Coronavirus Not Yet Global Emergency

On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined the Chinese-originated coronavirus has not yet reached a level that would require a global public health emergency. The WHO committee plans to come up with an official name for the virus, currently referred to as ‘2019-nCoV.’

Myanmar Ordered to Prevent Genocide

The International Court of Justice ordered measures to prevent the genocide of Rohinga Muslims living in Myanmar yesterday. Thousands of Rohinga have died, and over one million have fled the country since their persecution at the hands of the Myanmar government began in 2016.

U.S. Restricts Pregnant Foreign Travel

Yesterday, the U.S. announced new visa regulations that make it harder for foreign pregnant women to enter the country without a compelling reason. The restrictions do not apply to travelers from any of the 39 mainly European and Asian countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program.

Where Credit is Due

Fair Isaac Corp. - the company behind FICO credit scores - launched an updated FICO 10 model that incorporates consumers’ debt levels into the score. FICO estimates about 110 million people will see their score change less than 20 points, while roughly 80 million will see a change larger than 20 points in either direction.

A Perfect Match

Dating app giant Match Group (Tinder, Match, OkCupid, Hinge, etc.) announced a partnership with connected safety platform Noonlight. The two companies will roll out a series of new safety tools for emergency assistance, photo verification, and an updated in-app Safety Center.

Stumpf Stumped

The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf has been fined $17.5 million and is banned from ever working at a bank again. The OCC notice said the regulator plans to target other individuals for their roles in setting up millions of fake accounts to meet sales quotas.

In All Honesty

Howard Kirby of Ossowo, Michigan has proven himself to be an honest man beyond a shadow of a doubt. He recently bought a secondhand couch from Habitat for Humanity to furnish his “man cave,” but he felt something odd while sitting on it at home, so and his daughter decided to investigate. Tucked inside of the couch cushions, they found $43,000 in cash.

Howard immediately reached out to his lawyer, who informed him that he had no legal obligation to return the money. However, Howard thought he’d feel better if he did the right thing, so he tracked down the former owner of the couch, Kim Fauth-Newberry. She was thrilled and shocked that someone would be kind enough to return the money. Howard can teach us all a lesson about the value of being happy knowing you did the right thing.

On Switch

9-year-old Ava Steel loves to play games, but due to a hereditary condition, she has limited motor function and isn’t always able to enjoy her favorite pastime. Ava’s dad, Rory, wasn’t about to let his daughter miss out on the joys of childhood because of spastic paraplegia, so he came up with an idea.

Using materials found on Ebay, Rory constructed a special Nintendo Switch controller for Ava, complete with large buttons and easy-to-operate joysticks (here’s a video of the device in action). Rory was so pleased with his contraption, he began preparing instructions for the design. His hope is that other parents can help their kids experience the same joy and sense of community Ava feels when she hops online.