News Headlines - 13 May 2021

▽UK's Johnson announces COVID-19 inquiry next year

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an inquiry next year into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that is likely to focus on why the United Kingdom suffered Europe's worst death toll and one of the world's deepest economic slumps.

▽Doctors' union calls for cancelling Tokyo Games | NHK WORLD

A union of hospital doctors in Japan has urged the government to cancel this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics due to the coronavirus pandemic... They say the games will no doubt raise the risk of infections in Japan, as they would draw tens of thousands of athletes, coaches, officials and journalists from around the world even if no spectators are allowed.
They also say the games could be a superspreader event as global variants may circulate in Tokyo, leading to vaccine-resistant types.

▽Late designer Kenzo Takada's art collection brings 2.5 mil. euros at auction - The Mainichi

Some 550 items of private art collection of late Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada that graced his Paris apartment have fetched around 2.5 million euros ($3 million) in auction including commission charges, roughly five times the expected prices, the auction operator Artcurial said Wednesday.

▽SoftBank Reports Highest-Ever Annual Profit for a Japanese Company - WSJ

SoftBank Group Corp. smashed profit records in its home country, riding a series of blockbuster initial public offerings to full-year net income equivalent to nearly $46 billion.
The figure, the highest ever for any Japanese company, caps a wild year in which the technology investor rode roller-coaster stock markets from the lows at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to recent highs.
The numbers were driven largely by a gain of nearly $58 billion at the $100 billion Vision Fund and its successor... The Vision Fund’s biggest win was a $24 billion investment gain from its nearly 40% stake in South Korean e-commerce company Coupang Inc., which listed in March. SoftBank also logged gains from food-delivery company DoorDash Inc., which had a public offering in December, and the sale last year of a controlling stake in U.S. telecom company Sprint Corp.

▽Ohio to give five residents $1 million each in COVID vaccine lottery - CBS News

The state of Ohio will award five vaccinated residents $1 million each in an effort to raise vaccination percentages, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.
"Two weeks from tonight on May 26th, we will announce a winner of a separate drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks, and the winner each Wednesday will receive one million dollars," DeWine said in a tweet thread Wednesday.
The drawings will be conducted by the Ohio lottery, DeWine said. All Ohio residents over the age of 18 are eligible, so long as they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.