Japan's Kishida says China seafood ban contrasts with wide support for Fukushima water release
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s prime minister said that China’s blanket ban on Japanese seafood in reaction to the release of treated radioactive water from a tsunami-ravaged nuclear power plant contrasts starkly with broad understanding shown by many other members of the international community.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Japan’s northeastern coast started releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater in late August into the Pacific Ocean. The release has been opposed by the Japanese fishing community, which is worried about the reputation of the fish it catches. China immediately banned all Japanese seafood.
A British rail operator has pleaded guilty to health and safety failures for a train derailment three years ago in Scotland that killed three people and injured six others. Network Rail admitted in High Court in Aberdeen, Scotland, that it failed to ensure the safety of rail workers and passengers when heavy rains buried the track in gravel and caused the train to run off the tracks. The train driver, conductor and one passenger were killed in the Aug. 12, 2020 crash near the coastal town of Stonehaven. A survivor and loved ones of two of the dead say the crash upended their lives.
Israel has closed the main commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip, effectively banning exports from the coastal territory after saying it uncovered explosives hidden in clothing being shipped to the occupied West Bank. The ban, imposed Monday night, chokes off the territory’s already ailing economy. Rights advocates condemned Israel’s latest measure as a form of collective punishment against Gaza’s 2 million people, including tens of thousands of laborers who heavily depend on exports to Israel and the occupied West Bank to stay afloat. Gaza’s 4,000 fishermen, with their perishable exports, were among the first to feel the pain. The fishermen say the measure is collective punishment.
Tokyo prosecutors say they have arrested a former vice foreign minister of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet on suspicion of accepting more than 61 million yen ($414,000) in bribes from a wind power company in return for his promotion of wind power and other favorable treatment. Prosecutors said Thursday that they arrested Masatoshi Akimoto for allegedly accepting the bribes including 30 million yen ($204,000) cash at his parliamentary office from a wind power company on several occasions between 2019 and this year. Akimoto denied the allegations. Officials in the regions promoting clean energy express worry that the scandal may hurt the image of renewables.
This Date in Baseball, September 8 - Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris’ 37-year-old HR record, 62nd of the season
Today in Sports, September 8 - Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris’ 37-year-old home run record, 62nd of the season
Indiana coach Tom Allen understands the legacy. Bill Mallory's youngest son, Curt, will be visiting Memorial Stadium on Thursday for the first time as a head coach. And Allen says he won't be giving Mallory just another “bro hug.” The eldest Mallory died in 2018 but remains a beloved figure around Bloomington, Indiana, where he became the winningest coach in Hoosiers history. On Saturday, the two in-state schools will celebrate the Mallory legacy as Indiana tries to rebound from a Week 1 loss — and the Sycamores try to get their first win in this series.
Illinois will face Kansas for the first time since 1968 when the Illini visit Memorial Stadium on Friday night. They are coming off a last-second win over Toledo, rallying from 19-7 in the third quarter for the 30-28 victory. Kansas started the season with a 48-17 win over Missouri State that only became comfortable with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The big question is whether the Jayhawks will have preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year Jalon Daniels under center. He's been bothered by a sore back throughout the fall and Jason Bean got the start in his place against the Bears.
Citing the U.S. Commerce Department’s “lackluster oversight” of the country’s international firearms trade, several congressional Democrats are calling on Secretary Gina Raimondo to tighten controls on the commercial export of U.S.-made guns and to release long-delayed trade data detailing t…
This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead for September 8 - September 14. 2 Takes
A murderer who made a brazen escape from a suburban Philadelphia jail yard last week remains on the lam. But some schools closed due to the extensive manhunt planned to reopen Thursday, along with a popular tourist attraction that was shuttered when the escapee was spotted on its property. Danelo Souza Cavalcante fled from the Chester County prison on Aug. 31 when he scaled a wall, climbed over razor wire and jumped from a roof in a breakout that wasn’t detected by guards for a full hour. He has since been spotted at least six times, and authorities continue to move and expand their search area, a vast area filled with forests and thick brush.
This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead for September 8 - September 14. Take 2
No. 1 Georgia is a huge favorite to extend its school-record winning streak when Ball State visits Sanford Stadium. Georgia has won 18 straight games, and there's little to indicate this matchup will threaten that streak. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Cardinals are a 43 1/2-point underdog. Georgia opened the season with a 48-7 rout of FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin in Carson Beck's first game as the starting quarterback. Ball State kicked things off with a 44-14 loss to Kentucky. The Cardinals will be facing a reigning national champion for the first time in school history.
