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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 21 January 2020
Human-to-human transmission confirmed in China coronavirus

By YANAN WANG and KEN at all levels should put peo-
MORITSUGU ple's lives and health first."
Associated Press Xi's remarks were reported
BEIJING (AP) — The head by state broadcaster CCTV
of a Chinese government on its main 7 p.m. evening
expert team said Monday news broadcast.
that human-to-human The spread of the viral
transmission has been con- pneumonia comes as the
firmed in an outbreak of a country enters its busiest
new coronavirus, a devel- travel period, when millions
opment that raises the pos- board trains and planes for
sibility that it could spread the Lunar New Year holi-
more quickly and widely. days. The outbreak is be-
Team leader Zhong Nan- lieved to have started late
shan, a respiratory expert, last month when people
said two people in Guang- picked it up at a fresh food
dong province in south- market in Wuhan, a city in
ern China caught the virus central China.
from family members, state Wuhan health authorities
media said. Some medical said Monday an additional
workers have also tested 136 cases have been con-
positive for the virus, the firmed in the city, raising
English-language China the total to 198. Three have
Daily newspaper reported. died. Travelers wear face masks as they walk outside of the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, Monday,
The late-night announce- Authorities elsewhere also Jan. 20, 2020.
ment capped a day in announced cases in other Associated Press
which authorities an- Chinese cities for the first
nounced a sharp uptick in time. returned from the city, the rus one day after arriving people in protective suits
the number of confirmed Five individuals in Beijing China Daily said. at Seoul's Incheon airport. checking one-by-one the
cases to more than 200, and 14 in Guangdong have The outbreak has put other The woman has been iso- temperatures of plane pas-
and China's leader called also been diagnosed with countries on alert as mil- lated at a state-run hospital sengers arriving in Macao
on the government to take the new coronavirus, CCTV lions of Chinese travel for in Incheon city, just west of from Wuhan. A man sur-
every possible step to com- reported Monday evening. Lunar New Year. Authorities Seoul, the Korea Centers named Yang who works for
bat the outbreak. A total of seven suspected in Thailand and in Japan for Disease Control and the Macao Health Bureau
"The recent outbreak of cases have been found in have already identified Prevention said in a state- confirmed over the phone
novel coronavirus pneu- other parts of the country, at least three cases, all in- ment. that such checks are tak-
monia in Wuhan and other including in Sichuan and volving recent travel from At least a half-dozen coun- ing place in the southern
places must be taken seri- Yunnan provinces in the China. tries in Asia and three Chinese region.
ously," President Xi Jinping southwest and in Shanghai. South Korea reported its U.S. airports have started Many of the initial cases of
said in his first public state- Zhong said the two people first case Monday, when a screening incoming airline the coronavirus were linked
ment on the crisis. "Party in Guangdong had not 35-year-old Chinese wom- passengers from central to a seafood market in Wu-
committees, governments been to Wuhan but fell ill an from Wuhan tested pos- China. han, which was closed as
and relevant departments after family members had itive for the new coronavi- Videos posted online show authorities investigated.q

Malaysia sends back trash, says

won't be world's waste bin

PENANG, Malaysia (AP) — of this year. single cent, with the costs
Malaysia has sent back 150 Yeo said the successful re- of sending back the waste
containers of plastic waste patriation of a total 3,737 fully borne by the shipping
to 13 mainly rich countries metric tonnes (4,120 U.S. liners and companies re-
since the third quarter last tons) of waste followed sponsible for importing and
year, with the environment strict enforcement at key exporting the waste.
minster warning on Mon- Malaysian ports to block Yeo said talks were ongo-
day that those who want smuggling of waste and ing with U.S. authorities to
to make the country a rub- shuttering more than 200 il- take back another 60 con-
bish bin of the world can legal plastic recycling fac- tainers this year.
"dream on." tories. Canada also has 15 more
Shipments of unwanted Of the 150 containers, 43 containers, Japan 14, the Malaysia's Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin speaks during a
rubbish have been rerout- were returned to France, U.K. 9 and Belgium 8 from press conference after inspecting a container with plastic waste
ed to Southeast Asia since 42 to the United Kingdom, 110 more containers that at a port in Butterworth, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020.
China banned the import 17 to the United States, 11 are still being held at Ma- Associated Press
of plastic waste in 2018, but to Canada, 10 to Spain laysian ports, she said.
Malaysia and other devel- and the rest to Hong Kong, "If people want to see us will launch an action plan "Our position is very firm. We
oping countries are fighting Japan, Singapore, Portu- as the rubbish dump of the on illegal plastic importa- just want to send back (the
back. gal, China, Bangladesh, Sri world, you dream on," Yeo tion next month that will waste) and we just want
Environment Minister Yeo Lanka and Lithuania, her told reporters during in- help the different agencies to give a message that
Bee Yin said another 110 ministry said. spection at a port in north- coordinate enforcement Malaysia is not the dump-
containers are expected to She said the Malaysian ern Penang state. and speed up the process ing site of the world," she
be sent back by the middle government didn't pay a Yeo said the government of returning the waste. added.q