News Headlines - 25 December 2018

▽Nikkei plunges 5% to 20-month low on U.S. share slump, strong yen

The benchmark Nikkei index plunged 5 percent to a 20-month low Tuesday, tracking drops on Wall Street since late last week amid concerns over a slowdown in the world's largest economy, with exporter stocks also hurt by a strong yen.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 1,010.45 points, or 5.01 percent, from Friday at 19,155.74, the lowest level since April 2017. Financial markets were closed Monday in Tokyo for a national holiday.

▽JAL probe finds flight attendant consumed alcohol while on duty

The cabin attendant tested positive in two breathalyzer tests conducted after a colleague noticed her breath smelt of alcohol during a Tokyo-Honolulu flight and she was removed from duty for the remainder of the flight, JAL said.
"An unserved bottle of champagne (6oz 170g) for Premium Economy was found empty in the galley area," JAL said in a release, citing that fact as one basis for the conclusion.

▽American Held in Nissan Investigation Released From Jail in Japan - The New York Times

A senior Nissan executive urged Mr. Kelly to attend a November board meeting in person rather than by video conference, and sent a corporate jet to pick him up, Mr. Kelly’s wife, Donna Kelly, said. Instead, he was taken into custody minutes after he arrived in Tokyo.
Like Mr. Ghosn, Mr. Kelly was not allowed to communicate with his family or an American lawyer while he was in jail, and he was questioned at length by prosecutors without a lawyer present, as is standard in Japan.

▽On Christmas Eve, Trump questions child about belief in Santa

Fielding a phone call from a seven-year-old on Monday, US President Donald Trump put himself on Santa Claus's naughty list by raising doubts about his existence.
The call to American defense agency NORAD, which "tracks" Santa's movements around the world, was one of several answered by Trump and his wife Melania as part of a Christmas Eve tradition.

▽US judge orders N.Korea to pay $501 mln over dead American | AFP.com

A US judge on Monday ordered North Korea to pay $501 million over the death of American Otto Warmbier, concluding that the university student likely suffered torture.