to hospital over here than over there where you would just be a number, wouldn't you? i couldn't speak the language! 50, here i am. the health secretary, matt hancock, who chaired a meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee, said britain is arriving tomorrow on a repatriation flight from wuhan would be quarantined for 14 from wuhan would be quarantined for 11! days. one option is housing them ata 11! days. one option is housing them at a military base, but the ministry of defence could not confirm this.|

the world health organisation has said it will hold an emergency meeting on the outbreak later this weekpass from person to person. health authorities there are urging the public not to panic. most cases have come as a result of direct contact with animals, but human—to—human transmission means this virus is potentially a far bigger threat. the outbreak centres on the city of wuhan, population 11 million, where the source is thought to be a seafood market. 170 people in wuhan are being treated in hospital. several are critically ill and three deaths have been confirmed. there have been a handful of cases of the virus in south korea, thailand and japan, all travellers who had come from wuhan. the infection is a new type of coronavirus, which originated in animals. although person—to—person transmission has been confirmed, it does not, thankfully, spread easily. signs of infection include breathing problems, fever and cough. now, it is the height of the flu season, meaning it is hard to know initially what infection patients have. hundreds of millions of chinese are expected to travel over

there's a warning that the "whole world needs to be on alert" as the world health organisation reconsidersther to declare a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. the death toll in china passed 170 today. infections rose to 7,711. the government is still in talks with chinese authorities over a flight to evacuate british nationals from wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. when they get here they'll be sent to an nhs facility in the north of england, where they will face two weeks‘ quarantine. robin brant sent this report from shanghai. today was supposed to be the day they got out and away from this. the death toll and the number infected continues to rise here in china. the city of wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak, but britons are still stuck there because of bureaucracy. we were really worried about the reports of younger and younger children becoming sick. and at the time they said it was fine, but when i received a call the next day they said that only i could go and my son would have to stay, which obviously was very devastating to hear. eng

any indication of what to expect from the world health organisation emergency meeting?ny times when the who has declared an official global emergency. the fa ct an official global emergency. the fact that they are having this meeting at all shows that they are taking in seriously. i think they will be worried about the potential for the virus to spread, given the conditions as they are now with hundreds of millions of chinese people on the move. you know, these numbers could go from hundreds to thousands very quickly of those infected. 0f thousands very quickly of those infected. of course there is no medicine you can take for this virus. it causes pneumonia and has been deadly. and that‘s why people are taking it so seriously. although we should stress, you know, it‘s not time to panic, but to be sort of vigilant, suppose, is the message from the here, given that there still are only hundreds of people infected. but, you know, hundreds is not nothing. thank you very much. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: after months of bushfires in australia we report on