News Headlines - 16 December 2020
▽Man indicted over Kyoto Animation arson attack that killed 36
Japanese prosecutors indicted Wednesday a 42-year-old man over an arson attack in July last year on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio that killed 36 people and injured 33 others.
Shinji Aoba, who was arrested in May for perpetrating one of Japan's worst mass murders, has likely been determined by medical experts to be mentally competent based on his calculated actions, such as purchasing gasoline prior to the incident, meaning he can be held criminally liable for the attack.
▽Japan beauty firm DHC under fire after CEO uses racial slur for Koreans - CNA
A major Japanese cosmetics firm faced online boycott calls on Wednesday (Dec 16) after its CEO used a racial slur for Koreans, and boasted his firm was "pure Japanese".
DHC's Yoshiaki Yoshida made the comments in a message on the company's website in which he attacked rival Suntory, a major beverage manufacturer that competes with DHC in the health supplement sector.
The Hollywood megastar has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enforce tight social-distancing rules during the filming, taking place in Britain.
And he flew into a rage after spotting two of the crew standing within two metres of each other.
An audio tape captured Cruise shouting: “If I see you do it again, you’re f***ing gone. And if anyone in this crew does it, that’s it - and you too and you too. And you, don’t you ever f***ing do it again.”
▽Joe Biden to pick Pete Buttigieg as transportation chief - The Mainichi
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to pick former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg to head the Transportation Department, according to three people familiar with the plans.
Buttigieg, one of Biden's rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, was a breakout star of the primaries, sharing victory in the nation's first caucus with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. He suspended his campaign before Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden.
▽Belarusian opposition receives 2020 Sakharov Prize | European Parliament
Parliament President David Sassoli presented the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veranika Tsapkala in Brussels on 16 December.
They received the Sakharov Prize on behalf of the democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council, an initiative of brave women and political and civil society figures.
