It chaos out there....WHO declares Europe as new Covid-19 epicentre, US declares emergency, panic elsewhere

A woman wearing a face mask using her computer at the end of the work day in Tokyo on Saturday (March 14). As of March 13, there were over 140,000 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 illness in 124 countries, with more than 5,000 deaths reported. - AFP

SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON/TOKYO/ROME: US President Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency as the World Health Organisation named Europe the new epicentre of the coronavirus, with countries sealing borders, shutting schools and cancelling events in a frenzied attempt to slow the ballooning pandemic.

Wall Street stocks rallied Friday as financial markets endured a rollercoaster ride after a week of spectacular losses triggered by fears that the deadly outbreak will lead to a global recession.