Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, AFP via Getty ImagesBy George WrightBBC NewsJapan’s prime minister says his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its falling birth rate.Fumio Kishida said it was a case of “now or never.”Japan – population 125 million – is estimated to have had fewer than 800,000 births last year. In the 1970s, that figure was more than two million. Birth rates are slowing in many countries, including Japan’s neighbours.But the issue is particularly acute in Japan as life expectancy has risen in recent decades, meaning there are a growing number of older people, and a declining numbers of workers to support them.Japan now has the world’s second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over – about 28% – after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.”Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,” Mr Kishida told lawmakers.”Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed.”He said that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programmes. A new government agency to focus on the issue would be set up in April, he added.However, Japanese governments have tried to promote similar strategies before, without success.In 2020, researchers projected Japan’s population to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century.Japan has continued implementing strict immigration laws despite some relaxations, but some experts are now saying that the rules should be loosened further to help tackle its ageing society.Falling birth rates are driven by a range of factors, including rising living costs, more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children.Last week, China reported its first drop in population for 60 years.More on this storyChina’s population falls for first time since 19615 days ago’Jaw-dropping’ world fertility rate crash expected15 July 2020

Published1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy George WrightBBC NewsChina has taken down more than 1,000 social media accounts – some with millions of followers – that criticised the government’s Covid policies.Social media platform Weibo said it had suspended or banned accounts for what it described as personal attacks against Chinese Covid specialists.Weibo did not specify which posts had prompted the action.China scrapped its strict zero-Covid policy in December and has seen a rapid surge of infections and deaths.Online criticism has until recently largely focused on the strict enforcement of Covid regulations, including lockdowns that required people to stay at home in isolation for weeks. But recent posts have taken aim at experts who have defended the sudden decision to drop restrictions, despite supporting them just weeks ago. Weibo said it had spotted almost 13,000 violations, including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers. Temporary or permanent bans have been handed to 1,120 accounts.”It is not acceptable to hurl insults at people who hold a different point of view, or publish personal attacks and views that incite conflicts,” Weibo said in a statement. Any kind of move that is destructive to the [Weibo] community would be handled in a serious manner.”How is China trying to beat its latest Covid surge?Young Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderlyChina criticises ‘political’ Covid tourist rulesSince China abandoned key parts of zero-Covid following historic protests against the policy, there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed.But China has stopped publishing daily cases data and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December, using its own strict criteria.On Saturday, China marked the first day of the 40-day period of Lunar New Year, known as the world’s largest annual migration of people. The Ministry of Transport said it expects more than two billion passengers to travel over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5% year-on-year and reaching 70% of trip numbers in 2019.This has led to widespread concerns that the festival may see another wave of infections, especially in rural areas that are less well-equipped with ICU beds and ventilators.From Sunday, China will drop a requirement for travellers coming from abroad to quarantine, meaning many Chinese will be able to travel abroad for the first time in almost three years.More on this storyYoung Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderly3 days agoHow is China trying to beat its latest Covid surge?3 days agoCelebrity deaths spark fears over China Covid toll3 days agoChina under-representing Covid deaths, WHO warns4 days ago

Published14 minutes agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy George WrightBBC NewsEurope saw a 14% drop in its birth rate in January 2021 compared to previous years – a decline probably triggered by the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, research suggests.January 2021 was nine to 10 months after the imposition of Covid-related lockdowns.Longer lockdowns led to fewer pregnancies, the research suggests.The decline was more common in countries where health systems struggled.Lithuania and Romania saw the biggest drops – at 28% and 23% respectively – while Sweden, which had no lockdown, saw normal birth rates, according to findings published in the journal Human Reproduction.Researchers say the findings may lead to “long-term consequences on demographics particularly in western Europe where there are aging populations”.”The longer the lockdowns the fewer pregnancies occurred in this period, even in countries not severely affected by the pandemic,” said Dr Leo Pomar, a midwife sonographer at Lausanne University Hospital, who wrote the study. “We think that couples’ fears of a health and social crisis at the time of the first wave of Covid-19 contributed to the decrease in live births nine months later.”Social distancing measures, fears related to the virus, and the social and economic crisis caused as a result may be “indirect factors that played a role in the decision of couples to postpone pregnancies”, the report states. England and Wales saw a 13% drop in January 2021, compared with January 2018 and 2019 – while the number of babies born in Scotland decreased by 14%.France and Spain saw a 14% and 23% drop respectively. In March 2021, births returned to a similar rate to the pre-pandemic level, corresponding to a rebound nine to 10 months after the end of lockdowns, the study says. But researchers say that this rebound does not appear to have compensated for the drop in birth rates two months before. “The fact that the rebound in births does not seem to compensate for the decrease in January 2021 could have long-term consequences on demographics, particularly in western Europe where there are aging populations,” Dr Pomar said.More on this story’Jaw-dropping’ world fertility rate crash expected15 July 2020US birth rate falls during pandemic4 March 2021

