Lawmakers back bill to isolate Russian internet from foreign servers

Abstract: MOSCOW - Lawmakers have backed a bill that could cut off Russia’s internet traffic from foreign servers, a move that critics call a step toward censorship and possibly an isolated network like in North Korea. The bill passed its first reading by 334 votes to 47 on Tuesday after an unusually heated debate in the lower house, the State Duma, where many lawmakers from minority parties criticized the proposed law as vague and too costly. Authors of the initiative say Russia must ensure the security of its networks after President Donald Trump unveiled a new American cybersecurity strategy last year that said Russia had carried out cyberattacks with impunity. The bill aims to put in place “defense mechanisms to ensure the long-term stable functioning of internet networks in Russia” if the U.S. takes action in cyberspace to threaten them. It proposes creating a center to “ensure and control the routing of internet traffic” and would require internet service providers to install “technical measures to withstand threats.” It also mandates regular “drills” to test whether Russia’s internet can function in an isolated mode. Internet freedom activists say the bill is another censorship bid following previous efforts in Russia to control global social networking platforms and block the messenger service Telegram. Though the bill claims to address external threats, it would just be another law that “permits limiting rights and freedoms on the internet” in Russia, said Artyom Kozlyuk, who heads Roskomsvoboda, a group that campaigns against internet regulation. He believes measures outlined in the bill could cost more than 100 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) per year, from both public and private coffers. “De facto, it will have a serious economic effect. … Everything will be slower and more expensive,” Kozlyuk said. While some critics have said Russia is considering creating a China-style firewall, it would be cheaper and easier to adapt the North Korean model of a nationwide intranet, he said. “North Korea’s experience shows that a totally autonomous internet is possible.” Taking questions on the floor, the authors of the bill were unable to estimate the long-term costs, say what threats it would repel or even explain how it would work. They said expert opinions could be incorporated into the bill for its second reading. The vagueness of the proposal sparked unusual exasperation from some minority-party lawmakers. “How many of you are IT experts here, raise your hand. One? Then how can we vote for a bill we don’t understand?” said Valery Gartung of the left-wing Just Russia party. Others predicted it would trigger a dysfunctional “internet Brexit” or wondered how Russia would build the technical infrastructure required to support the legal provisions. “Russia doesn’t manufacture any IT hardware except cables, maybe some people should hang themselves on them,” shouted MP Sergei Ivanov of the nationalist LDPR. One of the bill’s authors dismissed the criticism, citing the scale of the potential threat from Washington. “This isn’t kindergarten!” said Andrei Lugovoi, one of the key suspects in the 2006 murder of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in Britain. “All of the websites in Syria” have been turned off by the U.S. before, he claimed. He said that the internet’s “root servers” — which act as a sort of backbone structure — are located “in the Pentagon, in NASA, in Amsterdam,” and that Russian authorities have no idea how traffic is routed even within Russia. If passed, the law could make it possible to cut Russia off from the global web or to initiate an internet blackout in an isolated region if it is rocked by unrest or opposition, said Andrei Soldatov, who co-authored a book on the history of internet surveillance in Russia. “This is very serious,” he said, adding that the bill seems to have official support, “so the chances that it will become law are very high.” Another bill, approved in its second of three readings on Tuesday, would ban soldiers from sharing information on the internet. The legislation proposes banning servicemen and reserve troops from posting anything online that would allow outsiders to glean their whereabouts or role in the military. The ban would cover photographs, video, geolocation data or other information. It would also prohibit soldiers from sharing information about other servicemen or the relatives of servicemen. Those who break the ban would be subject to disciplinary measures. The investigative site Bellingcat used social network posts extensively in reports concluding that Russian soldiers were involved in the downing of passenger Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. A Dutch criminal investigation concluded last year that the plane was shot down with a surface-to-air missile belonging to the 53rd brigade of the Russian Army. “Social networks were used in many other investigations about the war in Ukraine and the war in Syria, for instance when fellow servicemen or relatives spoke about deceased soldiers,” said Roman Dobrokhotov, chief editor of investigative site The Insider.

internet censorship russia cybersecurity duma cyberattacks


Thai election commission moves to dissolve party linked to princess

Abstract: BANGKOK - Thailand’s election commission on Wednesday asked the constitutional court to dissolve a party that proposed a princess as candidate for prime minister, a potentially serious blow to the political aspirations of the kingdom’s powerful Shinawatra clan. Junta-ruled Thailand has sunk into political chaos since Friday, when Princess Ubolratana’s name was submitted by Thai Raksa Chart, a party allied with the divisive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Her unprecedented bid to enter frontline politics unraveled within hours after King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the 67-year-old Ubolratana’s younger brother, decried the entry of a royal into the political fray as “highly inappropriate.” Thailand’s powerful and vastly wealthy monarchy is seen as above politics, although royals have intervened before during times of political crisis. The commission brought a premature end to the princess’s political career by disqualifying her as a candidate for premier. On Wednesday the commission filed a request with the constitutional court to disband Thai Raksa Chart for breaching the political parties law by bringing a royal family member into politics. “That action is considered hostile to the constitutional monarchy,” it said. It was not immediately clear if the court could rule on Thai Raksa Chart’s dissolution before the March 24 election. If dissolved, the party’s executives — including Shinawatra family members — could face a long political ban, while its candidates would be unable to run in the poll. The party said it will contest the move. “Our party will go ahead (with campaigning) we are the hope of … our people,” party leader Preechaphol Pongpanit said, adding that they were “stunned” by how swiftly events had unfolded over the past few days. Thai Raksa Chart was set to add to the vote bank of the bigger Shinawatra electoral vehicle, Pheu Thai, in an election where secondary parties are targeting seats via the party list system. Thailand remains a deeply divided kingdom. Parties affiliated with Thaksin have won every election since 2001, but their governments have been battered by two coups and a barrage of court cases driven through by an arch-royalist Bangkok-based elite. Thaksin and his sister Yingluck both live abroad to avoid convictions they say are politically motivated. To off-set their electoral dominance, the ruling junta scripted a new constitution making the upper house entirely appointed, while limiting the number of constituency seats available at the March poll — the first election since 2011. If Thai Raksa Chart is banned it will “reduce the opportunity of the Shinawatra party to have big numbers in parliament,” said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political scientist at Ubon Ratchathani University. That would benefit the army-linked party Phalang Pracharat and increase the likelihood of its prime ministerial candidate, junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha, of returning to power as a civilian leader. Thais have struggled to digest what Princess Ubolratana’s short-lived foray into politics means for the kingdom, with analysts left open-jawed by the rare sight of palace intrigue playing out in public. In an Instagram post late Tuesday Ubolratana apologized for her role in the drama, which has sent jitters across the politically febrile country. “I’m sorry that my genuine intention to help work for the country and fellow Thai people has created a problem that shouldn’t happen in this era,” she wrote. It was tagged with a hashtag: “#howcomeitsthewayitis.” Ubolratana is the first-born of former king Bhumibol Adulyadej, but she gave up her royal titles when she married an American in 1972. After her divorce she moved back to Thailand, where she is still regarded by the Thai public as a part of the royal family. While she said she was exercising her rights as a commoner to stand for premier, the palace statement last week said she is “still a member of the House of Chakri,” referring to the name of the dynasty. The monarchy in Thailand is considered sacred and revered by its people, and is under the protection of draconian lese majeste laws. The king’s word is considered final.


Philippine journalist at odds with President Rodrigo Duterte arrested for libel

Abstract: MANILA - The award-winning head of a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Wednesday on libel charges, the latest in a series of legal cases against perceived adversaries of the government. Maria Ressa, chief executive of Rappler, is accused of cyber libel over a 2012 article, updated in 2014, that linked a businessman to murder and trafficking of humans and drugs, citing information contained in an intelligence report from an unspecified agency. National Bureau of Investigation officers escorted Ressa through a phalanx of media that poured into the Manila office of Rappler when news of the agents’ arrival went viral on social media. “People should know that the line has been crossed,” Ressa told reporters, adding she would seek bail. The justice ministry filed the case on behalf of the businessman, who denies any wrongdoing. Ressa was among several people named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine in 2018 for leading what it said was Rappler’s “fearless reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s propaganda machine and extrajudicial killings,” referring to his bloody war on drugs. Rappler has borne the brunt of what activists say is a state-sponsored campaign to intimidate Duterte’s opponents by hitting them with legal measures, or subjecting them to a torrent of online hate whipped up by social media “influencers,” some of whom held government posts. Presidential spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said a crime had been committed, a court had found probable cause and Rappler was not being penalized for its reporting. “This is nothing to do with freedom of expression or freedom of the press,” he told news channel ANC. London-based right group Amnesty International said the charges were trumped up and “brazenly politically motivated.” Ressa’s arrest is the latest problem Rappler has faced. Its operating license was rescinded in 2018 over alleged ownership violations, and it is also dealing with a case involving alleged tax evasion. Both cases are going on. “These cases are intended to intimidate us,” Chay Hofilena, Rappler’s investigative editor, told media. “We know that’s the intent, we are not buckling.” Rappler’s reporters are regularly threatened by elements of Duterte’s online support base, part of what Rappler’s investigations say is an organized “weaponizing” of the internet by the government. The government denies that. For his part, Duterte has said he does not need help from online trolls, and insists he has never punished anyone for criticizing him. He has called Rappler a “fake news outlet,” and even suggested it might be linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called Ressa’s arrest “a shameless act of persecution by a bully government.”

human rights
philippines
amnesty international
libel
president rodrigo duterte
political oppression
maria ressa


