Tokyo, 15 June, /AJMEDIA/
WHO to convene emergency meeting to assess monkeypox outbreak
GENEVA – World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday the global health body will convene an emergency gathering next week to assess whether the ongoing outbreak of monkeypox represents “a public health emergency of international concern.”
The upcoming session of the Emergency Committee, made up of health experts from member countries, is expected to be held on June 23. Tedros consulted with the committee before declaring a global health emergency on Jan. 30, 2020, over the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
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K-pop boy band BTS eyes hiatus as group to focus on solo work
SEOUL – World-famous K-pop boy band BTS intends to take a pause as a group so its members can focus on their solo projects, the group said in a video posted on YouTube on Tuesday.
RM, the leader of the seven-member band, described the planned hiatus as a break needed for the group to continue over the long haul. No information was provided regarding the length of the pause or when it would begin.
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Biden to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-July amid high gas prices
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will meet with the de facto Saudi Arabian ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his trip to the Middle East in mid-July, the White House said Tuesday, as the United States struggles with high gasoline prices at home amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Visiting Saudi Arabia is a move seen as contrary to the Biden administration’s tough stance against the country’s human rights record, particularly over the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
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Bloomberg says China released its Beijing bureau staffer on bail
BEIJING – A member of Bloomberg News’s Beijing bureau was released on bail in January, the major U.S. news agency reported Tuesday, citing the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
Haze Fan was last seen in December 2020 being escorted from her home by plainclothes security officials, the report said. She was formally arrested in July 2021 on suspicion of committing crimes endangering national security.
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Japan, France vow to keep sanctions on Russia, deal with food crisis
TOKYO – Top diplomats of Japan and France on Tuesday agreed on the importance of keeping up economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while pledging to work together in supporting nations hit by a subsequent global supply shortage and price rises of food.
During their phone talks, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his French counterpart Catherine Colonna shared the view that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force are not acceptable anywhere in the world, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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Idemitsu to shut refinery in western Japan amid decarbonization trend
TOKYO – Japanese oil wholesaler Idemitsu Kosan Co. said Tuesday it will close a refinery in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, by March 2024 as it expects demand for gasoline to continue to fall due to an increase in greener vehicles amid the global trend toward decarbonization.
Idemitsu said in a statement that demand is expected to further shrink also due to Japan’s declining population and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the decision to shut the facility, which has a crude oil refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, accounting for about 13 percent of its group’s total.
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Football: Japan handed World Cup wakeup call in 3-0 loss to Tunisia
OSAKA – Japan stumbled to a 3-0 defeat against fellow World Cup qualifiers Tunisia in the final of the Kirin Cup on Tuesday, bringing a disappointing end to a run of four games over 13 days.
Japan, 23rd in the FIFA rankings, wasted several first-half chances before conceding twice from defensive errors by captain Maya Yoshida against the 35th-ranked North Africans in front of 31,292 at a rainy Panasonic Stadium in Osaka.
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Hong Kong’s iconic floating restaurant shutters after nearly 50 years
HONG KONG – Hong Kong bid a final farewell to the iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant on Tuesday as it sailed away after 46 years in operation following failed attempts to revitalize the restaurant business.
Opened in 1976, the restaurant was a popular tourist destination known for its fresh seafood, traditional Cantonese cuisine and design that resembles a Chinese imperial palace. The famous attraction, featured in several local and international films, has played host to the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.
