Tokyo, 23 January, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s daily COVID cases top 50,000, new record for 5th straight day
TOKYO – Japan’s confirmed daily coronavirus cases on Saturday topped 50,000, setting a new record for the fifth day in a row, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to spread across Japan quickly.
Of the total, Tokyo confirmed 11,227 daily cases, surpassing its previous record high of 9,699 logged Friday, with Osaka Prefecture in western Japan also hitting a fresh high of 7,375 on Saturday.
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Japan’s ASDF plane carrying water arrives in disaster-hit Tonga
TOKYO – A C-130 transport plane dispatched by Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force carrying drinking water arrived in Tonga on Saturday after an undersea volcanic eruption and a tsunami hit the Pacific islands nation last weekend.
The plane left the Komaki air base in central Japan on Thursday with potable water prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government-linked aid agency. It landed at an Australian air base on Friday before taking off for Tonga on Saturday morning.
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Ex-Malaysian PM Mahathir readmitted to hospital but stable: kin
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been readmitted to a hospital and is being treated at an intensive care unit, but he is in stable condition, his daughter said Saturday.
The 96-year-old two-time prime minister, who had been discharged last week following surgery, was admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Marina Mahathir said.
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Riders temporarily stranded again on Osaka theme park roller coaster
OSAKA – About 30 people were temporarily stranded on a roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on Saturday afternoon after the ride came to a sudden halt when sensors detected an abnormality, but no one was injured, the park’s operator said, only three months after a similar incident.
Everyone aboard the “Hollywood Dream — The Ride: Backdrop” roller coaster was rescued by staff about an hour and a half after it stopped near the highest point on its tracks at around 1:10 p.m., the park said.
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Ex-NLD lawmaker, pro-democracy activist sentenced to death in Myanmar
YANGON – A court in military-ruled Myanmar has sentenced to death a former lawmaker from the formerly ruling National League for Democracy party and a prominent pro-democracy activist over “terrorist activities,” a state-run newspaper said Saturday.
The two are Phyo Zayar Thaw, a member of a popular hip-hop group who later entered politics, and the pro-democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Ko Jimmy.
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Tennis: Japan’s Daniel exits Australian Open in 3rd-round loss
MELBOURNE – Japan’s Taro Daniel, a second-round winner over former men’s World No. 1 Andy Murray, failed to make it to the Australian Open’s fourth round, losing in four sets to Italian 11th seed Jannik Sinner.
Daniel, a 28-year-old qualifier ranked 120th in the world, lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 despite challenging the 20-year-old world No. 10 in the first three sets.
