World News Quick Take

A sunny weekend in Tokyo marked the end of a record-breaking 37 straight days of rain, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said yesterday. Tokyo’s rainy season normally takes place in June, but the city endured regular heavy downpours throughout the summer, as well as heavy flooding across the wider Tokyo metro region. Friday’s showers capped the city’s longest stretch of rainy days since records began in 1886. “The longest streak of rainy days continued from Aug. 27 to Oct. 2, making 37 consecutive days of rain,” JMA official Eri Kawanami said. Since the beginning of last month, Tokyo had been soaked by 696.5mm of rain, more than three times the normal level, JMA said.

Eastern Japan registered its highest amount of rainfall and least sunlight in September since records began in 1946.

Photo: AFP

INDIA

US trade talks hit ‘plateau’

Trade deal talks with the US have reached a “plateau,” Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman said yesterday, after negotiations dragged on for months with the two sides struggling to resolve sticking points. The two nations in February announced an initial understanding that would see Washington reduce tariffs to 18 percent and India cut duties on a range of industrial and agricultural products. Several rounds of talks have since taken place, but have been complicated by Washington launching a probe into unfair trade practices against multiple countries, including India. “The agreement’s negotiations are still ongoing, although we’d like to believe that both the sides have reached a plateau, beyond which giving or taking might be very, very difficult,” Sitharaman said.

SAMOA

PM sorry over Nazi video

Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt yesterday apologized after video surfaced showing him saying “Heil Hitler” and making a Nazi gesture. Schmidt said the footage was from a family gathering almost 20 years old and was never meant to see the light of day. “The footage shows me using the words ‘Heil Hitler’ and participating in a gesture associated with Nazi Germany in a private family gathering — not intended for the public,” he said in a statement. “Whatever the context or intention at that gathering 20 years ago, I recognize that those words and gesture were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt and I apologize for using them.” Schmidt has previously voiced his staunch support for Israel and has committed to opening an embassy in Jerusalem before the end of the year. “I reject Nazism, anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of political extremism,” he said.

DENMARK

Data leak affects 8.8m

Hackers broke into the national registry and gained access to personal information on millions of people, the digital affairs ministry said yesterday. “The administration of the national registry [CPR] has found that unauthorized individuals obtained illegal access in particular to the names, addresses and CPR numbers of around 8.8 million registered people,” including those who have died or emigrated, the ministry said in a press release. “This is an extremely serious incident,” Minister for Science, Higher Education and Digitalization Christina Egelund was quoted as saying in the press release. Denmark has a population of about 6 million, but the national registry has information on 11 million, including data of those deceased and people who have emigrated from the country. An investigation has been launched into the incident, with the hackers not yet identified, the statement said.