World Briefs

Tokyo’s governor won re-election yesterday despite a gaffe in which he suggested a March earthquake and tsunami were “divine punishment” for Japan.

Shintaro Ishihara, 78, had been expected to secure his fourth four-year-term in the gubernatorial race, and polls by public broadcaster NHK confirmed his victory after voting finished.

Just days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami swept over the country’s north-east, Ishihara caused a stir with his comments.

“We need to wash away our egoism with this tsunami. Really, I believe this is divine punishment,” he said.

After a public outcry, he retracted the remarks and apologised a day later. (PA)

Plane crash

A small plane with six people on board crashed in a popular mountain resort city in the northern Philippines yesterday, killing one on board and seriously injuring the five others, officials said.

The six-seater Piper Aztec plane crashed and burst into flames in a hilly horse-riding trail in Camp John Hay, a former US military recreation centre, a few minutes after taking off from Baguio city’s Loakan airport, regional military commander Lt Gen Gaudencio Pangilinan said.

A passenger was killed instantly while five others, including an air force reserve officer who served as the pilot, were seriously injured and taken to a hospital. One passenger was in critical condition, Gen Pangilinan said. The plane was bound for Plaridel in northern Bulacan province, police said. (PA)

William wanted

More than half of people in the UK believe Prince William should become the next monarch, a new poll found.

And one in three wants the Queen to abdicate within the next two years, according to the study.

The Panelbase survey conducted for the Sunday Times detected signs of a “fairytale effect”, with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding now less than three weeks away. (PA)

Just the two of us?

The number of couples keen on holidays for “just the two of us” appears to be dropping, according to a UK survey.

Many couples are happy to go away together just as long as family or friends come too, the poll by travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk found.

Just 16 per cent of those surveyed said they had booked a trip this year “just with my partner”.

In contrast, 32 per cent were going away with their partner and with family, while 26 per cent were having a break with friends and partner.

The poll also showed that 14 per cent of the 1,726 people questioned were taking trips just with friends and six per cent were going with family, but not with their partner. (PA)

Folk singer dies

Gil Robbins, a folk singer, guitarist and member of the early 1960s group the Highwaymen, has died.

Tracey Jacobs, publicist for Robbins’ son, the actor and director Tim Robbins, said that Robbins died in Esteban Cantu, Mexico. He was 80.

Shortly before Gil Robbins joined the Highwaymen, the group had a major hit with Michael, their version of Michael, Row the Boat Ashore. When Robbins joined in 1962, he took the group in a more political direction, playing and singing on five albums until their 1964 break-up.

Tim Robbins, star of The Shawshank Redemption and director of Dead Man Walking, issued a statement calling him “a fantastic father and a great musician” with a “commitment to social justice”. (PA)

Rooftop plunge

A British banker died in Singapore after plunging nearly 30 metres from a hotel rooftop in the new waterfront Marina Bay business district, police and local media said yesterday.

A police statement to AFP identified the deceased as a British man and an investigation into the “unnatural death” was ongoing. (AFP)

Snakes on a bus

Passengers on a bus in Argentina got an unwelcome surprise when police found more than 600 snakes and other reptiles packed in the luggage compartment, a ranger said.

Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted the bus in a northern province bound for Buenos Aires, asked to see passengers’ documents, then began poking into their bags.

“A passenger came onboard with 40 snakes, plus what he had in the boxes” in the bus luggage hold, said ranger Daniel Chersich, warden of Santa Fe province. (AFP)

Christian worship

Beijing police have detained at least a dozen worshippers from a Christian house church who were trying to hold services in a public space after they were evicted from their usual place of worship.

Leaders of the unregistered Shouwang house church had told parishioners to gather at an open-air venue in Beijing for Sunday services, but police taped off the area and took away people who showed up to take part. (PA)

Lego tower record

After four days of hard work, Brazil is celebrating building the world’s tallest Lego tower.

Standing at 31.19 metres, it has broken the previous record set by Chile in 2008 by 25 centimetres.

Brazilian footballer Cafu placed the last block on the tower, which was built in the parking lot of a shopping centre in Sao Paulo. Lego sent designers from Denmark for the world record attempt.

The first Lego tower was built in London in 1988 and stood at just over 15 metres.

Since then 53 cities have built towers in more than 30 countries. (AFP)