News Headlines - 01 February 2021

Myanmar military ousts Aung San Suu Kyi in apparent coup - Nikkei Asia

A decade ago, Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was released after a total of 21 years under house arrest to set Myanmar back on the path toward democracy. In a major reversal on Monday, she was detained once more as part of an apparent coup d'etat by the nation's powerful military.
Myanmar's military-owned television on Monday said its commander in chief, Min Aung Hlaing, had taken over the country. The military also arrested President Win Myint and declared a one-year state of emergency.

Komeito Member Resigns as Lawmaker, 3 Leave LDP over Hostess Bar Visits - JIJI PRESS

Kiyohiko Toyama of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party, resigned as a lawmaker Monday to take the blame for visiting a hostess bar in Tokyo's posh Ginza district during the current novel coronavirus state of emergency... Also on Monday, three LDP lawmakers left the party to take responsibility for similar acts last month while residents in the capital and prefectures covered by the state of emergency were requested to refrain from going out after 8 p.m. Authorities also call on bars and restaurants to close at that time during the emergency period.
They are Jun Matsumoto, 70, former chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, state minister of education Taido Tanose, 46, and Takashi Otsuka, 56, deputy head of the LDP's parliamentary affairs committee.

Newly found Fukushima plant contamination may delay cleanup

A draft investigation report into the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown, adopted by Japanese nuclear regulators Wednesday, says it has detected dangerously high levels of radioactive contamination at two of the three reactors, adding to concerns about decommissioning challenges.
The interim report said data collected by investigators showed that the sealing plugs sitting atop the No. 2 and 3 reactor containment vessels were as fatally contaminated as nuclear fuel debris that had melted and fell to the bottom of the reactors following the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake.
The experts said the bottom of the sealed plug, a triple-layered concrete disc-shaped lid 12 meters (39 feet) in diameter sitting atop the primary containment vessel, is coated with high levels of radioactive Cesium 137.

Japan's 3rd Extra Budget for FY 2020 Clears Parliament - JIJI PRESS

The Diet, Japan's parliament, approved a government-proposed third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 on Thursday to fund coronavirus-related economic measures totaling 19,176.1 billion yen... In the budget, 573.6 billion yen is earmarked for vaccinations against the coronavirus and 1,301.1 billion yen for helping secure hospital beds at medical institutions.
Meanwhile, 1.5 trillion yen was additionally allotted to a subsidy program for restaurants and other businesses complying with requests to shorten opening hours.

Captain Sir Tom Moore in hospital with coronavirus after struggling with breathing | Sky News

Well-wishes have flooded in for Captain Sir Tom Moore, the Second World War veteran who raised millions for the NHS during lockdown, after he was admitted to hospital with coronavirus.
Captain Tom, 100, tested positive for COVID-19 last week and was taken to hospital on Sunday for help with his breathing, his daughter Hannah said in a tweet.