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Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
Japan travel bookings drop amid earthquake fears sparked by manga prediction
Denny generated AI Image Travel bookings to Japan from major Asian markets have significantly decreased before the peak summer period, influenced by earthquake predictions from a manga novel. Social media discussions have sparked concerns among travellers regarding manga artist Ryo Tatsuki's forecast of a catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Tatsuki, credited by some for predicting the 2011 earthquake, specified July 2025 as the date in a graphic novel published in 1999, The Strait Times reported. The manga's 2021 republication, featuring additional material, has reignited discussions about the earthquake prediction on social media platforms, with warning videos and posts about Japan travel gaining substantial viewership. Despite scientific consensus that precise earthquake timing cannot be determined, flight reservations from Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong have declined since April. Hong Kong bookings have decreased by 50 per cent compared to the previous year, according to ForwardKeys data analysed by Bloomberg Intelligence. Late June to early July arrivals from Hong Kong have reduced by up to 83 per cent. Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines reduced their Japan flights in May as authorities urged people to disregard the speculation. Miyagi prefecture's governor, Yoshihiro Murai, addressed tourism impacts in April, requesting people to dismiss the speculation. The Japan Meteorological Agency emphasised that current scientific methods cannot accurately predict earthquakes. Japan's position in the Ring of Fire, a Pacific Ocean seismic zone, makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes. Its most recent significant earthquake occurred in 2011, resulting in a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear incident. Despite these concerns, overall tourism to Japan remains strong, with April recording 3.9 million international visitors, attracted by the favourable exchange rate. "The earthquake speculation is affecting Japan tourism and will temporarily slow growth," stated Eric Zhu, Bloomberg Intelligence's aviation analyst. "Travellers are choosing cautiously, considering other regional short-haul destinations." He anticipates airlines will experience difficulties in coming months, based on booking trends and expected passenger numbers. Tatsuki's work, "The Future I Saw", describes a dream where a tsunami affects Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. A prominent Hong Kong fengshui master's warnings have further amplified these concerns.
7NEWS
23-04-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Aussie restauranteur Jose Pacheco accused of robbing a Singaporean money lender learns his fate
A debt-ridden Australian restauranteur accused of robbing a money lender in Singapore has escaped being caned after pleading guilty to a reduced charge — as the dire financial woes that led to his life spiralling are revealed. Jose Manuel Pacheco, 40, stole $6000 from an Accredit outlet, in the Tampines District, on June 3 last year after threatening a female clerk at knife-point. He fled but was arrested a short time later after detectives spotted him loitering nearby. Pacheco, who has spent the past few years managing various restaurants across Asia after migrating to Singapore from Perth, was originally charged with armed robbery. If he pleaded guilty to that charge, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years and received six strokes of the cane. However, he managed to avoid corporal punishment after his charges were downgraded to theft and criminal intimidation, The Strait Times reports. After pleading guilty to the lesser offences, he was sentenced on March 7 to one year and four months in jail. During the sentencing hearing, the court heard a mental health evaluation found Pacheco to be suffering from moderate to severe major depressive disorder, which contributed to his offending. However, the court heard a mental assessment found he was of sound mind at the time of the theft and capable of appreciating the gravity of his actions. Court documents reveal Pacheco was employed in 2023 as a general food manager of a food and beverage company, working at three of its restaurants and earning $SGD10,000 a month (about $A11,792). In February 2024, he asked his employer for a loan to repay debts to unlicensed money lenders, with the company agreeing on March 1 to lend him $25,3000 on condition it was paid off via monthly $2000 deductions from his salary. But just two months later, on May 13, the company discovered more than $9000 was missing from a restaurant he was managing. Pacheco claimed he had forgotten to deposit the money but, when staff later checked the restaurant's safe, sealed envelopes containing the store's earning were empty, court documents state. After his arrest, Pacheco told detectives he had pocketed the funds from his work between March and May 2024 to repay his debts to unlicensed and licensed money lenders. Still reeling in debt, he hatched a plan to rob the money lender — with CCTV played in court showing Pacheco, disguised in a mask and cap, entering the Accredit on June 3 and pointing a knife at the female employee. According to the documents, he then gave her a duffle bag he had brought with him and demanded she fill it with money. The woman, who was alone in the store at the time, complied with his orders and Pacheco fled the scene. Police arrived a short time later and noticed Pacheco, who matched the clerk's description, sitting on a nearby deck watching investigators. He admitted to robbing the store and was arrested, with detectives discovering him in possession of a knife and $6095 cash in a duffle bag. Pacheco later told detectives he 'needed money desperately' to repay his debts. In court last month, his lawyer Azri Imran Tan said Pacheco had fallen victim to predatory behaviours of loan sharks. 