News Headlines - 08 March 2019

▽Japan fourth-quarter GDP revised up on investment rebound but trade clouds outlook | Reuters

The Japanese economy grew faster than initially estimated in the fourth quarter as capital expenditure staged a quick recovery from a series of natural disasters in the previous quarter.
However, despite the upward revision to growth, economists are likely to temper their optimism on the outlook given a recent batch of disappointing data on exports and factory output and the economy expected to weaken due to the Sino-U.S. trade war.

▽Renesas to halt six plants in Japan for up to two months | The Japan Times

Major Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp. will halt six domestic plants for up to two months due to China’s economic slowdown reflecting the country’s trade spat with the United States, informed sources have said.
The Chinese slowdown has dented demand for semiconductors for industrial machinery and consumer electronics, according to the sources.

▽Honda workers travel to Parliament as campaign to save Swindon plant ramps up - ITV News

Honda workers and union representatives have travelled to Parliament as part of their campaign to save jobs in Swindon.
The group plan to lobby politicians and meet MPs. They hope a question will be raised at Prime Minister’s Questions so the issue remains on the political agenda.
3,500 jobs are at risk after Honda announced plans to close the Swindon plant and build their new electric models in North America and Asia, where they have a larger customer base.

▽70% of anti-Meghan tweets sent in two month came from just TWENTY trolls | Daily Mail Online

More than 3,600 hateful tweets directed at, or about, the Duchess of Sussex were sent in just two months by just 20 accounts, new analysis has revealed.
The handful of accounts, most of which seem to have been set up explicitly and exclusively to spew vile posts about Meghan Markle, were responsible for 70 per cent of more than 5,200 abusive messages.
The research, by campaign group Hope Not Hate and CNN, examined tweets in January and February featuring anti-Meghan hashtags including #megxit, #bumpgate, and #mmtcd - believed to mean 'Meghan Markle, the Charlatan Duchess'.

▽Thailand court disbands pro-Thaksin political party for nominating princess | The Japan Times

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the dissolution of a major political party ahead of this month’s general election because it nominated a member of the royal family to be its candidate for prime minister.
The Thai Raksa Chart Party on Feb. 8 nominated Princess Ubolratana Mahidol as its candidate for the March 24 polls. However, her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn later that day issued a royal order calling the nomination highly inappropriate and unconstitutional.
The court in its ruling also banned members of the party’s executive board from political activity for 10 years.