News Headlines - 24 March 2021
▽North Korea fires short-range missiles in challenge to Biden administration - The Washington Post
North Korea fired off multiple short-range missiles this past weekend after denouncing Washington for going forward with joint military exercises with South Korea, according to people familiar with the situation.
The missile tests, which had not previously been reported, represent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first challenge to President Biden, whose aides have not yet outlined their approach to the regime’s nuclear threat amid an ongoing review of U.S.-North Korea policy.
For weeks, U.S. defense officials warned that intelligence indicated that North Korea might carry out missile tests. The regime elevated its complaints about U.S. military exercises last week, with Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, warning that if the Biden administration “wants to sleep in peace for the coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink.”
▽Prince Harry lands new job at tech startup BetterUp - CNN
Prince Harry has officially arrived in California.
The Duke of Sussex has joined Silicon Valley startup BetterUp as its chief impact officer, the company told CNN Business on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Harry also confirmed the prince's new role.
BetterUp provides coaching and mental health services to clients.
▽Nicola Sturgeon cleared of breaching ministerial code over Alex Salmond saga - BBC News
An independent inquiry by senior Irish lawyer James Hamilton had been examining whether the first minister misled the Scottish Parliament over what she knew and when.
His report said Ms Sturgeon had given an "incomplete narrative of events" to MSPs.
But he said this was a "genuine failure of recollection" and not deliberate.
▽CDP to Refuse Diet Debate over Errors in Bills - JIJI PRESS
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plans not to participate in House of Representatives deliberations until the government completes its examination of all bills and draft articles of treaties for errors, a senior CDP member said Wednesday.
CDP parliamentary affairs chief Jun Azumi conveyed the stance to his counterpart from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Hiroshi Moriyama. Earlier in the day, the government reported to the CDP that mistakes have been found in a total of 20 bills and treaties and related materials linked to 12 ministries and agencies.
▽Olympic Fans Want Ticket Refunds. But It's Not That Easy. - The New York Times
The announcement last week that international spectators would be barred from this summer’s Tokyo Olympics brought some closure to thousands of fans who had been wondering for months whether they would be traveling to Japan later this year.
Almost immediately, though, many of these newly jilted ticket holders began nursing a new headache: uncertainty about if they would get back the money they had prepaid for tickets and travel - more than $10,000, in some cases - and, if so, when exactly they would get it.
2021年03月24日のニュース・クリップ
▼ＥＵ・中国の投資協定、人権問題巡る対立で欧州議会の承認遠のく | ロイター
中国・新疆ウイグル自治区の人権問題を巡り、欧州連合（ＥＵ）と中国による制裁の応酬が始まったことで、昨年末に双方が合意にこぎつけた包括的投資協定（ＣＡＩ）の欧州議会での承認が遠のいた。
ＥＵと英国、米国、カナダは２２日、中国が新疆ウイグル自治区で少数民族ウイグル族への重大な人権侵害を行っているとして、中国政府当局者に対する制裁措置を発表。これに反発し、中国は欧州議会議員やＥＵの外交官などを対象に直ちに制裁を科した。
欧州議会は２３日、中国への抗議としてＣＡＩの承認に向けた審議を先送りした。
▼ＮＡＴＯ理事会、「米欧の結束」再確認 ブリンケン米国務長官が初出席：時事ドットコム
北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）は２３日、ブリュッセルで外相理事会を開き、ブリンケン米国務長官が就任後初めて出席した。共同声明を出し、「欧州と北米間の揺るぎない結束を再確認するために集まった」と強調。米欧同盟に亀裂をもたらしたトランプ前米政権時代からの転換を明確にした。
▼世界幸福度ランキング、フィンランドが4年連続1位 上位10カ国中9カ国は欧州勢 - BBCニュース
世界各国の幸福度をランキングで示した国連の「世界幸福度報告書」2021年版が19日に発表され、フィンランドが4年連続で1位となった。2位はデンマークで、スイス、アイスランド、オランダと続いた。
