News Headlines - 24 April 2018

▽Maltese economy minister ‘met blogger’s murderers in bar’ | The Times

Malta’s economy minister has been seen drinking with men who were later arrested for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese journalist, press reports claim.
Reports allege that Chris Cardona, a Maltese minister who is believed to be close to Joseph Muscat, the prime minister, met the murder suspects before and after the killing of Ms Caruana Galizia last October, according to witnesses interviewed by journalists investigating the blogger’s death.

▽Mexico murder rate soars; 7,667 people killed in 3 months | New Straits Times

Some 7,667 people were killed in Mexico in the first quarter of 2018, up 20 percent on the same period last year, making it the most violent year in two decades, government figures showed Sunday.

▽Ignored, humiliated: How Japan is accused of failing survivors of sexual abuse - CNN

But social mores are changing, and much as the #MeToo movement has taken hold in the US, the culture of silence in Japan is also being chipped away, albeit slowly.
Most recently, two senior political figures were forced to resign for sexual misdeeds.

▽Tokyo 2020 must address questions, says IOC's Coates | Reuters

John Coates, chairman of the IOC’s Coordination Committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, told organizers on Monday that stakeholders may lose confidence in their ability to host the Games if they do not answer questions about preparations.
Speaking at the International Olympic Committee’s Project Review meeting in Tokyo, Coates said there would be no let-up from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and international sporting federations in the run-up to the Games.

▽Former coach Halilhodzic says he feels 'dumped' in trash bin：The Asahi Shimbun

An angry and shocked Vahid Halilhodzic, the former head coach of the Japanese men's national soccer team, said he has been treated disrespectfully and feels as if he was "dumped in the trash bin."