No. 1 Georgia was supposed to be hitting the road for a most intriguing matchup. Instead, the Bulldogs will be facing another overmatched opponent when Ball State visits Athens. Oh, what might have been. Georgia was initially scheduled to travel to Oklahoma his weekend for the first regular-season meeting between the storied programs. That changed when the Sooners and fellow Big 12 school Texas announced they were joining Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs were ordered by the SEC to dump their trip to Norman to accommodate future scheduling for the two new members. Ball State hastily filled the void.
Cornelius Eady, Toi Derricotte and Kimiko Hahn are among this year’s winners of awards from the Poetry Foundation, which announced some of poetry's most lucrative prizes. Hahn, a faculty member of Queens College in New York City whose books include “The Unbearable Heart” and “Earshot,” won the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for lifetime achievement. The foundation also announced that Derricotte and Eady had won its inaugural Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry, a $25,000 honor. Derricotte and Eady were cited for their leadership of Cave Canem, an organization that supports Black poets through a wide range of programs.
Japan’s prime minister says China’s blanket ban on Japanese seafood in reaction to the release of treated radioactive water from a tsunami-ravaged nuclear power plant contrasts starkly with broad understanding shown by many other members of the international community. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Japan’s northeastern coast started releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater in late August into the Pacific Ocean. The release has been opposed by the Japanese fishing community, which is worried about the reputation of the fish they catch. China immediately banned all Japanese seafood. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke to reporters Wednesday after a session attended by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as South Korea and China.
Flu season is just around the corner, and the time is fast approaching for residents to consider getting their annual vaccine.
The European Union’s top official is expected to increase pressure on the United Arab Emirates to clamp down on the export of sanctioned goods to Russia, according to people familiar with the matter.
California has more registered Republicans than any state in the union, but that doesn't mean one of them will make it to the runoff for the state's U.S. Senate seat.
Ta’Kiya Young planned to move her growing family into a place of her own, and was just steps away from achieving that goal. She will now never have that chance. The 21-year-old pregnant Black woman was fatally shot by police in a supermarket parking lot near Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 24. Young’s family is in mourning and preparing for her funeral on Thursday. Her surviving relatives want the officer who shot her to be immediately fired and charged in her death and the death of her unborn child. Her grandmother, Nadine Young, says Ta’Kiya was a spirited prankster and a “fun-loving, feisty young lady” who nonetheless had been struggling with the death of her mother last year.
George North will become the fourth Wales player to appear at four Rugby World Cups when he takes the field for the team’s first game of the tournament in France on Sunday. He’ll be taking on a familiar opponent. North has played against Fiji in each of the World Cups he has featured in and the Pacific Island nation is his first opponent in the 2023 edition. It is shaping up to be a huge first match for the teams in Bordeaux. Two of Wales, Fiji or Australia are expected to qualify from Pool C. No. 8 Taulupe Faletau is fit to start for Wales after a calf injury.
A brief history of Rugby World Cup matches between France and New Zealand before they meet again on Friday on the opening night of the 10th tournament at the Stade de France.
Poland’s main opposition leader has accused the conservative government of hypocrisy for allegedly admitting large numbers of foreign workers despite its anti-migrant rhetoric and a new border wall. Donald Tusk, a former prime minister, says the government’s actions were in stark contrast with its official policy declarations. Tusk, leader of the opposition Civic Coalition, and Polish media allege that the government admitted about 130,000 Muslim migrants last year despite its anti-migrant statements, aimed chiefly at non-Christians. They say the government is working to relax restrictions and allege that corruption is involved. The allegations could seriously hurt the governing populist Law and Justice party ahead of Oct. 15 parliamentary elections.
A Norwegian man using a metal detector has found nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls on a southern island in what was described as the gold find of the century in Norway. The gold pendants date to around A.D. 500. The pendants and gold pearls were part of a showy necklace that was made by skilled jewelers and was worn by society’s most powerful. An associate professor said it was "a very unusual discovery in a Scandinavian context.” Under Norwegian law, objects from before the year 1537, and coins from before 1650, are considered state property and must be handed in.
A police officer has died and another has been injured in a car crash in Connecticut’s capital city. Police said one person was in custody after the accident involving a police cruiser and another car just west of downtown Hartford. Officials have not said why the person was detained, what caused the accident or whether the officers were chasing the other car. The injured officer was in stable but guarded condition at a nearby hospital. A procession of police transported the dead officer’s body from the hospital to the chief medical examiner’s office in Farmington. Police are expected to release more details later in the day.
