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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asia-pacific/40023531

Theft at unmanned shops in Japan on rise alongside surge in cost of living

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022

There has been a spate of people taking items without paying at unmanned shops, which has been spreading as the coronavirus pandemic has prompted the need for no-contact service.

The variety of goods sold in unmanned shops has expanded from food – such as dumplings, packaged ramen noodles and meat – to daily necessities such as diapers and handkerchiefs.

Such shops have been spreading because they require few labour costs and initial expenses are low.

But operators of the shops have been concerned about how to prevent crime, mainly this kind of theft.

“It finally occurred,” lamented Koichi Isobe, 43, president of KD Kikaku, when a theft was detected in one of the unmanned shops run by the Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture-based company.

Around 1:10 a.m. on Nov. 23, a man wearing a down coat entered the shop, searched for goods in a freezer and put them into a bag one by one. Then he pretended to be inserting cash into a payment box and left the shop.

Cases of theft at the unmanned shop go back some time. A police officer standing by the back door arrested the man on the spot on suspicion of theft. He was a 23-year-old unemployed resident of Nagareyama in the prefecture.

The man’s bag contained 17 items such as ramen noodles that were worth ¥17,000 in total.

The company opened the unmanned shop in September last year by utilizing part of its parking space.

The shop sells items like frozen ramen noodles and puddings. To minimize labour costs, a payment box is placed inside the shop for customers to insert cash into.

A security camera was installed in the shop as a crime prevention measure. Isobe said: “I had accepted a certain degree of risk. But if criminal acts increase further, I cannot take any effective measures.”

In November, a 51-year-old unemployed man was arrested on suspicion of stealing frozen dumplings and other items at an unmanned dumpling shop in Funabashi in the same prefecture.

The background to the increase in thefts at unmanned shops seems to be the surging cost of living and the recent economic downturn.

Gyoza-no-Yukimatsu, a chain of frozen dumpling shops, operates unmanned shops in 430 locations across the nation. Its staff always monitor the feed from security cameras inside the shops and rush over if trouble occurs.

Kengo Takanouchi, marketing division chief of Tokyo-based chain operator YES Corp., said that the sales scheme “is based on a belief that human nature is fundamentally good, as our main premise.”

But he added, “We want to take crime prevention measures without fail.”

Yui Yamaguchi, a crime prevention adviser of the All Japan Security Houses Promotion Agency, said that the introduction of automatic vending machines is effective for preventing theft as goods do not come out unless cash is inserted.

However, if the high initial costs present a problem, Yamaguchi said, “It is important to let customers know they are being watched by human eyes even in unmanned shops by putting up posters saying, ‘Live videos are being webcast,’ for example.”

The Japan News

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asean/40023522

Third Mekong River dolphin found dead in a single week

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022

The Global Fund for Nature and World Wide Fund for Nature Cambodia (WWF) have called on authorities to step up night and day patrols of dolphin conservation areas and prevent illegal fishing, as a third Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin carcass was discovered in the span of one week.

This was the 11th dolphin found dead this year, bringing the total number to 29 in the past three years.

In a December 25 press release, WWF said that the mammal a day earlier was found floating near Koh Trong, about 10km downstream from Kampi pool, Kratie province.

The dead dolphin was an adult female, measuring 196cm long. It was between 7 and 10 years old and weighed about 93kg, it added.

A detailed examination of the carcass by a research team from the Kratie Fisheries Administration Cantonment and WWF concluded that the dolphin tragically passed away after becoming entangled with a longline fishing hook.

WWF country director Seng Teak said that the recent increase in illegal fishing activities in the dolphin conservation areas will cause the extirpation of the Irrawaddy dolphin in Cambodia if stronger action is not taken immediately.

“These tragic and preventable deaths of three healthy breeding aged dolphins in less than 10 days should send a clear message to all responsible levels of authorities, that the time is now to step up the law enforcement presence in all critical dolphin habitats,” he added.

“There are no other options except to immediately implement strict law enforcement to crack down on all types of illegal activities in the areas where dolphins live. To stop these activities, river guards and law enforcement officers need to be active 24/7, conducting both day and night patrols in the dolphin zones,” Teak urged.

He said that in addition to increased patrols, severe penalties should be imposed on the perpetrators of fishery crimes committed in the dolphin conservation zones, in order to deter others from continuing these illegal activities.

“If this crisis continues, the entire population will be lost in the near future,” Teak added.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra expressed regret at the loss of the dolphin.

“I deeply regret receiving the news of the death of this freshwater dolphin. The dolphin is the third healthy dolphin to die in just seven days, prompting an urgent call for stronger law enforcement in the dolphin conservation zone,” he added.

Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are considered part of the living national heritage of Cambodia. Fewer than 90 of them live in the Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

An inter-ministerial working group led by the environment ministry is preparing to submit a request to the World Heritage List to include the dolphin as a biodiversity resource.

“During the recent zero-snaring campaign, I mentioned that the campaign also included the Kingdom’s waterways, and called on people not to enter the restricted dolphin zone, because very few dolphins remain. If breeding-age specimens continue to die, we will end up losing them,” said Pheaktra.

The WWF said that the dry season, from December to May, is a critical period. As the water levels decrease, the dolphins and other species retreat to the deep pools of the dolphin zone. This makes them extremely vulnerable to illegal fishing. Strict law enforcement is especially needed during this time.

On December 22, another adult female was discovered dead in Koh Trong commune of Kratie province’s Kratie town. The body of an adult male was found floating in the river near the Koh Dambang deep pool area bordering Kratie and Stung Treng provinces on December 18. It was determined that both dolphins died after becoming entangled in fishing nets.

The Phnom Penh Post

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/world/asia-pacific/40023517

Price hikes to affect over 7,000 Japanese food, drink products in early 2023

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022

The price of many food and beverage products will rise early next year by an average of 18% between January and April next year, according to a survey of 105 major companies compiled by credit research firm Teikoku Databank, Ltd. as of Wednesday.

Price hikes will affect 7,152 items, more than 1.5 times the number from the same period this year, with some products such as frozen and wheat-based foods seeing a further increase.

Original figures compiled as of the end of November showed that 4,425 items would be affected by price hikes. However, the last 20 days have seen the number of products rise by 1.6 times. Manufacturers are believed to have pushed forward with further price increases in the face of higher costs in areas such as materials, transportation and labour.

February will see price hikes in 4,277 items, the largest number in a single month and the biggest since October when 6,699 prices increased. Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co. will raise prices of dumplings and other frozen foods between 6% and 16%, while Nissui Corp.’s shipping costs for products including frozen foods and bento meals will increase between 6% and 25%.

Many frozen foods, wheat products, canned seafood, and fish cakes will experience price hikes again despite increases earlier this year. A total of 20,822 items are expected to see price hikes by the end of this year, with an average price increase of 14%.

The Japan News

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/us-canada/40023516

Massive flight cancellations leave hundreds of suitcases stranded at US airports

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022

After a weekend of cancelled flights and travel delays, storm-weary travellers in the US found themselves facing yet another challenge – tracking down their lost luggage. In airports around the country, thousands of bags have piled up, waiting for their rightful owners to claim them.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC, travellers went through a rollercoaster of emotions as they combed through rows of suitcases and duffel bags to find their missing luggage.

Diane Ohashi, a traveller who spent Christmas at an airport after her flight to Washington, DC was cancelled, was overwhelmed to find her missing suitcase that had presents for her brother.

“I came to see my brother and wanted to surprise him. And I got stuck in Dallas, and I spent Christmas by myself, and here I am. And I wasn’t expecting to find my luggage, and I literally had nothing. And Southwest didn’t want to pay for anything. They didn’t want to reimburse me. They didn’t want to put me in a hotel. So I dished out extra money to fly with American Airlines. And I finally got here. And I found my bags,” Ohashi said.

Some, like Marla Makowka, waited in a long line patiently to inquire about their lost luggage.

“It is what it is. It’s a big mess, but it’s okay. You know, it’s Christmas. It’s Christmas. Yeah. This is not these people’s fault I don’t know what happened in the world of Southwest in general, but, you know, I think it’s a time to be kind and generous and it is what it is. So I’ll stand, I’ll wait and it’ll show up when it shows up,” Makowka said.

Bill Gem, from Amarillo, Texas, raised his hands in the air and exclaimed, “yoo, hoo!” after a Southwest Airlines staff member found the last of his four pieces of luggage. “Has anyone given you a hug, saying thank you?” Gem said, hugging the staff member as she wheeled his luggage back to him.

An arctic blast and a massive winter storm dubbed Elliott swept over much of the United States in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday weekend, forcing Southwest and other airlines to scrap more than 12,000 flights since Friday.

Southwest Airlines on Tuesday led US airline cancellations again as the low-cost carrier struggled with harsh winter weather that grounded planes and left some workers unable to tend to jets, disrupting holiday travel for many.

Suitcases were amassed in Sacramento airport‘s terminal on Monday (December 26).

An eyewitness also captured on Tuesday hundreds of suitcases and bags stranded at Chicago’s Midway Airport after weather woes brought massive flight cancellations across the United States.

The travel disruptions carried into Tuesday (December 27) as Southwest Airlines Co led US airline cancellations.

