News Headlines - 06 April 2020

▽Japan state of emergency to cover Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures | The Japan Times

After weekslong pressure from public health officials and lawmakers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday the government would declare a state of emergency as soon as Tuesday covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures amid the growing outbreak of COVID-19, in a step that will empower prefectures to take restrictive measures.
The prime minister is slated to designate authorities in the seven prefectures subject to emergency measures. The declaration also will cover Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures, Abe said in a briefing at the Prime Minister's Office.

▽Japanese celebrity redesigns signature song as hand washing melody - Reuters

Japanese social media celebrity Pikotaro returned as a leading twitter trend in Japan with a coronavirus hand washing song that repurposes his signature Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP) to Pray-for-People-and-Peace.
The video was among the top five in a Twitter trend ranking in Japan on Monday.
Pikotaro, whose real name is Kazuhito Kosaka, wore the same gold animal print outfit he wore in PPAP video that went viral in 2016.

▽3M denies masks destined for Germany were seized in Bangkok and re-routed to US | The Thaiger

US, Minnesota-based, 3M is denying allegations that 1000s of its face masks, heading for Germany, were ‘seized’ during transit in Bangkok and diverted to the US. The incident is reported to have occurred on April 3. 3M has explained to Germany’s DPA News that it had received no reports of masks being seized or any other paperwork on such a shipment heading to Germany.

▽Canadians React With Anger at Trump's N95 Mask Export Ban | Time

The premier of a Canadian province that sheltered thousands of stranded American airline passengers after the 9/11 attacks questioned the humanity of U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday after Trump banned the export of N95 protective masks to Canada... Canadians across the country expressed hurt and disappointment that their neighbor and longstanding ally is blocking shipments of the masks from the United States to ensure they are available in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian health care workers - like those in the U.S. - are in dire need of the masks that provide more protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.

▽Russian Man Shoots, Kills 5 Neighbors Over Noise Complaint During Quarantine - The Moscow Times

Police detained a 32-year-old Russian man Saturday night after he allegedly shot and killed five of his neighbors with a hunting rifle in an apartment block.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. in the village of Yelatma, some 320 kilometers east of Moscow in the Ryazan region, Russian media has reported.