このランキングは米調査会社ギャラップのデータを元にまとめられたもの。149の国と地域を対象に、自分の幸福度を評価してもらった。社会的支援や個人の自由、国内総生産（GDP）、汚職の深刻さといった指標も考慮されている。
▼バンクシー作品、最高額の25億円で落札 収益は英保健当局へ寄付：AFPBB News
英覆面アーティストのバンクシー（Banksy）の絵画が23日、ロンドンの競売大手クリスティーズ（Christie's）でオークションに掛けられ、バンクシー作品としては過去最高額の1675万ポンド（約25億円）で落札された。収益は国の保健サービスに寄付される。
落札されたのは、変革をもたらす人や物を意味する「ゲームチェンジャー（Game Changer）」と題された油絵で、バットマン（Batman）らスーパーヒーローの人形が捨てられたごみ箱のそばで、看護師の人形を手に遊ぶ少年が描かれている。
▼夫婦別姓など求める国連の文書、外務省が2年以上放置：朝日新聞デジタル
国連の女子差別撤廃委員会が日本政府に送った見解の文書を外務省が内閣府男女共同参画局に報告せず、2年以上も放置していたことが23日、参院の特別委員会の質疑で分かった。国連は女性が旧姓を維持できる法改正などを勧告後、見解で追加の情報提供を求めてきたが、内閣府の有識者会議にも報告されないまま、昨年12月に第5次男女共同参画基本計画が策定された。
News Headlines - 23 March 2021
▽Former justice minister Kawai admits vote buying | NHK WORLD
Former Japanese justice minister Kawai Katsuyuki has reversed his plea of not guilty and admitted to distributing cash to help his wife win an Upper House seat in 2019. He also expressed intent to resign as a Lower House member... He had pleaded not guilty of vote buying in hearings at the Tokyo District Court.
But at the start of a court questioning session on Tuesday, Kawai said he does not fully deny the vote-buying charge, and that he cannot say he had no intention to win his wife an Upper House seat.
▽Reporters without Borders sues Facebook over hate speech | Reuters
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a lawsuit against Facebook in France over hate speech and false information, the global media watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday.
RSF said that in a lawsuit filed with the public prosecutor in Paris on Monday, it accuses Facebook of allowing large-scale proliferation of hate speech - notably against journalists - and false information despite promises to provide a safe online environment.
▽Boris Johnson marks one year of Covid lockdowns with minute’s silence | The Independent
Imposing some of the most severe restrictions on British life in recent history and instructing the public to “stay at home” exactly a year ago, Boris Johnson said coronavirus was the “biggest threat this country has faced for decades”. Rather than turning the tide on the coronavirus within 12 weeks - as Johnson infamously suggested in the early days of March 2020 - the public are enduring a third national lockdown, with many simple freedoms, such as visiting a family member or enjoying a drink with friends, still restricted. Hope is indeed on the horizon with the vaccination effort, but many people across the country will mark today by reflecting on the past year and remembering the 126,127 people who have died during the crisis.
▽Children in line for Covid vaccines from August
Children will start getting the Covid vaccine as early as August under provisional government plans to push for maximum immunity from the virus, The Telegraph can reveal.
Two sources involved in preparations said that was the soonest point at which Britons under the age of 18 would be given the jabs - months earlier than expected.
Safety data on the critical child vaccine study being run by Oxford University - on which ministers are waiting before making their final decisions - is expected shortly, with its conclusions due in June or July.
▽Putin gets his COVID jab as Russians stay away from Sputnik V | DW
Vladimir Putin has become infamous for showing off his bare torso in photos. But when it comes to the coronavirus vaccination, it seems Russians won't even get to see him roll up his sleeves.
This week Putin announced he would get a COVID 19 vaccination by the end of the day on Tuesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the Russian president received his jab on March 23 with one of the three Russian vaccines currently available. "He feels good and will have a normal working day tomorrow," said Peskov.
