日: 2022年12月13日

1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa says the government is considering supporting the African Union’s admission to the Group of 20 economies. The African Union comprises of 55 members and is one of the largest regional blocs in the world. US President Joe Biden has indicated that he will announce support for its membership. 2.The United States has announced that it plans to give Africa 55 billion dollars in aid over the next three years. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the announcement on Monday, as President Joe Biden was preparing to host the US-Africa summit in Washington. 3.Ukraine is once again pressing its Western allies for help to battle back Russia’s invasion. The Group of Seven responded with a pledge to bolster Ukrainian air defenses and push Moscow to work for peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the leaders online Monday. He asked for more air defense systems, howitzers and long-range rockets.

1.China’s official coronavirus case count has dropped, but the actual number is believed to be much higher after the government eased its zero-COVID policy. The Chinese government says more than 8,000 new cases were confirmed on Sunday. The daily tally dropped to about one-fifth of the figure when the infection peaked in late November. But the case count is believed to have fallen partly because fewer people are taking PCR tests, after authorities stopped requesting people to present negative test results at may public places. 2. The US government says it has taken custody of a Libyan man accused of being involved in making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. 3. Japanese venture firm has successfully launched what could become the first privately-funded spacecraft to land on the moon.