News Headlines - 01 November 2019
The government decided Friday to put off the planned introduction of private-sector English proficiency tests as part of standardized university entrance exams next April, the education minister said a week after making a gaffe on the matter.
▽2020 Olympics: Tokyo accepts 'painful' decision to move marathon to Sapporo | The Guardian
Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, has reluctantly dropped her opposition to the International Olympic Committee’s surprise decision to move next year’s Olympic marathon and walking events from the capital to the northern Japanese city of Sapporo due to concerns about the heat.
“We cannot agree with the final decision, but the IOC [International Olympic Committee] has the authority to change [the location],” Koike said on Friday in a meeting with IOC representative John Coates. “The most important thing is to assure the success of next year’s Games.”
Koike added: “I think we must move forward. I don’t approve, but the decision can’t be avoided.” A Japanese news report quoted her as saying it been a “painful decision, not an agreement”.
▽South Korea compares Japan's 'rising sun' flag to swastika as Olympic row deepens | The Guardian
South Korea is intensifying its campaign to ban the Japanese “rising sun” flag from being displayed at next year’s Tokyo Olympics, in the latest diplomatic row linked to the countries’ bitter wartime history.
In September, South Korea’s sports ministry asked the International Olympic Committee [IOC] to ban the flag - regarded by many Koreans as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial rule.
But having failed to secure a commitment from the IOC, South Korean MPs recently adopted a resolution calling for a ban on the use of the flag at the Olympics, describing it as akin to the Nazi swastika.
▽ISIS confirms Baghdadi's death and names new leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. - CNN
ISIS confirmed the death of former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and named his replacement in an audio message on Thursday.
In the recording, published on the terrorist group's media wing al-Furqan, ISIS announced its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
▽Argentina election: Centre-left Alberto Fernández wins presidency - BBC News
Centre-left opposition candidate Alberto Fernández has been elected president of Argentina in a vote dominated by economic concerns.
Mr Fernández, 60, got more than the 45% of the vote needed to win, beating conservative incumbent Mauricio Macri... The vote was held amid an economic crisis that has left a third of Argentina's population in poverty.
