News Headlines - 02 December 2020
▽Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow jailed : The Asahi Shimbun
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were sentenced to jail on Wednesday on charges related to an unauthorized anti-government protest last year at the city’s police headquarters.
Wong, who pleaded guilty to organizing and participating in the protest, received 13 1/2 months behind bars. Chow, who also pleaded guilty to participating in the protest and inciting others to take part, received 10 months, while Lam received 7 months after pleading guilty to incitement.
▽Fists and pig guts fly in Taiwan parliament debate on U.S. pork | Reuters
Legislators from Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party threw pig guts and exchanged punches with other lawmakers in parliament on Friday as they tried to stop the premier taking questions, in a bitter dispute over easing U.S. pork imports.
President Tsai Ing-wen announced in August that the government would, from Jan. 1, allow imports of U.S. pork containing ractopamine, an additive that enhances leanness but is banned in the European Union and China, as well as U.S. beef more than 30 months old.
A Japanese university on Wednesday said researchers had found that people are likely to hold antibodies for at least six months after they are infected with the novel coronavirus... The team will also conduct a study on the antibody status of former Covid-19 patients one year after being infected with the virus, the university said.
According to an interim report on the research, 98 per cent of 376 people whose blood samples were analysed had neutralising antibodies, which work to prevent reinfection by blocking the virus from multiplying.
▽Tokyo Games to Use App to Manage Foreign Spectators' Health | JIJI PRESS
The Japanese government and others on Wednesday set out a plan to use an app to manage the health of foreign spectators at the delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Foreigners visiting Japan for the Tokyo Games next summer will be exempted from two-week coronavirus quarantine, but will be asked to use the app to control their health.
The Japanese government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the games' organizing committee included the plan in an interim report on ways to ensure the safety of the event.
▽Swiss vote to reject Responsible Business Initiative - BBC News
Swiss voters have rejected a proposal which would have made businesses liable for human rights or environmental violations they cause around the world.
Even though voters backed the initiative by a narrow majority, it failed to win support in a majority of Swiss cantons as required.
The government and many business leaders had come out against the plan.
