News Headlines - 12 February 2021

▽Kawabuchi declines offer to head Tokyo Olympics as Mori resigns - Nikkei Asia

Saburo Kawabuchi, 84, a former Japan Football Association president and soccer player, will decline an offer to become head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics, Nikkei learned Friday.
Kawabuchi was slated to replace Yoshiro Mori, 83, as president of Tokyo 2020. Mori, who had said he would resign over sexist remarks he made during a board meeting held on Friday of last week, made that official.

▽Olympics: Japan awarded extra men's all-around gymnastics berth

Japan has gained an additional men's all-around gymnastics berth for the Tokyo Games following the cancellation of an Olympic qualifying series, the International Gymnastics Federation announced Wednesday.
The FIG said travel bans in Europe aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus had made it too difficult to complete the postponed All-Around World Cup Series for artistic gymnastics.
Under FIG rules, the qualifying places are to be awarded based on team rankings from the 2019 world championships, giving Russia, China and Japan the berths for men. Russia and China will also receive the qualifying places for women, along with the United States.

▽FSI | Clubhouse in China: Is the data safe?

The Stanford Internet Observatory has confirmed that Agora, a Shanghai-based provider of real-time engagement software, supplies back-end infrastructure to the Clubhouse App (see Appendix). This relationship had previously been widely suspected but not publicly confirmed. Further, SIO has determined that a user’s unique Clubhouse ID number and chatroom ID are transmitted in plaintext, and Agora would likely have access to users’ raw audio, potentially providing access to the Chinese government. In at least one instance, SIO observed room metadata being relayed to servers we believe to be hosted in the PRC, and audio to servers managed by Chinese entities and distributed around the world via Anycast. It is also likely possible to connect Clubhouse IDs with user profiles.

▽US sanctions 10 Myanmar military officials for coup

The US sanctioned 10 Myanmar military officials Thursday for their roles in the overthrow of that country's civilian government.
Among those designated are Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, and his deputy Soe Win. Both were sanctioned in 2019 for human rights abuses related to the Myanmar military's violent crackdown on the country's Muslim minority Rohingya population.
In addition, Myint Swe, a former military official who is now Myanmar's first vice president, and three lieutenant generals, have been added to the US blacklist.
Three companies tied to Myanmar's military -- Myanmar Ruby Enterprise, Myanmar Imperial Jade Co., LTD. and Cancri (Gems and Jewellery) Co., LTD -- have also been sanctioned.

▽Bruce Springsteen Arrested Late Last Year for DWI, Park Authorities Confirm - NBC New York

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen was arrested last November in New Jersey's Gateway National Recreation Area on DWI charges, the National Park Service confirmed Wednesday.
Springsteen, 71, was also charged with reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. A Park Service spokeswoman said the singer was "cooperative throughout the process."