Japan town fuming over Murakami fiction portrayal

Haruki Murakami. — File photo.

 

TOKYO: A small Japanese town was fuming at best-selling novelist Haruki Murakami on Wednesday after a new story appeared to suggest its residents habitually throw lit cigarettes from car windows.

The remote town of Nakatonbetsu on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido says it will demand an explanation from the publisher over how it allowed such a description to pass over an editor's desk.

The offending passage appeared in the new 24-page novella, entitled “Drive my car -- men without women”, which was published in the December edition of the long established monthly magazine “Bungeishunju”.

It depicts fictionalised conversations between a widowed middle-aged actor and his 24-year-old chauffeuse who hails from Nakatonbetsu, a real-life mountain town whose population has dwindled to 1,900 from a peak of 7,600 in 1950.

When she flips a lit cigarette out of the driver's window, the actor thinks to himself: “Probably this is something everyone in Nakatonbetsu commonly does.”Murakami, 65, whose often surrealist works have been translated into about 40 languages, is widely spoken of as a future Nobel Literature laureate.

But members of the eight-strong town assembly were not amused at their portrayal as a home for litterbugs and intend to demand an explanation of publisher Bungeishunju, Shuichi Takai, head of the assembly's secretariat, told AFP.

“In early spring, the town people gather of their own will in a clean-up operation to collect litter on roads,” Takai said.

“We also work hard to prevent wildfires as 90 percent of our town is covered with mountain forests. It is never a town where people litter with cigarettes everyday,” he added.

“We want to know why the name of a real town had to be used like that.”Bungeishunju said it had no comment to make as it had yet to receive any inquiry from the town.

Murakami's latest book, “Shikisai wo Motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to Kare no Junrei no Toshi (Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage)”, became the biggest-selling novel of 2013 after its April release. An English-language translation is expected some time this year

The kiss that left a clue

Detectives said they discovered that the DNA matched a man who was by then being held by the authorities near the southern French city of Nimes, on suspicion of other crimes. — File Photo

PARIS: A jewel thief who sealed his crime with a kiss was caught after detectives analysed the DNA on his victim’s cheek. A forensic science team that came to the scene swabbed the woman’s cheek to isolate the genetic profile.

The robber and an accomplice had tied up, gagged and threatened the owner of a Paris jewellery store after following her home. They then poured what they claimed was petrol over her head and told her they would set it alight if she did not give them the codes for the shop alarm.

When one of the robbers returned from clearing out the shop of jewels, the pair decided to release the 56-year-old woman, who had been tied to a chair for four hours. It was then that the 20-year-old thief made his mistake.

“The crook gave the victim a kiss on the cheek, in what was apparently a sign of compassion after the ordeal he had put her through,” a police source told Le Parisien newspaper.

“As soon as she was free the victim alerted the police.”“We hoped that we could isolate the genetic fingerprint of her assailant,” the police source said. “And indeed his DNA was identified and registered in the national genetic print database.”

A few months later detectives said they discovered that the DNA matched a man who was by then being held by the authorities near the southern French city of Nimes, on suspicion of other crimes.

During questioning the man admitted kissing his victim to “make up for the trauma”. He has been remanded in custody while detectives trace his accomplice.

First Syrian civilians evacuated from besieged Homs, UN reports

Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent assist a man evacuated from a besieged area of Homs, after his arrival to the area under government control February 7, 2014. — Photo by Reuters

UNITED NATIONS: The first of 2,500 Syrians trapped by war in the Old City of Homs without aid for nearly two years were evacuated Friday under a three-day accord allowing people out and aid in, the United Nations said.

In a statement, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos also called for immediate access to nearly 1.6 million others throughout the country who have been without regular food or medical supplies for many months.

“I continue to call for the safe and voluntary evacuation of all civilians and for full access for humanitarian workers to help people caught in similar situations across Syria, she said, calling the operation, a breakthrough, and a small but important step towards compliance with international humanitarian law”.

