News Headlines - 23 May 2020
▽Brazil now has second highest number of COVID-19 cases globally - Chile News
Brazil became the world No 2 hotspot for coronavirus cases on Saturday, second only to the United States, after it confirmed that 347,398 people had been infected by the virus, overtaking Russia.
Brazil has registered nearly 2,000 coronavirus deaths in the past two days, taking total deaths to 22,013, according to the Health Ministry.
In Sao Paulo, the worst-hit city, aerial video showed rows of open plots at the Formosa Cemetery as it rushed to keep up with demand.
▽Trump administration discussed conducting first U.S. nuclear test in decades - The Washington Post
The Trump administration has discussed whether to conduct the first U.S. nuclear test explosion since 1992 in a move that would have far-reaching consequences for relations with other nuclear powers and reverse a decades-long moratorium on such actions, said a senior administration official and two former officials familiar with the deliberations.
The matter came up at a meeting of senior officials representing the top national security agencies May 15, following accusations from administration officials that Russia and China are conducting low-yield nuclear tests - an assertion that has not been substantiated by publicly available evidence and that both countries have denied.
A senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive nuclear discussions, said that demonstrating to Moscow and Beijing that the United States could “rapid test” could prove useful from a negotiating standpoint as Washington seeks a trilateral deal to regulate the arsenals of the biggest nuclear powers.
Public support for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has tumbled to 27%, according to a May 23 poll by the Mainichi Shimbun and the Social Survey Research Center, down from 40% who said they backed the Abe Cabinet in the previous survey on May 6.
The disapproval rating for the Abe Cabinet is up to 64% from 45% in the previous survey. The poll is the third conducted jointly by the two organizations. Support for the Cabinet has fallen by 17 points in the month and a half since the first survey on April 8.
▽Japan confirms first case of rabies in 14 years | The Japan Times
The local government in the city of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, has announced that a person who traveled from the Philippines had developed rabies - the first case in Japan in 14 years.
The municipal government said Friday that the patient, whose sex, age and nationality were not disclosed, is believed to have contracted the deadly rabies virus in the Southeast Asian country after being bitten by a dog on the left ankle last September. Before coming to Japan for work in February, the person did not visit a doctor.
▽Pro wrestler and ‘Terrace House’ star Hana Kimura dies at 22 | The Japan Times
Professional wrestler and current cast member of the Netflix series “Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020” Hana Kimura was confirmed dead Saturday by World Wonder Wing Stardom, a women’s wrestling league in Japan she was signed to. Kimura was 22... While there was no official announcement on the cause of death, some fans took the opportunity to decry cyberbullying... Kimura has been a main cast member of the hit reality series “Terrace House” since October 2019 where she stood out with her bright pink hair and elaborate wrestling costumes.