'Our client had taken loans of between $2000 and $3000 from five loan sharks. While the principal sums had been repaid, the said loan sharks continued to demand illegal interest on the same, with his 'debt' ballooning to over $30,000,' Tan said. Tan said Pacheco had faced 'significant and unrelenting harassment' as the loan sharks texted and called him daily, and made threats towards him and his family. Tan said his debts were due on the day of the robbery and he had no way of settling them. Aside from the Tampines money heist charges, Pacheco also pleaded guilty to criminal breach of trust in relation to the misappropriation of funds from his workplace. The court heard he has not made any restitutions to his former employer. Under his sentence, which collectively applies to all three charges, Pacheco will be eligible for release in July 2026. Caning, an excruciatingly painful and injury-inducing punishment that involves being struck on the bare buttocks at speed with a thin rattan cane, is a widely used form of corporal punishment in Singapore for certain serious offences. The punishment, which is typically reserved for healthy men aged 18 to 50, takes place at prisons by specially trained officers and is always ordered in addition to a prison sentence. The practice, which is also common in other South East Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, remains controversial — with critics arguing it is cruel and inhumane while advocates champion its use as a strong deterrent against crime. Partly due to its strict laws and harsh penalties, Singapore has low crime rates and is considered one of the safest countries in the world.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Smoke from burning power bank fills up plane minutes before landing in Bangkok
A Baltic Air flight began to be filled with smoke from a burning power bank minutes before it landed in Bangkok, with videos posted to social media showing panic among passengers. One nearly four-minute clip, posted on TikTok, shows smoke spreading from the overhead luggage compartment, filling the cabin space. Flight attendants can be seen in the video checking overhead baggage compartments to look for the source of the smoke. Passengers seated close to what seems like the affected part of the cabin can be seen leaving their seats before the attendants opened the compartment to put out the fire using an extinguisher. Some time later, the crew can be seen opening the compartment completely as white smoke pours out. A passenger seated opposite the affected compartment retrieved a black bag and was escorted to the rear of the plane by an attendant carrying the extinguisher. In a follow-up video, TikTok user kentmaherr said the smoke initially looked like 'steam' but was soon accompanied by a strong 'chemical-like smell' as the smoke thickened. 'Thankfully, no one on the flight panicked, everyone was calm,' kentmaherr said, according to The Strait Times. He said he and a few others followed the passenger as he carried his black bag to the back of the plane to see him take a power bank out of the bag, which was finally fully extinguished using three mineral water bottles. Luckily the aircraft, which took off from Johor Bahru, was only 30 minutes away from its destination – Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok – when the smoke started spreading. 'All passengers were shocked by the thick smoke coming out of the luggage compartment, with the smell of fire stinging their noses,' the TikTok user wrote in the video's caption. 'This is the first time I experienced such an incident. I thank Allah for the chance to still be alive!' he said. Several airline operators in Asia have begun enacting changes to their luggage carry policy after an incident involving a fire in the rear of an Air Busan Airbus A321 before takeoff. While no one was killed in that incident, the plane was badly damaged. Korean Air, Asiana, China Airlines, as well as Eva Air, headquartered in Taiwan, have joined the airline in banning power banks, vapes and lithium-ion batteries from overhead compartments. Starting from Saturday 1 March, such items must be kept on a passenger's person at all times.
The Independent
02-03-2025
- The Independent
Smoke from burning power bank fills up plane minutes before landing in Bangkok
A Baltic Air flight began to be filled with smoke from a burning power bank minutes before it landed in Bangkok, with videos posted to social media showing panic among passengers. One nearly four-minute clip, posted on TikTok, shows smoke spreading from the overhead luggage compartment, filling the cabin space. Flight attendants can be seen in the video checking overhead baggage compartments to look for the source of the smoke. Passengers seated close to what seems like the affected part of the cabin can be seen leaving their seats before the attendants opened the compartment to put out the fire using an extinguisher. Some time later, the crew can be seen opening the compartment completely as white smoke pours out. A passenger seated opposite the affected compartment retrieved a black bag and was escorted to the rear of the plane by an attendant carrying the extinguisher. In a follow-up video, TikTok user kentmaherr said the smoke initially looked like 'steam' but was soon accompanied by a strong 'chemical-like smell' as the smoke thickened. 'Thankfully, no one on the flight panicked, everyone was calm,' kentmaherr said, according to The Strait Times. He said he and a few others followed the passenger as he carried his black bag to the back of the plane to see him take a power bank out of the bag, which was finally fully extinguished using three mineral water bottles. Luckily the aircraft, which took off from Johor Bahru, was only 30 minutes away from its destination – Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok – when the smoke started spreading. 'All passengers were shocked by the thick smoke coming out of the luggage compartment, with the smell of fire stinging their noses,' the TikTok user wrote in the video's caption. 'This is the first time I experienced such an incident. I thank Allah for the chance to still be alive!' he said. Several airline operators in Asia have begun enacting changes to their luggage carry policy after an incident involving a fire in the rear of an Air Busan Airbus A321 before takeoff. While no one was killed in that incident, the plane was badly damaged. Korean Air, Asiana, China Airlines, as well as Eva Air, headquartered in Taiwan, have joined the airline in banning power banks, vapes and lithium-ion batteries from overhead compartments. Starting from Saturday 1 March, such items must be kept on a passenger's person at all times.
