June 6, Thursday, 2024　

1. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed a strong sense of crisis following reports by a UN weather agency on Wednesday that the rate of global warming is increasing. In a speech made the same day, Guterres appealed to the international community to do more to contain global warming, calling for “an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.” 2. The Lower House of Japan’s Diet is expected to pass a bill to revise the political funds control law on Thursday. The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party amended the bill it submitted to include demands from its coalition partner Komeito and the Japan Innovation Party. The bill mandates that lawmakers create a document to confirm the contents of their political funds reports. This is to introduce a system of “guilt by association.” 3. An expert says the Russian economy has become increasingly dependent on China since Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow. Alexandra Prokopenko of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center says the sanctions have made China an irreplaceable partner for Russia. She adds that Russia may become subordinate to China, as the Chinese economy is much larger than Russia’s.