News Headlines - 14 December 2018
▽North Korea keeps busting sanctions, evading U.S.-led sea patrols
A top secret U.S. military assessment found that North Korea is still evading U.N. sanctions by transferring oil at sea, and that a coalition of U.S.-led forces deployed to disrupt the movements has failed to dent the overall number of illegal transfers, three U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence told NBC News.
The finding underscores the Trump administration's struggle to maintain economic pressure on North Korea amid a diplomatic bid to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile arsenal. The smuggled fuel provides a crucial lifeline for the regime's economy and armed forces.
▽Japan begins reclamation at disputed US base despite protest
Japan’s central government started main reclamation work Friday at a disputed U.S. military base relocation site on the southern island of Okinawa despite fierce local opposition.
A court on Friday sentenced a 26-year-old man to 18 years in prison for a highway road rage incident last year in which a couple died and their two teenage daughters were injured.
▽Tokyo, Singapore battle London to host ATP Finals - Channel NewsAsia
Tokyo and Singapore are battling London to host the ATP Finals from 2021 to 2025, the governing body of men's tennis announced on Friday (Dec 14).
The shortlist for the end-of-season showpiece also includes the northern English city of Manchester and Italy's Turin, while the London deal, which runs until 2020, could be extended.
▽Germany adds ′diverse′ as a gender to birth register DW
Up until now, people had to choose between "male" and "female" when giving their gender, or leave the option blank.
But following a vote in the German parliament late on Thursday intersex people — people whose sexual anatomy does not fit the typical definitions of male and female — will be allowed to change their entry to "diverse."
The "third gender" option places Germany in line with other countries that have introduced measures to recognize intersex people or a third gender, such as Austria, Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada and Portugal.
