News Headlines - 15 September 2020

▽Japan's new opposition party formally launched through merger - The Mainichi

A new main Japanese opposition force was formally launched Tuesday through the merger of two smaller parties, aiming to become a viable alternative to the long-dominant ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The new party headed by Yukio Edano took over the name of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the larger of the two parties, and became the first opposition force with 150 members since the Democratic Party disbanded in 2017.

▽Former Nissan Executive Greg Kelly Pleads Not Guilty at Tokyo Trial - WSJ

Greg Kelly, the former Nissan Motor Co. executive charged with helping hide Carlos Ghosn’s compensation as Nissan chief, pleaded not guilty Tuesday at the opening of his trial in Tokyo... Prosecutors allege that Mr. Ghosn, Mr. Kelly and Nissan underreported Mr. Ghosn’s compensation by 9.2 billion yen, equivalent to $87 million, in company filings over eight years through 2018.
A Nissan representative standing next to Mr. Kelly pleaded guilty on behalf of the company, saying the prosecutors’ allegations were correct.

▽German auto giant Daimler to pay $1.5-billion fine in US | DW

Regulators said the Stuttgart-based firm installed "defeat device software'' on at least 250,000 cars to get around tough emissions testing and sidestep local environmental laws.
Daimler has denied the allegations but said it had settled on the $1.5 billion (€1.2 billion) payout to avoid a drawn-out legal battle.

▽Navid Afkari: Iran executes young wrestler despite global outcry - BBC News

Iran has executed a wrestler accused of murder, defying international appeals for him to be spared.
Navid Afkari, 27, was sentenced to death over the murder of a security guard during a wave of anti-government protests in 2018.
He said he had been tortured into making a confession.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International described Afkari's execution as a "travesty of justice".

▽A Brazilian surfer broke her Guinness World Records title by riding an epic wave - CNN

Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira has broken her own world record for the largest wave surfed by a woman.
The 33-year-old rode a 73.5-foot wave in Praia do Norte, Portugal, on February 11, beating her previous record by 5.5 feet. She made history in 2018 after surfing a 68-foot-high wave in the same waters.