The carrier had cancelled 2,589 flights as of Tuesday 2.25 pm ET (1925GMT) or roughly two-thirds of its schedule, representing 86% of all US airline cancellations, according to tracking website FlightAware.

Additionally, Southwest called off about 2,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday (December 28) and over 1,000 flights from its Thursday (December 29) schedule.

The airline’s cancellations on Tuesday were 30 times more than those of Spirit Airlines, the carrier with the second-most cancellations.

Shares of Southwest fell as much as 6.3% to a two-month low of $33.81.

The company has a more aggressive schedule than most other U.S. airlines and tighter turnaround times to accommodate its network that connects vast swathes of the country.

It earns most of its profits from flying domestically and unlike other large US carriers, Southwest relies more on point-to-point service instead of operating out of large hubs. That leaves its staff vulnerable to being stranded in case of disruptions.

In total, airlines have cancelled more than 5,000 U.S. flights for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/russia-central-asia/40023515

Putin bans Russian oil exports to countries that impose price cap

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered Russia’s long-awaited response to a Western price cap, signing a decree that bans the supply of crude oil and oil products from Feb. 1 for five months to nations that impose the cap.

The Group of Seven major powers, the European Union and Australia agreed this month to a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil effective from Dec. 5 over Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The decree, published on a government portal and the Kremlin website, was presented as a direct response to “actions that are unfriendly and contradictory to international law by the United States and foreign states and international organizations joining them.”

“Deliveries of Russian oil and oil products to foreign entities and individuals are banned, on the condition that in the contracts for these supplies, the use of a maximum price fixing mechanism is directly or indirectly envisaged,” the decree stated, referring specifically to the United States and other foreign states that have imposed the price cap.

The decree, which includes a clause that allows Putin to overrule the ban in special cases, stated: “This…comes into force on Feb. 1, 2023, and applies until July 1, 2023.”

Crude oil exports will be banned from Feb. 1, but the date for the oil products ban will be determined by the Russian government and could be after Feb. 1.

The price cap, unseen even in the times of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, is aimed at crippling Russian state coffers and Moscow‘s military efforts in Ukraine.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Tuesday that Russia’s budget deficit could be wider than the planned 2% of GDP in 2023, with the oil price cap squeezing export income, an extra fiscal hurdle for Moscow as it spends heavily on its military campaign in Ukraine.

However, some analysts have said that the cap will have little immediate impact on the oil revenues that Moscow is currently earning.

Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/40023502

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022

BMA sets up new film fest in hopes to creatively present Bangkok

In January, The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will be holding a film festival in hopes to push the capital’s soft power through films and hopes that this can help support the local film industry and economy.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asia-pacific/40023498

South Korea’s former president Lee granted special pardon

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday granted special pardons to 1,373 people ahead of the upcoming New Year, including former President Lee Myung-bak and several key political aides to both of his conservative and liberal predecessors.

Among the list, former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo was included but without reinstatement. Several aides to former President Park Geun-hye, including former chief of staff Kim Ki-chun and former senior secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo, were also pardoned.

Of the 1,373 people granted amnesty, nine were politicians, including former President Lee, and 66 were public officials, including former governor Kim, said Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon after the Cabinet meeting.

During the meeting, Yoon said he “carefully decided on the subject and scope of the pardon after considering opinions from all walks of life,” adding he hopes this serves as an opportunity to “unite” the national power.

Former President Lee was pardoned and reinstated amid his deteriorating health in prison.

In October 2020, Lee was sentenced to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won ($9.9 million) and an additional penalty of 5.7 billion won for bribery and embezzlement charges related to auto parts maker DAS.

Lee’s term was suspended due to treatment of chronic disease on June 28 this year at a hospital. After the pardon, the remaining sentence of about 15 years and fines were waived.

Former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim was pardoned without reinstatement. His original sentence expires in May next year, but he will be released as of Tuesday midnight upon the pardon. As he was not reinstated, Kim will not be able to run for election until May 2028.

He was sentenced to two years in prison in July last year on charges of manipulating online opinions in favour of former President Moon Jae-in ahead of the 2017 presidential election.

The Korea Herald

Asia News Network

Among those for special pardon, many figures from the former Park Geun-hye administration were included, such as former chief of staff Kim Ki-chun and former senior secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo.

In 2020, Kim was sentenced to one year for illegally supporting conservative groups during the former Park administration. Last year, Woo was sentenced to one year in prison for aiding and abetting illegal inspections during the Park administration.

Other close aides to Park, Lee Jae-man, Ahn Bong-geun and Jeong Ho-seong, who were involved in the political scandal that led to the impeachment of Park, were also pardoned. Ahn was sentenced to two years and six months in prison with a fine of 100 million won and an additional penalty of 13.5 million won for participating in the repayment of special activity expenses of the National Intelligence Service during the Park administration. Former secretary Lee was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, and former secretary Jeong was sentenced to one year and six months in jail with three years of probation.