Published54 minutes agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersNorth Korea says everyone who fell sick since the country confirmed its first Covid-19 infections has recovered.On Friday state media reported zero fever cases for a seventh straight day. North Korea refers to “fever” rather than “Covid” patients due to a lack of testing equipment.The country announced its first Covid outbreak in May and has reported fever infections and deaths since.But there is widespread doubt over the data, especially the number of deaths.”No new fever cases were reported during the past week and all those receiving treatment have recovered across the country,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.North Korea has entered a phase of “stability”, it added, but the country would “redouble efforts to maintain perfection in the execution of state anti-epidemic policies”.Pyongyang has not confirmed how many people tested positive for Covid. But state media said around 4.77 million fever patients have fully recovered and 74 have died since late April, which is a fatality rate of 0.002% – the lowest in the world.Many experts find these statistics hard to believe.North Korea has one of the worst healthcare systems in the world, and has no Covid-19 treatment drugs or vaccines, experts say.In contrast, South Korea – which has an advanced healthcare system and a highly vaccinated population – has a reported Covid fatality rate of 0.12%, according to official data.Shin Young-Jeon, a professor at Hanyang University’s medical school in Seoul, told Reuters that North Korea’s stated fatalities were nearly impossible and that the death toll could be up to 50,000.South Korea’s Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, responsible for inter-Korean affairs, this week said there were “credibility issues” with the data, but Covid seemed “somewhat under control” in the North.More on this storyUncovering the mystery of North Korea’s Covid outbreak2 JuneNorth Korea fighting Covid with tea and salt water20 MayN Korea has confirmed Covid: What’s likely to happen?14 May

SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesEight medical personnel are to stand trial accused of criminal negligence in the death of legendary Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona.A judge has ordered a culpable homicide trial after a medical panel found Maradona’s treatment was rife with “deficiencies and irregularities”.Maradona died in November 2020 of a heart attack in Buenos Aires, aged 60.He had been recovering at home from surgery on a brain blood clot earlier that month.A few days after his death Argentine prosecutors launched an investigation into the doctors and nurses involved in his care.Maradona’s extraordinary life in picturesObituary – Argentina’s flawed football iconLast year, the panel of 20 experts appointed to examine his death found Maradona’s medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner”.It also concluded that the footballer “would have had a better chance of survival” with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility, according to the court ruling.Among those facing charges are Maradona’s neurosurgeon and personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, a psychiatrist and psychologist, two doctors, two nurses and their boss. They have all denied responsibility for his death.All eight will be tried on a legal definition of homicide based on negligence committed in the knowledge that it may lead to a person’s death.The crime can hold a sentence of eight to 25 years in prison, according to Argentina’s penal code. A date for the trial is yet to be set.Image source, Getty ImagesMario Baudry, a lawyer for one of Maradona’s sons, told Reuters that the football legend was “in a situation of helplessness” by the time of his death.”As soon as I saw the cause, I said it was homicide. I fought for a long time and here we are, with this stage completed,” he said.The legal proceedings were prompted by a complaint filed by two of Maradona’s daughters. They raised concerns about their father’s treatment after the brain operation.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.In an emotional press conference in November 2020, Dr Luque cried, saying he had done all he could to save the life of a friend.At one point, the doctor shot back at reporters: “You want to know what I am responsible for? For having loved him, for having taken care of him, for having extended his life, for having improved it to the end.”The doctor said he had done “everything he could, up to the impossible”.Diego Maradona is largely considered to be one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game. He was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the quarter-finals. During the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.The news of his death threw the football world – and his home country of Argentina – into deep mourning, with many thousands of people queuing for hours to walk by his coffin at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires. Not even the most fanatical Maradona supporter would deny the damage that years of addiction had done to his body or the debilitating effects of his gruelling brain surgery. Yet there was a sense in Argentina that, aged just 60, probably the greatest player ever to have graced the pitch was taken before his time. As the demands for answers grew with each revelation about his treatment, the subsequent findings by the medical panel were damning in the extreme.The outpouring of grief and respect in Argentina following Maradona’s death is still fresh in the memory – when thousands of fans trooped past his flag-draped coffin in tears in the presidential palace over three days of national mourning. It was far earlier than they had wanted to say goodbye to him. These charges may at least provide them with answers over the exact circumstances behind the death of one of Argentina’s greatest sons. More on this storyMaradona care inadequate, medical report saysMaradona autopsy shows no drink or drugsMaradona: An extraordinary life in pictures