JAPAN
Avalanche warning issued
Officials yesterday warned of possible avalanches in the northern regions, as the mercury suddenly rose after two weeks of extreme snowfall that paralyzed traffic and collapsed houses. Sustained snow since late last month has buried northern communities such as Aomori under drifts of about 2m that left residents struggling to leave home, and forced schools and businesses to close. However, the temperature rose yesterday, reaching 8oC in Aomori, increasing the risk of chunks of heavy, wet snow dropping from rooftops, potentially causing injuries and even death, officials said. By yesterday, extreme snowfall had killed 35 people and caused 393 injuries across the country since Jan. 20, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Many of the cases involve mounds of snow falling on residents from houses or people tumbling from their roofs while trying to clear it.
UNITED STATES
Trump signs budget bill
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a spending package of about US$1.2 trillion to end the partial government shutdown, hours after the House of Representatives passed the bill in a bipartisan vote. The measure funds most of the federal government through Sept. 30 while providing the Department of Homeland Security with short-term funding for two weeks. Lawmakers are to return to negotiate potential changes for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as Democrats demand more restrictions on its operations. Earlier in the afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson managed to secure near-unanimous Republican support needed to pass the bill through a procedural vote, despite some members of the party trying to tack unrelated priorities onto the funding package.
IRAN
Female bikers allowed
Women can now formally obtain a license to ride a motorcycle, local media reported yesterday, ending years of legal ambiguity surrounding two-wheelers. The law previously did not explicitly prohibit women from riding motorbikes and scooters, but in practice authorities refused to issue licenses. Due to the legal gray area, women have been held legally responsible for accidents even when victims. First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on Tuesday signed a resolution aimed at clarifying the traffic code, which was approved by the Cabinet late last month, Ilna news agency reported. The resolution obliges traffic police to “provide practical training to female applicants, organize an exam under the direct supervision of the police, and issue motorcycle driver’s licenses to women,” Ilna said.
UNITED STATES
Jill Biden’s ex arrested
The ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of his wife at their Delaware home on Dec. 28, local police said on Tuesday. William Stevenson, 77, was married to Jill Biden from 1970 until their divorce in 1975. Jill Biden married former president Joe Biden in 1977. Stevenson is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection to the death of his wife, 64-year-old Linda Stevenson, New Castle County Police in Delaware said. He was arrested on Monday and remained in jail after failing to post US$500,000 cash bail. Police said they found Linda Stevenson unresponsive in her living room after responding to a report of a domestic dispute at the couple’s home in Wilmington shortly after 11pm. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and she was later pronounced dead.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
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