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U.S. envoy offers to meet North Korea anywhere anytime
The U.S. special representative for North Korea on Monday offered to meet with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions", with no public contact so far between the Biden administration and the nuclear-armed nation. Sung Kim's remarks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week gave his first reaction to… Read
Australian PM promises more COVID-19 shots to states as Sydney cluster grows
Australian states and territories will get more doses of COVID-19 vaccines soon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as authorities look to avoid further delays in an immunization drive that has hit several roadblocks. Australian states have been asking for increased supplies of vaccines after Australia last week announced… Read
Adviser to jailed HK tycoon Jimmy Lai says Apple Daily to shut within days
Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after authorities froze the company's assets under a sweeping national security law, an adviser to jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai told Reuters on Monday. Mark Simon, speaking by phone from the United States, said Next… Read
Asian markets skid on jitters over future Fed action
Asian markets skidded on Monday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index down 3.4%, after a sell-off Friday on Wall Street gave the S&P 500 its worst weekly loss since February. Investors are still recalibrating their moves after the Federal Reserve’s signal last week that it may raise current ultra-low rates sooner… Read
Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt has twin boys - Thunder and Saint Leo
All-time Olympic great sprinter Usain Bolt and his partner Kasi Bennett announced Sunday the birth of twin boys, who have been named Thunder Bolt and Saint Leo Bolt. Bolt revealed the news on Instagram with a Father's Day family photo, showing a lightning bolt emoji next to each of his… Read
Woman, boyfriend arrested for abusing her one-year-old son
Police in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 21-year-old woman and her 25-year-old boyfriend on suspicion of beating her one-year-old son last December. According to police, the mother, Juri Oishi, a self-professed care worker, and her boyfriend, Kai Furuta, a company employee, kicked Oishi’s son in the face with their… Read
Alcohol allowed but no condom distribution in Tokyo Olympic village
The organizing committee of this summer's Tokyo Olympics said Sunday that participants will be allowed to bring alcoholic beverages into the athletes' village but only for consumption in their rooms, as part of efforts to ensure the safety of the games amid the coronavirus pandemic. The organizing committee also said… Read
New Zealand selects transgender athlete Hubbard for Olympic women's weightlifting team
Laurel Hubbard hefted 185 kilograms in two lifts on the way to qualifying in the women’s super-heavyweight division for the Tokyo Olympics. That's heavy. But it's nowhere near the figurative weight Hubbard has carried to become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games. Hubbard was among five… Read
Lack of Olympic spectators bad news for Tokyo's souvenir sellers
When Tokyo celebrated its Olympic bid win in 2013, small souvenir store owners across the country joined the party with an eye on the windfall they expected the games to bring. Eight years and one pandemic later, they are only counting the cost. In addition to a one-year postponement of… Read
Man’s body left in house since Jan; wife, 2 children arrested for collecting pension
Police in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, have arrested a 56-year-old woman, her 32-year-old daughter and 29-year-old son for failing to report the death of her 84-year-old husband and continuing to collect his pension. According to police, Masahiro Tamura died at home in January, but his wife Michiko, daughter Yuko and son… Read