Lovers, comrades! Forbidden love in North Korea finds a way in Vietnam

Abstract: HANOI - A young couple with matching expressions stare nervously into the camera with deep brown eyes. He, a Vietnamese student, has just met the love of his life. She, a North Korean, is forbidden to love him back. It was 31 years after Pham Ngoc Canh, 69, took that first photo of Yong Hui, before the two were finally allowed to get married in 2002 when North Korea took the rare step of allowing one of its citizens to marry a foreigner. “From the moment I saw him, I was so sad because I felt it would be a love that could never be realized,” said Ri, 70, speaking from the small Soviet-era apartment she and Canh share in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. Now enjoying freedoms in Vietnam that would be impossible in North Korea, Canh and Ri are hoping the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi will help end hostilities with Pyongyang. “If you’re a North Korean, you want to see this resolved. But politics is complicated,” Ri said. “When people first heard Kim Jong Un decided to meet Trump, they expected reunification to happen soon. But that’s hard to realize in just one or two days. I hope things work out well.” Today one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and integrated into the international community, Vietnam has been touted as a model for isolated and impoverished North Korea to follow. Back in 1967, as Vietnam and the United States were locked in war, Canh was one of 200 Vietnamese students sent to North Korea to gain the skills the state needed to rebuild itself once the war was over. Several years later, during a chemical engineering apprenticeship at a fertilizer factory on North Korea’s east coast, Canh spotted Ri working in a laboratory. “I thought to myself, ‘I must marry that girl,’” said Canh, who eventually plucked up the courage to approach Ri and ask her for her address. Ri obliged: Her friends had told her one of the “Viet Cong” working at the factory looked just like her, and she was curious. “As soon as I saw him, I knew it was him,” said Ri. “He looked so gorgeous.” “Until then, when I had seen so-called handsome guys I hadn’t felt anything, but when he opened the door, my heart just melted.” But there were challenges. At the time in North Korea and in Vietnam, relationships with foreigners were strictly forbidden. After the couple exchanged several letters, Ri agreed to let Canh visit her at home. He had to be careful. A Vietnamese comrade had been beaten when he had been found with a local girl. Dressed in North Korean clothes, Canh embarked on the three-hour bus journey and 2-km walk to Ri’s home — a trip he repeated monthly until he returned to Vietnam in 1973. “I went to her house secretly, just like a guerrilla,” said Canh. Upon his return to Hanoi, Canh felt disillusioned. The son of a high-ranking cadre, Canh refused to join the Communist Party, forgoing the bright future the state had planned for him. “I just couldn’t agree with a socialism that stops people from loving each other,” Canh said. Five years later, in 1978, the Vietnamese chemical engineering institute Canh was attached to organized a trip to North Korea. He asked to join, and managed to meet Ri. But every time they saw each other, Ri said, she became more heartbroken at the thought that they might never meet again. He had brought with him a letter he had written to the North Korean leadership, begging for permission for them to marry. “When she saw the letter, she asked: ‘Comrade, do you intend to persuade my government?’” said Canh, who never sent the letter and instead asked Ri to wait for him. Later that year, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, triggering a border war with China. With North Korea on the side of Beijing and Phnom Penh, the couple stopped writing. “My mother was crying while caring for me,” said Ri. “I think she knew that I was lovesick.” In 1992, Canh again managed to get himself on a trip to North Korea as a translator with a Vietnamese sporting delegation, but couldn’t meet Ri. When he returned to Hanoi, found Ri had sent him a letter. She still loved him. In the late 1990s, North Korea was gripped by a devastating famine and a desperate delegation from Pyongyang visited Hanoi to ask for rice. Vietnam, which by then had undertaken major economic and political reforms and re-engaged with the West, refused. Canh was so concerned for Ri and her people that he raised seven tons of rice in donations from friends to send to North Korea. It was an act of generosity which finally paved the way for he and Ri to reunite: The North Koreans learned of Canh’s act and agreed he could marry Ri and live in either country — provided Ri maintained her North Korean citizenship. In 2002, the two finally married in the Vietnamese Embassy in Pyongyang, and settled into their new life together in Hanoi, where they still live today. “In the end, love beat socialism,” said Canh.


Lawmakers warn Hong Kong's China extradition plans a 'Trojan horse'

Abstract: HONG KONG - Plans by Hong Kong to allow extraditions to Taiwan, Macau and mainland China following a high-profile murder case could become a “Trojan horse” for Beijing to pursue critics, pro-democracy lawmakers warned Wednesday. The financial hub’s Security Bureau has proposed changing the law in the wake of the murder of Poon Hui-wing, a pregnant 20-year-old Hong Konger allegedly strangled by her boyfriend during a Valentine’s holiday in Taiwan a year ago. Poon’s body was found dumped on the outskirts of Taipei after her boyfriend Chan Tong-kai returned home to Hong Kong without her. Chan is currently facing trial in Hong Kong for theft and money laundering linked to his alleged possession of Poon’s bank card. But there is currently no prospect of him being extradited to Taiwan where he is wanted for murder. Despite being part of China since its 1997 handover, semi-autonomous Hong Kong still has no extradition agreement with Macau, Beijing or Taipei. The city laws governing extraditions currently rule out returns to “other parts of the People’s Republic of China.” Like Beijing, Hong Kong views Taiwan as a part of the mainland, hobbling its ability to coordinate with Taiwanese police. Chiu Chih-hung, a spokesman for Taipei’s Shilin district prosecutors office, said investigators had made multiple requests to Hong Kong police last year in connection with the murder case but received no response. “We would welcome if the Hong Kong government could revise the relevant law to transfer the suspect to Taiwan to stand trial,” he said. In a briefing paper to the city’s largely pro-Beijing legislature, which will debate the proposals on Friday, the Security Bureau said the case showed that current extradition laws “must be amended promptly to plug their loopholes and to protect public safety.” The bureau has proposed allowing extraditions on a “case-basis” and say prosecutions based on “race, religion, nationality or political opinions” would be refused. But prominent pro-democracy lawmakers fear the move could still allow Beijing to tighten the noose on critics. “We’re terribly worried. This could prove a Trojan horse,” lawmaker Claudia Mo said. “I know the Hong Kong government has implied that political cases will not be entertained, but we all know Beijing could always package ideological crimes in the form of economic offenses.” China has a long history of charging critics with fraud and other crimes — dissident artist Ai Weiwei was famously prosecuted for tax evasion. Pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu warned the proposal could “open Pandora’s box.” “The Security Bureau’s proposal has far-reaching consequences and must not be casually accepted,” he wrote on Facebook. Although the proposal has been backed by the city’s largest pro-Beijing party, pro-democracy lawmakers say Hong Kong should pursue a separate extradition agreement with Taiwan that doesn’t include the mainland. Historically Hong Kong has balked at extraditing suspects to the mainland because of the opacity of China’s criminal justice system and the death penalty. The city was also rattled in recent years by the disappearance of several booksellers who resurfaced in China facing charges — and the alleged rendition of billionaire businessman Xiao Jianhua in 2017.

china
hong kong
taiwan
crime
macau
extraditions


Missing Uighurs' kin demand 'proof of life' videos from China

Abstract: BEIJING - Ethnic Uighurs have launched a global campaign to press China for video proof that their missing relatives are alive, turning the tables on Beijing’s use of video to counter claims that a renowned Uighur had died in custody. The social media campaign was launched Tuesday under the hashtag #MeTooUyghur after China released a video showing a man who identified himself as Uighur poet and musician Abdurehim Heyit and saying he was alive and well. The video was made public after Turkey claimed that Heyit had died in a Chinese prison in a statement in which Ankara condemned China for herding vast numbers of Muslim minority Uighurs into “re-education” camps in the remote Xinjiang region. “Chinese authorities showed video as proof Mr. Heyit is still alive. Now, we want to know, where are millions of Uighurs?” said Murat Harri Uyghur, an activist in Finland, who created the hashtag. He said that his own parents had been detained previously but were released last year. The hashtag has prompted posts from Uighurs around the world with pictures of missing mothers, fathers, sons, daughters or friends, and demanding to know their fate. A U.N. panel of experts has said that nearly 1 million Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities are being held in extrajudicial detention in camps in Xinjiang, where most of China’s more than 10 million Uighurs live. Beijing at first denied the allegation, but later said it has put people into “vocational education centers.” Many overseas Uighurs have not been able to contact relatives and friends in China for years as phone calls and messaging platforms are under close Chinese surveillance, said Rushan Abbas, a U.S.-based rights activist. She is demanding authorities release a video of her sister, a physician, who she says was “sent for vocational training.” China has cracked down hard in recent years to squelch persistent violent unrest in Xinjiang. Many Uighurs have long accused Beijing of seeking to extinguish their culture to neutralize what Beijing considers a “terrorist” threat in Xinjiang, and critics say Uighurs in the camps are being brainwashed to conform with Chinese society and abandon Islam. Arslan Hidayat, son-in-law of prominent Uighur comedian Adil Mijit, posted a Facebook video saying his father-in-law was missing and calling for a “proof of life video” of Mijit and others “who have been locked up in Chinese concentration camps.” Turkey on Saturday released perhaps the strongest statement by a Muslim country yet over the camps, calling Beijing’s treatment of Uighurs “a great cause of shame for humanity.” It also said that Heyit had died while serving an eight-year prison sentence “over one of his songs.” On Monday, China’s foreign ministry called the Turkish statement “vile” and urged Ankara to withdraw its “false accusations.” The Muslim world has so far been conspicuously quiet on the Uighur issue, possibly to avoid Chinese diplomatic or economic retaliation.

china
rights
uighurs
xinjiang
abdurehim heyit


South Korea pushes back at Trump claims about more money for U.S. troop agreement

Abstract: SEOUL - South Korea’s presidential Blue House pushed back Wednesday against comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that suggested Seoul had agreed to pay $500 million more toward maintaining U.S. troops in the country. Trump said at a Cabinet meeting in Washington on Tuesday that Seoul had agreed to pay $500 million more as part of an agreement sharing the cost of keeping roughly 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea. “They were paying about $500 million for $5 billion worth of protection,” Trump said. “And we have to do better than that. So they’ve agreed to pay $500 million more.” Under the previous agreement — which lapsed amid disagreements in December — South Korea contributed 960 billion won ($857 million) in 2018. South Korean and American officials initialled an agreement on Sunday under which Seoul would increase its contribution to just under 1.04 trillion won ($927 million), an increase of about $70.3 million. Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the presidential Blue House in Seoul, said when asked about Trump’s $500 million figure that it “shouldn’t be taken as a fait accompli.” Kim said the figure had been one of Washington’s demands during the negotiations. The agreement signed on Sunday must still be approved by South Korea’s National Assembly. Kim said it was valid for only one year, with the possibility of an extension for another year if both sides agreed. “Both sides will consider whether a raise is needed and it’s also possible that they would agree to maintain the current level,” Kim said. The two sides had struggled to reach a breakthrough, despite at least 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution. Trump said in his Cabinet comments on Tuesday the relationship with South Korea was “great” but that the United States lost “a tremendous amount of money” defending its ally.


