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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 16 december 2020

Brazil, Mexico presidents among last to congratulate Biden

By MARK STEVENSON Biden seemed to stress that
Associated Press wariness.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- "We are certain that, with
can President Andrés Man- you as president of the
uel López Obrador and Bra- United States, it will be pos-
zil's Jair Bolsonaro congrat- sible to continue applying
ulated U.S. President-elect the basic principles of for-
Jose Biden, becoming the eign policy contained in
last major Latin American the (Mexican) constitution,
leaders to do so. especially non-intervention
Both the Mexican and Bra- and the right to self-deter-
zilian leaders were seen mination," the letter said.
as close to Donald Trump. Jose Antonio Crespo, a po-
Bolsonaro wrote in his Twit- litical analyst at Mexico's
ter account: "Greetings to Center for Economic Re-
President Joe Biden, with search and Training, said
my best wishes and the López Obrador's wariness
hope that the United States of Biden stems in part from
will remain 'the land of the the Democrat's stance in
free and the brave.'" favor of renewable energy,
But more surprising was the in contrast to Trump's fer-
tardy and somewhat chilly vent support of coal. The
letter López Obrador said Mexican leader has made
he sent to Biden late Mon- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stands during the commemoration of his second oil and coal — along with
day. The Mexican president anniversary in office, at the National Palace in Mexico City, on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. the defense of state indus-
Associated Press
has stressed that maintain- tries, no matter how pollut-
ing good relations with the dramatic roadblock in the Mexico and the countries drug corruption problem. ing — a keystone of his ad-
United States — Mexico's relationship," Guerra said, of Central America," López Mexico publicly protested ministration.
northern neighbor and by but noted "when you send Obrador wrote. the October arrest of for- Trump pressured López Ob-
far its top trading partner — a letter, send a nice one." "I believe that this way, mer defense secretary Sal- rador to stop Central Amer-
is one of his top priorities. But the letter also held out nobody will be forced to vador Cienfuegos in Los ican migrants from reach-
López Obrador said Tues- a seeming, tentative offer leave the land of their birth, Angeles, saying Mexico ing the U.S. border through
day he intentionally wait- that Mexico might continue and they will be able to live, had not been informed Mexico, but apart from
ed until the Electoral Col- to act as a buffer against work and be happy with that U.S. prosecutors had that, the U.S. president did
lege vote before writing to waves of migrants seeking their family and among charged him with taking little to pressure Mexico on
Biden. The brief letter con- to reach the United States, their people and their cul- money to aid a drug gang. human rights or corruption.
tained an implicit warning a role Mexico took on part- ture," the letter continued. The Mexican government "They are afraid that Joe
against getting involved in ly at the urging of Trump. "In this way, we can cre- demanded he be returned, Biden will get more in-
Mexico's internal affairs. "I also want to express my ate a definitive solution to and López Obrador later volved than he should in
"He took way too long" to recognition of your stance migratory flows from and sent a bill to congress to re- López Obrador's projects,
congratulate Biden, said in favor of migrants from through Mexico toward the move diplomatic immunity something Trump didn't
columnist and former diplo- Mexico and the rest of the United States." for U.S. agents in Mexico do," said Crespo. "Apart
mat Gabriel Guerra. He de- world, which will allow us to The Mexican government and place onerous require- from immigration, Trump
scribed the letter as "rather continue with plans to pro- has reacted angrily to per- ments on their contact with didn't get involved in Mex-
cool and standoffish." mote development and ceived slights and U.S. in- Mexican officials. ico's economic or energy
"I don't see it as a major, welfare in southeastern tervention in the country's López Obrador's letter to projects." q

Japan ‘Twitter killer’ sentenced to death for serial murders

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Police arrested Shiraishi in sisted the victims' suicidal
Associated Press 2017 after finding the bod- wishes, Shiraishi later said
TOKYO (AP) — A Japa- ies of eight females and he killed them without their
nese court on Tuesday sen- one male in cold-storage consent.
tenced a man to death cases in his apartment. In the ruling, presiding
for killing and dismember- Investigators said Shiraishi Judge Naokuni Yano said
ing nine people, most of approached the victims none of the victims agreed
whom had posted suicidal via Twitter, offering to as- to be killed and that Shirai-
thoughts on social media, sist them with their suicidal shi was fully responsible for
in a case that shocked the wishes. He killed the wom- their deaths, according to
country. en, including teenagers, media reports.
The Tachikawa branch of after raping them, and also He said the crime was ex-
the Tokyo District Court killed a boyfriend of one of tremely heinous and had
found Takahiro Shiraishi, the women to silence him, caused fear and concern
known as the "Twitter killer," investigators said. in a society where social
guilty of killing, dismember- On Twitter, Shiraishi used media have become an
ing and storing the bodies the name "Hangman," indispensable part of ev-
of the victims in his apart- promising to help his victims eryday life, NHK public tele- Takahiro Shiraishi leaves a police station in Hachioji, suburbs of
ment in Zama, near Tokyo. die and inviting them to his vision reported. Tokyo in November, 2017. Associated Press
Shiraishi, 30, pleaded guilty apartment. Japan's suicide rate ranks
and said he would not ap- Although his defense law- among the world's highest. the number has climbed were hit by the effects of
peal his death sentence. yers argued that he as- Following a recent decline, back this year as people the pandemic. q