News Headlines - 18 October 2020
▽Azerbaijan, Armenia agree to new ceasefire | NHK WORLD
The foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia say the countries agreed on Saturday to observe a new ceasefire from midnight... The move comes as fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh continued even after a Russian-mediated ceasefire took effect on October 10. Azerbaijan and Armenia accuse each other of violating the initial truce.
▽Ex-PM Nakasone's memorial service held amid controversy over academic freedom | The Japan Times
A state-funded memorial service for former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who died at the age of 101 in November last year, was held on Saturday, with some universities flying Japanese flags following a controversial government request to do so.
The event, arranged by the central government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, came amid criticism by academics and the opposition camp over whether it was appropriate for the government to ask national universities and other official institutions to fly flags at half-mast and observe a moment of silence for the late leader.
▽Fukushima: Japan 'to release contaminated water into sea' - BBC News
Japan is to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, media reports say.
It follows years of debate over how to dispose of the liquid, which includes water used to cool the power station hit by a massive tsunami in 2011... The government says no final decision has been made.
▽Australia's shark death toll reaches highest level in 86 years | London Evening Standard
A record number of seven shark attacks, six unprovoked, have occurred in Australia this year.
According to the Australian Shark Attack File, the last time this many shark attacks happened in a single year was 86 years ago in 1934.
The latest attack came after police called of their search for the body of Andew Sharpe on Sunday.
▽Coronavirus: Berlin ad sticks middle finger to mask rule breakers - BBC News
Berlin's tourism authority has launched an ad campaign featuring an elderly woman giving the middle finger to people who refuse to wear masks.
"The raised index finger for all those without a mask," reads the poster, alongside a photo of the masked woman.
Visit Berlin has said the campaign is to highlight the importance of protecting the health of the elderly.