Earlier, the spokesman had said people will "have to take our word for it" - because Putin "doesn't like" the idea of getting the jab live on camera, like other world leaders before him.
2021年03月23日のニュース・クリップ
アメリカ、イギリス、カナダの3か国と、EU＝ヨーロッパ連合は22日、中国の新疆ウイグル自治区での人権侵害に関わったとして自治区の当局者らに対し、資産凍結などの制裁を発動しました。
欧米各国は、歩調を合わせて制裁を科すことで、一致して中国に圧力をかける姿勢を鮮明にした形です。EUが中国に制裁を科すのは1989年の天安門事件以来となります。
▼独が封鎖延長、計５カ月半に 第３波到来、変異ウイルス猛威：時事ドットコム
ドイツ連邦政府と州政府は２３日、新型コロナウイルス感染拡大阻止のためのロックダウン（都市封鎖）の期限を、従来の２８日から４月１８日まで延長すると発表した。昨年１１月に緩めの制限から始まった封鎖は、強化を経て５カ月半に及ぶこととなった。
２月はほぼ数千人だった１日の感染者数は、３月には１万７０００人を超える日もあるなど、第３波が到来。英国の変異ウイルスが新規感染の７割を占め、猛威を振るっている。……２２日午後に始まった連邦・州の協議は厳しい措置を求めるメルケル氏と、抵抗する一部州首相の間で紛糾。協議は１１時間に及び、メルケル氏らが記者会見に臨んだのは２３日午前２時半（日本時間同１０時半）だった。
▼英アストラ製ワクチン、米治験データは不完全な可能性＝米感染研 | ロイター
米国立アレルギー感染症研究所（ＮＩＡＩＤ）は２３日、英アストラゼネカが米国で行った新型コロナウイルスワクチンの大規模臨床試験（治験）で「不完全な」有効性データを提供した可能性があるとの見解を示した。……アストラゼネカは２２日、英オックスフォード大学と開発したコロナワクチンについて、米国とチリ、ペルーで行われた大規模治験で７９％の予防効果が示されたほか、血栓リスクの増加は見られなかったと発表した。
ＮＩＡＩＤによると、独立組織のデータ安全性モニタリング委員会（ＤＳＭＢ）は「アストラゼネカが治験の古い情報を盛り込んだ可能性があり、有効性データの不完全な概観を提供したかもしれないとの懸念を表明した」という。
▼ノルドストリーム２、欧州の利益に反する＝米国務長官 | ロイター
ブリンケン米国務長官は２３日、ロシアとドイツを結ぶガスパイプライン計画「ノルドストリーム２」について、欧州連合（ＥＵ）の利益に反し、ウクライナなどを弱体化させるとの見解を示した。
ブリンケン氏は国務長官として初めて北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）本部を訪れ、ストルテンベルグ事務総長と会談した。
▼英、次世代兵器に３．４兆円投資 中ロ念頭に「将来の脅威」：時事ドットコム
英政府は２２日、防衛政策の見直しに関する報告書を公表した。陸軍の人員を現行の７万６５００人から２０２５年までに４０００人削減する。……報告書は、先週発表された安全保障・外交政策の包括的見直し「統合レビュー」を補足するもの。新型戦車や小型監視用ドローン、電子・サイバー戦用新装備などに計２３０億ポンド（約３兆４７００億円）を投じるほか、外国軍と合同で作戦遂行する特別部隊を組織する。
News Headlines - 22 March 2021
▽EU rebuffs UK calls to ship AstraZeneca COVID vaccines from Europe | Reuters
The European Union is rebuffing British government calls to ship AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines produced in a factory in the Netherlands, an EU official said on Sunday.
Former EU member Britain has so far administered many more vaccines than EU countries in proportion to the population.