Olympic and Paralympic venues on track to be completed in time for summer test events

Abstract: The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic venues are on course to be completed in time for test events to be held there later this year, games organizers said Tuesday. Sailing and water polo federations have already staged dress rehearsals in Tokyo, and the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee is gearing up for a busy summer in which several sporting federations will hold test events at the venues. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is constructing seven brand-new venues for the games and on Tuesday gave reporters a tour of the Olympic Village and four arenas, plus the Ariake Gymnastics Centre being built by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee. The four metro government venues on the tour were the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre, Sea Forest Waterway, Ariake Arena and the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. “This venue is scheduled to be completed by the end of May, so it’s on track to host the test event in October,” said Yojiro Muraoka, director for venues at Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in Edogawa Ward, which will be used for the Olympic canoe slalom event and will feature Japan’s first-ever artificial canoe slalom course. Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre was 74 percent complete as of January, although work on the 15,000 temporary spectator seats that will be installed for the July 24-Aug. 9, 2020, Olympics has not yet begun. Pumps that will create the current to propel the canoeists around the 200-meter-long course have also yet to be fitted. “This venue is built on reclaimed land so it’s very weak,” said Muraoka. “We have reinforced areas like the start area so that it doesn’t sink, but we can’t do that everywhere because it would be too expensive so we have made it compact. We have tried to avoid high costs while making sure it is sturdy.” The venue will be used to host domestic and international canoeing events once the Olympics are over, and will also offer recreational pursuits such as rafting to the public. Officials hope to attract around 100,000 visitors each year. The Sea Forest Waterway will host Olympic and Paralympic sprint canoe and rowing events, and is being built in Koto Ward. The venue features a 2,000-meter-long course and will have an Olympic capacity of 24,000 seats, which will be reduced to 2,000 after the games. The venue was 77 percent complete as of January and is due to be finished at the end of May this year, in time to hold test events in August and September. The Sea Forest Waterway will be used to host water sports competitions after the games and also give to offer leisure facilities to Tokyo residents. Ariake Gymnastics Centre was 51 percent finished as of January and is scheduled for completion in October. It will host the Olympic gymnastics events and Paralympic boccia. The gymnasium, in Koto Ward, has been designed to incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese building methods, and makes more use of wood than any other Tokyo 2020 venue. It will feature a 120-meter-long, 90-meter wide arched wooden roof — the largest of its kind in the world — split into five sections each weighing 200 tons. “I think the scale we are working on makes it quite rare anywhere in the world,” said Director for Venues Takanori Yamaguchi. Four of the five roof sections have already been raised. The arena is set to be turned into an exhibition hall after the games. Ariake Arena will host Olympic volleyball and Paralympic wheelchair basketball. It is located in Koto Ward and is currently 51 percent finished. It is scheduled for completion in December. The venue is located less than 200 meters from residential apartments, providing a particular challenge for the building’s designers. “There are solar panels on the arena’s roof, and there was concern about the reflection on the nearby apartments,” said Director for Venues Tomohiro Terasawa. “The most effective way to use solar panels is to have them at an angle, but we’ve had to take the reflection into account and come up with a solution.” The Tokyo Aquatics Centre, which was formerly known as the Olympic Aquatics Centre, is currently 55 percent complete. It is scheduled to be finished in February 2020. The Olympic Village, in Chuo Ward, will offer 18,000 beds for athletes during the Olympics and 8,000 during the Paralympics. The residential construction is currently 73 percent complete, while the commercial construction is 18 percent complete.

tokyo
tokyo 2020 olympics
2020 tokyo paralympics
ariake gymnastics centre
tokyo aquatics centre


Dancer aims to reinvent Minamata, long known for disease caused by pollution, into a city of samba

Abstract: FUKUOKA - Minamata in Kumamoto Prefecture has long been known mainly for a deadly industrial pollution debacle that occurred decades ago, but a dancing teacher hopes he can help reinvent it into the city of samba. Masashi Ito, who prefers to go by his first name, has been teaching the Brazilian dance to local women since November and hopes to eventually produce a movie about his efforts. Masashi, who moved to the nearby city of Kumamoto in 2012 from Tokyo, first traveled to Minamata in January last year and fell in love with the Yatsushiro Sea, which Minamata faces. He soon began wondering why Minamata draws so few tourists despite the sea being declared safe in 1997, several decades after chemical firm Chisso Corp. repeatedly dumped mercury-tainted water into it in the 1950s and 1960s. Minamata disease affected those who consumed contaminated seafood, causing paralysis in the hands and feet and defects in an individual’s sight, among other ailments. It also caused birth defects. Masashi, who began practicing samba 17 years ago and has won an award at Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, made up his mind to contribute to the city the only way he knew how — through dance. His plan for a movie to capture the struggles of local women to master samba was inspired by the 2006 hit “Hula Girls,” which depicted local girls’ efforts to become hula dancers at a spa facility to revive a declining mining town in Fukushima Prefecture. Masashi has found connections between the area and Brazil, noting that many of the Japanese immigrants to the South American country originally came from Kumamoto Prefecture. He also says he finds the coastline around Minamata to be as beautiful as Rio’s Ipanema Beach. Since November, some 20 Minamata women, all novices, have taken samba lessons at a municipal facility. “The dance steps are a bit tricky,” conceded Mahiru Arahira, 43, but “it’s fun.” The women are scheduled to perform on stage in late March in Minamata. During the event, a video of their practice scenes will be released to promote the planned movie. Masashi is planning to start a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for film production. “I’d like to convey the charms of Minamata by creating a movie that can really lift up viewers,” Masashi said.

dance
disease
samba
kumamoto
minamata disease
minamata


Tepco carries out examination of melted Fukushima reactor fuel by remote-controlled probe

Abstract: The operator of the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant said Wednesday it has completed its first attempt to use a remote-controlled probe to manipulate melted fuel accumulating at the bottom of one of the crippled reactors. During the nearly eight-hour operation, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. inserted the probe that is equipped with a camera, radiation meter and tong-like grips into the primary containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor. Of the six locations that were surveyed, the probe, which is 30 cm tall and 10 cm wide, successfully lifted several centimeters of deposits at five locations, a Tepco official said at a news conference. The deposits in many of those areas resembled gravel. But in the remaining area, where deposits resembled clay, the probe could not pick up any of the deposited material, indicating it was relatively solid. The findings from the operation will provide important information to help in the decommissioning of the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors at the plant that suffered core meltdowns in the nuclear crisis that began in March 2011, according to Tepco. The No. 2 reactor was in operation when the crisis began and some fuel is believed to have melted through the reactor pressure vessel, a container that is supposed to hold the fuel, and accumulated at the bottom of the outer primary containment vessel. In the latest examination, Tepco focused on checking the nature of the deposits and did not plan to remove samples. The extraction of samples is expected to be carried out in the second half of the fiscal year starting in April, the plant operator said. The probe was inserted through a penetration hole that provides access to the primary containment vessel. It is capable of holding an object weighing up to 2 kilograms. The probe had to be remotely controlled due to the extremely high radiation levels inside the reactor. If the fuel debris is in an extractable condition, Tepco will have a better chance of removing the deposits. But if it is too hard to pick up, Tepco may have to consider developing tools capable of cutting the debris for removal. Under the decommissioning road map, Tepco and the central government will decide from which reactor to start removing fuel as well as the method for extraction within fiscal 2019. The actual removal is expected to start in 2021.

fukushima no . 1
tepco
nuclear energy
nuclear crisis


Demand for 'comfort women' apology by Emperor angered many in Japan, Abe says, as U.S. seeks calm

