News Headlines - 05 June 2014

▽Obama and allies: Putin faces critical choices - The Washington Post

Laying out clear conditions, President Barack Obama and Western allies opened a pathway for Russia to ease tensions in Ukraine on Thursday but pointedly warned Moscow it could face new sanctions within weeks if Vladimir Putin fails to go along.

▽UK proposes life imprisonment for serious cyber crimes - Computer Business Review

The UK Government is planning to impose life imprisonment for cyber criminals committing "serious crime", through an amendment to the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the Queen's Speech revealed.
The Computer Misuse Act will be updated to "ensure sentences for attacks on computer systems fully reflect the damage they cause".

▽BBC News - Softbank unveils 'human-like' robot Pepper

Japanese firm Softbank has unveiled a robot called Pepper, which it says can read human emotions.
It uses an "emotional engine" and a cloud-based artificial intelligence system that allows it to analyse gestures, expressions and voice tones.

▽Japan bans real-life child sexual abuse material but cartoons remain legal | theguardian.com

Japan is to ban possession of child sexual abuse imagery after years of delay – but is expected to disappoint campaigners by allowing manga comics and animated films to continue carrying pornographic depictions of children.
Japan currently bans only the production and distribution of such material but not its possession.

▽Japan Must Open Up to Foreign Labor for Economic Boost - Businessweek

The nation’s workforce is forecast by Japan’s Cabinet Office to dwindle by 41 percent from current levels, to 38 million 46 years out. Even with more Japanese women holding jobs, the country needs to increase the flow of imported foreign workers from 50,000 a year (the annual average during the past five years) to 200,000, according to Kazumasa Iwata, a former Bank of Japan deputy governor who presented his proposal to the Abe government’s top economic policy panel.