News Headlines - 07 May 2021
▽Japan to extend COVID-19 state of emergency | NHK WORLD
It's been almost two weeks since the latest state of emergency came into effect in four Japanese prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka. Now the government is set to extend the measure by three weeks and expand the area it covers.
Officials consulted with an advisory panel about the decision earlier on Friday. They approved a plan to prolong the emergency until the end of May... The current declaration affects Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto.
The central government plans to add the prefectures of Aichi and Fukuoka on Wednesday.
▽Anti-Olympic petition gains tens of thousands of signatures
An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled has gained tens of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan only days ago.
The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising - particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended.
▽Bill to amend law on vote to revise Japan's Constitution likely to pass Diet | The Japan Times
A bill to amend the national referendum law on revision of the Constitution is likely to be passed by the Diet before the end of the current session, set to run through mid-June, as the pro-revision ruling party agreed Thursday to accept a request from the opposition to adjust it.
The debate over the bill, which will facilitate voting in a referendum on revision of the top law by setting conditions similar to those of national elections, had been stalled for around three years, with the main opposition party calling for restrictions on campaign advertising and finance... The bill, which was approved Thursday at the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution, is expected to be endorsed by the Lower House plenary session next Tuesday and sent to the House of Councilors, according to lawmakers.
Imprisoned Hong Kong opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung on Thursday was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for taking part in an unauthorised vigil last year commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Three district councillors - Lester Shum, 27, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai, 27, and Jannelle Rosalynne Leung, 26 - were also sentenced for their roles in the June 4 event in Victoria Park, with Shum receiving six months, and Yuen and Leung getting four months each.
The four pleaded guilty last week to knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly, an offence punishable by five years in prison.
▽25 Dead After Shootout in Brazil During a Police Raid - The New York Times
A police operation targeting drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday morning left at least 25 people dead, including a police officer, in an operation that officials and human rights activists called the deadliest in the city’s history.
The gun battle in Jacarezinho, a poor and working-class district controlled by the drug gang known as Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, also wounded at least two subway passengers who were struck as their train was caught in the crossfire.
