News Headlines - 23 July 2019

▽Former Chinese premier Li Peng dies aged 90 | South China Morning Post

Li Peng, one of China’s most influential but controversial political leaders, died at the age of 90 in Beijing late Monday night, state media reported.
State news agency Xinhua described Li’s death as a great loss for the country, hailing him as a great communist leader and statesman. But human rights activists and dissidents called him a “sinner”, holding him responsible for the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, when hundreds of people, perhaps more than 1,000, died.

▽Yukiya Amano, head of UN agency overseeing Iran deal, dies - The Mainichi

Yukiya Amano, the Japanese diplomat who led the International Atomic Energy Agency for a decade and was extensively involved in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and the cleanup of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, has died at 72, the agency announced Monday.

▽Activists hail Japan election of lawmakers with serious disabilities | AFP.com

The election of two candidates with serious disabilities to Japan's parliament was hailed by activists Monday, saying it could help boost understanding and improve infrastructure for those in the community.
Yasuhiko Funago has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurological disease that causes loss of muscle control, and Eiko Kimura has cerebral palsy, which can affect movement.

▽Toyota Shows Off Mascot Robots and Tiny Autonomous Car for Olympics | Digital Trends

Japan is keen to use next year’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to showcase its cutting-edge technology, with Toyota, for one, readying a range of robots that it hopes will impress international visitors as well as the event’s global audience.
The company this week pulled the wraps off the latest designs of seven robots for a range of roles that include entertainment and assistance for athletes and sports fans during the month-long sporting extravaganza.

▽China’s Sun Yang brings scrutiny, controversy to swimming world championships - The Washington Post

He is widely regarded as the best swimmer China has ever produced, but for many around the sport, Sun is also Public Enemy No. 1, a cloud of suspicion following him around the pool deck and the latest sign that swimming is still plagued by doping problems that the sport has struggled to rein in.
Sun is accused of smashing a vial of blood with a hammer last year, preventing anti-doping testers from taking a sample from his home. FINA, the international governing body for the sport, issued a warning to the swimmer, but the World Anti-Doping Agency is seeking a tougher punishment from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The CAS hearing isn’t scheduled until September, and FINA gave Sun the green light to compete this week in Gwangju. His mere presence at the year’s biggest meet has created a stir around the pool.