Japan's Shinzo Abe resigns due to health woes

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, said on Friday that he was resigning due to health concerns. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Japanese PM Shinzo Abe resigns [People walk past a large screen in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting the news conference of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe where he announced his resignation.]( Credit: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, said on Friday that he was [resigning due to health concerns](. Abe addressed the county and announced that the return of [chronic ulcerative colitis]( — an inflammatory bowel disease that has afflicted Abe since he was a teenager — had rendered him unable to continue leading the country amid the pandemic. The country’s longest-serving leader had provided Tokyo with political stability during his eight years in office. Abe, 65, brought Japan back from a catastrophic tsunami and nuclear disaster. He also [improved the economic situation]( considerably and cozied up to US President Donald Trump on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. His resignation, which comes a year before the end of his term in September 2021, [creates fresh uncertainty]( in Japan. Abe did not announce who might be replacing him as prime minister, but he is expected to remain in the position until his Liberal Democratic Party elects a new leader. But Abe didn’t succeed with [two of his notable aims](: amending Japan’s pacifist constitution or reaching an official peace treaty with Russia to end World War II. What The World is following Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned protesters in Belarus [not to push too hard]( to depose their embattled strongman leader, Alexander Lukashenko. Putin said that Russia has already [formed a special reserve security force]( — at Lukashenko’s request — ready to intervene if chaos continues in Minsk. However, Putin added that the law enforcement officers would not be deployed unless the “situation gets out of control.” Meanwhile, Belarusian police [stepped up mass arrests]( of protesters who have been taking to the streets since Aug. 9. Students in India are expressing grave concern about their government’s decision to [proceed with admission tests]( for engineering and medical schools during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2 million students are [expected to take the exams](, but many parents and opposition leaders have criticized the plan. They argue that the tests should be postponed [until COVID-19 infection rates go down](. And in the US on Friday, about 50,000 people were expected at a [criminal justice reform and racial justice rally]( at the Mall in the capital to coincide with the 57th anniversary of [Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech]( during the March on Washington. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Typhoon Bavi strikes North Korea amid pandemic lockdown]( [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this image released Aug. 25, 2020.]( Credit: KCNA via Reuters During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pyongyang has closed its borders, preventing aid groups from entering the country. And now, as North Korea attempts to recover from Typhoon Bavi and other recent weather events, the regime’s ability to effectively respond to disaster [is curtailed due to the absence of these organizations](. According to state media, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un recently instructed officials to refuse offers of foreign assistance, out of concern for bringing the disease into the country. [Are most white Americans guilty of 'supremacy' or just 'privilege'?]( [Protesters block an intersection while demonstrating against the Sunday police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Aug. 26, 2020.]( Credit: David Goldman/AP The history of white supremacy is complex and the meaning of that term often disputed. But if people, by association, are part of a larger structure in which whites dominate, is it appropriate to call them "white supremacists"? The World's host Carol Hills [spoke with Peniel Joseph](, the founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas in Austin. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The University of Texas at San Antonio is home to the largest collection of historic Mexican cookbooks in North America — some dating back to the 1700s, including many handwritten manuscripts. Now, the library has compiled collections of recipes from these books and [is releasing them online as free e-books]( so home cooks can discover them during lockdown. Their first e-book in the series, “Postres: Guardando Lo Mejor Para El Principio” (“Desserts: Saving the Best For First”) is online now with recipes in English and Spanish. Other e-books focusing on drinks, appetizers and main dishes are forthcoming. [Churros served on a plate in a Madrid restaurant.]( Credit: Cafe Nebraska Churros/Krista/CCY BY 2.0 Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Collection of historic Mexican recipes goes digital]( - [Pride canceled in China]( - [US isolated over Iran nuclear deal]( - [Russia-US dustup in Syria highlights bigger problems]( - [Pandemic hampers disaster relief in North Korea]( - [Increasing traditional fire management in Australia and California]( - [2020’s extreme weather]( - [Professional athletes join protest over Jacob Blake shooting]( - [Kenosha and white supremacy]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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