JAPAN
Seoul trade limit lifted
The government has lifted curbs on the export of a key microchip material to South Korea, news reports said yesterday, days before the leaders of the two countries meet in their first formal talks for more than a year. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday removed photoresists — used to coat semiconductor circuit boards — from Tokyo’s export restrictions against Seoul, the Asahi Shimbun and other reports said. The country in July tightened export controls on three materials essential to key products of South Korean tech companies after a series of South Korean court rulings ordered Japanese firms to compensate wartime forced labor victims.
UNITED STATES
Trump touts talk with Xi
President Donald Trump touted a “very good talk” on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on a deal to resolve their trade dispute, while Chinese media said Xi had complained about US interference in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Trump tweeted that China “already started large scale” increases in purchases of US farm goods, in line with the deal. However, he did not give a date for when the so-called “phase one” agreement would actually be signed. “Formal signing being arranged,” he said. Xi welcomed the progress, state news agency Xinhua reported.
UNITED STATES
Woman runs over teenager
A Des Moines woman was charged with attempted murder after she told police that she intentionally ran over a 14-year-old girl because she believed the teenager was Mexican, authorities said on Friday. Natalia Miranda suffered a concussion and severe bruising in the attack, but is expected to make a full recovery. Nicole Marie Poole Franklin, 42, admitted to steering her sports utility vehicle onto a sidewalk on Dec. 9 in the suburban Des Moines community of Clive and running over the teenager, who was walking to school to watch a basketball game, Clive Police Chief Mike Venema told a news conference. Franklin then fled the scene.
UNITED STATES
Family finds owl in tree
A Georgia family got a real hoot from its Christmas tree: More than a week after they bought it, they discovered a live owl nestled among its branches. Katie McBride Newman said on Friday that she and her daughter spotted the bird on Thursday last week. They had bought the 3m-tall tree from a Home Depot, brought it back to their Atlanta area home and decorated it with lights and, coincidentally, owl ornaments. “It was surreal, but we weren’t really freaked out about it,” McBride Newman said. The family called a nonprofit nature center to help them release the animal.
COLOMBIA
Uber to halt operations
Uber has been told to immediately suspend its ride-sharing services in the country, the industry and commerce authority announced on Friday, citing unfair competition laws. The US tech giant has about 2 million active users in the country, and about 88,000 drivers. The ruling, which is subject to an appeal, follows a lawsuit by a group of taxi drivers who have accused the company of unfair business practices. The head of the Industry and Commerce Department — which regulates the market — said that the company must cease operations immediately, citing “unfair competition” and a “significant advantage” over older and more traditional taxi services.
Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday condemned a European Parliament resolution on human rights calling for the release of his critics as “blatant interference.” The EU Parliament resolution, voted by an overwhelming majority the day before, called for the release of lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a popular critic of Saied, who was freed from prison on Thursday, but remained under judicial supervision. “The European Parliament [resolution] is a blatant interference in our affairs,” Saied said. “They can learn lessons from us on rights and freedoms.” Saied’s condemnation also came two days after he summoned the EU’s ambassador for “failing to respect diplomatic rules.” He also
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance yesterday as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations had been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of troops from the country’s army, navy and air force. “We have 123 confirmed dead and another 130 missing,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo. Cyclone Ditwah was moving away from the island yesterday and
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
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