Belgium midfielder Yannick Carrasco says he does not share the criticism of Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record. Carrasco has followed many stars from Europe’s top leagues who have headed to the lucrative Saudi league in recent months by joining Al Shabab from Atletico Madrid. Others already there include Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema. Carrasco says Saudi Arabia is “a beautiful country.” He adds "it is hard to judge if you only listen to what people say about it. You have to experience it yourself.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking to fire two officers for misconduct that officials said was uncovered during an internal investigation of a San Fernando Valley gang unit, whose members are accused of routinely turning off their body cameras to conceal alleged misdeeds such as th…
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 7, 2023--
A top government official says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports his new economic team's plan to increase interest rates to lower the country's soaring inflation. Erdogan has long opposed raising interest rates, but appointed a new economic team after winning reelection in May. That signaled more traditional policies, including rate increases, to tame inflation. Many have questioned whether the team will retain Erdogan's backing. Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said there is "no hesitation” about Erdogan's full support. The central bank chief said meanwhile, the tightening policy will continue until inflation improves significantly.
In “Saltburn,” Emerald Fennell dives into the British tradition of a gothic tale set at a grand country estate. And given the bleakly vengeful conclusion of her provocative debut “Promising Young Woman,” it’s safe to say that things get quite a bit bumpier at Saltburn than they ever did at Downton Abbey. With “Saltburn,” Fennell is hoping to follow-up her Oscar-winning debut with an equally provocative satire of class. It stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford University freshman on a scholarship who’s drawn to a dashing, aristocratic classmate named Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. “Saltburn” opens in theaters Nov. 24.
The Boston Marathon will add two more para athlete divisions and boost prize money that will put the total Patriots’ Day purse above $1 million for the first time. The Boston Athletic Association says its flagship race will welcome athletes classified with coordination impairments and intellectual impairments. Previous divisions for upper and lower limb impairment will expand. First prize for the men’s and women’s wheelchair winners in the marathon will rise to $40,000 from 25,000. The total wheelchair divisions purse will be to $313,500. Top para competitors said prize money for the divisions makes it possible for them to afford expensive racing equipment and travel to races. It also provides potential para athletes with role models.
A daughter of a long-detained human rights activist in Bahrain says she will return to the island nation to press for his release. The planned trip comes while he and hundreds of other inmates in the country are on a major hunger strike. Maryam al-Khawaja also faces the risk of imprisonment herself. Her 62-year-old ailing father is Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a dual Danish-Bahraini national convicted of internationally criticized terrorism charges and held in what a United Nations panel calls an “arbitrary” imprisonment ever since. Her planned trip also raises the stakes of the monthlong hunger strike in Bahrain just ahead of a planned visit to the United States by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 7, 2023--
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in seven months, another sign that the labor market remains largely unaffected by higher interest rates. U.S. applications for jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 216,000 for the week ending Sept. 2, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 8,500 to 229,250. Jobless claim applications are seen as representative of the number of layoffs in a given week. Overall, 1.68 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended August 26, about 40,000 fewer than the previous week.
Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has denied allegations in a British television program that Islamic State-inspired extremists were used to carry out suicide bomb attacks in 2019 to create insecurity in the country and help him win election later that year. He says the documentary on Britain’s Channel 4 television was “mostly an anti-Rajapaksa tirade.” In the program broadcast Tuesday, Channel 4 interviewed a man who said he arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired extremist group and a top state intelligence official loyal to Rajapaksa to create instability and enable him to win the presidential election. Rajapaksa, a former senior defense official, was seen as a strong law-and-order candidate.
The CyHawk Game ratchets up the intensity of the Iowa and Iowa State fan bases every year. That will be no different on Saturday when the teams meet in Ames. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be in attendance. The schools are also under scrutiny because of an illegal sports wagering investigation that has resulted in criminal charges and suspensions involving athletes from both schools. Fans of both teams expressed frustration their schools are the only ones known to be dealing with the fallout of a gambling scandal.
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 7, 2023--
Lainey Wilson leads the 2023 Country Music Association Awards nominations for a second year in a row. Louisiana native Lainey Wilson broke out in 2022, earning nods in six categories. Once the nominations for this year's show were announced Thursday, she emerged with nine nominations, making her the first performer in CMA Awards history to top the nominations list in her first two appearances on the ballot. Wilson is followed by Jelly Roll with five nominations and Luke Combs and HARDY with four each. The 2023 Country Music Awards will air live on ABC on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