Abstract: An intensifying feud between Tokyo and Seoul continued to escalate Wednesday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe telling a parliamentary committee that comments by the speaker of the South Korean National Assembly had angered many in Japan. Discord in the long-standing alliance also saw renewed attention in Washington, as U.S. Republicans and Democrats came together in support of resolutions aimed at reinforcing the trilateral relationship. “I believe many Japanese people felt shocked and angered,” Abe said regarding Speaker Moon Hee-sang’s request in an interview last Thursday for an apology from Emperor Akihito in order to address the “comfort women” issue. The term “comfort women” is a euphemism used to refer to women who provided sex, including those who did so against their will, for Japanese troops before and during World War II. In the interview, Moon said, “If a person like that (Emperor Akihito) holds the hands of the elderly and says he’s really sorry, then that one word will resolve matters once and for all.” Speaking in Washington on Monday, he reiterated the need for an apology from “a leader in a responsible position in Japan” to South Korean media. According to Yonhap News Agency, Moon went on to say Tuesday that he “cannot understand at all” Abe’s protest at his remarks, and to reject Tokyo’s demand for an apology. Abe responded to those comments during the Lower House Budget Committee session Wednesday, saying, “It is extremely deplorable that the speaker has repeated similar remarks.” “Bilateral ties cannot continue if a promise between countries was overturned by a change of government,” he added. The South Korean speaker’s remarks have drawn ire from Japan at a time when bilateral ties were already suffering over other wartime related issues as well as a row over a South Korean Navy vessel’s alleged locking of fire-control radar on a Japanese patrol plane in December. On Tuesday in Washington, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate from both parties responded to the escalating tensions by introducing resolutions in the two chambers affirming Congress’ strong support for ties between the three countries and the critical importance of cooperation. The dispute threatens regional efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program, just weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold a second summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28. “With so much at stake … it is critical that we maintain a responsible path forward,” Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a co-sponsor of the measure, said in a statement. The measures were introduced by Engel and Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as top Senate Foreign Relations Democrat Bob Menendez and the leaders from both parties of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Asia subcommittees. Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tokyo has lodged protests with Seoul and demanded an apology from Moon, as well as a withdrawal of his comments, five times since the South Korean speaker’s interview with Bloomberg News last Thursday sparked the most recent clash in the monthslong frictions. The two countries reached an agreement in 2015 aimed at settling the comfort women issue “finally and irreversibly,” with Tokyo funding a foundation designed to help the victims. But a new government in Seoul has since revisited the deal, concluding it could not settle the issue as the agreement failed to reflect the opinions of surviving victims. The South Korean government also said last November it would dissolve the foundation. “I hope South Korea will deal with the matter in a sincere manner,” Kono said, regarding the neighboring country’s response to Japan’s repeated requests for an apology and withdrawal of the comments.

wwii
history
comfort women
emperor akihito
imperial family
south korea-japan relations
prime minister shinzo abe
moon hee-sang


Abe's remark that DPJ rule was 'like a nightmare' sparks opposition fury as Japan elections loom

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and opposition heavyweight Katsuya Okada argued emotionally in the Diet on Tuesday over Abe’s recent remark that Japan was going through a “nightmare” before his Liberal Democratic Party returned to power in 2012. At a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Okada, who served as deputy prime minister under the administration of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, urged Abe to retract the remark. The prime minister flatly rejected the demand. Abe made the “nightmare” remark at an annual convention of the LDP on Sunday, where he expressed his resolve to lead the party to victory in unified local elections in April and in the House of Councilors poll in the summer. “We suffered a humiliating defeat in the Upper House election 12 years ago, leading to the launch of the DPJ administration, which was like a nightmare,” Abe said. During the Lower House committee meeting on Tuesday, Okada admitted that he had regrets over some aspects of the DPJ-led government, including about its response to the March 2011 nuclear accident at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. But Okada countered that the root cause of the nuclear crisis was the development of nuclear plants under past LDP administrations. “Don’t you have any regrets (about the past nuclear energy policy)?” he asked Abe. “We do regret the severe nuclear accident,” Abe said. But he quickly added, “At least we can say this: The DPJ administration did not represent a rosy period.” Abe then claimed that former DPJ members did not use the party name when they launched a new party, due to negative associations. A furious Okada told Abe, “Stop labeling (the DPJ administration) as a total failure.” Amid raucous heckling from both ruling and opposition lawmakers, Abe replied in a sarcastic tone, “Which party has displayed placards saying, ‘No to the Abe government’?” Okada told reporters later in the day that he was “very surprised that the prime minister didn’t seem to feel regrets (about past LDP administrations) at all.”

shinzo abe
fukushima no . 1
ldp
diet
dpj
katsuya okada
dpp


Government slammed for singling out 'problematic' Tokyo Shimbun reporter in warning to press club

Abstract: The government’s handling of a Tokyo Shimbun reporter known for her assertive questioning style has come under heavy scrutiny, after it emerged that authorities issued a statement last year singling her out for criticism and urging the Japanese press to keep their questions “accurate” and “fact-based.” The statement, issued on Dec. 28 by a public relations official from the Prime Minister’s Office to a community of journalists that routinely covers the entity, has since ignited criticism that it amounts to an infringement on the freedom of press. In it, official Hideki Uemura accused a “particular reporter from Tokyo Shimbun” of bombarding Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga with “questions at odds with facts” over environmental problems in Okinawa during one of his twice-daily news conferences. With Suga’s briefing live-streamed online, questions based on misunderstandings of facts risk “spreading incorrect information among a wide-ranging audience both at home and abroad,” Uemura said, adding that his office considers her “problematic” behavior a serious matter. Although the government “has no intention” of restricting the rights of reporters to ask questions, Uemura nonetheless asked that their inquiries be conducted “based on an accurate grasp of facts.” The unusual statement calling out the Tokyo Shimbun reporter, Isoko Mochizuki, was highlighted in coverage earlier this month by a monthly magazine, finding its way out of the exclusive, tightly knit press association — known as a “kisha club,” or press club — to which it had been addressed. The term kisha club refers to a group of representatives from major news organizations that cover specific government entities or industries. For example, The Japan Times is a member of a press club covering the Prime Minister’s Office. The magazine report was followed by an outpouring of criticism against what many regarded as an attempt by the government to suppress freedom of the press. Uemura’s statement drew heat in a Diet debate Tuesday, with opposition lawmaker Soichiro Okuno slamming the document as tantamount to an attempt to “suppress the freedom of press and the people’s right to know” information. “If you got something to say, why not say it during the news conference? When there is a gross misunderstanding of facts in reporters’ questions, you should rebut it on the spot. Issuing a statement like this can be seen as an interference with reporters’ jobs,” said Okuno, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party for the People. Suga revealed in the debate that the government had lodged protests with the Tokyo Shimbun “approximately nine times” to date. After the Diet session, during his briefing Wednesday, Suga argued that Mochizuki, whom he did not mention by name, had a track record of asking questions for which fact-checking had been subpar. He cited one occasion where she was said to have suggested he’d canceled a plan to meet a United Nations special rapporteur at the last minute — when in fact, he said, there was no such arrangement in the first place. Suga repeated his previous description of Mochizuki’s questions as an “attack based on assumptions.” It was through her persistent grilling of Suga in June 2017, over what is now known as the Kake Gakuen cronyism scandal, that Mochizuki shot to fame. Since then, she has become a unique fixture at the news conference, showering the top government spokesman with tough — if lengthy — questions over controversial matters. Uemura, who moderates the daily briefing, now customarily “interrupts” — as Mochizuki puts it — her mid-sentence every few seconds, urging her to “keep your question short” and “cut to the chase” as she speaks, even though he rarely treats other reporters this way. She is almost always the last person to be permitted by Suga to speak. “Mr. Uemura’s sabotaging of my questions has been going on for over a year now. This is nothing other than pressure against me,” Mochizuki said to Suga during a daily briefing on Friday, before asking if Uemura has been acting upon his instruction. Suga denied the allegation. At the Diet on Tuesday, Abe said the government was making “its best effort” to secure the public’s rights to know, specifically citing the practice of twice-daily briefings by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the likes of which he claimed is nonexistent in other countries. When contacted by The Japan Times, Tokyo Shimbun fired back at Suga’s accusation against Mochizuki. In a statement, its editorial department said she is “stating facts and information she is aware of at the time of questioning as an introduction to her questions.” “It’s nothing different from usual reporting, and does not amount to ‘an attack based on assumptions.'” Soon after the statement became known to the public, Shimbun Roren (the Japan Federation of Newspaper Workers’ Unions) released its own letter protesting the government’s treatment of Mochizuki. Uemura’s statement is “utterly unacceptable” in that it “essentially seeks to exclude reporters whose views are at odds with the government and clearly restricts reporters’ rights to ask questions, impinging on the people’s rights to know,” Shimbun Roren said. Last week the Japan Congress of Journalists followed suit, releasing its own statement lambasting what it described as Suga’s frequent, terse dismissals of critical questions from reporters as “untrue,” and his lack of an effort to offer further explanation. “If reporters’ questions are inaccurate, that’s all the more reason he should try to seek an understanding by explaining step-by-step. Brushing off their questions outright as ‘false,’ and limiting — and even sabotaging — them, is a despicable attack on journalism and the people’s right to know.”

shinzo abe
yoshihide suga
press freedom
tokyo shimbun


Gaffe-prone Olympics minister slammed for saying he is 'really disappointed' over swimmer Ikee's leukemia diagnosis

Abstract: Gaffe-prone Olympics minister Yoshitaka Sakurada apologized Wednesday for making comments he acknowledged “lacked consideration” for star Rikako Ikee’s feelings following her leukemia diagnosis. Sakurada, who is responsible for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, retracted comments he made a day earlier after the remarks quickly triggered a massive backlash from both the public and fellow politicians. “She is a potential gold medalist, an athlete for whom we have great expectations. I’m really disappointed,” Sakurada told reporters hours after the teenage swimming sensation revealed her illness Tuesday. Ikee, 18-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold-medal hopeful, who has attracted fans at home and abroad, is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment. Sakurada was also quoted as saying that he hoped she would “focus on her treatment and do her best,” adding that he wants “to see her well.” However, the minister, who doubles as the government’s cybersecurity strategy chief and is no stranger to controversy, appeared to place more of an importance on motivating the Japanese Olympic team than Ikee’s well being. “When one person leads, she can rouse the whole team,” he said. “I am slightly worried that this type of excitement can wane.” Sakurada, who revealed last November that despite his role, he does not use a computer, attempted to defend himself in the aftermath of his latest gaffe. “Her recovery is the most important thing,” the 69-year-old told Kyodo News while trying to explain his comments. “I would like her to focus on her treatment and get better as soon as possible.” In the wake of his remarks, opposition politicians and fans of the star swimmer pressed for Sakurada’s resignation, with many describing his comments as “heartless.” However, Sakurada told the Lower House Budget Committee he has no plans to step down. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also rejected calls for Sakurada’s resignation, saying he hopes the minister will “fulfill his duties.” “This is terrible. Is this the type of comment that Cabinet members should make? It is symbolic of the character of Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe’s administration,” said Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People. Yukio Edano, who heads the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, was incredulous over the minister’s remarks. “He cannot empathize with someone suffering from a terrible illness,” Edano said. Fans of Ikee, who holds multiple national records, ripped into the minister on social media, calling for his head while expressing their support for the swimmer. “Isn’t it normal for the minister to apologize and resign (in a case like this)?” asked one. “Most people want (Ikee) to just get better more than (they care about) Olympics or medals. That’s the only thing that matters and we don’t need unnecessary comments,” wrote another fan. Since the announcement of her diagnosis, messages of support and encouragement have been pouring in for Ikee, who won an unprecedented six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and became the first female athlete to be named MVP at the region’s biggest multisport event.

