Latest news with #Hama
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Express
Japan's newest esports champ? A panda-loving grandma
Published on: Sunday, July 20, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jul 20, 2025 By: Malay Mail Text Size: TOKYO: When 73-year-old Yoshie Murabe ( pic ) picked Panda as her fighter in a national Tekken 8 tournament, her reason was simple: she just likes pandas. What followed was far from simple — Murabe, a grandmother with zero gaming experience, powered through the competition to become Japan's newest esports champion. Advertisement Murabe won hearts and headlines after clinching the top spot at the Amigo Club Cup Tekken 8 Finals, a tournament featuring players aged 60 to 90 from care homes across Japan. Hosted by the Care e-Sports Association, the event was livestreamed and quickly went viral, drawing praise from game streamers, voice actors and viewers nationwide. 'I was happy to win,' Murabe told Tokyo Weekender following her unexpected victory. Asked if anything about the experience was difficult, she replied without hesitation: 'There wasn't anything in particular I found difficult.' During her matches, her mind was clear: 'My only thought was to win.' The event marked a bold step for the Care e-Sports Association, which began in 2019 by hosting tournaments for traditional games like Shogi and Othello . During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group began exploring more modern titles, and this year introduced Tekken 8 to its roster. That move was driven in part by Shinpei Hama, the association's PR rep and a professional Tekken 8 player with Rox3Gaming. 'Some of the participants are living with dementia, but many really enjoyed the game,' Hama told Tokyo Weekender . 'As they chose characters, they seemed to get more attached to them. Some players practiced with passion, saying they wanted to win at least once.' Murabe was among them. Participants were given a month to prepare, and some dove deep — one even clocked in 60 matches in a single night. For Murabe, the experience of picking up a controller for the first time — and finding joy and success — was transformational. 'The response was bigger than anything we've done before,' said Hama. And it wasn't just about gameplay. Many seniors found emotional engagement, focus and confidence through gaming — even those living with cognitive decline. Murabe's story has become the face of a growing movement. As a grandmother competing in a world typically dominated by younger generations, she's proving that age is no barrier to having fun — or winning big. Hama hopes to expand the programme to include other accessible games like GeoGuessr , while continuing to host both modern and traditional tournaments. 'We've realised seniors are better at video games than we assumed,' he said. 'We want to try something that really breaks the mould.' - Malay Mail * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Tokyo Weekender
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
73-Year-Old Grandma Wins Tekken 8 Tournament as Panda
A fierce Tekken 8 tournament featuring players aged between 60 and 90 is gaining attention across Japan, and reshaping what many thought possible for senior citizens in gaming. The event, hosted by the Care e-Sports Association , brought together elderly residents from multiple care homes to compete online in one of the world's most fast-paced fighting games. What began as a small initiative to engage seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic has now evolved into a full-fledged movement, challenging assumptions about aging, digital literacy and the scope of competitive gaming. List of Contents: From Shogi to Tekken More Than a Game A New Vision of Aging Related Posts From Shogi to Tekken Founded in 2019, the Care eSports Association initially organized events centered around classic games such as Shogi and Othello. Five years later, it took a bold step: introducing Tekken 8 to its lineup. The decision was driven in part by the association's PR representative, Shinpei Hama, who also competes professionally in Tekken 8 as part of the Rox3Gaming team. 'Some of the participants are living with dementia, but many really enjoyed the game,' said Hama in an interview with Game Spark . 'As they chose characters, they seemed to get more attached to them. Some players practiced with passion, saying they wanted to win at least once. They had about a month to practice before the event, and a few of them stayed up late into the night, playing about 60 games.' The livestreamed Amigo Club Cup Tekken 8 Finals racked up significant viewership online. 'The response was bigger than anything we've done before,' said Hama. 'Even voice actors and game streamers reached out with praise.' More Than a Game Beyond entertainment, the tournament sparked deep emotional engagement. Some participants were living with cognitive decline, and were able to find joy, attachment and drive through the game. Champion Yoshie Murabe, who had never played video games before, chose Panda as her fighter simply because she likes pandas. Asked by Game Spark about her feelings after the tournament, she said, 'I was happy to win.' While practicing, she said she got the hang of the game quite easily, adding that there wasn't anything in particular she 'found difficult.' During the game, Murabe's only thoughts were to win, and she looks forward to competing in upcoming tournaments beyond Tekken 8 . A New Vision of Aging The success of the Tekken 8 tournament could open new doors for the elderly. Hama hopes to explore more accessible titles, such as GeoGuessr , in future events. 'We've realized seniors are better at video games than we assumed,' he said. 'We still plan to host traditional games like Shogi, but we also want to try something that really breaks the mold.' The tournament didn't just showcase the digital skills of the older generation, it proved that competitive spirit and emotional engagement don't fade with age. The Care eSports Association is turning gaming into a meaningful, intergenerational bridge and the players are ready for that. Related Posts Middle-Aged Man Trading Cards Go Viral in Rural Japan Town Nike Collaborates With Tekken To Produce a Shoe Befitting a Main Protagonist Kick Back With Some Cocktails at This Tekken 8 Bar in Kyoto
Al Bawaba
7 days ago
- Al Bawaba
Remains of 15 people found inside a well in Syria
Published July 16th, 2025 - 07:23 GMT ALBAWABA - The Public Prosecution Office in Hama Governorate, Syria, announced the discovery of the remains of 15 people, including a woman and a child, inside a well in the town of Ma'an in the northeastern Hama countryside. Syrian SANA news agency revealed that the remains are believed to have been killed in a massacre committed in 2013. Hama's Attorney General, Judge Ayman al-Othman, explained in a press statement that the incoming report prompted the relevant authorities to immediately head to the site, accompanied by teams from the Internal Security Forces, the Forensic Medicine Department, and the Civil Defense. — الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء - سانا (@Sana__gov) July 15, 2025 The remains were recovered and transferred to the Forensic Medicine Center for the necessary tests and analyses to accurately determine identities and complete legal procedures. He affirmed that the Public Prosecution is committed to pursuing those responsible for these crimes and bringing them to justice, emphasizing that this crime represents one of the most horrific violations the region has witnessed. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli strike kills children near Gaza clinic with no immediate truce in sight
