New Japan emperor’s era to be announced April 1
AP, Tokyo
Japan’s prime minister confirmed in his New Year’s news conference that the era name for the new emperor’s reign will be disclosed April 1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that 2019 will mark pivotal times for Japan, repeatedly referring to Emperor Akihito’s stepping down.
Akihito has chosen to buck tradition and abdicate while he is alive, citing frail health. His son becomes emperor May 1. Era names are important as they are needed to determine what year it is in the traditional Japanese calendar.
Sudan protests biggest threat yet to Bashir
AFP, Paris
Deadly protests that have grown across Sudan in recent weeks are the biggest threat to President Omar al-Bashir’s iron-fisted rule since he swept to power in a 1989 coup, analysts said. Clashes have killed at least 19 people since demonstrations began two weeks ago, initially in protest against bread prices tripling but rapidly evolving into anti-government rallies.
Human rights group Amnesty International has put the death toll at 37 and UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an investigation.
Fragmentation helps Netanyahu re-election hopes
AP, Jerusalem
Barring a devastating legal ruling against him in a series of corruption allegations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be cruising toward re-election and a historic fifth term in office after the upcoming April 9 vote.
Part of his longevity is due to Israel’s splintered electoral system, which allows him to rule with just a quarter of the vote for his ruling Likud Party. The first week of the election campaign has already seen a dizzying series of maneuvers, with old parties splitting and new ones emerging, most seeming to work in Netanyahu’s favor.
Gasoline tanker fire closes Australian highway
AP, Sydney
Australian firefighters took hours to extinguish flames after a gasoline tanker caught fire on Friday, cutting traffic on a busy highway and forcing evacuations of nearby homes.
The tanker carrying 36,000 liters (9,500 gallons) of gasoline erupted in flames mid-morning after the driver pulled over on the Princes Highway west of the east coast city of Wollongong, a police statement said.
Two toddlers, infant dead in Texas shooting
Reuters, Texas
Police found two toddlers and an infant shot dead and a woman wounded with a gunshot to her head, at an apartment in a suburb of Houston, Texas, late on Thursday, officials said.
A “person of interest” has surrendered to authorities, and was being held by the Texas City Police Department on unrelated warrants. But he was not named as a suspect in the shootings.
The children are believed to be aged 5 and 2, as well as an infant, police said in a statement.