leukemia
rikako ikee
yoshitaka sakurada
tokyo 2020 olympcis


Popular actor Ichikawa Ebizo sees 2020 Games as chance to bring kabuki to a global stage

Abstract: Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo said Wednesday the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo will be an opportunity to promote the Japanese theater art and try and capture the hearts of international audiences. In a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Ebizo, the son and successor of the late Ichikawa Danjuro XII, said he is already exploring ways to maintain the Olympic legacy and keep kabuki fans from turning away after the games. “In 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, we will see an influx of foreign visitors to Japan,” Ebizo said. “In July we hope many people will be coming to see kabuki, and we are now discussing which performances would be attractive to such audiences. The question is not what kind of plays we can have during the Olympics, but more how to promote kabuki after the games.” The 41-year-old, who is known for sticking to a strict diet and workout regimen, says it is important to keep traditions going, but looking at just preserving the classics could be considered egotistical on the actors’ part. “We need to recognize the changes in Japanese aesthetics,” he said. He addressed the country’s aging demographics, saying some of the challenges Japan faces are also seen in the world of kabuki, which has an older fan base. There is a need to make kabuki more enjoyable for its devoted fans while at the same time playing to a younger audience.


Three dead and one injured in Tokyo warehouse fire

Abstract: A fire at a warehouse in Ota Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday afternoon left three men dead and injured another, as well as causing disruption to some flights at nearby Haneda airport. Firefighters received an emergency call at around 1:25 p.m. reporting a fire at a warehouse used by a subsidiary of major seafood company Maruha Nichiro Corp. Five and a half hours later the blaze was said to have been subdued but not yet fully extinguished. The five-story warehouse, located in an industrial area along Tokyo Bay, was being used by Maruha Nichiro Logistics Inc. to store frozen food products, according to its parent company. A plumber was welding pipes when the fire broke out, the company said. Police are continuing to investigate the cause. Four other people were rescued from the roof by helicopter, the Tokyo Fire Department said. More than 50 fire engines and other vehicles arrived at the scene to extinguish the blaze, which appeared to have started on the fifth floor of the building. The fire temporarily forced Haneda airport to halt the use of one of its four runways, causing short delays to some flights, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

haneda airport
fire
maruha nichiro corp .


Tokyo to ban guardians from physical punishment and verbal abuse of children in wake of Chiba case

Abstract: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will introduce an ordinance on child abuse prevention, banning parents and other guardians from physically punishing and verbally abusing children following a high-profile fatal abuse case last year. The draft of the new ordinance, which also requires child welfare centers to share information among themselves, will be submitted to the regular meeting of the metropolitan assembly starting Feb. 20 with the aim of implementing the measures in April, it said. Despite describing the proposal as a “ban,” the planned ordinance lacks punitive clauses. The metropolitan government decided to compile the ordinance on child abuse prevention after 5-year-old Yua Funato died in March last year in Meguro Ward, Tokyo. The case revealed shocking details of abuse and neglect she had suffered at the hands of her parents despite desperate pleas for them to “forgive” her and stop mistreating her. A Tokyo government panel reviewing the case concluded in November that child welfare centers in Kagawa Prefecture and Tokyo had failed to liaise sufficiently regarding the family when they moved, and were slow to check on the safety of the girl. Nine of Japan’s 47 prefectures already have ordinances on child abuse prevention. Tokyo’s envisioned ordinance is said to ban physical punishment and other actions by guardians that inflict physical and mental suffering on children. It requests that parents get medical checkups for children, in addition to pregnant women undergoing such checkups. The ordinance requires child welfare centers in Tokyo to properly pass information to centers elsewhere when they refer ongoing cases, depending on the urgency of each case, while stating that the Tokyo government will create an environment in which people can report suspected abuse cases without hesitation. Yua’s stepfather Yudai Funato and her mother Yuri were indicted over the child’s death in June last year, for allegedly failing to give their daughter enough food and assaulting her in their home in Tokyo since late January that year. Yua died in March from sepsis caused by pneumonia as the couple did not take her to a hospital, fearing revelation of the abuse, according to the indictment. She weighed only 12 kilograms when she was found dead, compared with the average weight for her age of 20 kg. The move by the Tokyo government also comes on the heels of another high profile abuse case involving 10-year-old Mia Kurihara, in Noda, Chiba Prefecture. Since her death last month Mia’s parents have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting their daughter, after allegedly mistreating her and depriving her of food and sleep. The case also highlighted a series of missteps by authorities in protecting her, with the Noda board of education having given the girl’s father a copy of a questionnaire in which she said she was being “bullied” by him. Although she was once taken into protective custody, she was later returned home based on a statement she wrote saying that her response to the questionnaire was a lie. It was later found that the father forced the girl to write the statement. Although Tokyo’s move to outlaw corporal punishment by parents would be a step forward, protections still lag behind those in many other countries — especially in Europe, where corporal punishment of minors is illegal both at schools and at home. According to recent government data, police reported the suspected abuse of a record-high 80,104 minors, aged below 18, to child welfare authorities in 2018 amid growing public awareness of the problem. Given such developments, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to crack down on the increasing number of child abuse cases in Japan. Abe told members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday that his government had ordered child welfare centers across the nation to confirm within a month the safety of all children suspected to have been abused. He also said the government would raise the number of child welfare workers by some 1,000 for fiscal 2019, which starts in April, from the current 3,200.

corporal punishment
child abuse
tokyo metropolitan government


Kyushu Electric to scrap No. 2 reactor at Genkai nuclear plant due to cost of safety upgrades at aging site

Abstract: FUKUOKA - Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it has decided to scrap its aging No. 2 reactor at its Genkai nuclear plant in Saga Prefecture. The utility abandoned a plan to restart the unit, which has an output of 559 megawatts, in the face of the huge costs involved in enhancing the safety of the reactor that is already near the end of its 40-year operating life. The firm also took into account that it is unable to secure land to build a counterterrorism facility, which is required under Japan’s new nuclear safety rules. Kyushu Electric President Kazuhiro Ikebe met Saga Gov. Yoshinori Yamaguchi Wednesday to notify him of the decision. “Even if the plant is decommissioned, it doesn’t mean the nuclear fuel or radioactive materials will disappear immediately,” Yamaguchi said. “We hope you will be absolutely sure about securing safety.” The move had been a focus of attention as the firm needed to apply to extend the unit’s operations by March 2020, a year before it would reach its operating limit. The reactor, which started operating in March 1981, has been idled since a routine checkup shortly before the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The Genkai plant consists of four units. The utility already decided in 2015 to scrap its aging No. 1 unit, which had the same output capacity as the No. 2 reactor. Decommissioning work at the No. 1 reactor started in July 2017 and is expected to continue through fiscal 2043. Kyushu Electric restarted the newer Nos. 3 and 4 reactors, which each have an output of 1,180 megawatts, in 2018, after securing approval under the stricter safety rules introduced in the wake of the core meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. Aside from the reactors at the Fukushima plant, decommissioning of 10 reactors at seven plants in Japan has already been decided since the Nuclear Regulation Authority introduced the new rules. Genkai’s No. 2 unit will be the 11th such reactor. There have been a number of operational problems at the Genkai power plant. In May last year, pumps installed to control the circulation of cooling water at the No. 4 unit suffered malfunctions, following a steam leak from a pipe at the No. 3 reactor just a week after it was reactivated in March. Some local residents have sought to stop operation of the Nos. 3 and 4 units with a temporary injunction, with doubts about the safety measures taken and citing the risk of volcanic eruptions in the region. Their case is pending at the Fukuoka High Court. Last month, Kyushu Electric reported its group net profit had dropped to ¥26.69 billion ($241 million) in the April-December period, down 63.8 percent from the year before, as costs for a regular check at another nuclear plant weighed on its balance sheet.

nuclear energy
saga
kyushu electric
genkai


Wreck of USS Hornet, from which first WWII airborne attack on Japan was launched, found in South Pacific

