News Headlines - 02 October 2019

▽Hong Kong protests: Rubber bullet blinds journalist in one eye - BBC News

An Indonesian journalist has been left permanently blinded in her right eye by a rubber bullet said to have been fired by police during unrest in Hong Kong.
Veby Mega Indah was covering protests in the Chinese territory on Sunday when the bullet hit protective glasses she was wearing, her lawyer says.

▽Kansai Electric details nuclear execs' acceptance of massive gifts - The Mainichi

Kansai Electric Power Co. said Wednesday two executives who were responsible for its nuclear business both received more than 100 million yen ($929,000) as gifts from a former official of a town hosting one of its nuclear plants, as the utility disclosed additional information on the money scandal involving more than a dozen officials.
The disclosure has re-exposed the collusive ties between Japan's nuclear industry and government officials. Of the 318.45 million yen worth of gifts 20 people at Kansai Electric received, the largest amount of 123.67 million yen went to managing executive officer Satoshi Suzuki, followed by 110.57 million yen for former deputy president Hideki Toyomatsu, the company said.

▽Aichi Triennale exhibition may trigger legal battle | NHK WORLD

The Japanese government decided to withhold planned subsidies for the Aichi Triennale international art festival underway in the central part of the country. It made the announcement shortly after one of the exhibitions, a statue symbolizing those referred to as wartime comfort women, was closed following controversy.
Aichi Governor Hideaki Ohmura, who heads the organizing committee, says the decision is unacceptable. He suggested he will take the case to court.

▽U.S. Stocks Drop on Worries About Growth - WSJ

U.S. stocks fell sharply for a second consecutive session Wednesday as worries intensified about slowing U.S. manufacturing activity that could presage a possible economic downturn.
The start of the fourth quarter has tested investors’ confidence-the Dow Jones Industrial Average has slumped about 840 points, or 3.1%, over the past two sessions. The blue-chip index has now given up what were already meager gains over the prior 12 months, a period that encompassed both last year’s fourth-quarter rout and this year’s bounceback.
Despite a plethora of concerns this year-a U.S.-China trade war, uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path, and a slowdown in corporate earnings-U.S. investors consistently bet on continuing economic growth, even as markets overseas faltered.

▽Microsoft unveils Surface Duo folding smartphone

Microsoft made a surprise announcement Wednesday of a new two-screened Android smartphone, the Surface Duo. The device will launch in late 2020, in time for the holiday season. No pricing details were announced.
The device features two side-by-side 5.6-inch displays that are connected by a 360-degree hinge. Once it’s folded up, the Duo is small enough that it can fit in your pocket.