JAPAN
Siblings kept mom’s skeleton
Three siblings lived for up to three years with what is thought to be the skeleton of their mother, police said yesterday. The three — two women aged 59 and 52, and their 65-year-old brother — have denied that they conspired to abandon a body, which is illegal, because they say their 88-year-old mother is still alive. “Our mother has become a god. She is not dead, but is in the process of being elevated into a higher being,” they told officers in Usa, Jiji Press reported. A police spokesman told reporters they were awaiting final confirmation, but believed the skeleton was that of a woman who would be 88 if she were still alive.
JAPAN
Cyberdyne preparing HAL
A robot suit that can help the elderly or disabled get around was given its global safety certificate on Wednesday, paving the way for a worldwide rollout. The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) is a power-assisted pair of legs developed by local robot maker Cyberdyne. A quality assurance body issued the certificate based on a draft version of an international safety standard for personal robots that is expected to be approved later this year, the Ministry for the Economy, Trade and Industry said. Battery-powered HAL, which detects muscle impulses to support the user’s movements, is designed to assist the elderly or help carers to lift patients. Cyberdyne is unrelated to the firm of the same name responsible for the cyborg assassin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Terminator.
JAPAN
Randy pandas get a room
A pair of pandas in the mood for mating were given a bit of space yesterday at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, withs zookeepers hoping they would get it on if the public was kept away. Female panda Shin Shin has begun to display the telltale behavior of being ready for action, zoo officials said, adding that they want her and her beau Ri Ri to have enough privacy to do the deed. Shin Shin’s provocative panda behavior has included walking more frequently than usual and making noises, the zoo said. Shin Shin and Ri Ri had a baby last year — the first giant panda cub at the zoo in 24 years — but it died of pneumonia a week later.
INDONESIA
Tourists warned off volcano
Scientists are closely monitoring a smoking volcano on Java and are urging everyone to stay off the mountain’s slope. Government volcanologist Hendra Gunawan yesterday said that Mount Tangkuban Perahu in West Java Province has spewed smoke and ash nearly 500m high into the air since Monday. Scientists have put it on the second-highest alert level. Debris and lava have not tumbled far and nearby towns remain safe. Authorities are warning tourists to stay at least 1.5km away from the 2,084m volcano because of the poisonous gas inside.
PHILIPPINES
Probe reveals police killings
Investigators will file a murder case against 35 police officers and soldiers for allegedly executing 13 people at a checkpoint in Atimonan Township, about 120km southeast of Manila, Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima said on Wednesday. An investigation ordered by President Benigno Aquino III into the Jan. 6 killings concluded that the victims were summarily executed and there was no shootout as claimed by the security personnel. The probe found that the killings were a plan by Police Colonel Hansel Marantan, who led the security force, to eliminate a rival in an illegal gambling operation. Marantan denied any wrongdoing.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
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