INDIA
‘Pocket Hercules’ dies
Manohar Aich, a celebrated bodybuilder and former Mr Universe, has died in the eastern city of Kolkata. He was 104. Aich’s son said his father died on Sunday from health issues related to his age. He is survived by his four children. Aich, who grew up as a puny youngster, overcame many hurdles, including poverty and a stint in prison, to achieve bodybuilding glory. He won the Mr Universe title in London in 1952 and returned a hero to India, where many took up bodybuilding inspired by his success. He also won several titles when competing in the Asian Bodybuilding Championships. He was known as the “Pocket Hercules” due to his 150m frame. Aich often told his fans that the secret to his long life was his ability to take his troubles lightly and remain happy during difficult times. That, and a simple diet of milk, fruits and vegetables along with rice, lentils and fish kept him healthy, he said.
CHINA
Hong Kong detects bird flu
Hong Kong on Sunday decided to suspend trade in live poultry after a spot check at a local street market revealed the presence of the H7N9 bird flu virus, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. The report, citing a statement from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that so far the source of the virus, found in a faecal sample, has not been identified. The report said that the Hong Kong Department of Health had contacted three of the four people working at the market and none had bird flu symptoms. Hong Kong was scheduled to hold a special meeting yesterday to evaluate risks and determine how long the suspension will last.
TURKEY
Bus crash kills at least 14
At least 14 people were killed in the south on Sunday when a bus carrying schoolchildren on an excursion plunged off the road and into a canal, reports said. The bus had been bringing the pupils back from an excursion to the well-known archeological site of Karatepe outside the city of Osmaniye when it flipped over into the canal, the Dogan news agency reported. It said that the driver had lost control of the vehicle and an investigation was under way. Twenty-four people were being treated for injuries in hospital. Of those killed, three were female pupils, three were boys and eight were adults, it said. Pictures published by Turkish media showed a crane hoisting the bus out of the water watched by horrified onlookers.
AUSTRALIA
Shark kills diver
A female diver was killed after being attacked by a large shark on Sunday, the second such fatality in less than a week off the Western Australian coast. The 60-year-old was with her 43-year-old male diving partner in a dive spot off the Mindarie coast, about 40km north of Perth, when she was attacked by a shark suspected to be more than 5m long. “Approximately 2km off the mariner here behind me in Mindarie, between the one mile and three mile reefs, a man and woman were diving when the woman was taken by, or appears to have been taken, by a shark,” Police Inspector Danny Mulligan said. Three fisherman rescued the male diver and retrieved the woman’s body. “The other boat that was in the water was 5.5m long, and they say that the shark was longer than their boat,” Mulligan added. The incident followed the death on Friday of Australian surfer Ben Gerring. The 29-year-old was surfing south of Perth last Tuesday when he had his right leg bitten off by a suspected great white great shark at least 3m long.
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