Abstract: The discovery of the wreck of the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, which played a key role in several monumental points during World War II including the Doolittle Raid on Japan and the pivotal Battle of Midway, was announced Tuesday by U.S. researchers, more than 75 years after the vessel was sunk. An expedition crew funded by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that searches for “historically significant shipwrecks” uncovered the wreckage in waters more than 5 kilometers deep in the South Pacific Ocean in late January. “We had Hornet on our list of WWII warships that we wanted to locate because of its place in history as a capitol carrier that saw many pivotal moments in naval battles,” said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Allen’s company Vulcan, in a statement. The 10-person expedition team on the 250-foot (76-meter) research vessel (RV) Petrel was able to locate the Hornet’s position by piecing together data from national and naval archives, including official deck logs and action reports from other ships engaged in the Battle of Santa Cruz Island, during which it was sunk, the researchers said. Positions and sightings from nine other U.S. warships in the area were plotted on a chart to generate the starting point for the search grid. Photos released by the team showed an anti-aircraft gun and other weapons in the wreckage deep under the ocean. The famed Doolittle Raid — the first airborne attack on Japanese homeland targets, including Tokyo — was launched by U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Doolittle from the deck of the Hornet in April 1942. That raid showed that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to U.S. air attacks, while also serving as retaliation for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and providing an important morale boost for America in the opening days of the war. “In the dark days following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, she and the Doolittle Raiders were the first Americans to punch back at Japan, giving hope to the nation and the world when things looked bleakest,” Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said in a statement. In June of that year, the Hornet was one of three American carriers that surprised and sunk four Japanese carriers at Midway, turning the tide of the Pacific War. The ship was sunk during the exceptionally vicious Battle of Santa Cruz Island on Oct. 26, 1943. After a relentless coordinated attack by Japanese dive-bombers and torpedo planes, its crew eventually abandoned it. Two Japanese destroyers later launched an additional torpedo attack, finally sinking the Hornet. “When they left, we were dead in the water,” Richard Nowatzki, a gunner on the ship who survived the battle, told CBS News. “They used armor piercing bombs, now when they come down, you hear ’em going through the decks … plink, plink, plink, plink … and then when they explode the whole ship shakes.” Retired Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, director of naval history and heritage command, said in the statement that while the Hornet was lost, the Japanese victory came at “an extremely high cost.” “About half the Japanese aircraft engaged were shot down by greatly improved U.S. Navy anti-aircraft defenses,” he said. “As a result, the Japanese carriers did not engage again in battle for almost another two years.”

wwii
history
paul allen
south pacific
uss hornet
doolittle raid
wrecks


Lack of Brexit deal leaves exporters to Asia in limbo

Abstract: LONDON - Business is brisk at Nim’s Fruit Crisps. Pineapples are imported from Costa Rica, kiwis from Italy and oranges and lemons from Spain. They’re then turned into healthy snacks for export to Israel, South Africa, Hong Kong and elsewhere. You wouldn’t know that the company in southeast England is already about to head into the post-Brexit world without knowing what it will look like. Nim’s will ship goods in coming weeks that are due to arrive at their destination after March 29, the date the U.K. plans to leave the European Union. The country still can’t agree on a deal to keep borders open and trade flowing. “We’re just going to wing it really,” founder Nimisha Raja said. “There’s not much more we can do.” The problem for British exporters is that the U.K. is yet to roll over the majority of the beneficial trade terms around the globe it gets through EU membership. That means goods being readied for dispatch that take as long as six weeks to reach destinations in Asia could end up sat in quarantine or face disputes over who pays any new customs duties. “The uncertainty is not something that will happen in early April, it is something that is with us (now),” Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said Sunday on the BBC. Deals between the EU and other countries cover more than 11 percent of Britain’s trade. Liam Fox, the minister in charge of international trade, said last month that the major deals would be rolled over before March 29, though others wouldn’t. “There will be a frantic look at contracts,” said Alex Veitch, a head of policy at the Freight Transport Association. “Changes in duties could increase the cost of a product massively.” Some companies are trying to speed up delivery times to beat the deadline. Joe & Seph’s, a gourmet popcorn producer in London, has started air freighting its goods to markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore instead of sending them by sea, even though it costs more than double per shipment. “It’s too big a risk,” said Adam Sopher, the company’s co-founder. “My relationship with my customers is the most important thing. The uncertainty is a nightmare.” The trade dilemma also applies for imports. Edinburgh-based haggis brand Macsween, which brings in pulses from Canada and onions from India and Egypt, has had more difficulty getting long-term contracts with its suppliers because of uncertainty over Britain’s future trading status. “It makes it harder to plan our prices,” said James Macsween, managing director of the third-generation family business, which counts Marks & Spencer Group Plc as its biggest customer. “We were led to believe these trade deals would be sorted, but we’re in the unknown.” That said, U.K. exporters face a potentially significant benefit in a no-deal Brexit scenario if the pound depreciates further, which would make their goods more attractive for foreign buyers, said Sean Ramsden, chief executive of Ramsden International, which wholesales British products worldwide. “There’s an element of insurance there,” Ramsden said. “While some markets may be slightly more challenging, it could be more than offset by our products being cheaper around the world.” The U.K.’s Department for International Trade says avoiding disruption to Britain’s global trading relationships is a priority and that it continues to engage with all its trading partners. Britain has signed continuity trade agreements with Chile, the Faroe Islands and eastern and southern Africa. The latest one, announced on Monday, was with Switzerland.


Japan's economy shows modest rebound in October-December quarter

Abstract: Japan’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.4 percent in the October-December quarter, government data showed Thursday, signaling only a modest recovery from a string of natural disasters in the summer that cast doubt on its durability. The expansion in inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, the total value of goods and services produced, followed a revised 2.6 percent contraction in July-September. It beat the average forecast of 1.19 percent growth made by private-sector economists polled by Kyodo News. Compared with the previous quarter, the world’s third-largest economy grew a real 0.3 percent, according to preliminary figures from the Cabinet Office. Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of the nation’s economy, rose 0.6 percent as households spent more on eating out and traveling. Capital expenditure was up 2.4 percent as firms took advantage of record-high corporate earnings to boost capacity and productivity. Meanwhile, net exports pushed down GDP by 0.3 percentage point, as a 2.7 percent growth in imports outpaced a 0.9 percent rise in exports. Demand from China for high-tech products has suffered in particular from a slowdown in the Chinese economy and an ongoing tariff war with the United States. Toshimitsu Motegi, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, told a news conference that, on the whole, the economy continues to recover moderately but warned that risks abroad — including the heightened trade tensions — “warrant caution.” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government said last month the Japanese economy is likely to be in the midst of its longest expansion phase since the end of World War II. His Liberal Democratic Party hopes to leverage the success of his Abenomics policy of drastic monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms in local and national elections this year. But Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute, said the economic expansion may be nearing an end as a severe labor shortage and tepid wage gains take their toll. “I think we’ll be seeing more and more signs of a soft landing,” which could be triggered by a fall in household spending following a planned increase in consumption tax — from 8 percent to 10 percent — in October, he said. In nominal terms, or unadjusted for inflation, GDP grew an annualized 1.1 percent, and 0.3 percent quarterly. In 2018, the economy grew 0.7 percent in real terms, up for the seventh straight year. Nominal GDP climbed to a record ¥548.5 trillion ($4.9 trillion). The Cabinet Office is scheduled to revise the October-December GDP figures on March 8, following the release of government data on corporate activities.


'Tayyip's tomatoes': Local governments in Turkey sell cheap veggies before polls amid runaway inflation

Abstract: ISTANBUL - Grocery shoppers in Turkey looking for a bargain were able to buy vegetables at unbeatable prices this week from an unexpected source: the local government. Turkish authorities have started setting up their own vegetable stands in a bid to force markets to lower food prices as the country struggles with persistently high inflation. But while shoppers have flocked to the stands, the country’s opposition has accused the government of attempting to curry favor ahead of local elections next month by feeding into popular anger over rising food prices. Local officials in Istanbul, surrounded by sacks of potatoes and onions, sold vegetables to customers who had queued for hours after the city’s metropolitan municipality set up the first stands on Monday. More than 50 stalls will be up and running next week, selling vegetables two to three times cheaper than supermarkets, the Istanbul municipality said. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of tomatoes costs three Turkish lira (57 cents) at the government stands, while a kilo of potatoes or onions costs two lira. Sales are capped at 3 kg per person per vegetable. When housewife Betul Sonmez heard about the initiative, she rushed to the big tent put up by the municipality in the district of Besiktas on the European side of Istanbul. The 50-year-old left with bags full of potatoes, onions and tomatoes that cost her a total of 20 lira. “I would have paid around 50 liras for this in a supermarket,” she said. “How can we get by at that price?” The initiative in Istanbul, as well as in the capital Ankara where 15 stands will be set up, is part of the government’s effort to curb inflation, which has reached record levels in the past few months. The food sector has been hit particularly hard, with prices increasing by 6.43 percent in January compared with the previous month — after skyrocketing by 30.97 percent last year — according to recently released official figures. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared war on what he has called “food price terrorism,” accusing retailers of selling products at unreasonable prices. And he does not plan to stop at vegetables. “From cleaning products to whatever else they have on supermarket shelves, we will start to sell them,” he promised during a rally for local elections to be held on March 31. Many Turks, like Erdogan and pro-government media, accuse retailers of pushing prices up because of greed. “Now they are going to be stuck with the vegetables which will rot in their hands,” retiree Hasan said as he lined up for the stand in Besiktas. But the stands have also been the subject of sharp criticism. Turkey’s main opposition parties say Erdogan is scapegoating retailers for his own inability to control inflation, and forcing municipalities to sell vegetables at a loss, using public money to cover the losses. “Why are they doing it now? Because there will be elections soon,” said Besiktas resident Kiymet Erdumlu in front of the municipality’s stall. Seracettin Suyu, who runs a market stall in Istanbul’s Sisli district, said the purpose of the push was “to accuse us, to make us enemies … it’s not ethical, it’s a disgrace. The 42-year-old trader said the high prices were due to bad weather conditions in southern Turkey in recent weeks, as well as increased costs of production. “Lower these costs, such as fuel, and then we can lower our prices,” he said. But for now, Suyu is not worried and continues to sell his tomatoes for 8 lira a kilo. “There is one month until the elections. After that, they will move on to something else.” With 300 tons of vegetables sold in Istanbul on Monday, according to the municipality, the stands are a success — and seem to have already had an impact on supermarkets. Some of the major supermarket chains operating in Turkey, such as Migros and Carrefour, have dropped the prices of some vegetables to bring them in line with those of the municipality’s stands, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday. The paper said the chains were also setting a cap of three kilos per product. In a Migros store in Nisantasi, a posh Istanbul neighborhood, a kilo of tomatoes has been sold for three lira since Tuesday. “Tayyip’s tomatoes have arrived here!” one customer said, to laughter in the shop.

election
inflation
turkey
recep tayyip erdogan
vegetables
food prices


Itochu worker now detained in China for more than a year over espionage: sources

Abstract: BEIJING - Chinese authorities have been holding a male employee of major Japanese trading house Itochu Corp. in connection with espionage allegations for about a year, sources familiar with the case said Thursday. The employee, who is in his 40s, was detained by state security authorities during a visit to Guangzhou, a port city in Guangdong province, in February last year on suspicion of harming Chinese security, the sources said. He has been tried but a ruling has not been issued, according to the sources. What exactly he was tried for is unclear. The Japanese consulate-general in Guangzhou said it is in the process of ascertaining the facts of the case. A handful of Japanese nationals have been detained and indicted in China over espionage in recent years, some of whom were sentenced last year to prison terms.


