Online gambler "very sorry" for squandering $358,000 worth of COVID relief he got thanks to a clerical error
CBSN
Tokyo — A once-placid fishing town of 3,000 on the Sea of Japan is in turmoil — thrust into national headlines by a fiscal error of pandemic proportions. Abu, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, is suing one of its residents for allegedly squandering well over a quarter of a million dollars in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds that he never should have had.
The man was supposed to have received $773 in pandemic relief, but thanks to a clerical mistake he inadvertently ended up with the entire amount intended for distribution to hundreds of low-income households in his district — a total of $358,000.
Tokyo — In North Korea, the release of Taylor Swift's new double album was completely eclipsed by the surprise drop of another brand-new song, complete with an elaborately produced music video. There were no tortured poets in sight for the release of "Friendly Father," an energetic pop-style piece of state propaganda praising North Korea's dictatorial leader Kim Jong Un.
Berlin — German authorities say they have arrested two people suspected of spying for Russia. The suspects, identified as German-Russian nationals, are accused of scouting targets for potential attacks, including U.S. military facilities in Germany, the Federal Public Prosecutor General for Karlsruhe said in a statement released Thursday.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.