IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-03-20 07:18

Kazakhstan

President Nazarbayev announces resignation

Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the oil-rich nation of Kazakhstan for nearly three decades, has announced his resignation. Nazarbayev said in a televised address to the nation on Tuesday that he has taken the "difficult" decision to terminate his authority as president, effective on Wednesday. He did not give a specific reason. The 78-year-old has led Kazakhstan since 1989 when it was still part of the Soviet Union. He came to power as the Central Asian nation's Communist Party chief and was then elected president. The announcement comes weeks after he dismissed the country's government.

Japan

Olympics chief quits over bribery scandal

Tsunekazu Takeda is stepping down as the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee amid a vote-buying scandal that French investigators suspect helped Tokyo land next year's Olympics. Takeda announced on Tuesday at the committee's executive board meeting that he will resign when his term ends in June, and he again denied corruption allegations against him. The scandal, which French authorities have been investigating for several years, has cast a long shadow over the Tokyo Olympics and underlines flawed efforts by the IOC to clean up its bidding process. Japan is spending at least $20 billion to organize the games, which open on July 24, 2020.

AFP - AP

(China Daily 03/20/2019 page12)