WEC Class Notes

1. A remark by Prince Akishino, who will become first in line to the throne next year, has stirred controversy over how freely members of the Imperial family can speak about contentious matters because the Constitution prohibits the head of the family from being involved in politics. 2. In a rare move for a royal, Prince Akishino, second son of the outgoing Emperor Akihito, questioned the government’s decision to use a massive amount of public money for a Shinto-related ritual to take place in November next year as part of the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito. 3. “I wonder whether it is appropriate to cover the highly religious event with state funds,” the prince said during a recent news conference for his 53rd birthday, baffling senior bureaucrats of the Imperial Household Agency as well as many experts on royal family matters. 4. Major Japanese media outlets covered his comments extensively Friday morning, prompting many in Japan to revisit not only the principle of t

1 WASHINGTON — Humans are transforming Earth’s natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival, a sweeping new United Nations assessment has concluded.        2 The 1,500-page report, compiled by hundreds of international experts and based on thousands of scientific studies, is the most exhaustive look yet at the decline in biodiversity across the globe and the dangers that creates for human civilization. A summary of its findings , which was approved by representatives from the United States and 131 other countries, was released Monday in Paris. The full report is set to be published this year.                                                                                      3 Its conclusions are stark. In most major land habitats, from the savannas of Africa to the rain forests of South America, the average abu