January 2, Wednesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Japan’s Emperor Akihito has delivered New Year greetings to the public at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
  2. The Taiwanese president says the island faces security risks, especially China’s attempts to use the openness and freedom of Taiwan’s democratic system to interfere in its politics and society.
  3. Jair Bolsonaro has been sworn in as Brazil’s president. The leaders of Cuba and Venezuela were not invited to the inauguration ceremony.