More than 80 women, children and elderly were evacuated from the Old City of Homs, the first of the 500 families who have become a symbol of the horrors inflicted upon civilians by the civil war in which considerably more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions of others driven from their homes since the conflict erupted in March 2011 when protestors sought the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

The UN, often with relief convoys mere miles away from the civilians under siege, has long demanded that the warring parties grant full humanitarian access.

But the sides refused to give the green light until yesterday when a so-called 'humanitarian pause' was announced for Homs, where UN trucks have been on standby for weeks only 12 kilometres from the Old City, ready to deliver urgently needed food and medicines.

Ms. Amos said she remains in close contact with humanitarian teams on the ground, who are working with the local authorities, representatives of the parties and community leaders to evacuate more civilians and deliver aid in the next few days.

Those evacuated today were taken to the places of their choice, escorted by UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent staff.

For the most part, the operation went smoothly but there were isolated reports of gunfire heard during the day.

GM’s Barra mightiest woman in global business

General Motors CEO Mary Barra reveals the 2015 GMC Canyon pickup truck in an industrial building in advance of the media preview of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in this January 12, 2014 file photo. — Reuters

NEW YORK: The new head of General Motors, Mary Barra, has driven straight to the top of Fortune’s first list of the most powerful women in global business.

Barra, a career veteran at GM, became chief executive of the largest US automaker in mid-January, the first high-profile female CEO in the male-dominated auto industry.

Barra “is not the type of boss who ever thought she’d be featured in Fortune, let alone sit atop the magazine’s Most Powerful Women in global business ranking,” Fortune said late Thursday.

Barra has shown “low-ego finesse and the courage to shake things up,” it said.

As GM boss, Barra, 52, leads a company of more than 212,000 employees working in 396 facilities in six continents. The company, which went through a government-led bankruptcy reorganization in 2009, emerged from partial government ownership in late 2013.Fortune’s 50 most powerful women in business list emphasized executives who oversee an international operation.

“By pushing into new territories and inspiring women in their home countries, these globetrotters are, quite literally, taking on the world,” it said.

American women filled eight of the top 10 slots. Number-two was Ginni Rometty, the 56-year-old chairman, CEO and president of technology giant IBM.

She was followed by Indra Nooyi, 58, at PepsiCo in third place.

Ranked between fifth and ninth, in order, were Ellen Kullman, 58, of DuPont; Irene Rosenfeld, 60, at Mondelez International; Lockheed Martin’s Marillyn Hewson, 60; Hewlett-Packard chief Meg Whitman, 57; and Patricia Woertz, 60, at Archer Daniels Midland..

The boss of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, Maria das Gracas Silva Foster, 60, was fourth on the list. Gail Kelly, 57, head of Australian bank Westpac, came in 10th place.

Just missing the top 10 was Sheryl Sandberg, 44, the chief financial officer of social media giant Facebook, who ranked 11th.

She was followed by Phebe Novakovic at defense and aerospace company General Dynamics, Safra Catz at software firm Oracle, and Marissa Mayer, the 38-year-old head of Yahoo.

In the 15th spot was Alison Cooper, the British CEO of Imperial Tobacco and the first European on the list. —AFP

Blaze kills 12, injures 130 pilgrims in Medina hotel

Officials did not identify the victims but said 700 pilgrims were staying at the hotel to perform the Umrah pilgrimage. – File Photo courtesy: wikimedia commons

RIYADH: A fire killed 12 people and injured 130 others in a pilgrim hotel in the Saudi holy city of Medina Saturday, the state-run SPA news agency reported.

Officials did not identify the victims but said around 700 pilgrims were staying at the hotel in Medina, in western Saudi Arabia, to perform the Umrah pilgrimage.

However according to a separate report on Egypt's state television station, all killed were Egyptians and the blaze was started by an electrical short circuit.

The fire broke out in the afternoon and was brought under control a few hours later, with survivors were transferred to other hotels in the city.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

Once a year Muslims perform the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest city. But year round, they can also undertake the Umrah, or lesser pilgrimage, in Saudi Arabia, also home to Islam's second-holiest site, Medina.

