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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital
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Hello,
Today’s newsletter follows up from Tuesday’s focus on Japan’s New Year’s Day earthquake as thousands of rescuers press on in a search for survivors.
The earthquake killed at least 84 people in Japan. Rescuers are hoping to save as many people as possible despite a three-day survival window that ended on Thursday afternoon.
“We must continue putting all of our efforts into rescuing people, even beyond 72 hours after the disaster,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference.
Survival rates drop off 72 hours after a quake, according to emergency responders. So far 156 people have been rescued, but at least 79 others remain unaccounted for, according to authorities.
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Japanese lacquer artist Kohei Kirimoto searches for his missing cats with family members, in Wajima, Japan. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
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The extent of the damage from the earthquake and the tsunami it triggered remains unclear, with rescuers struggling to reach the northernmost areas of the peninsula – where much of the fatalities are – due to severed roads.
Severed roads, damaged infrastructure, and the remote location of the hardest-hit areas have complicated rescue efforts. The full extent of damage and casualties remains unclear three days after the quake.
Material aid has trickled in but many evacuees remain largely cut off from food, water, electricity and communications amid freezing temperatures and bad weather, authorities have also said.
The 3,000 meals and 5,000 bottles of water that were delivered as of Wednesday are not nearly enough for the 11,000 evacuees in Wajima city, its mayor, Shigeru Sakaguchi, said at a regional disaster response meeting.
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Basics such as internet access, medical supplies and clean toilets were also lacking.
“We have no running water. We cannot wash our hands after going to the bathroom,” Kyoko Kinoshita, 62, said as she queued in line for food with a couple of hundred other survivors in Wajima.
“One of the babies at the evacuation center is 3 weeks old and it looks like there is not enough water or milk for the baby either,” she added.
The government has pledged it will proactively provide supplies instead of waiting for official requests from local authorities. It also quintupled the number of Self-Defence Force members tasked with rescue operations since Monday, putting the total number of rescuers at about 7,000.
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Heavy rain hit the quake-hit areas on Wednesday, raising fears of landslides that could further hinder efforts to free many more people still trapped under rubble.
Smaller quakes continue to hit the peninsula.
Firefighters from Osaka and Nara prefectures pressed on despite the rain and aftershocks in hard-hit Wajima city, searching for a woman trapped in a wooden structure squashed by a seven-floor building that toppled over in the quake and landed on its side.
The rescuers were removing rubble to try to reach the woman, who was not showing any vital signs, a firefighter said.
About 500 tremors have been detected since the first quake on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
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Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a House Education and The Workforce Committee in Washington, U.S.. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
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- Harvard President Claudine Gay – the first Black president in the university’s 388-year history – resigned from her position, ending a six-month tenure after allegations of plagiarism and backlash over her congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus. Harvard last month had reaffirmed its confidence that she could lead the school through a period of high tension over the war in the Middle East. It also said an independent review of Gay’s academic work found she had not committed research misconduct. Gay said she received emailed death threats and was called the “N-word” countless times prior to resigning.
- Strikes: Junior doctors in England started a six-day walkout over pay on Wednesday, the longest strike in the 75-year history of the state-run National Health Service (NHS), which will hit patient care during a seasonal winter peak in demand.
- LGBT rights: A prominent LGBT rights activist in Uganda, where sexual minorities say they have faced a wave of abuse since a harsh anti-gay law was enacted last year, was stabbed on Wednesday and is in critical condition, his organisation said.
- Worker’s rights: Bangladesh garment factories have fired hundreds of workers since protests in October demanding higher wages, three labor unions representing half a million workers told Reuters this week, while many others are on the run fearing arrest. Click here for more.
- Peter Magubane, the renowned artist-photographer who shed light on the everyday struggles of Black South Africans for decades under apartheid, died on Monday. He was 91.
- Employment litigation: Rocket and satellite maker SpaceX was accused by a U.S. labor agency of unlawfully firing eight employees for circulating a letter calling founder and CEO Elon Musk a “distraction and embarrassment.”
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Dr. Deborah Brosnan, marine scientist and president of Deborah Brosnan & Associates, an international scientific consulting company, shares her thoughts about where the climate conversation will take us in 2024:
“2023 was the hottest year on record. No one is escaping the impacts of climate change.
“This year will continue this trend of extreme weather events and greater consequences.
“We will see more action and even optimism to combat the effects.
“The oceans have long been neglected: less than 1% of their value is invested in sustainable projects.
“In 2024 the blue economy will fully emerge into the mainstream and be a part of the climate conversation, just in time given 2023’s devastating year for corals.
“Ecosystem restoration, seaweed derived foods, and energy will dominate this space.
“Biodiversity is being reconnected with the climate crisis and biodiversity credits are emerging.”
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Owner Sunny Leong, 30, gives cat treats to her adorable Ragdoll cat, Mooncake, in her Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Singapore. REUTERS/Edgar Su
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Today’s spotlight focuses on cat welfare, which is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. The Singapore government has finally scrapped a law banning cats in Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartment blocks where 80% of 3.6 million Singaporeans live.
Sunny prides herself on being a law-abiding Singaporean citizen, but for the last three years, she’s been hiding a feline fugitive called Mooncake.
The fluffy ragdoll lives with Sunny in defiance of a 34-year-old law banning cats in the government-built apartments that house the vast majority of Singaporeans.
Luckily for Mooncake, Singapore plans to scrap the ban later this year, freeing Sunny from the threat of a S$4,000 ($3,007) fine or her pet’s potential eviction.
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- Jan 5-8, Spain: Iberia Airlines ground service workers in Spain will be on strike from Jan 5-8.
- Jan. 8, Washington, United States: Major providers of digital wallets and financial transfer apps are due to comment on the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal to subject them to the same supervision and compliance oversight imposed on banks.
- Jan. 9, Paris, France: Four police officers face trial – one for suspected rape and three for unnecessary violence during the arrest of a young man named Theo, which sparked outrage in France and protests in some Paris suburbs in 2017.
- Jan. 9, Oslo, Norway: Norway’s parliament is to debate a government proposal to open ocean areas to explore for seabed minerals on the Norwegian continental shelf. If approved, Norway could issue first commercial licenses as early as in 2024.
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