JAPAN
Threat closes Hello Kitty park
A popular Hello Kitty-themed amusement park yesterday closed for the day after receiving an “e-mail threatening terrorism,” its operator said. Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo is known for its rides, shows and cutesy cartoon mascots including the beloved feline-like heroine. “We decided to temporarily close for the day because the safety of visitors, performers and staff cannot be guaranteed at the moment,” the indoor theme park said in a message on its Web site. The unspecified threat prompted police to scour Sanrio Puroland for suspicious objects, but none were found, public broadcaster NHK reported. The threat against the popular tourist attraction and its closure sparked groans on social media, with one user annoyed it happened during a holiday weekend. “It’s unforgivable that someone is doing this during a precious three-day weekend,” a user wrote on X.
CHINA
Nanjing fire kills 15
At least 15 people have died and were 44 injured in a fire at a residential building in Nanjing, local authorities said yesterday. The fire broke out early on Friday morning, officials told a news conference, with a preliminary investigation suggesting that the blaze started on the building’s first floor, where electric bikes had been placed. By 6am on Friday, the fire had been extinguished, and a search-and-rescue operation ended at about 2pm, authorities said. One of the 44 injured people was in “critical condition,” while another was seriously injured, authorities said.
FRANCE
Actress speaks out at Cesar
Actress Judith Godreche on Friday received a standing ovation at the Cesar Awards as she spoke out against sexual violence in the French film industry. Thriller Anatomy of a Fall dominated at the country’s premier cinematic honors with six trophies, including best film, giving it new momentum ahead of the Oscars, in which it has five nominations. The evening’s winners and losers were eclipsed by the speech from Godreche, who took the stage to denounce the “level of impunity, denial and privilege” in the industry. Godreche, who has become a leading figure in France’s #MeToo movement, has accused directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her while she was a teenager. Both deny the allegations. “Why accept that this art that we love so much, this art that binds us together, is used as a cover for illicit trafficking of young girls?” she said. “You have to be wary of little girls. They touch the bottom of the pool, they bump into each other, they hurt themselves, but they bounce back,” she said.
UNITED STATES
Man guilty of trans hate crime
A South Carolina man on Friday was found guilty of killing a black transgender woman in the nation’s first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity. After deliberating for about four hours, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter of a hate crime for the murder of Dime Doe in 2019. Ritter was also found guilty of using a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting and obstructing justice. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Ritter faces a maximum of life imprisonment without parole. “This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those who may identify as a member of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or for any other protected characteristics,” Brook Andrews, an assistant US attorney for the District of South Carolina, told reporters after the verdict.
As the sun sets on another scorching Yangon day, the hot and bothered descend on the Myanmar city’s parks, the coolest place to spend an evening during yet another power blackout. A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted Southeast Asia this week, sending the mercury to 45°C and prompting thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes. Even before the chaos and conflict unleashed by the military’s 2021 coup, Myanmar’s creaky and outdated electricity grid struggled to keep fans whirling and air conditioners humming during the hot season. Now, infrastructure attacks and dwindling offshore gas reserves mean those who cannot afford expensive diesel
Does Argentine President Javier Milei communicate with a ghost dog whose death he refuses to accept? Forced to respond to questions about his mental health, the president’s office has lashed out at “disrespectful” speculation. Twice this week, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni was asked about Milei’s English Mastiff, Conan, said to have died seven years ago. Milei, 53, had Conan cloned, and today is believed to own four copies he refers to as “four-legged children.” Or is it five? In an interview with CNN this month, Milei referred to his five dogs, whose faces and names he had engraved on the presidential baton. Conan,
French singer Kendji Girac, who was seriously injured by a gunshot this week, wanted to “fake” his suicide to scare his partner who was threatening to leave him, prosecutors said on Thursday. The 27-year-old former winner of France’s version of The Voice was found wounded after police were called to a traveler camp in Biscarrosse on France’s southwestern coast. Girac told first responders he had accidentally shot himself while tinkering with a Colt .45 automatic pistol he had bought at a junk shop, a source said. On Thursday, regional prosecutor Olivier Janson said, citing the singer, that he wanted to “fake” his suicide
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his pledge to replace India’s religion-based marriage and inheritance laws with a uniform civil code if he returns to office for a third term, a move that some minority groups have opposed. In an interview with the Times of India listing his agenda, Modi said his government would push for making the code a reality. “It is clear that separate laws for communities are detrimental to the health of society,” he said in the interview published yesterday. “We cannot be a nation where one community is progressing with the support of the Constitution while the other