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.
POLITICAL PRISONERS VS DEPORTEES: Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office slammed the call by El Salvador’s leader, accusing him of crimes against humanity Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the US his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela. In a post on X, directed at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year. “The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Young women standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists. Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark flipside to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district. Increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media. One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
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