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WORLD NEWS Saturday 24 OctOber 2020
Japan, Britain sign free trade deal for post-Brexit era

By YURI KAGEYAMA ally and won't become
AP Business Writer eliminated until 2026. That
TOKYO (AP) — Japan and matches Japan's arrange-
Britain signed a free trade ment with the EU.
agreement on Friday, the Japan has repeatedly ex-
the first such major post- pressed concern about the
Brexit deal, reducing tar- likely impact of Brexit on
iffs on goods like Yorkshire Japanese businesses in Brit-
lamb sold in Japan as well ain, which include Hitachi,
as auto parts for Japan's with plants making railway
Nissan plant. cars for East Coast trains,
"How fitting it is to be in the and Nissan Motor Co., em-
Land of the Rising Sun to ploying several thousand
welcome in the dawn of a workers at its Sunderland
new era of free trade," Brit- auto plant.
ish International Trade Sec- Motegi visited Britain in Au-
retary Liz Truss told report- gust, his first overseas trip
ers at a signing ceremony amid the coronavirus pan-
in Tokyo. Appearing with demic, and stressed the
Japanese Foreign Minis- importance for reaching a
ter Toshimitsu Motegi, Truss trade deal quickly.
called the agreement a British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi Business organizations in
"landmark" as the first ma- exchange agreement documents for economic partnership between Japan and Britain at Iikura the U.K. welcomed oppor-
Annex of the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.
jor trade deal for Britain as Associated Press tunities to boost an econ-
it becomes once again an omy hard hit by the COV-
independent trading na- Motegi said the bilateral Britain's opposition Labour ruling party controls both ID-19 crisis. "This will give a
tion. The deal, expected deal ensures continuity Party has estimated it will houses of parliament. welcome helping hand to
to boost British trade with with the earlier European increase U.K. GDP by 0.07% Japan already exports some of the country's most
Japan by 15 billion pounds agreement and adds new - far less than the predicted about 1.5 trillion yen ($14 innovative companies,
($19.5 billion) annually, will areas for cooperation such fall in trade with the 27-na- billion) of goods to Britain which sometimes struggle
also make it easier for Brit- as e-commerce and finan- tion bloc. Britain is seeking each year, mostly autos, to navigate the complexi-
ish companies to operate cial services. to secure deals with other auto parts and other ma- ties of breaking through
in Japan. The British government says countries, notably the Unit- chinery. It imports nearly 1 into new markets,'' Stephen
Financial services are Brit- the ability to strike free ed States, but talks are pro- trillion yen ($9.5 billion) from Phipson, CEO of Make UK,
ain's biggest export to Ja- trade agreements around ceeding slowly. Britain, including pharma- the manufacturers' orga-
pan, now at 28%. English the world is one of the main Parliamentary approval is ceuticals, medical prod- nization. "Business looks
sparkling wine, made-in- benefits of Brexit. But the needed in both nations be- ucts and cars, according forward to being directly
Britain coats and shoes, new deal largely replicates fore the agreement takes to the Japanese Foreign and closely involved in the
Stilton cheese, pork, lamb the trade agreement Brit- effect from the beginning Ministry. ongoing program of trade
and biscuits will become ain had with Japan as part of next year. It's expected Tariffs on Japanese autos negotiations to ensure the
cheaper in Japan. of the EU. in Japan next week, as the will be removed gradu- best possible outcomes."q

In Brazil's richest city, works to clean a filthy river

By CHRISTIANA SCIAUDONE glass office towers, multi- moving all waste from the
and TATIANA POLLASTRI story apartments in the sky river.
Associated Press and a private school that Whether that deadline
SAO PAULO (AP) — The charges the nation's high- is overly optimistic, the
Pinheiros River that runs est tuition — it is also home need is real. In Sao Paulo,
through the heart of Sao to many of its have-nots. about 25% of the popula-
Paulo makes its pollution Some 3.3 million people live tion — more than 2.5 mil-
known with a miasma that in the 16-mile river's basin, lion people — lacks access
wafts across city streets, some in slums and home- to waste treatment, said
choking rich and poor less tent cities from which Edison Carlos, president of
alike. It's an unwelcome sewage flows into the wa- Trata Brasil, an organization
feature of the city that is terway. "We have no mon- that promotes clean water
also Brazil's wealthiest and ey to live elsewhere," said and sewerage.
the financial heart of Latin Adriana Maria, a 40-year- "It is less water than sew-
America. old maid who lives in the age," Carlos said of the Pin-
Efforts to clean up the river Americanopolis slum. "Poli- heiros River. Debris floats in the Pinheiros River in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday,
have gathered momen- ticians won't even look at Ongoing works also entail Oct. 22, 2020. Associated Press
tum, with the state gov- us." Maria's home is one of trash removal, because
ernment working to make 43,000 structures that Sao 100,000 tons of it are tossed erbed, creating hills of plas- River, of which Pinheiros
good on a pledge that Paulo's state-owned water into the water every month, tic bottles, styrofoam, and is its most contaminated
past administrations have and waste company Sabe- said Marcos Penido, secre- discarded clothing. tributary. That project is still
been unable to deliver on, sp says it has linked to sew- tary of infrastructure and The final contracts for the ongoing. And in 2001, then-
at least as far as three de- age collection since the environment for the state. project were signed in July, Gov. Geraldo Alckmin an-
cades back. project began less than a Garbage amasses along Penido said. nounced a project to de-
While the Pinheiros River year ago. It will connect an the riverbanks and in small In 1992, Sabesp began a pollute the river, though it
is bordered by symbols of additional 487,000 homes islands that form in the dry project that aimed to de- did not address sewage
Brazil's haves — gleaming and buildings by 2022, re- season throughout the riv- pollute the 715-mile Tiete problems. q