Japan's ageing emperor hints at abdication

Japan's Emperor Akihito

Japan's Emperor Akihito has strongly indicated he wants to step down, saying he fears his age will make it difficult to fulfil his duties.

The revered 82-year-old emperor's comments came in only his second-ever televised address to the public.

Emperor Akihito did not explicitly say he wanted to abdicate as he is barred from making political statements.
PM Shinzo Abe said the government would take the remarks "seriously" and discuss what could be done.

"Upon reflecting how he handles his official duty and so on, his age and the current situation of how he works, I do respect the heavy responsibility the emperor must be feeling and I believe we need to think hard about what we can do," he said.

Akihito, who has had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, has been on the throne in Japan since the death of his father, Hirohito, in 1989.

In his 10-minute pre-recorded message, he said he had "started to reflect" on his years as as emperor, and contemplate his position in the years to come.

Why can't the emperor abdicate? Abdication is not mentioned under Japan's existing laws, so they would need to be changed for the emperor to be able to stand down. The changes would also have to be approved by parliament.

What do the public think? Most support the emperor's desire to step down - a recent survey by the Kyodo news agency found more than 85% saying abdication should be legalised. But the move is opposed by some more conservative sections of Japanese society.

Is this the first time a revision of the law has been discussed? A debate about whether or not a woman would be able to ascend the throne was triggered in 2006 when the emperor had no grandsons, but was postponed after a boy was born to the imperial family.

What does the emperor do? The emperor has no political powers but has several official duties, such as greeting foreign dignitaries. Japan's monarchy is entwined in the Shinto religion and the emperor still performs religious ceremonies. He also plants and harvests a small rice paddy inside the palace while the empress raises silkworms.

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If he were to abdicate, it would be the first time a Japanese emperor has stepped down since Emperor Kokaku in 1817.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tokyo says right wing nationalists who support Mr Abe's government do not want any change to the current law, which insists emperors must serve until they die.

Emperor Akihito said he hoped the duties of the emperor as a symbol of the state could continue steadily without any breaks.

Image copyright Reuters

The emperor's historic address was watched on big screens outdoors in Tokyo

Image copyright Reuters

Most Japanese favour changing the law to allow the emperor to abdicate

He said one possibility when an emperor could not fulfil his duties because of age or illness was that a regency could be established.

But he suggested this was not the ideal outcome, saying: "I think it is not possible to continue reducing perpetually the emperor's acts in matters of state and his duties as the symbol of the state."

Akihito's eldest son, 56-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito is first in line to the Chrysanthemum throne, followed by his younger brother Prince Akishino.

Women are not allowed to inherit the throne and so Princess Aiko, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito, cannot succeed her father.
Source: BBC

Did you know that August 8th is World Female Orgasm?

The International Female Orgasm is celebrated every year on August 8th. What should you know about it?

Here's a random fact of the day: there's actually a law out there somewhere that men must ensure that their wives have an orgasm. How exactly that law is enforced, we don't really know (can we really picture a woman busting through courthouse doors ready to sue her hubby because he didn't make her climax? You never know)—but no, we're not joking.

The law was passed in Espertina, Brazil by councilman Arimateio Dantas and actually coined the "holiday" International Female Orgasm Day (August 8). And even though we know everyday is International Female Orgasm Day in our book, we wanted to point out that it's not as silly as it sounds. The point was to actually raise awareness of female sexuality because we've often been denied the right to explore our bodies or openly discuss sex—something Latino cultures have struggled with for centuries.

Durex paid Cosmo for Latinas a small visit yesterday and shared some interesting facts about reaching the big O. Their goal is to make products that help both men and women climax together, since more than one third of Americans say they never "reach the finish line" in sync, and most of the time it's us, ladies, that haven't made it to the end. They even offered up some products, like their Ring of Bliss, which is supposed to please you and him at the same time. I'm sure Dantas would appreciate Durex's efforts.

We don't need to tell you how to celebrate, but men and women are supposed to honor the day by learning more about the female orgasm. But if you want to skip the research and hit la cama, check out these true-life hot sex stories.

-By Ariel Nagi, cosmopolitan website

Trump says Putin is 'not going to go into Ukraine,' despite Crimea

By Eric Bradner and David Wright, CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Donald Trump said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin won't make a military move into Ukraine -- even though Putin already has done just that, seizing the country's Crimean Peninsula. 

