JAPAN
Angry wife throttles husband
A 43-year-old woman who allegedly tried to strangle her husband because he did not give her a present in return for a Valentine’s day gift was being quizzed by police yesterday. Japanese men are supposed to offer presents to their partner on March 14, known as White Day, in return for the chocolates and other goodies they received on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, but after apparently being spurned by her 31-year-old husband, Mie Nishiyama allegedly tried to throttle him with a necktie. Nishiyama, who was arrested at her home in the western city of Sakai shortly after midnight following an emergency call from her husband, told police she suspected he was having an affair. “And he did not give me a gift in return for Valentine’s Day. I was angry and strangled him,” she was quoted by police as saying. She said she had not intended to kill her husband, a police official said, but she had nonetheless been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The Western custom of Valentine’s Day was modified when it arrived in Japan to become a one-way street in which women do the giving, presenting chocolates to many of the men in their life — colleagues, bosses and partners. Keen marketers established White Day as an opportunity for men to return the compliment.
MALAYSIA
Planes crash, pilots safe
Two planes from an Indonesian acrobatic air team clipped wings and crashed on Sunday during a practice session ahead of an air show, officials said. All four pilots ejected and were safe. The pilots from both planes ejected from their aircraft after the jets went out of control and landed safely with their parachutes, said a Malaysian defense official, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries on the ground. A house and a car caught fire due to falling debris from the plane, the organizers of the show, held on northern Langkawi island, said in a statement. The four pilots were under observation at a hospital in Langkawi. Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein visited them and tweeted: “Thankful that all 4 pilots are safe, their spirits remained high.”
MEXICO
Cops arrest teen with AK-47
Police arrested a 13-year-old boy who was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol, cartridges and marijuana, a prosecutor said on Sunday. “The weapons we found were analyzed by experts and they were not found to be connected to any criminal act,” Nuevo Leon state prosecutor Javier Flores said. However, local media said that the as yet unnamed teenager was dubbed “Hit Boy,” worked for the Sinalocos gang and took part in several murders in an area south of Monterrey, the nation’s third-largest city. He was released after his arrest on Wednesday last week in Monterrey, but faces charges of possession of arms and drugs, Flores said.
BRAZIL
Protesters take to the streets
About 1.5 million protesters hit the streets across Brazil on Sunday in a major show of anger against President Dilma Rousseff, who faces crises from a faltering economy to a massive corruption scandal at state oil giant Petrobras. Many called for the impeachment of Rousseff, less than six months after she was narrowly returned to power. The biggest demonstration took place in Sao Paulo, where 1 million people rallied, according to police estimates. Peaceful demonstrations also took place in 83 cities and towns around the country, including major protests in the capital Brasilia and in Rio de Janeiro.
UNITED STATES
Driver jumps off bridge
An Oregon woman who set herself on fire while driving, crashed her car on an interstate and then jumped off a highway bridge to a park below, survived and was being treated at Portland area hospital, police said. Another driver reported in an emergency call to police that the woman was driving recklessly on Interstate 105 and hit a median before crashing near an exit in Eugene on Thursday last week, about 180km south of Portland, according to the Eugene Police Department. The 39-year-old woman, still on fire, then got out of her car and jumped off the interstate highway bridge, despite nearby witnesses’ attempt to intervene, police said. The Eugene Register Guard, a local newspaper, reported she also began stripping off her burning clothes before she fell about 12m, though police would not confirm that.
UNITED STATES
Rescued dog in hiding
A dog rescued after being shot and tied to railroad tracks in Florida has been released from a veterinary clinic to continue its recovery. Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service on Friday said in a Facebook post that the dog named Cabela had “left the building to go into super secret, never to be revealed, protective custody.” The one-year-old mixed-breed dog was in hiding to “heal, socialize and begin her transition to a new life,” the post said. Tampa police said that Cabela was shot, tied to railroad tracks and left to die earlier this month because it would not fight. The Tampa Tribune reports that a Hillsborough County judge on Friday last week denied bail for two men accused of using Cabela for fighting. Darnell Devlin, 18, and Kenny Bell, 21, each face two counts of possession of a dogfighting dog. When they were arrested on Wednesday at their Tampa home, detectives also discovered two more dogs that were used for fighting. Authorities said Devlin and Bell gave Cabela to two 17-year-olds, who have been charged as adults with aggravated animal cruelty and trespassing. One teen also was charged with possession of a firearm.
UNITED STATES
Indian student shot dead
Investigators say a 37-year-old dental student from India was shot to death at her San Francisco Bay Area apartment hours after attending services at a Sikh temple. The body of Randhir Kaur was discovered on March 8 by her cousin after University of California, San Francisco officials became concerned about her well-being. Investigators seeking tips from the public said on Sunday that they believed Kaur was accosted and shot some time after arriving home. She had spent the afternoon at a Sikh temple and had planned to spend that evening studying. The San Francisco Chronicle reported there were no signs of forced entry. Her personal belongings were found inside a trash can about 3.2km from her apartment.
UNITED STATES
Toto bassist dies
Grammy Award-winning US rock band Toto’s long-time bass player Mike Porcaro died on Sunday morning, his brother and fellow band member said in a brief statement. He was 59. The band said in February 2010 that Porcaro had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and that it planned to tour to generate funds to support his care and to raise awareness about the disease. “Our brother Mike passed away peacefully in his sleep at 12:04am last night at home surrounded by his family. Rest in peace, my brother,” Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro said in a Facebook post.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of