No golden parachute: Renault board blocks payouts to Carlos Ghosn worth €10 million

Abstract: PARIS - French carmaker Renault SA said Wednesday it would block a major payout for detained former boss Carlos Ghosn as the group seeks to avoid the prospect of an embarrassing “golden parachute.” A month after Ghosn resigned from Renault, the company’s board announced it would not pay the equivalent of two years of salary to the 64-year-old under a noncompete clause in his contract, estimated to be worth €4 million ($4.5 million). The board also said Ghosn would miss out on stock options issued between 2015 and 2018 because they were “subject to his presence within Renault.” Company sources said the stocks were only convertible after Ghosn had spent four years with the company, meaning this year he could have claimed those issued in 2015. The combined value of the noncompete clause and the 2015 shares was estimated to be worth €10 million. Ghosn has been held in a Tokyo jail since his stunning arrest in Tokyo in November on charges of underreporting his salary as head of Nissan Motor Co., Renault’s partner in an alliance Ghosn built up into the world’s top-selling auto group. Renault’s move came shortly after the humbled former auto boss shook up his top legal team, vowing to prove his innocence and forcefully defend himself against the charges. He replaced former prosecutor Motonari Otsuru with veteran lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, who has a history of taking on high-profile cases and enjoys an enviable acquittal rate in a country where almost every trial results in a guilty verdict. “I look forward to defending myself vigorously, and this represents the beginning of the process of not only establishing my innocence but also shedding light on the circumstances that led to my unjust detention,” the Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese executive said. The surprise shake-up came on the eve of an expected first meeting between the Tokyo District Court, prosecutors, and defense lawyers to discuss the outlines of Ghosn’s eventual trial. The French state, which is a major shareholder in Renault, has said it would do its utmost to avoid a golden parachute for the 64-year-old that would have proved highly controversial. In 2018, Ghosn was forced to accept a 30 percent pay cut from Renault under pressure from the French state, following a public outcry about the €7 million he was paid annually. In 2016, the man known as “le cost-killer” for slashing outlays and jobs took home a combined €15.4 million from his roles at Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi in a mix of fixed payouts and performance-linked bonuses. As part of his Renault pay package, Ghosn was eligible to receive 100,000 company shares every year, but they could only be cashed after four years and if he remained with the company. Ghosn was therefore unable to claim the shares from 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the company said in its statement. It did not mention other payouts to which Ghosn could have been entitled after he formally resigned last month, having been at the helm of Renault since 2005. Shareholder advisory group Proxinvest estimates he could be eligible for an annual pension payout of €765,000 a year. Renault’s board said it would decide on Ghosn’s pay for the 2018 financial year on March 15. Ghosn has been behind bars since Nov. 19 on three charges of financial misconduct and has seen two bail requests refused, with the court judging him a flight risk. He faces charges of underreporting his income between 2010 and 2015 to the tune of ¥5 billion ($46 million), and continuing to do so for a further three years. Ghosn also stands accused of a complex scheme to try to pass off personal foreign exchange losses to Nissan, and using company funds to reimburse a Saudi contact who stumped up collateral for him. He said in January that the allegations against him and his arrest were “a story of betrayal,” insisting “there is not one yen that I have received that was not reported.” Hironaka, Ghosn’s new counsel, is a veteran defense lawyer who was involved in the successful defense in 2012 of the influential politician Ichiro Ozawa, an shrewd election strategist accused of playing a role in misreporting political funds. There had been no public sign of a rift between Ghosn and his lead lawyers, though neither the executive nor the attorney have spoken much publicly since the arrest.


Dollar rises above ¥111 in Tokyo as optimism grows over U.S. shutdown, trade talks with China

Abstract: The dollar firmed above ¥111 in Tokyo trading Thursday, backed by higher optimism about trade negotiations between the U.S. and China. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥111.06-07, up from ¥110.68-69 at the same time on Wednesday. The euro was at $1.1286-1286, down from $1.1319-1319, and at ¥125.35-36, up from ¥125.29-29. In early trading, the dollar traded mainly around ¥110.90-¥111.00 before weakening below ¥110.90 on a slight downturn in the Nikkei stock average, traders said. The greenback rose back to around ¥111 later in the morning, supported by the key stock market indicator’s return to positive territory and buying by domestic importers. In the afternoon, the U.S. currency temporarily surpassed ¥111.10 on a media report that the U.S. government is considering pushing back the deadline for a trade deal with China, a market source said, adding that players later retreated to the sidelines to wait for the release of U.S. retail sales data for December. “The basic dollar-buying trend continued” as investors anticipated progress in the trade negotiations and a deal between U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress to avert another partial shutdown of the Federal government, a currency broker said. But when the dollar topped ¥111, selling by domestic exporters emerged, a Japanese bank official said.

exchange rates
foreign exchange
forex
currencies
fx


Tokyo stocks edge down amid profit-taking after two-day rally

Abstract: The benchmark Nikkei average closed slightly lower in lackluster trading Thursday, pressured by selling to lock in profits. The 225-issue Nikkei average fell 4.77 points, or 0.02 percent, to end at 21,139.71 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, the key market gauge jumped 280.27 points. The Topix index of all first-section issues was up 0.48 point, or 0.03 percent, at 1,589.81. It climbed 16.73 points the previous day. After getting off to a firmer start reflecting higher U.S. stock prices and the yen’s fall against the dollar, the Tokyo market came under profit-taking pressure that grew following a two-day rally. But the market’s downside was supported by a weaker yen, allowing the Nikkei average to hover around the previous day’s closing level throughout the day’s trading, market sources said. Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management Co., said investors took a breather after watching the key index surge over 800 points over the past two sessions. Corporate earnings news is becoming scarce as the reporting season is about to end in Japan, Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc., pointed out. Lacking cues from U.S.-China trade negotiations, players refrained from tilting their positions either way, according to an official at a bank-affiliated securities firm. Rising issues slightly outnumbered falling ones 1,050 to 999 on the TSE’s first section, while 78 issues were unchanged. Volume fell to 1.345 billion shares from Wednesday’s 1.413 billion. General contractor Obayashi went up 4.2 percent as its operating profit for the April-December period beat the market’s consensus, brokers said. Nisshinbo Holdings was also upbeat as investors took heart from the textile maker’s share buyback plan. Among other major gainers were drug maker Astellas and apparel chain Fast Retailing. By contrast, job information provider Recruit met with selling due to the firm’s failure to upgrade its earnings estimates for the year ending in March, brokers said. Daily goods producer Kao and industrial robot maker Fanuc also fell noticeably. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key March contract on the Nikkei average gained 30 points to finish at 21,190.


$2.5 billion blue jeans fortune emerges for Haas family with Levi's IPO plan

Abstract: NEW YORK - Levi’s are proving an enduring wardrobe investment for the descendants of the inventor of blue jeans. The Haas family, which traces its lineage to company founder Levi Strauss, owns almost 59 percent of the San Francisco-based apparel maker that filed for an initial public offering on Wednesday. The firm is said to be valued at $5 billion, according to CNBC, giving the family a combined net worth of at least $2.5 billion. Bavarian-born Strauss emigrated to New York in 1848 and was soon lured to San Francisco by the California Gold Rush. Failing to find much gold, he started a West Coast branch of his brothers’ wholesale dry goods business and called it Levi Strauss & Co. One day he received a letter from a customer, a Nevada tailor named Jacob Davis, who’d started designing pants with rivets to make them last longer. He needed a business partner and Strauss was eager to collaborate. The patent for the first pair of blue jeans was granted to the partners in 1873. When Strauss died unmarried and childless in 1902, the bulk of his $6 million estate (worth $175 million in today’s dollars) passed to his four nephews and other relatives. His nephews carried on the business, rebuilding it from scratch after the firm’s headquarters and factory were destroyed by the deadly 1906 earthquake and fire. They also oversaw the release of its first product for women, “Freedom-Alls,” in 1918. But it wasn’t until after World War II that Levi’s gained renown as a fashion product, having gotten a boost in global exposure from U.S. soldiers sporting the brand. Western movies and Hollywood stars like James Dean further burnished its fashion cred, making the rugged pants a cultural touchstone of the Baby Boom era. The company’s biggest individual shareholder is Mimi Haas, with a 16.7 percent stake, according to a prospectus. She’s a vice chair of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the widow of Levi Strauss’s grandnephew by marriage, Peter Haas Sr., who worked at the family business for 60 years until his death in 2005. He and his brother, Walter, succeeded their father, Walter Sr., in running the business in the 1940s and helped oversee the first IPO in 1971. The family orchestrated a leveraged buyout 14 years later after revenue and profits sagged. Other major shareholders of the business include Peter Haas’s son, Peter Jr., and daughter Margaret, cousin Robert Haas and family members Daniel and Jennifer Haas. A Levi’s spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The family are longtime donors to the University of California, Berkeley, whose business school is named for them, and have been active philanthropists in the Bay Area since the days of Levi Strauss.


