Top Stories Today – April 1, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 1, 2019
Japan names new era ‘Reiwa’
The name of the era of Japan’s soon-to-be-emperor Naruhito will be “Reiwa,” the government announced Monday. Emperor Akihito is stepping down on April 30, in the first abdication in 200 years, bringing his era of “Heisei” to an end. The new era takes effect May 1.
The name draws from the 7th century poetry collection “Manyoshu,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after the announcement by the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga. Abe said the name means that culture is born and nurtured as the people “beautifully care about each other.” The Manyoshu is Japan’s oldest poetry collection and symbolizes Japan’s rich culture and long tradition. The choice was a break from more than 1,300 years of drawing era names, or “gengo” from using Chinese classics. It was kept strictly secret ahead of Monday’s announcement. The Voice of America
Kim murder suspect escapes death penalty
A Vietnamese woman accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of causing hurt by potentially deadly means. A Malaysian court sentenced Doan Thi Huong to three years and four months in jail, starting from her arrest in February 2017.
However, under Malaysian law she could be freed by May, her lawyer said. Huong would have faced the death penalty if found guilty of the murder. Kim, the estranged half-brother of Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur Airport in 2017 in broad daylight, with the toxic nerve agent VX. The development effectively means no-one has been held accountable for Kim’s death. BBC
Some US States easing access to birth control
Several Republican-led state legislatures are advocating for women to gain over-the-counter access to birth control in what they say is an effort to reduce unplanned pregnancies and abortions.
State legislatures in Arkansas and Iowa, for example, are working on legislation that would allow women older than 18 the ability to receive birth control from a pharmacist rather than going first to a doctor for a prescription. The measures are seeing bipartisanship support in those states and come after similar laws have passed in nearly a dozen other states. The Voice of America
Facebook to reveal News Feed secrets
Facebook is launching a new feature that explains how its algorithms decide what to display in your News Feed. A new “Why am I seeing this post?” button will indicate what activity influenced Facebook’s algorithms.
It is the first time the company has given people access to this insight directly in its app and on the website. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others have been criticized for using algorithms to recommend content without explaining to users how they work. Facebook told the BBC the new feature was available for some users in the UK today. It will roll out fully by 2 May. BBC
Turkey election blow for Erdogan in cities
The party of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lost control of the capital, Ankara, in local elections in a setback after 16 years in power. The opposition is also ahead in the contest for mayor of the largest city, Istanbul, the election commission says. Nationally, the president’s AKP-led alliance has won more than 51% of the vote in the municipal elections.
But the AKP is challenging the results in the capital and Istanbul – seen as the greatest electoral prize. The vote, considered a verdict on Mr Erdogan’s rule, has been taking place during an economic downturn. The currency, the lira, has been losing value recently and the economy went into recession in the last three months of 2018. BBC
WH presses threat to close Mexico border
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday announced on ABC News’ This Week it would take “something dramatic” to get President Trump to change his mind about shutting down the US-Mexico border. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway agreed, saying on Fox News Sunday this “certainly isn’t a bluff.”
The White House doubled down Sunday on President Trump’s threat to close the US border with Mexico, despite warnings that the move would inflict immediate economic damage on American consumers and businesses while doing little to stem a tide of migrants clamoring to enter the United States. Sealing the border with Mexico, America’s third-largest trading partner, would disrupt supply chains for major US automakers, trigger swift price increases for grocery shoppers and invite lawsuits against the federal government, according to trade specialists and business executives. The Washington Post