July 14, Wednesday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. A long-standing territorial dispute between Japan and Russia persists over four Russian-controlled islands. The Japanese government maintains that the islands were illegally occupied after World War II. Former Japanese residents of the islands are allowed to visit the islands without visas under a three-decade long exchange program between Japanese and Russian citizens. But due to the pandemic, visits have been put on hold. Given the current circumstances, some Russians living on one of the four islands have been looking after a Japanese cemetery.
2. Ohtani Shohei’s success on the diamond is echoing beyond the ball park. His example is attracting new fans to the sport and inspiring people back home in Japan.
3.Indonesia has seen more coronavirus cases than anywhere else in Southeast Asia…including a new one-day record of over 54,000 on Wednesday. The government is working to boost the vaccination rate from the current 8 percent to all eligible people by March next year. And it is being joined by businesses eager to keep the economy moving forward.