Japanese school in Okinawa Part of a US helicopter has crashed on a school in Okinawa, Japan, renewing tensions with the local population. The window dropped on the school grounds, slightly injuring one boy, news agency Kyodo said. The southern island of Okinawa hosts the largest US military presence in Japan. Over the past years, a number of accidents and crimes have led to growing local opposition to the US base. According to the Reuters news agency, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said "this sort of incident creates anxiety not only among those involved with the school but the people of Okinawa and should never happen". The US military confirmed in a statement that the window of one of its helicopters fell onto the sports ground of an elementary school outside the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. "We take this report extremely seriously and are investigating the cause of this incident in close coordination with local authorities," the statement said. "This is a regrettable incident and we apologize for any anxiety it has caused the community." The US presence on Okinawa is a key part of the post-war security alliance between the two countries. The Futenma base is located in a residential area, with schools, shops and hospitals. Residents have long been concerned over possible crashes or accidents. In October, another US helicopter crash landed and burst into flames in northern Okinawa. In November, a US serviceman caused a deadly car crash on the island. When the accident was linked to drink driving, the US military banned all soldiers stationed in Japan from drinking alcohol. In 2016, the murder of a woman was linked to an ex-Marine employed at one of the bases, also leading to a temporary ban on alcohol as well as a midnight curfew. The US government wants to move Futenma, the largest Marine base in Okinawa, to a more remote location on the island. But the governor of Okinawa, Takeshi Onaga is leading a campaign to get the US military base off the island completely. Home News
Colombian ex-official sentenced
to jail for Odebrecht bribes A Colombian judge sentenced a former vice- minister of transport to five years and two months in prison on Tuesday after the ex-official admitted to taking millions of dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Gabriel Garcia Morales, who served under former President Alvaro Uribe, accepted $6.5 million in pay-offs to help Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] win a 2010 road construction contract valued at over $1 billion, the attorney generals press office told Reuters. Garcia Morales has promised to testify against other public officials who received bribes, the attorney generals office said on Twitter. The Brazilian firm is at the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in Latin America, and has admitted paying bribes from Peru to Panama. Ecuador jailed its vice president over the scandal and last year the company agreed to pay $3.5 billion in settlements in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland. Colombias attorney general said Odebrecht paid more than $27 million in bribes in the Andean country. One former and one current lawmaker, the former director of the national infrastructure agency, and others have also been arrested in connection with the case. Morales, who was also fined $21,000, was originally sentenced to 10 years but the sentence was reduced because he accepted responsibility. Sports News Transfer news LIVE: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Premier League latest ahead of January window In less than three weeks the January transfer window will swing open as teams from the Premier League and beyond get ready to splash some in cash in order to improve their squads. Sides will have a month to plug in gaps, uncover new talent - or just worry about keeping their best players at the club. Arsenal will be one side to watch, with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez entering the final months of their contracts, while Manchester United are said to be targeting a left-back as they try and close the gap on runaway leaders Manchester City. The likes of Spurs and Liverpool will also have an eye out for new talent, while teams at the other end of the table will do all they can to ensure they don't drop to the Championship. Stay tuned as we'll bring you all the latest done deals, new contracts, rumours, gossip and everything else ahead of the window's opening, here - in association with Ladbrokes.