Parents hold their children before the start of their "crying baby sumo" match at Sensoji temple in Tokyo, Japan, April 28, 2024. /CFP
Japan's birth rate falls again
Japan's birth rate has fallen to a new low and is now at a "critical" level, according to the country's Health Ministry. On Wednesday the ministry released data to show that Japan's birth rate – the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her life – stood at 1.2 in 2023. This marks the eighth successive year of decline and is far below the 2.1 experts say is necessary to maintain a stable population. On the same day, Japan's parliament enacted a bill aimed at bolstering measures to tackle the declining birth rate.
The Japan Times reported: "The government will remove the income cap on child allowances starting this October and expand the allowance plan to cover children up to high school age, instead of until junior high school age as it is currently. The monthly allowance will be doubled for any third child and beyond."
Samples from far side of the moon
The ascender of China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has taken off from the surface of the moon and carried out an unmanned rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit, the China National Space Administration said on Thursday.
The lunar probe has successfully transferred samples from the far side of the moon to the orbiter-returner combination, officially commencing its journey back to Earth, which will be in around 20 days.
People are rescued from their houses through flood water in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, on June 2, 2024. /CFP
Monsoon woes in Sri Lanka
Heavy rainfall triggered floods and mudslides in many parts of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 10 people dead and six others missing. Heavy downpours which came with the annual monsoon rain wreaked havoc in many parts of the country since Sunday, flooding homes, fields and roads and forcing authorities to cut electricity as a precaution.
By Monday, over 5,000 people had been moved to evacuation centers, and more than 400 homes had been damaged, the center said in a statement. Troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials to those affected.
Lightning appears amid a storm as Mount Ibu spews volcanic material during an eruption, North Maluku province, Indonesia, June 6, 2024. /Reuters
Volcano erupts thrice in a day
Indonesia's Mount Ibu erupted thrice on Thursday, spewing red lava and clouds of grey ash. Authorities have raised the alert to the highest level as the number of eruptions and deep volcanic earthquakes have significantly increased. No injuries were reported.
The volcano, located on an island in the eastern North Maluku province, has erupted several times in recent months. Thursday's eruptions sent ash clouds up to 1,200 meters into the sky, said Muhammad Wafid, chief of Indonesia's Geology Agency. Authorities have urged people to stay at least 7 kilometers away from the volcano.
A plane parks after completing its flight test at the New Gwadar International Airport in the southwest port city of Gwadar, Pakistan, June 4, 2024. /Xinhua
New China-aided airport in Pakistan
A brand new airport in Pakistan's Gwadar started test flights on Tuesday. The China-aided New Gwadar International Airport is about to enter the final sprint stage, the airport's project management team said.
Ding Kan, head of the project management team, told Xinhua that the flight test work of the airport, being built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and located in the southwest port city of Gwadar, is being implemented by Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The main purpose of the tests is to check the standardization and safety of the project's navigation facilities, navigational aids and surface performance, he said. Following the completion of the flight test, the project will enter the final sprint stage, and it is expected that the airport will be completed and handed over to the local authorities later this year, according to Ding.
(Cover: Sixth grade students at the Ouji-daini elementary school in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2023. /CFP)