Early Bird: The Japanese government coalition will have a two-thirds majority after the elections. Babiš wants to ban social media for children.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's party won the Japanese parliamentary elections, and her coalition will have a two-thirds majority in the legislative body. The expected strong mandate of the future government could accelerate Takaichi's plans to strengthen the Japanese military. After Australia banned children under 16 from accessing social media last December, and similar restrictions are being considered or prepared by Denmark, Spain, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece, and Britain, ANO movement leader Andrej Babiš has expressed support for a similar step in our country as well.
The Party of Japanese Prime Minister Takaiči Wins Early Elections
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaiči strengthens her position. Her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) received a majority from voters in local elections. Thanks to the elections, which were designed as a referendum on Takaiči herself, the LDP gained more than 310 out of 465 seats in the Japanese lower house. This is the first time since World War II that one party has achieved a two-thirds majority. The broader ruling coalition thus has more than 340 seats, reported CNN.
Babiš would support banning social media use by children
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš stated in a video that he supports banning the use of social media by children under the age of 15, following the example of France, reported the server Ceskenoviny.cz.
"I am in favor, because the experts I know say it's extremely harmful for children. We must protect our children,"
said Babiš.
Several countries are considering similar measures. The ANO movement often uses social networks to communicate with citizens, and Babiš himself records videos with information almost daily.
Washington Post Chief Will Lewis Resigns After Major Layoffs
Washington Post’s publisher Will Lewis announced that he will step down from his role. He declared this just three days after the newspaper announced it would lay off a third of its employees. Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email addressed to the staff, stating that after two years of transformation, "the right time has come for me to step down." The current CFO of Washington Post, Jeff D'Onofrio, has been appointed to take his place, wrote the agency AP.
Former Hong Kong media tycoon sentenced to 20 years in prison
Pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, aged 78, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to jeopardize national security and for publishing seditious articles. Given his age, it is likely he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life. Lai was one of the first prominent figures to be arrested under the security law in 2020. Throughout the year, some of the leading journalists from Apple Daily were also arrested, reported AP.
Former French Culture Minister Resigns Due to Epstein Links
Jack Lang resigned from his position as President of the Arab World Institute following the revelation of his past connections with Jeffrey Epstein. This occurred after local prosecutors dealing with financial crime launched an investigation against him and his daughter Caroline. As a film producer, she had already resigned from her role as head of the Independent Production Union, reported Al Jazeera. Epstein committed suicide in prison in 2019. He faced charges of trafficking underage girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Sources: Al Jazeera, AP, CNN, Ceskenoviny.cz
