News Headlines - 24 November 2020

▽Japan eyes post-marital title for female imperial family members

Under the 1947 Imperial House Law, only males with patrilineal lineage can ascend the throne. Women who marry commoners must leave the imperial family.
The plan being floated to give the honorific "kojo" to married female imperial family members is also an alternative to allowing them to retain royal family status, in what could be a controversial change.
The creation of the new title is seen as easier to accept for conservatives who are against allowing women to take the throne or married female members staying in the imperial household.

▽Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej dies after coronavirus infection | DW

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church has died after contracting coronavirus, the country's president, Aleksander Vucic, said on Friday.
Patriarch Irinej was admitted to hospital in Belgrade on November 4th. He tested positive after attending the funeral of another senior cleric... The 90-year-old conservative became the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2010.

▽Jumbo task: Elephant hoisted from deep well in India - The Jakarta Post

A wild elephant that fell into a well in southern India was lifted out with a crane following a 16-hour rescue mission involving dozens of rangers and firefighters.
The elephant fell more than 20 meters after it wandered into a village in Tamil Nadu state last week while looking for food... Some 50 rangers and firefighters rushed to the village, where they initially tried to pump water out of the well -- but the scared creature kept pushing away the equipment they were using... As night fell, watched on by a large crowd of villagers, rescuers climbed down into the well and attached straps to the sedated animal's feet. They then used a crane to hoist the elephant out upside down.

▽Mexican authorities uncover 113 bodies in mass grave - CNN

Mexican authorities have announced the discovery of at least 113 bodies from a mass grave in Jalisco state.
Of the total, 30 bodies have been identified by relatives, said state attorney Gerardo Octavio Solís at a press conference Sunday. There were 28 men and two women identified, he said.
The mass grave is located in El Salto municipality, southeast of state capital Guadalajara, in central Mexico.

▽Kevin Spacey denies sexually assaulting Anthony Rapp when he was underage - NZ Herald

Kevin Spacey has denied sexually assaulting Anthony Rapp when the 'Star Trek: Discovery' actor was underage.
The 49-year-old actor claimed in October 2017 that the former 'House of Cards' star had made unwanted sexual advances towards him after inviting him to a party when he was just 14, but in new court documents, Spacey has insisted that his accuser wasn't even present at the party at which the alleged incident occured.
In an Answer to Verified Complaint filed on Friday, Spacey's lawyer wrote: "... Defendant denies he invited Plaintiff Rapp to any party at his home..."