UN nuclear experts back in Iran to tackle tougher issues

The six-step November deal is separate to the landmark nuclear agreement also reached in November with world powers that put temporary curbs on nuclear activities.— File photo

TEHRAN: The United Nations atomic agency resumes talks in Tehran Saturday to tackle allegations of past Iranian weapons work and discuss more practical steps to increase the transparency of the country's nuclear drive.

The one-day encounter between Iran and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency will build on a framework deal agreed in November that required Tehran to take six practical steps by next Tuesday.

With completion of those measures — including a visit to the heavy water plant at the unfinished Arak reactor — negotiations on “more difficult things” are expected to begin, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano has said.

Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi has said that, based on the IAEA's assessment of progress, the scope of future cooperation will be decided.

He expressed hope that “the agency's doubts have been removed.” Led by chief inspector Tero Varjoranta, the IAEA team is to meet Iranian nuclear officials, led by Iran's IAEA envoy, Reza Najafi.

Kamalvandi said the talks could be extended if there is major progress.

The six-step November deal was struck after two years and nearly a dozen rounds of talks.

It is separate to the landmark nuclear agreement also reached in November with world powers that put temporary curbs on nuclear activities.

Implementation began on December 8 when IAEA inspectors visited Arak, whose small, unfinished heavy water reactor has been hit by a series of delays.

The site, which Iran insists is an integral part of its nuclear programme, is of international concern because Tehran could theoretically extract weapons-grade plutonium from its spent fuel if it also builds a reprocessing facility.

But Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said earlier this week the reactor could be modified to produce less plutonium in order to “allay the worries.”

And he insisted that Iran did not intend to build a reprocessing plant.

Time to address 'more difficult' issues

Iran's nuclear activities have been in the international spotlight for the past decade over suspicions in the West and Israel that they mask military objectives, despite repeated Iranian denials.

The IAEA is focusing on Tehran's past work to clear long-standing allegations that, prior to 2003, and possibly since, Iran's nuclear drive had “possible military dimensions.”

Rejecting those allegations as baseless, Iran denies that is seeking now or has ever sought nuclear weapons.

IAEA director general Amano told AFP in an exclusive interview last month that it was now the time to ask the “more difficult” questions and push Iran on those issues.

“We started with measures that are practical and easy to implement, and then we move on to more difficult things,” said Amano.

“We certainly wish to include issues with 'possible military dimensions' in future steps.”

How long this takes “very much depends on Iran. It can be quick or it can be long. It really depends on their cooperation.”

The IAEA has been asking Iran in vain for years to grant inspectors access to the Parchin military facility where it suspects Tehran may have experimented with atomic weapons development.

The IAEA talks are running in parallel with diplomatic efforts by the so-called P5+1 group of world powers negotiating for a comprehensive accord with Iran that would once and for all resolve the impasse over its nuclear work.

Answering the IAEA's questions are a key demand of world powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France as well as Germany — in that process.

Under an interim deal with the P5+1 agreed on November 24, Iran has stopped enriching uranium to medium levels and is converting its current stockpile into a form much more difficult to process into weapons-grade material.

In exchange, Tehran has received limited relief from punishing sanctions imposed on it.

Verification of those measures is delegated to the IAEA, forcing the agency to double the number of its inspectors and increase the frequency of visits to Iran's nuclear facilities.

Inter confirm interest in signing Vidic

The Manchester United defender is set to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer and Nerazzurri director Piero Ausilio admits the 32-year-old is a "great opportunity"

Inter director Piero Ausilio has confirmed the club would be interested in signing Nemanja Vidic this summer.

The defender revealed this week that he would not be extending his stay at Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of the season, with the Nerazzurri emerging as early frontrunners for the Serbian's signature.

Ausilio has now admitted the club see "a great opportunity" in 32-year-old Vidic but is expecting stern competition from across the rest of Europe.

"Vidic is an important player whose contract expires in June. Like other European clubs, we will try to get something from this great opportunity," he told Tuttosport.

"He is one of the players we are tracking. He has an interesting profile for Inter, as he has charisma and international experience.

"We will probably lose some players in his role because their contracts are up, so he is someone we are trying to pay attention to.

"However, we're a long way from saying we've already done something with regards to Vidic and I don't feel ready to confirm anything."