▽Anti-lockdown protests: 36 arrested as demonstrators clash with police in London | The Independent
Dozens of people have been arrested as police attempted to halt thousands of anti-lockdown protesters marching through the centre of London.
Demonstrators trailed by police paraded banners and lit flares as they walked from Hyde Park along Oxford Street, Chancery Lane, the Embankment and Parliament Square before heading up Whitehall.
Scotland Yard said 36 people had been arrested by 6.45pm, most for breach of Covid regulations.
▽Australia: Parts of New South Wales declare natural disaster following floods - CNN
The Australian government has declared a natural disaster in large swaths of New South Wales (NSW) as heavy rains batter the state and force thousands to evacuate.
Rains have been inundating communities since Thursday, but parts of the east coast tipped into crisis on Saturday as a major dam overflowed, adding to swollen rivers and causing flash flooding.
The NSW and federal government have signed 16 natural disaster declarations in areas spanning the central and mid-north coast, from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coff's Harbour, said NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott in a news conference on Sunday.
▽Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet Sells as NFT for $2.9 Million - WSJ
The first tweet that Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey posted to the microblogging site in 2006 has sold as a nonfungible token for about $2.9 million, the latest digital collectible to haul in more than $1 million amid a flurry of interest from buyers.
The winning bidder, Malaysia-based blockchain company Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estavi, technically owns a digital certificate of the tweet-“just setting up my twttr,” according to Valuables, an NFT marketplace for buying and selling tweets that ran the auction.
▽Lego offers set with new space shuttle Discovery and Hubble Space Telescope - CNN
Lego is launching a new set that is out of this world: the space shuttle Discovery and the Hubble Space Telescope.
The set, which will be released on April 1, was created in partnership with NASA to mark the 40th anniversary since the first space shuttle flight on April 12, 1981, that started a new era in space exploration.
The shuttle model costs $199 and has more than 2,300 pieces. Aimed at adults, the model features realistic details like an opening payload bay, retractable landing gear, opening cockpit, space arm, and five seats for the crew. It measures more than 8.5 inches high, 21 inches long and 13.5 inches wide to make it easy to display, according to a news release from Lego.
2021年03月22日のニュース・クリップ
▼CNN.co.jp : トランプ氏、独自のプラットフォーム創設でＳＮＳ復帰へ
ツイッターなど大手交流サイト（ＳＮＳ）から追放されたトランプ前米大統領が、近く新たなプラットフォームを立ち上げ、ＳＮＳに復帰するとの見通しが明らかになった。
昨年の大統領選でトランプ陣営の広報を担当した長年の顧問、ジェイソン・ミラー氏が２１日、米ＦＯＸニュースの番組で語った。……トランプ氏は１月に支持者らが連邦議会議事堂に乱入した事件の後、ツイッターやフェイスブックのアカウントを永久に停止された。
▼７割超のアメリカ人が「アジア系住民への差別がある」 | MBS
世論調査機関「ピュー・リサーチ・センター」の発表によりますと、アジア系住民への差別があると思うか、との問いに「かなり」が２７％、「ある程度」が４４％と合わせて７１％にのぼりました。回答者をアジア系住民に限ると、「かなり」が４２％、「ある程度」が４５％で、９割近いアジア系住民がアジア系への差別があると考えています。
一方、黒人への差別があると答えた人は７９％、ヒスパニック系への差別は７６％、白人への差別は４０％となっています。
▼日ドイツ、情報保護協定を締結 機密共有で安保協力推進：時事ドットコム
日独両政府は２２日、軍事機密を共有し、漏えいを防ぐ「情報保護協定」に署名、即日発効した。相互に提供を受けた情報を国内法に従い保護・管理するもので、安全保障分野での一層の協力推進が期待される。日本が同協定を締結するのは米国やフランス、オーストラリア、北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）などに続き９番目。
終戦の１９４５年から４年間、ひそかに占領軍に雇われた日本人が同胞の手紙を盗み見し、検閲していた。従事したのは英語に堪能な約２万人とされる。その全容を歴史学者の山本武利・一橋大名誉教授（８０）が解明した。連合国軍総司令部（ＧＨＱ）の資料から名簿を発見し、詳細な分析を重ねたものだ。
山本氏によると、郵便検閲は戦犯や共産党関係者を要注意人物として把握するのが目的だったが、検閲作業を通じて何が問題となるのかを日本のエリート層に教えることで、米国政府の考え方を日本人に浸透させる役割も担ったとみている。
