News Headlines - 12 May 2021

▽Japan Enacts Bill to Launch Digital Agency - JIJI PRESS

The Diet, Japan's parliament, on Wednesday enacted a package of digital transformation bills including one to establish a digital agency advocated by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The package of six bills cleared the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, at the day's plenary meeting, with support from ruling party members and some other lawmakers. The legislation passed the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month.

▽Elderly Vaccinations Seen Finished in 85 Pct of Japan Areas by July - JIJI PRESS

COVID-19 vaccinations for elderly people are expected to be finished in 1,490 of the 1,741 municipalities in Japan, or 85.6 pct, by the end of July, a survey by the internal affairs and health ministries showed Wednesday.
The vaccination program for some 36 million people aged 65 or over kicked off on April 12. According to the survey, at least 30 million elderly people will be vaccinated by the end of July.
On April 23, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the government plans to give all elderly people hoping to get inoculated the second shots of the novel coronavirus vaccine by the end of July.

▽Stranded River Thames whale to be ‘put to sleep’ | Central Fife Times

A minke whale stranded along the River Thames is to be put down, rescuers have said.
Crowds gathered at Teddington Lock in south-west London on Monday to catch a glimpse of the animal, thought to be between 10ft (3m) and 13ft (4m) long.
But the whale is now due to be put to sleep as it would not survive on its own in the sea, Julia Cable, national co-ordinator at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service, said.

▽Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger's during "Saturday Night Live" monologue - CBS News

Elon Musk hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time last week and the innovative business mogul made a personal announcement. "I'm the first person with Asperger's to host SNL," Musk revealed during his monologue. "Or at least the first to admit it," he joked.
While American psychiatrists no longer use Asperger's as a specific diagnosis, it is often used to describe a type of autism.
People with Asperger's disorder often less severe symptoms of autism and the don't experience language delays, according to Autism Society.

▽42 killed in Colombia protests, human rights agency says

Forty-two people have died during anti-government protests that began two weeks ago amid discontent fueled by growing poverty and inequality during the pandemic, Colombia’s human rights ombudsman said Tuesday.
The government agency added that 168 people had been reported missing during the protests, which were set to continue Wednesday. On May 5, the human rights ombudsman said 24 people had been killed in the protests and 89 were missing.