03-09-2021

Japan princess to wed,
reject payout after
controversy: reports
TOKYO : The course of true
love never did run smooth, but
after public controversy and a
wedding delay, Japan's
Princess Mako is reportedly
set to tie the knot and move to
America.
The daughter of Japan's
crown prince and niece of
Emperor Naruhito has
endured years of sniping and
stalling over her plans to
marry sweetheart Kei
Komuro.
The pair have now decided
to wed without some
traditional ceremonies and
reject a payout that usually
goes to female royals marrying
out of the royal family.
Japan's imperial succession
rules mean that 29-year-old
Mako will lose her title after
marriage to a commoner.
But Komuro has still been
heavily scrutinised over
allegations that his mother
borrowed money from a
former fiance and failed to
repay it. After tabloid
reporting on the claims, a
furore erupted around the
young couple in a country
where the royal family is held
to an exacting standard.
The pair postponed their
wedding, and Komuro moved
to the US for law school in a
move that was widely seen as a
bid to defuse the negative
attention.
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On Thursday noon, BCG Station Teknaf conducted a drive in Baraitali area
under Teknaf Police Station and arrested a smuggler with 1,230 pieces of
yaba hidden under his shoes.
Photo : Courtesy
Apple plans to loosen App
Store payment policy
SAN FRANCISCO : Apple
announced on Wednesday it
will loosen some of its App
Store policies, allowing
media apps to steer
customers directly to their
websites without paying
commission.
The change, to be
implemented early next
year, is being introduced to
end an investigation by the
Japan Fair Trade
Commission. The
modification will spare socalled
reader apps that
provide digital content such
as newspapers, books, music
or video from having to use
the App Store payment
system and thus avoid
paying a 30 percent
commission.
"We have great respect for
the Japan Fair Trade
Commission and appreciate
the work we've done
together, which will help
developers of reader apps
make it easier for users to set
up and manage their apps
and services, while
protecting their privacy and
maintaining their trust,"
Apple Fellow Phil Schiller
said in a blog post.
Developers of the digital
content apps will be able to
link to their websites where
users can create or manage
accounts, according to
Apple.
While the change resulted
from an agreement with the
JFTC, it will apply globally to
all reader apps at the App
Store, the Silicon Valley tech
giant said.
Apple has come under fire
for its tight control of the
App Store, where developers
are required to use its
payment system.
Apple charges a
commission of as much as
30 percent on sales of digital
content or subscriptions at
the App Store, with the
payment system making
certain the company gets its
piece of the action.
"Because developers of
reader apps do not offer inapp
digital goods and
services for purchase, Apple
agreed with the JFTC to let
developers of these apps
share a single link to their
website to help users set up
and manage their account,"
Apple said in a post.
Apple last week agreed to
loosen payment restrictions
on its App Store, a major
change announced in a
settlement with small
developers as the US
technology giant faces
growing scrutiny and legal
challenges over its tightly
controlled online
marketplace. The change will
allow small developers to
inform their customers of
alternative payment options
beyond the official App Store.
Taiwan receives first
batch of politically
charged Pfizer vaccines
TAIPEI : Taiwan received its
first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech
coronavirus vaccines on
Thursday, a delivery
organised by two tech giants
and a charity because of
diplomatic pressure from
China. The 930,000 doses are
the first of 15 million jabs
acquired by Foxconn and
Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company
(TSMC), as well as Buddhist
charity Tzu Chi foundation, in
deals with a China-based
distributor after months of
wrangling. Despite donations
of several million doses from
the United States and Japan in
June, Taiwan has been
struggling to secure enough
vaccines for its 23.5 million
population and its precarious
political status has been a
major stumbling block.
Thousands face
weeks without power
in Ida's aftermath
NEW ORLEANS : Louisiana
communities battered by
Hurricane Ida faced a new
danger as they began the
massive task of clearing
debris and repairing damage
from the storm: the
possibility of weeks without
power in the stifling, latesummer
heat, reports UNB.
Ida ravaged the region's
power grid, leaving the entire
city of New Orleans and
hundreds of thousands of
other Louisiana residents in
the dark with no clear
timeline on when power
would return. Some areas
outside New Orleans also
suffered major flooding and
structure damage.
"There are certainly more
questions than answers. I
can't tell you when the power
is going to be restored. I can't
tell you when all the debris is
going to be cleaned up and
repairs made," Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards told
a news conference Monday.
"But what I can tell you is we
are going to work hard every
day to deliver as much
assistance as we can."
President Joe Biden met
virtually on Monday with Bel
Edwards and Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves along with
mayors from cities and
parishes most impacted by
Hurricane Ida to receive an
update on the storm's
impacts, and to discuss how
the Federal Government can
provide assistance.
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11
China FM says 'ball in Washington's
court' for climate cooperation
BEIJING : China has challenged the US to
fix relations with Beijing in order to make
progress on climate change, the foreign
ministry said Thursday, with Washington's
climate envoy visiting to press the world's
top polluter to slash emissions.
Tensions between China and the United
States have soared in recent months with
the two sides trading barbs on Beijing's
human rights record and its initial handling
of the coronavirus. Tackling climate change
is among a handful of issues where the two
Danish minister
faces trial for
separating
migrant couples
COPENHAGEN : A former
Danish immigration
minister goes on trial on
Thursday in a rarely used
impeachment court accused
of illegally separating
couples who arrived in the
country to claim asylum.
The 26 judges of the
special court, which only
convenes to try former or
current members of
government, will determine
whether Inger Stojberg
violated the European
Convention on Human
Rights.
Law professor Frederik
Waage pointed out that it
was only the third such case
in more than a century,
calling it "historic".
Stojberg ordered the
separation of 23 couples in
2016 where the woman was
under 18 -- though the age
differences were mostly
small-without examining
the cases individually.
She is also accused of
"lying to or misleading"
parliamentary committees
when informing them of her
decision.
The 48-year-old exminister
denies any
wrongdoing.
Stojberg repeatedly made
headlines in the
international media for her
handling of immigration
issues during her 2015-2019
tenure as minister in the
previous Liberal-led
government.
She has since quit her
party but remains a
lawmaker.
Addressing parliament in
February when lawmakers
voted to try her, Stojberg
said she did "the only
political and humane thing"
to combat forced child
marriages.
sides had struck notes of harmony.
But Beijing has in recent months
emphasised that environmental
cooperation could be hurt by deteriorating
Sino-US relations.
Wang on Wednesday told US climate
envoy John Kerry during a China visit that
climate cooperation could not be
disentangled from broader diplomacy
between the two countries.
In a video call from separate rooms with
Kerry, Wang accused Washington of a
"major strategic miscalculation towards
China", according to the ministry
statement.
"It is impossible for China-US climate
cooperation to be elevated above the overall
environment of China-US relations,"
Wang said. Kerry, who visited Japan earlier
this week before travelling to meet with his
Chinese counterpart in Tianjin, said China
"plays a super critical role" in tackling
climate change, according to footage of the
call published by state broadcaster CCTV.
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