Jake Sturmer's guest appearances

Jake Sturmer

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Claire Trevett

Don Brash

Phil Goff

Des Gorman

Andrew Barnes

Ashley Bloomfield

John Tamihere

Jacqui Maguire

Jim Bolger

Nicki Jackson

Michael Bloomberg

David Coombes

Scott Pritchard

Nikki Kaye

Sam Stubbs

OwlTail

The IOC and Tokyo Olympic organizers start three days of virtual meetings Wednesday and will run into some of the strongest medical-community opposition so far with the games set to open in just over eight weeks.The meetings are headed by IOC Vice President John Coates, who will attempt to again assure the Japanese population that the games will be "safe and secure."Much of Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka, is under a state of emergency, which forced IOC President Thomas Bach to cancel a trip to Japan this month. Only about 1-2% of the population is fully vaccinated, and opposition to the Olympics is running at 60-80% in numerous polls.In one of the strongest statements so far, the 6,000-member Tokyo Medical Practitioners' Association called for the Olympics to be cancelled in a letter sent last week to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the organizing committee.The letter was made public this week on the group's website."We believe the correct choice is to the cancel an event that has the possibility of increasing the numbers of infected people and deaths," the letter said."Viruses are spread by people's movements. Japan will hold a heavy responsibility if the Olympics and Paralympics work to worsen the pandemic, increasing the number of those who must suffer and die."The Olympics are to open on July 23. The Paralympics follow on Aug. 24. They are a financial imperative for the International Olympic Committee, which derives about 75% of its incomes from selling television rights and another 18% from sponsorship.Japan has officially spent $15.4 billion or organize the Olympics, although government audits suggest the figure is much higher.There is no indication the games will be cancelled, though opposition continues with small street protests and online petition drives. Last month the British Medical Journal  came out against holding the Olympics.Japan has had more than 11,500 deaths from COVID-19.The Tokyo Medical Practitioners' Association warned of a possible collapse of Japan's medical system, which could come under more pressure with Tokyo's hot and humid summer months approaching as the Olympics open."Our nation is now undergoing a surge in coronavirus patients in a fourth wave, the worst so far," the letter said. "The medical systems responding to COVID-19 are stretched thin, almost to their limits. The reality is that the entire medical system faces an almost insurmountable hardship in trying our best to respond with coronavirus measures."Tokyo organizers have said about 10,000 medical personnel will be needed during the Olympics. They have also asked for 500 extra nurses, and 200 sports medicine specialists.Several prefectures near Tokyo have said they will not give priority to treating Olympic athletes."The doctors and nurses of the medical system who are being asked to respond are already at this point exhausted, and there is absolutely no extra manpower or facility for treatment," the letter added.Fans from abroad have already been banned, and Olympic organizers are expected to announce next month if local fans can attend in limited numbers.The Olympics and Paralympics will involve 15,000 athletes and tens of thousands of others entering Japan, which has had its borders virtually sealed for more than a year.- words by By Stephen Wade, AP

The IOC and Tokyo Olympic organizers start three days of virtual meetings Wednesday and will run into some of the strongest medical-community opposition so far with the games set to open in just over eight weeks. The meetings are headed by IOC Vice President John Coates, who will attempt to again assure the Japanese population that the games will be "safe and secure." Much of Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka, is under a state of emergency, which forced IOC President Thomas Bach to cancel a trip to Japan this month. Only about 1-2% of the population is fully vaccinated, and opposition to the Olympics is running at 60-80% in numerous polls. In one of the strongest statements so far, the 6,000-member Tokyo Medical Practitioners' Association called for the Olympics to be cancelled in a letter sent last week to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the organizing committee. The letter was made public this week on the group's website. "We believe the correct choice is to the cancel an event that has the possibility of increasing the numbers of infected people and deaths," the letter said. "Viruses are spread by people's movements. Japan will hold a heavy responsibility if the Olympics and Paralympics work to worsen the pandemic, increasing the number of those who must suffer and die." The Olympics are to open on July 23. The Paralympics follow on Aug. 24. They are a financial imperative for the International Olympic Committee, which derives about 75% of its incomes from selling television rights and another 18% from sponsorship. Japan has officially spent $15.4 billion or organize the Olympics, although government audits suggest the figure is much higher. There is no indication the games will be cancelled, though opposition continues with small street protests and online petition drives. Last month the British Medical Journal  came out against holding the Olympics. Japan has had more than 11,500 deaths from COVID-19. The Tokyo Medical Practitioners' Association warned of a possible collapse of Japan's medical system, which could come under more pressure with Tokyo's hot and humid summer months approaching as the Olympics open. "Our nation is now undergoing a surge in coronavirus patients in a fourth wave, the worst so far," the letter said. "The medical systems responding to COVID-19 are stretched thin, almost to their limits. The reality is that the entire medical system faces an almost insurmountable hardship in trying our best to respond with coronavirus measures." Tokyo organizers have said about 10,000 medical personnel will be needed during the Olympics. They have also asked for 500 extra nurses, and 200 sports medicine specialists. Several prefectures near Tokyo have said they will not give priority to treating Olympic athletes. "The doctors and nurses of the medical system who are being asked to respond are already at this point exhausted, and there is absolutely no extra manpower or facility for treatment," the letter added. Fans from abroad have already been banned, and Olympic organizers are expected to announce next month if local fans can attend in limited numbers. The Olympics and Paralympics will involve 15,000 athletes and tens of thousands of others entering Japan, which has had its borders virtually sealed for more than a year. - words by By Stephen Wade, AP