Eastern Canada digs out from major snowstorm

Abstract: OTTAWA - A huge snowstorm blanketed eastern Canada on Wednesday, closing schools, grounding hundreds of flights and forcing many workers to stay home as tens of thousands of plows toiled to clear roads. Big white fluffy snowflakes began falling Tuesday afternoon, with more than 30 centimeters (12 inches) accumulated on the ground by the next morning and more on the way, according to weather forecasts. Wind gusts up to 70 kilometers (44 miles) per hour were also expected in the evening, blowing snow and severely reducing visibility from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to the Atlantic coast provinces. A winter storm warning was in place for much of the region and travel was not advised. Nearly 250 flights were canceled in Montreal since Tuesday, while travelers described disruptions at the country’s biggest airport in Toronto, where flight cancellations topped 400, as a nightmare. In Ottawa, residents sweated under toques and heavy parkas trying to dig out. The odd commuter on skis was spotted headed to work. Others wore snowshoes. Public broadcaster CBC Radio started reporting the near-record dump in height of dog breeds — from a Beagle to a Great Dane, and invited kids to call in to share their “snow day” stories after scheduled guests canceled. Ice sculptures for the city’s annual Winterlude festival, meanwhile, were wrapped to protect them from snow, ice pellets, possible freezing rain and strong winds. In Toronto, administrators took the rare step of closing all schools and authorities reported more than 60 road accidents and a few power outages, while in Montreal, kids turned icy stairs outside their homes into toboggan runs. And in several parts, police patrolled streets on snowmobiles. No injuries were reported. According to Environment Canada meteorologists, the late winter storm was caused by a “Colorado low,” forming in the U.S. state and picking up moisture and warmth from the Gulf of Mexico before heading north.


Elusive 'black panther' sighted in Kenya for the first time in a century

Abstract: NAIROBI - Whispers of sightings of the elusive black leopard have long swirled around central Kenya, and scientists have now confirmed its presence there with a series of rare images taken by camera traps. The images were captured by researchers from the San Diego Zoo who have been studying leopards in the Loisaba wildlife conservancy, as well as an independent photographer working in the region at the same time. “We are very excited to hear that these camera traps have captured rare footage of melanistic leopards, otherwise known as black panthers!” the conservancy said on its website. Melanism is a genetic mutation like albinism, except it leads to a surplus in pigment that turns the fur or skin of an animal black. The study, led by San Diego Zoo researcher Nicholas Pilfold and published in the African Journal of Ecology in January, said the photos represent the first scientific confirmation in a century of the black leopard’s presence in Africa. The last confirmed report was a photograph taken in Addis Ababa in 1909 that is stored in the Museum of National History in the United States. In Kenya, a captive black leopard was photographed in 2013 while other images taken from a helicopter circulated in 2018. However, the latest photos represent the first recorded scientific evidence. Pilford said that after receiving numerous reports of sightings of the leopard, his team set up eight camera traps in February 2018, and within three months had snapped a sub-adult female. He estimates there are “definitely two, possibly three” in the region. “By far, these are the best, most intimate images we have of a black leopard in Africa, there hasn’t been anything like this before.” Any big cat species with melanism is referred to as a black panther, such as black leopards in Asia and Africa and black jaguars in the Americas. According to Pilford, only 11 percent of leopards across the globe are black. Pilford’s team worked in parallel with photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, who used his personally designed Camtraptions camera trap to capture images of the same leopards in the region, and released them alongside the study. Black leopards are well documented in Southeast Asia, but little is known about their presence in Africa. The irony of the scientific paper coming out not long after the 2018 box office success of Marvel’s Black Panther, based in the fictional African nation of Wakanda — which is said to border Kenya — was not lost on Kenya’s twittersphere. Even Lupita Nyong’o — who hails from Kenya and starred in the movie — hailed the “unreal” sighting on Twitter. “I find the coincidence to be kind of unique. I looked up where Wakanda is and the way the Marvel comic universe is drawn, it is not that far away from our study area,” said Pilford.

nature animals kenya conservation panthers


Tanzanian 'beast' sheds light on gigantic dinosaur group

Abstract: WASHINGTON - A relatively complete skeleton of a long-necked, long-tailed plant-eater excavated from a rocky cliff above a Tanzanian river is providing insight into the early evolution of a dinosaur group that later included Earth’s largest-ever land animals. Scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of fossils of a dinosaur called Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia, which measured roughly 26 feet (8 meters) long, weighed about 1 ton, lived between 110 and 100 million years ago and was an early and comparatively small member of the group called titanosaurs. Titanosaurs, which walked on four pillar-like legs, first appeared earlier in the Cretaceous Period, perhaps 125 million years ago. By the time an asteroid impact caused a mass extinction that doomed the dinosaurs nearly 66 million years ago, titanosaurs had achieved staggering dimensions. For example, Argentina’s Patagotitan was about 120 feet (37 meters) long and weighed 70 tons. “Mnyamawamtuka is important as it is a relatively complete animal from the early part of the titanosaurian diversification. Thus, it provides a critical look at the group before the widespread diversification around the planet,” Ohio University anatomy professor Patrick O’Connor said. Mnyamawamtuka means “beast of the Mtuka.” It was unearthed near the Mtuka River bed in southwestern Tanzania. “This excavation was fairly involved, as the fossils were discovered eroding out of a vertical cliff surface about 20 feet (6 meters) above the dry river bed,” O’Connor said. “At first, we worked merely to stabilize the falling rock and fossils, with later efforts involving climbing ropes and teams of skilled excavators. It is a fantastic setting, with monkeys, a variety of hornbills and other birds, every type of insect under the sun, complete with a very cool dinosaur skeleton,” O’Connor added. Some of the approximately 60 identified titanosaur species are known only from scrappy remains. Scientists have 45 percent of Mnyamawamtuka’s skeleton — pretty good, as dinosaur fossils go — including numerous vertebrae, front and hind limb bones, ribs and teeth, but not its skull. One distinctive trait was the slight heart shape of Mnyamawamtuka’s tail vertebrae, which “perhaps played a role in stiffening the tail from side-to-side,” O’Connor said. “It was not fully grown yet, as evidenced by unfused parts of the skeleton. So, we are not sure of the maximum adult size at this point,” O’Connor said. Mnyamawamtuka lived in a warm, semi-arid setting in what is now southern Central Africa.

nature evolution animals paleontology dinosaurs tanzania


NASA declares Red Planet rover Opportunity dead, 14-year mission over

Abstract: WASHINGTON - During 14 years of intrepid exploration across Mars, NASA’s Opportunity rover advanced human knowledge by confirming that water once flowed on the red planet — but it has analyzed its last soil sample. The robot has been missing since the U.S. space agency lost contact during a dust storm last June. It was declared officially dead Wednesday, ending one of the most fruitful missions in the history of space exploration. Unable to recharge its batteries, Opportunity left hundreds of messages from Earth unanswered over the months, and NASA said it made its last attempt at contact Tuesday evening. “I declare the Opportunity mission as complete,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate told a news conference at mission headquarters in Pasadena, California. The community of researchers and engineers involved in the program were in mourning over the passing of the rover, known affectionately as “Oppy.” “Spent the evening at JPL as the last ever commands were sent to the Opportunity rover on #Mars,” Tanya Harrison, director of Martian research at Arizona State University, tweeted after a stint at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “There was silence. There were tears. There were hugs. There were memories and laughs shared. #ThankYouOppy #GoodnightOppy,” she wrote. The nostalgia extended across the generations of scientists who have handled the plucky little adventurer. Frank Hartman, who piloted Oppy, said he felt “greatly honored to have been a small part of it.” “Engulfed by a giant planet-encircling dust storm: Is there a more fitting end for a mission as perfect and courageous from start to finish as Opportunity?” he said. The program has had an extraordinary record of success: 28.1 miles (45.2 km) traversed, more than the Soviet Lunokhod 2 moon rover during the 1970s and more than the rover that U.S. astronauts took to the moon on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Opportunity sent back 217,594 images from Mars, all of which were made available on the internet. “For the public, the big change was that Mars became a dynamic place, and it was a place that you could explore every day,” Emily Lakdawalla, an expert on space exploration and senior editor at The Planetary Society. “The fact that this rover was so mobile, it seemed like an animate creature,” she said. “Plus it has this perspective on the Martian surface that’s very human-like.” “It really felt like an avatar for humanity traveling across the surface,” she added. Opportunity landed on an immense plain and spent half its life there, traversing flat expanses and once getting stuck in a sand dune for several weeks. It was there, using geological instruments, that it confirmed that liquid water was once present on Mars. During the second part of its life on Mars, Opportunity climbed to the edge of the crater Endeavour, taking spectacular panoramic images — and discovering veins of gypsum, additional proof that water once flowed among the Martian rocks. Opportunity’s twin, Spirit, landed three weeks ahead of it and was active until it expired in 2010. The two far exceeded the goals of their creators: In theory, their missions were supposed to last 90 days. Today, only a single rover is still active on Mars, Curiosity, which arrived in 2012. It is powered not by the sun, but by a small nuclear reactor. In 2021, the recently named Rosalind Franklin robot, part of the European-Russian ExoMars mission, is slated to land on a different part of the planet, raising the population of active rovers to two.