Reiterating Yoon’s remark earlier in the day, Justice Minister Han said the pardon has taken place to “resolve confrontation and conflict in our society and clear up the past” for the nation’s development.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asia-pacific/40023494

Korean dies from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ after returning from Thailand

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022

South Korea reported its first case of infection from Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as “brain-eating amoeba”, health authorities said on Monday.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency confirmed that a Korean national in his 50s had died after returning from Thailand. The man returned to South Korea on December 10 after a four-month stint there. He was admitted to a hospital the next day and died on Wednesday last week.

The KDCA said it had conducted genetic tests on three types of pathogens causing Naegleria fowleri to confirm the cause of his death. The testing confirmed the gene in the man’s body was 99.6% similar to that found in a meningitis patient reported abroad.

This is the first known infection from the disease in South Korea. The first case was reported in the US state of Virginia in 1937.

Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba, or a single-celled living organism, that lives in soil and warm freshwater, such as hot springs, lakes and rivers, across the globe. The amoeba enters the body by inhalation through the nose and travels to the brain.

Initial symptoms might include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting, and later symptoms can be severe headaches, fever, vomiting and a stiff neck, according to the KDCA. The incubation period for Naegleria fowleri is usually two to three days and up to 15 days at most.

Although human-to-human transmission of Naegleria fowleri is impossible, the KDCA asked residents to refrain from swimming in regions and neighbourhoods where the disease broke out. It added that the risk of infection was not high, but most cases start through swimming.

“To prevent the infection of Naegleria fowleri, we recommend avoiding swimming and leisure-related activities and using clean water when travelling to areas where cases have been reported,” said Jee Young-mee, who heads the KDCA.

The KDCA said clean water refers to any type of water that has not been contaminated, but people cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water. It added that the highest risk is when the water temperature rises during the summer.

A total of 381 cases of Naegleria fowleri have been reported around the globe as of 2018, including in India, Thailand, the US, China and Japan.

The United States alone reported 154 infections from 1962 through 2021. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only four people survived, with a death rate over 97%.

The Korea Herald

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asean/40023492

Rescue efforts ongoing after Christmas storm kills 13 in Philippines

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022

The death toll from Christmas day rains in southern Philippines has risen to 13, authorities said on Tuesday, with the search still on for 23 people as floods started to recede.

Thirteen persons have so far been reported dead, six others were injured, while 23 remain missing due to heavy rains and massive floods triggered by the shear line in the Visayas, Mindanao and parts of Southern Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). 

In its 5 a.m. situation report on Tuesday, the NDRRMC said at least 44,282 families or 166,357 individuals in the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regions were affected by shear line-induced rainfall.

The NDRRMC pegged the damage to infrastructure at P14.58 million ( 9 million baht ), while damage to agriculture was estimated to be around P59.83 million ( 37 million baht ). 

The shear line, or the point where warm and cold air meet, will continue to dump rain over Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao on Tuesday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). 

Pagasa likewise warned of possible flash floods and landslides due to intense rain caused by the said weather system. 

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/us-canada/40023491

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ blizzard in US kills at least 60 people nationwide

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022

At least 60 lives have been lost in weather-related incidents across the United States, according to an NBC News tally, from an arctic deep freeze and sprawling storm front that extended over most of the country for days, as far south as the Mexican border.

The greater Buffalo region, on the edge of Lake Erie near the Canadian border, was hardest hit.

With snow continuing to fall on top of more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) dumped on Buffalo since the blizzard took shape on Friday (December 23), New York‘s second-largest city stood as ground zero for a storm the governor called an “epic, once-in-a-lifetime” weather disaster.

Although blinding winds that created white-out conditions for more than two days had abated by Monday, the snow kept falling, with additional accumulations of up to a foot (30 cm) forecast through Tuesday in areas south of Buffalo and north of Syracuse.

Roadways remained littered with cars, buses, ambulances, tow trucks, and even plows buried beneath towering drifts, complicating efforts to clear snow-blanketed streets and reach stranded residents in need of medical care. Authorities deployed high-lift tractors as hospital transports.

Despite a countywide ban on personal road travel that remained in effect on Monday, hundreds of motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles over the weekend.

The severity of the storm, notable for a region accustomed to harsh winter weather, grew out of a combination of meteorological factors that supercharged one another.

Howling winds, numbing cold, and “lake-effect” snow – the result of moisture picked up by frigid air moving over warmer lake waters – produced a storm that New York Governor Kathy Hochul said would go down in history as “the Blizzard of ’22.”

Reuters