Jake Sturmer: Tokyo Games organizers get plea to cancel from medical body

Alek Sigley

North Korea said Saturday that an Australian student who it detained for a week had spread anti-Pyongyang propaganda and engaged in spying by providing photos and other materials to news outlets with critical views toward the North.Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said North Korea deported Alek Sigley on Thursday after he pleaded for forgiveness for his activities, which the agency said infringed on the country's sovereignty.North Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions.  KCNA provided few details about Sigley's alleged spying activities other than that he, at the "instigation" of the media outlets, provided them with photos and data that he had collected.North Korea, which closely monitors visitors and enforces a stringent information blockade on its citizens, is extremely sensitive about controlling the flow of information, which made Sigley, who had a lively presence on Twitter, an anomaly in the country.Sigley arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in "very good" condition, but without saying what happened to him. His father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son was treated well in North Korea.Sigley had been studying at a Pyongyang university and guiding tours in the North Korean capital before disappearing from social media contact with family and friends.KCNA said Sigley, who was caught "red-handed" by a "relevant institution" of the North on June 25, had abused his status as a student by "combing" through Pyongyang and providing photos and other information to news sites such as NK News and other "anti-DPRK" media, a reference to the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The news agency said the North expelled Sigley out of "humanitarian leniency.""He honestly admitted his spying acts of systematically collecting and offering data about the domestic situation of the DPRK and repeatedly asked for pardon, apologizing for encroachment upon the sovereignty of the DPRK," the agency said.The North had not commented on Sigley before Saturday.Sigley was released following intervention by Swedish diplomats. After his arrival in Beijing, he went to Tokyo to reunite with his Japanese wife, who he married in Pyongyang last year.During his time in North Korea, Sigley often shared details about his life in Pyongyang through social media and the website of his travel agency, Tongil Tours, frequently challenging negative outside perceptions about the North and at times boasting about the extraordinary freedom he had as one of the few foreign students living there.He also wrote op-eds and essays that appeared in the Western media, including NK News, although none of them seemed outwardly critical about the North's government and political system.In a statement published on its site, NK News CEO Chad O'Carroll said it would be a "misrepresentation" for the North to describe the articles Sigley wrote for the outlet as anti-state. He said NK News is an independent, specialist information website that aims to provide objective news and analysis about North Korea."Alek Sigley's well-read columns presented an apolitical and insightful view of life in Pyongyang which we published in a bid to show vignettes of ordinary daily life in the capital to our readers," O'Carroll said."The six articles Alek published represent the full extent of his work with us and the idea that those columns, published transparently under his name between January and April 2019, are 'anti-state' in nature is a misrepresentation which we reject," he said.Sigley's ordeal had a much happier ending than that of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned in North Korea. Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the U.S. in a vegetative state in June 2017.

North Korea said Saturday that an Australian student who it detained for a week had spread anti-Pyongyang propaganda and engaged in spying by providing photos and other materials to news outlets with critical views toward the North. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said North Korea deported Alek Sigley on Thursday after he pleaded for forgiveness for his activities, which the agency said infringed on the country's sovereignty. North Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions.  KCNA provided few details about Sigley's alleged spying activities other than that he, at the "instigation" of the media outlets, provided them with photos and data that he had collected. North Korea, which closely monitors visitors and enforces a stringent information blockade on its citizens, is extremely sensitive about controlling the flow of information, which made Sigley, who had a lively presence on Twitter, an anomaly in the country. Sigley arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in "very good" condition, but without saying what happened to him. His father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son was treated well in North Korea. Sigley had been studying at a Pyongyang university and guiding tours in the North Korean capital before disappearing from social media contact with family and friends. KCNA said Sigley, who was caught "red-handed" by a "relevant institution" of the North on June 25, had abused his status as a student by "combing" through Pyongyang and providing photos and other information to news sites such as NK News and other "anti-DPRK" media, a reference to the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The news agency said the North expelled Sigley out of "humanitarian leniency." "He honestly admitted his spying acts of systematically collecting and offering data about the domestic situation of the DPRK and repeatedly asked for pardon, apologizing for encroachment upon the sovereignty of the DPRK," the agency said. The North had not commented on Sigley before Saturday. Sigley was released following intervention by Swedish diplomats. After his arrival in Beijing, he went to Tokyo to reunite with his Japanese wife, who he married in Pyongyang last year. During his time in North Korea, Sigley often shared details about his life in Pyongyang through social media and the website of his travel agency, Tongil Tours, frequently challenging negative outside perceptions about the North and at times boasting about the extraordinary freedom he had as one of the few foreign students living there. He also wrote op-eds and essays that appeared in the Western media, including NK News, although none of them seemed outwardly critical about the North's government and political system. In a statement published on its site, NK News CEO Chad O'Carroll said it would be a "misrepresentation" for the North to describe the articles Sigley wrote for the outlet as anti-state. He said NK News is an independent, specialist information website that aims to provide objective news and analysis about North Korea. "Alek Sigley's well-read columns presented an apolitical and insightful view of life in Pyongyang which we published in a bid to show vignettes of ordinary daily life in the capital to our readers," O'Carroll said. "The six articles Alek published represent the full extent of his work with us and the idea that those columns, published transparently under his name between January and April 2019, are 'anti-state' in nature is a misrepresentation which we reject," he said. Sigley's ordeal had a much happier ending than that of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned in North Korea. Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the U.S. in a vegetative state in June 2017.

Jake Sturmer: North Korea accuses Australian student Alek Sigley of spying