JAPAN
Reprimand sparks furor
A city official has been reprimanded and fined for repeatedly leaving his desk during work hours — but only for about three minutes to buy lunch. The official, who works at the waterworks bureau in Kobe, began his designated lunch break early 26 times over the space of seven months, a city spokesman said. “The lunch break is from noon to 1pm. He left his desk before the break,” the spokesman said yesterday. The official, 64, had half a day’s pay docked as punishment and the bosses called a news conference to apologize. “It’s deeply regrettable that this misconduct took place. We’re sorry,” a bureau official told reporters, bowing deeply. The worker had contravened a public service law stating that officials have to concentrate on their jobs, the bureau said. The news sparked a heated debate on social media, with many defending the official. “It’s sheer madness. It’s crazy. What about leaving your desk to smoke?” one Twitter user wrote. “Is this a bad joke? Does this mean we cannot even go to the bathroom?” another wrote.
UNITED KINGDOM
Fears over beer shortage
No beer at this time of year? A trade group says there is a shortage of carbon dioxide in northern Europe, sparking fears that drinks might lack fizz just as thirsty soccer fans fill pubs for the FIFA World Cup finals. British Soft Drinks Association director-general Gavin Partington said the shortage is due to the closure of several production sites for various reasons, including seasonal maintenance, but industry publication Gasworld said the situation is worse this year because normal maintenance has coincided with technical issues at chemical plants that also produce carbon dioxide. The shortage comes just as the World Cup is getting underway in Russia. The British Beer and Pub Association predicts England fans will drink an extra 14 million pints during the group stages of the tournament.
UNITED KINGDOM
Excretions as accessories
Struggling to make your fashion more personal? No sweat. A London fashion student can help you decorate your attire with crystal accessories formed from your bodily excretions. Royal College of Art graduate Alice Potts showcased her quirky design methods with a pair of ballet shoes adorned with crystals formed from sweat and a fake fur featuring urine-crystals at the college’s annual fashion show. Potts, who has also experimented with blood, believes the odorless, but stomach-turning materials donated to her by fellow students have environmental and health benefits beyond the limitations of traditional plastic or cotton. “Instead of using plastic accessories to maybe embellish garments ... we can start like growing onto our garments these new materials and more natural materials,” she said.
UNITED STATES
Far-right rally planned
The organizer of a far-right rally last year in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly is planning to hold a rally near the White House in Washington on the first anniversary of the event, federal officials said on Wednesday. Jason Kessler filed an application last month and it has been approved to hold what he described as a “white civil rights rally” on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said. Kessler organized the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville that drew international attention when a suspected white nationalist crashed his car into counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring others.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was