News Headlines - 28 December 2018

▽Japan's 10-Year Yield Turns Negative for First Time Since 2017 - Bloomberg

Japan’s 10-year bond yield fell below zero for the first time since September 2017 as a slide in global equities fuels a rally in government debt around the world.
The benchmark yield dropped 2.5 basis points Friday to minus 0.005 percent, according to Japan Bond Trading Co., as the Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined on its last trading day of the year.
It’s no problem if bond yields become negative as long as they reflect economic fundamentals and remain within the central bank’s target range, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said last week.

▽Japan shows video of alleged radar lock-on by South Korean warship

Japan released video footage today it said proved a South Korean warship locked its fire-control radar onto a Japanese warplane off the northeastern coast in the latest move of an escalating row between the Asian neighbors.
The Defense Ministry’s just over 13-minute footage, filmed from the P-1 patrol aircraft, contained voices of Japanese crewmembers asking the destroyer for clarification but getting no response.

▽Egypt tourist bus bombing leaves three dead, several injured

A blast hit a bus carrying tourists near the Egyptian pyramids in Giza on Friday, killing at least three and injuring several.
The three dead were Vietnamese holidaymakers would had been visiting the pyramids near the capital Cairo and an Egyptian tour guide, according to the country's interior ministry. Ten others were injured.

▽Scandal involving Brazil president-elect's son clouds inauguration | Reuters

A lingering financial scandal involving Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s son has soured his inauguration next week and tarnished the reputation of a far-right maverick who surged to victory on a vow to end years of political horsetrading.
Bolsonaro, who spent nearly 30 years in Congress, takes office on Jan. 1 after an electoral win that gave him a mandate to hobble violent drug gangs, cut through red tape to kick-start Brazil’s economy and go after the corrupt political class.
But a regulator’s questions about a bank account of the former driver of his son, Rio de Janeiro state lawmaker and Senator-elect Flavio Bolsonaro, has clouded his big day, leading critics to doubt the president-elect’s graft-busting credentials and his ability to deliver a new type of politics.

▽Michelle Obama wins America's 'Most Admired Woman' in Gallup poll

Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has been named America’s “Most Admired Woman” in 2018, ending Hillary Clinton’s 17-year winning run.
The lawyer, author, and activist won the 2018 poll convincingly, securing 15 percent of the mentions among the 1,025 of people surveyed.