By Crispian Balmer, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -An Israeli airstrike hit Palestinians near a medical centre in Gaza on Thursday, killing 10 children and six adults, local health authorities said, as ceasefire talks dragged on with no immediate deal expected. Verified video footage from the strike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip showed the bodies of women and children lying in pools of blood amid dust and screaming. One clip showed several motionless children lying on a donkey cart. "She didn't do anything, she was innocent, I swear. Her dream was for the war to end and that they announce it today, to go back to school," said Samah al-Nouri, sitting by the body of her daughter who was killed in the blast. "She was only getting treatment in a medical facility. Why did they kill them?" she said, with other bodies laid out around her at a nearby hospital. Israel's military said it had struck a militant who took part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It said it was aware of reports regarding a number of injured bystanders and that the incident was under review. The Deir al-Balah missile strike came as Israeli and Hamas negotiators hold talks with mediators in Qatar over a proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal aimed at building agreement on a lasting truce. A senior Israeli official said on Wednesday that an agreement was not likely to be secured for another one or two weeks, however U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he was hopeful of a deal. "I think we're closer, and I think perhaps we're closer than we've been in quite a while," Rubio told reporters at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia. Several rounds of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have failed to produce a breakthrough since the Israeli military resumed its campaign in March following a previous ceasefire. Repeated attacks by Israeli forces in recent weeks have killed hundreds of Gazans, many of them civilians, and injured thousands, according to local health authorities, putting an enormous strain on the enclave's few remaining hospitals. Dwindling fuel supplies risk further disruption in the semi-functioning hospitals, including to incubators at the neonatal unit of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, doctors there said. "We are forced to place four, five or sometimes three premature babies in one incubator," said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital director, adding that premature babies were now in a critical condition. TALKS U.S. President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to discuss the situation in Gaza amid reports that Israel and Hamas were nearing agreement on a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal after 21 months of war. The Israeli official who was in Washington with Netanyahu said that if the two sides agree to the ceasefire plan, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent truce requiring Hamas to disarm. If Hamas refuses, "we'll proceed" with military operations in Gaza, the official said on condition of anonymity. A Palestinian official said the talks in Qatar were in crisis and that issues under dispute, including whether Israel would continue to occupy parts of Gaza after a ceasefire, had yet to be resolved. The two sides previously agreed a ceasefire in January but it did not lead to a deal on a permanent truce and Israel resumed its military assault two months later, stopping all aid supplies into Gaza and telling civilians to leave the north of the tiny territory. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has now killed more than 57,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities. It has destroyed swathes of the territory and driven most Gazans from their homes. The Hamas attack on Israeli border communities that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and the militant group seized around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. There has also been repeated violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. An Israeli man was killed at a shopping centre in the territory on Thursday by two Palestinian militants, who were then shot dead, police said. In a separate incident, a Palestinian man was shot dead after he stabbed and injured a soldier, the army said.
Iraqi News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Israeli negotiators due in Qatar for Gaza truce talks
Jerusalem – An Israeli delegation was expected in Doha on Sunday for talks on a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. Netanyahu had earlier announced he was sending a team to Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict, though he said that Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal included some 'unacceptable' demands. Faced with mounting calls to end the war that is nearing its 22nd month, Netanyahu is due to meet on Monday with US President Donald Trump, who has been making a renewed push to end the fighting. On Saturday, protesters gathered in Israel's coastal hub of Tel Aviv for a weekly rally demanding the return of hostages still in the Gaza Strip since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Macabit Mayer, the aunt of captives Gali and Ziv Berman, called for a deal 'that saves everyone'. Hamas said Friday it was ready 'to engage immediately and seriously' in negotiations. A statement from Netanyahu's office said that 'the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal… are unacceptable to Israel', while also sending negotiators to discuss 'the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to'. On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said 14 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. – 60-day truce – Hamas has not publicly detailed its responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Since the Hamas attack sparked a massive Israeli offensive with the aim of destroying the group, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in fighting, during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Egyptian foreign ministry said Saturday that top diplomat Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with Washington's main representative in the truce talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss 'preparations for holding indirect meetings between the two parties concerned to reach an agreement'. But recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire. The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. – 'Dying for flour' – Karima al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said 'we hope that a truce will be announced' to allow in more aid. 'People are dying for flour,' she said. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
