Briefly

MALAYSIA

Sinovac vaccine rollout underway

Malaysia on Thursday started to inoculate its people with the COVID-19 vaccine made by the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech as it pressed ahead with its national vaccination drive. Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin became the first recipient of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine in Malaysia. He received the jab at the Rembau Hospital in Negeri Sembilan state. Khairy told a news conference following his taking the shot that he was feeling well. He stressed that the vaccine had been used in many countries and by state leaders including Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

JAPAN

Olympic official quits over sexist comments

The creative director for Tokyo's Olympic ceremonies resigned on Thursday for suggesting a female comedian appear as a pig, just weeks after the Games' chief stepped down over insulting remarks about women. Hiroshi Sasaki announced his decision after a report on Wednesday revealed his proposal that Naomi Watanabe, a popular celebrity and plus-size model, appear as an "Olympig" wearing pig ears at the opening ceremony. It is just the latest headache for the delayed Games, which are struggling for public support mid-pandemic and were left reeling by former chief Yoshiro Mori's sexist comments last month.

Same-sex marriage ban ruled unlawful

A court ruled on Wednesday the government's ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, recognizing the rights of same-sex couples for the first time in the only G7 country that doesn't acknowledge their legal partnership. Even though the court dismissed the plaintiffs' demand for government compensation, the precedent is a major victory for same-sex people and could affect similar lawsuits pending around the country. The Sapporo District Court said sexuality, like race and gender, is not a matter of individual preference, therefore prohibiting same-sex couples from receiving benefits given to heterosexual couples cannot be justified.

Xinhua - Agencies