"He's not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want," Trump said in an interview on Sunday with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week."

"Well, he's already there, isn't he?" Stephanopoulos responded, in a reference to Crimea, which Putin took from Ukraine in early 2014.

Trump said: "OK -- well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away. He takes Crimea."

Trump attempted to clarify his position on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in a series of tweets Monday morning, after he was criticized for his muddled response in the interview. He explained that when he said Russia wouldn't move into Ukraine, he was referring to a time when he is president.

"When I said in an interview that Putin is 'not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down,' I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea!," Trump wrote.

And he argued that the conflict over Crimea was the fault of the Obama administration, writing: "So with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. That's what I said!"

Trump also pushed back against the criticism during a campaign event Monday in Columbus, Ohio.

"You want to go back? You want to go back and have World War 3? That was on Obama's watch," Trump said of the invasion.

Trump also responded to criticism that he has been too complimentary of Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Wouldn't it be great if we got along with Russia?" he said.

During the ABC interview, Stephanopoulos interjected to note that Trump has suggested he could recognize Russia's claim on Crimea over Ukraine's -- and Trump didn't back away from that possibility in the interview. 

 

"I'm going to take a look at it," he said. "But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also ... just so you understand, that was done under Obama's administration."

Trump added: "And as far as the Ukraine is concerned, it's a mess. And that's under the Obama's administration with his strong ties to NATO. So with all of these strong ties to NATO, Ukraine is a mess. Crimea has been taken. Don't blame Donald Trump for that."

The Clinton campaign responded later Sunday, with senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan saying: "What is he talking about? Russia is already in Ukraine. Does he not know that? What else doesn't he know?"

"Today, (Trump) gamely repeated Putin's argument that Russia was justified in seizing the sovereign territory of another country by force. This is scary stuff," Sullivan said in a statement. "But it shouldn't surprise us. This comes on the heels of his tacit invitation to the Russians to invade our NATO allies in Eastern Europe."

Stephanopoulos also pressed Trump on changes to the Republican platform removing calls for the provision of lethal weapons so the people of Ukraine can defend themselves, which Trump said he had nothing to do with.

And he asked about Trump's claims in recent years that he has a personal relationship with Putin.

"I have no relationship with Putin. I have no relationship with Putin," Trump said.

"Just so you understand, he said very nice things about me. But I have no relationship with him. I don't -- I've never met him," said Trump.

But in a November 2015 Republican primary debate, Trump had said of Putin: "I got to know him very well because we were both on '60 Minutes,' we were stablemates."

CNN's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.

Source: CNN

UN human rights chief deplores mass executions in Iran

UN Photo/Martine Perret

5 August 2016 – The United Nations human rights chief today deplored the execution of 20 people in Iran this week for purported terrorism-related offences.

“The application of overly broad and vague criminal charges, coupled with a disdain for the rights of the accused to due process and a fair trial have in these cases led to a grave injustice,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a news release.

 A man who was hanged yesterday, Shahram Ahmadi, had allegedly been beaten and coerced into signing a blank piece of paper on which his false confession was recorded. His family members were unable to visit him before he was executed, and were reportedly directed to the cemetery instead of Rajai Shahr Prison west of Tehran.

 Mr. Zeid also condemned the execution last month of Hassan Afshar, a 19-year-old who was 17 when he was arrested and convicted of rape. “The execution of juvenile offenders is particularly abhorrent,” Mr. Zeid said, urging Iran to respect the strict prohibition under international human rights law against this practice.

Source: UN 

World leaders celebrate spirit of Olympic Games Rio 2016

Leaders from sport, government, business and culture gathered in solidarity on the eve of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 to celebrate the unifying power of sport and the Olympic Games.

“Your presence is another demonstration of how the Olympic Games go beyond sport,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach told guests at the traditional IOC President’s Dinner Thursday night. “Your presence shows that sport is in the middle of a diverse and modern society. Like the athletes, we have come together from different parts of the world to celebrate our diversity. Thank you for coming and for sharing with us this Olympic spirit of peace and solidarity.”

Heads of state and government from countries around the world, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, joined luminaries from other sectors of society at the dinner.