▼【バドミントン】全英オープンでゴールドラッシュ！ 日本が５種目中４種目を制覇 | 東スポ
バドミントンの全英オープン最終日、混合ダブルス決勝で、渡辺勇大（２３）、東野有紗（２４）組（日本ユニシス）が金子祐樹（２６）、松友美佐紀組（２９）組（日本ユニシス）を２―０で下し、３年ぶり２度目の優勝を果たした。……今大会は中国、韓国、台湾の強豪勢が不参加。実力者を揃えるインドネシア勢は新型コロナウイルスの影響を受けて大会序盤に棄権になった。通常とは異なる環境下でも、日本勢は実力を発揮。……日本が５種目中４種目を制した。
News Headlines - 21 March 2021
▽Chip-starved automakers shudder at Renesas plant's 1-month halt - Nikkei Asia
Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics said Sunday that production may take up to a month to resume at a fire-damaged main factory in Hitachinaka, northeast of Tokyo.
But considering the many processes in semiconductor fabrication, it may take over three months for supply chains return to normal.
Renesas' fire could not come at a worse time for the auto industry. Already battered by a global shortage of semiconductors, the industry had been scrambling to respond to the Texas winter storm that knocked out production at NXP Semiconductors and Infineon Technologies, the world's No. 1 and No. 3 players in automotive chips.
▽AP sources: Iran threatens US Army post and top general
Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army post in the U.S. capital, and against the Army’s vice chief of staff, two senior U.S. intelligence officials said.
They said communications intercepted by the National Security Agency in January showed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard discussed mounting “USS Cole-style attacks” against the Army post, referring to the October 2000 suicide attack in which a small boat pulled up alongside the Navy destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden and exploded, killing 17 sailors.
The intelligence also revealed threats to kill Gen. Joseph M. Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the installation, according to the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
▽Norway’s prime minister investigated for breaking lockdown rules | Financial Times
Norwegian police have launched an investigation into the country’s prime minister after she admitted breaking coronavirus rules by hosting a birthday dinner for 14 people in a ski resort last month.
Erna Solberg, the centre-right prime minister since 2013, confirmed late on Thursday that her family had breached lockdown regulations and she had contravened government recommendations while celebrating her 60th birthday during the February half-term holiday.
▽Netherlands trials new COVID-19 app at pilot music festivals | Euronews
The Dutch government is conducting a range of tests to find out whether large-scale events can be held safely in the age of COVID-19 with the help of a new phone app.▽Dozens change name to ‘salmon’ - Taipei Times
The village of Biddinghuizen hosted the latest experiment where around 3000 people were given the green light to sing, dance and generally enjoy themselves.
The catch? Participants had to be tested for the virus prior to the event and provide proof of a negative result upon entry. The result was then loaded onto the CoronaCheck app via a QR-code.
Household registration offices nationwide have since Tuesday been flooded with people applying to change their name to “salmon” (guiyu, 鮭魚), after Japanese sushi restaurant chain Akindo Sushiro promised free meals for anyone with the name. Yesterday and today, those with proof of the unusual moniker can receive free meals for their entire table, while people with homophonic names can enjoy half price and those with at least one homophonic character can receive 10 percent off... As of late afternoon, New Taipei City and Kaohsiung had 26 people who changed their name to “salmon,” while Taichung had 22, and Tainan and Taoyuan each had 14.
