JAPAN
Man killed over seat row
A man who allegedly kicked a fellow diner to death in a fight over seats in a noodle bar calmly returned to his food as the other man lay dying, media reported yesterday. Shinichiro Imanishi, 37, was being questioned in connection with the death of a 49-year-old man, who he allegedly threw to the floor and then stamped on repeatedly, a police spokesman said. The trouble erupted when Hisao Kitajima pulled a chair which Imanishi was using to rest his foot on, the spokesman said, adding Kitajima died of his injuries two days later. Imanishi, who weighs 120kg, did nothing to help his victim after the frenzied attack in Tokyo, instead ordering a bowl of noodles, local media said. Imanishi, who was arrested shortly after the incident, told fellow diners that he might as well eat his meal, reportedly saying: “I will go to jail. This will be my last supper.”
THAILAND
Train killer to be executed
A court has sentenced a man to death after convicting him of raping a 13-year-old girl on an overnight train, killing her and then throwing her body out of the window. The brutal murder committed by a train employee in July sparked an uproar and prompted calls for the execution of rapists. The Hua Hin Provincial Court yesterday convicted Wanchai Saengkhao of murder, raping a minor and other charges. The 22-year-old confessed to drinking beer and taking drugs during his shift, before raping and killing the girl, who was traveling with her sisters to Bangkok. The girl’s body was found near train tracks three days after her murder. The incident prompted the national rail authority to introduce women-only carriages on main routes nationwide.
UNITED KINGDOM
EU flag spreads terror
It is often said the EU has an image problem. In Northern Ireland, it seems, the EU flag can be mistaken for an emblem of terror. Police say they were called on Sunday to golfer Rory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood near Belfast after locals reported seeing a house flying the flag of an Islamic terrorist group. The homeowner explained it was actually the emblem of the 28-nation EU and that he was flying the blue flag with gold stars to celebrate Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the US.
UNITED KINGDOM
‘Herod clause’ no deterrent
Several Britons agreed to give up their eldest child in return for the use of free Wi-Fi, in an experiment to highlight the dangers of public Internet, published on Monday. Londoners were asked to agree to terms and conditions as they logged on to use free Wi-Fi in a cafe in a busy financial district and at a site close to parliament. The terms included a “Herod clause,” under which the Wi-Fi was provided only if “the recipient agreed to assign their first born child to us for the duration of eternity.” In the short period the terms and conditions were live, six people signed up. “As this is an experiment, we will be returning the children to their parents,” said the tech security firm that ran the experiment, F-Secure. The experiment was aimed to highlight “the total disregard for computer security by people when they are mobile,” the report said. German ethical hacking company SySS built the device used in the study: a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot small enough to be carried in a handbag. In just 30 minutes, 250 devices connected to the hotspot — some of them doing so automatically due to their settings. The company was able to collect the text of e-mails they sent, the e-mail addresses of the sender and recipient, and the password of the sender.
UNITED STATES
Coffee bra refunds ordered
Bras, girdles and leggings infused with caffeine and sold as weight loss aids were more decaf than espresso, and the companies that sold them have agreed to refund money to customers and pull their ads, regulators said on Monday. The Federal Trade Commission said Wacoal America and Norm Thompson Outfitters, which owns Sahalie and others, were accused of deceptive advertising that claimed their caffeine-impregnated clothing would cause the wearer to lose weight and have less cellulite. “If someone says you can lose weight by wearing the clothes they are selling, steer clear. The best approach is tried and true: diet and exercise,” said Jessica Rich, director of the commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. In the case of Oregon-based Norm Thompson, the company sold clothing made with Lytess-brand fabric infused with caffeine, which the company said would break down fat.
UNITED STATES
Priest to remain jailed
A Catholic priest was ordered to remain jailed in Johnsville, Pennsylvania, until his trial on charges that he possessed child pornography and traveled to Honduras for sex with children. Magistrate Judge Keith Pesto ordered Joseph Maurizio Jr, 69, detained after prosecution evidence contrasted sharply with character witnesses who on Monday described the defendant as “priestly, faithful and committed to helping.” Pesto said: “What you’re describing is Jekyll and Hyde,” adding that he can not let “Jekyll go free and detain Mr Hyde.” Maurizio has been jailed since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him on Thursday. A criminal complaint alleges Maurizio gave boys candy and money so he could molest them or watch them have sex. It happened during trips to Honduras with his self-run charity in 2009 and prior years, the complaint said.
MEXICO
‘Potter’ hoarder sets record
A Mexico City man is in Hogwarts heaven after his collection of Harry Potter memorabilia was named the world’s largest. Menahem Asher Silva Vargas has spent nearly 15 years hoarding all things related to British author J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series, which spawned eight films. His collection fills two rooms and counts everything from magic wands and toy figurines to Gryffindor scarves and replica Quidditch brooms. Guinness World Records officially recognized it on Monday as the world’s biggest collection at 3,097 pieces. The previous mark was 807. Silva Vargas said he began with no intent to amass a huge collection, but soon it was like being under a spell.
BRAZIL
Hostage taker surrenders
A man who took an employee hostage at a hotel in the capital and forced him to don a vest apparently stuffed with explosives has surrendered, authorities said on Monday. The man called a hotel courier in the early hours and pushed him into a room on the 13th floor of the Saint Peter hotel, a police spokesman told reporters. “He has given himself up,” the spokesman said, adding that the man had been taken to a police station in Brasilia. It was not known if the apparent explosives were real, police commissioner Paulo Henrique Almeida said. The hostage was no longer wearing the vest when the assailant surrendered. According to local media reports, the man is a former candidate in municipal elections. He reportedly demanded enforcement of a new law preventing candidates with a criminal record from standing in next week’s general elections.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia
ON ALERT: A Russian cruise missile crossed into Polish airspace for about 40 seconds, the Polish military said, adding that it is constantly monitoring the war to protect its airspace Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the western region of Lviv early yesterday came under a “massive” Russian air attack, officials said, while a Russian cruise missile breached Polish airspace, the Polish military said. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a series of deadly aerial attacks, with yesterday’s strikes coming a day after the Russian military said it had seized the Ukrainian village of Ivanivske, west of Bakhmut. A militant attack on a Moscow concert hall on Friday that killed at least 133 people also became a new flash point between the two archrivals. “Explosions in the capital. Air defense is working. Do not