The guest list included the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander; the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri; the Vice Premier of China, Liu Yandong; the President of France, François Hollande; the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi; the President of the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-Amman, as well as other heads of state and government from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, the father of social business and microcredit, was among the representatives from civil society.

Representatives from the world of sport included five-time Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci of Romania, world-renowned cricketer Sachin Tendulkar of India and Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a seven-time Olympic medallist who served as the dinner’s Master of Ceremonies just a few days before her scheduled competition in Rio 2016.

“With my swimming competition starting in just four days’ time, I should probably be in the pool to train right now,” she joked. “These will be my fifth Olympic Games, and I can tell you that I am still as excited as I was before my very first Olympic Games.”

Earlier in the day, the UN Secretary-General, a strong supporter of the Olympic Games, visited the Olympic Village to meet with members of the Refugee Olympic Team.

“Now you can show your strength, your capacity to run faster and become stronger,” he told them.

In his remarks to the dinner guests, President Bach cited the refugee athletes as another example of the Olympic spirit of solidarity. He said, “Like no other human activity, sport is about bringing people together in the spirit of friendship and respect. Sport always builds bridges. Sport never erects walls. In a world shaken by crises, we need the unifying power of sport more than ever.”

Source: IOC News

Tokyo Elects First Woman Governor

By Isabel Reynolds

Yuriko Koike. Photographer: Yuya Shino/Bloomberg

Tokyo elected its first female governor Sunday, picking former environment minister Yuriko Koike over a government-backed rival as the city struggles to put its preparations for the 2020 Olympics back on track. 

Koike, 64, is a former television journalist fluent in English and Arabic. She’s known for breaking the glass ceiling several times over, being the first woman to serve as defense minister -- albeit briefly -- and to contest the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. She frequently publishes essays on international issues, including one referring to Donald Trump’s election campaign as "loutish."

In Sunday’s gubernatorial election, she beat 20 candidates including Hiroya Masuda, a former regional governor backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Shuntaro Torigoe, a journalist. She made extensive use of social media, on which she encouraged supporters to wear her signature green.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday it was "extremely regrettable" that the LDP’s candidate had been defeated, but added that the national government must work with the Tokyo assembly for the good of the people.

Koike faces multiple challenges in managing a city with a population of more than 13 million and a budget the size of Sweden’s. After a series of scandals and soaring budget costs that led to the design for the flagship stadium being scrapped, she must restore faith in Tokyo’s plans for the hosting of the Olympics.

 

‘National Figure’

This means she’ll have to work closely with Abe despite his campaigning against her. The pair will be together in Rio de Janeiro for the closing ceremony later this month, according to media reports.

"This immediately makes Koike visible in a way that no woman has been before in Japanese politics," said Tobias Harris, an analyst with Teneo Intelligence in Washington. "A Tokyo governor is a major national figure, all the more so due to 2020."

Even so, Harris said Koike’s election won’t necessarily help women advance into national leadership. While Abe has promoted a longstanding target of having women in 30 percent of supervisory positions in all fields by 2020, he is far from reaching that goal in his own cabinet, where three of the 20 current members are female.

 

Heckling Women

While 20 percent of the Tokyo assembly is female, an LDP assemblyman was forced to apologize after sexist heckles during a speech by a young assemblywoman two years ago. Koike’s predecessor, Yoichi Masuzoe, was criticized for saying those who menstruate are not fit to lead.

"When she ran for party leader in 2008, it made me realize that a woman can put herself forward to be prime minister, and that was encouraging," said Reiko Ueda, a Tokyo assemblywoman who campaigned for Koike.

As environment minister, Koike became known for promoting casual dress in Japan’s humid summers to save power by reducing the need for air conditioning. Starting with politicians and bureaucrats, the "Cool Biz" custom eventually became established in Japan’s conservative business community.

She resigned from parliament to run for the governorship.

 

Not Like Ishihara

While the position of governor is local in focus, previous incumbents have been known for their involvement in a broader sphere. Then-governor Shintaro Ishihara’s 2012 campaign to have the Tokyo government buy East China Sea islands disputed with China prompted the national government to purchase them, sparking the worst bilateral crisis in decades.

Koike has told reporters she has no plans to do anything "like Mr. Ishihara."

On the campaign trail, Koike pledged more transparency in government, a cut in her own salary, and a review of the budget for the Olympics. She vowed to provide more care facilities for children and the elderly and to take advantage of Tokyo’s status as a special economic zone, where lighter regulation allows for new initiatives.

Former governor Masuzoe stepped down in June when the city assembly threatened to pass a no-confidence motion against him over alleged misuse of political funds and official perks. His predecessor Naoki Inose resigned in 2013 amid questions over a 50 million yen ($490,000) loan from a hospital operator.

"I may have attracted interest for being a woman, but what I think most people want from me is a new kind of politics in the capital," Koike told reporters at her campaign office after claiming victory.

Source: bloomberg website

Advertisement U.S. Miss Universe Defends Miss Teen USA After Her Apology for Using Racial Slur

By Christine HAUSER 

Karlie Hay was crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 in Las Vegas on Saturday. Credit Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Miss Universe Organization on Monday defended the new Miss Teen USA, Karlie Hay, 18, after reports revealed this weekend that she had repeatedly used a racial slur online against African-Americans.

The company said in a statement, “We as an organization are committed to supporting her continued growth,” but it did not say specifically if Ms. Hay would lose her title, which she won on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Other reports indicated that Ms. Hay would be allowed to keep the crown, and as of Monday afternoon, the organization was still promoting her on its website.

The social media posts surfaced a day after Ms. Hay, of Texas, received her sash and title in a contest whose Top 5 contestants were strikingly similar in physical appearance.

These are your TOP 5 #MissTeenUSA contestants! pic.twitter.com/qi3KJT6COb

— Karlie Hay (@MissTeenUSA) July 31, 2016

Screen images from a Twitter account attributed to Ms. Hay and published by The Dallas Morning News and other news outlets showed that she used the slur in 2013 and 2014.

In a series of messages on Sunday from another account, @RealMissTxteen, Ms. Hay did not deny the language in the previous posts, saying that she was “not proud” and “I am today a better person.”

“Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person,” one message said. “I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for” said another.

She added that she would use the platform of Miss Teen USA to promote her own values and those of the organization “that recognize the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women.”

Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person...

— Karlie Hay (@RealMissTXteen) July 31, 2016

I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. Through hard work...

— Karlie Hay (@RealMissTXteen) July 31, 2016

The Miss Universe organization, which is the parent company of Miss Teen USA, declined to say how and when it became aware of Ms. Hay’s use of the slur.

“The language Karlie Hay used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization,” it said in an email. “As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes. Karlie learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values.”

A spokeswoman for the organization, Jackie Shahinian, also released a statement from Ms. Hay that quoted her as saying that the language was “inexcusable” and adding, “I sincerely apologize.”

After the social media posts were publicized, Ms. Hay and the Miss Universe Organization came under further criticism.

There has literally been no consequence for her. She gets up keep her crown after calling folks n*gger. https://t.co/219GY89UF1

— X (@XLNB) Aug. 1, 2016

Some say @MissTeenUSA shouldn't forever be tied to past discretions. Funny, first thing reported after shooting? Victim's #criminalhistory

— Christopher G Wright (@DocChrisWright) Aug. 1, 2016

Recruitment campaign?: Like using racial slurs? Is maturity hindering your racism? You too could be #MissTeenUSA just like @MissTeenUSA !!

— Gerald Webb (@GeraldWebb) Aug. 1, 2016

Ms. Hay graduated this year from high school in Tomball, Tex., a city of about 10,000 people near Houston. According to her Miss Teen USA profile, she was an honor roll student, a cheerleader and a yearbook editor and photographer.

Her profile said the childhood experience of observing a close family member inspired her to speak out about the effects of alcoholism and drug abuse. It said she hoped to enroll at Texas A&M University, and to become a businesswoman.

The beauty pageant industry has long been rife with scandals. Kamie Crawford, Miss Teen USA 2010, posted a word of advice to potential contestants on Twitter:

If u win any pageant - first things first. Clean up ur page. Cus if ur under 21 u shouldn't b drinking&if ur WHITE the n word ain't yo word!

— Kamie Crawford (@TheRealKamie) July 31, 2016

Source: The New York Times