With an aging population keen on enjoying riches, more fulfilling retirement years, Japan has long pioneered technologies aimed at the elderly. A revolutionary design of floor protects frail bones from fractures by deforming instantly to absorb and cushion the shock of a person falling. Friendly, humanoid robots are now used at many care facilities, with artificial intelligence that lets them memorize over 100 faces and names and hold natural conversations geared specifically to the person they are talking to. We also see a seal-shaped robot designed to create a healing effect, like a pet animal, that has now been certified as a medical device in over 30 countries. VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN

(UPDATE) FILIPINA volleyball player Julia "Jia" Morado-de Guzman has shared her first photos for Japanese side Denso Airybees on her Instagram on Tuesday. Brazilian legend Thaisa Menezes (left) and Jia Morado PHOTO FROM MORADO’S IGShe met Brazilian Olympic silver medalists Rosamaria Montibeller and Gabriela Guimarães, as well as two-time Olympic champion Thaisa Menezes Daher, while in Japan. "I've always been a student of the game, taking in every opportunity to learn what I can. Montibeller will be Morado's teammate on the Airybees, and Morado said she looks forward to playing with her soon. See you soon," commented the Brazilian player on the Instagram post.

SIM cards from POGOs contain P1 billion in e-walletsMANILA, Philippines — Around 28,000 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards confiscated from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in Pasay City last month were used to siphon P1 billion from the e-wallets of online fraud victims, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). “We checked the SIM cards one by one and we accessed their e-wallets. “The POGOs used these SIM cards to steal and load the money in their respective e-wallets. Prior to the POGO raid in August, authorities also confiscated more than 80,000 SIM cards in a Las Piñas facility in June. Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Cybercrime Division arrested three suspects in Pasay and Las Piñas over the sale of registered SIM cards.

A 46-year-old Indian man who was arrested on suspicion of indecently assaulting a Korean live streamer in Central was granted bail on Thursday. The man, Amit, was brought to the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today on one count of indent assault. The well-known South Korean live-streamer, may5w, was able to live stream her ordeal and the video has since gone viral. The footage showed the woman being followed by a man from a tram stop to the Central MTR station. She could be seen repeatedly resisting his advances, before he forcefully pressed her against a wall halfway down the Central station staircase.

NEW DELHI– Experts have fanned out in India’s southern state of Kerala to collect samples of fluid from bats and fruit trees in a region where the deadly Nipah virus has killed two people and three more have tested positive. Samples of bat urine, animal droppings and half-eaten fruit were collected from Maruthonkara, the village where the first victim lived, set beside a 300-acre (121-hectare) forest home to several bat species. Fruit bats from the area had tested positive for the Nipah virus during an outbreak in 2018, the state’s first. ADVERTISEMENTOutbreaks are sporadic and previous infections in South Asia were traced to consumption of items contaminated with bat excreta. Kerala’s first Nipah outbreak killed 21 of the 23 infected, while subsequent outbreaks in 2019 and 2021 killed two people.

(UPDATE) SEVEN out of 10 Filipinos believe that the country is heading toward the right direction, a survey by OCTA Research Group has shown. In its Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from July 22 to 26, 2023, 72 percent of respondents said the Philippines is on the correct path. Only 65 percent of Visayas respondents said they were optimistic about the country's direction, a significant decline compared to March, wherein 87 percent said the country was on the right track, and 9 percent said otherwise. Class ABC, at 74 percent, was also highly optimistic of the country's direction, followed by Class D with 74 percent and Class E with 70 percent. Adult Filipinos in Class E are the highest in terms of being uncertain about the country's direction than any other socioeconomic class at 21 percent.

(UPDATE) CLOSE to 30 Chinese fishing vessels (CFVs) have been massing at several locations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (Wescom) reported on Thursday. The renewed swarming of Chinese boats could further fuel the already volatile situation in the WPS where incursions by Chinese coast guard (CCG) and maritime militia have become more frequent. Escoda Shoal serves as a marker for the approach to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where Chinese ships have been shadowing and harassing boats delivering supplies to the Philippine military station there, Wescom said. These activities have been a source of tension in the WPS and have contributed to instability in the region," Wescom said in a statement. The US continues to upgrade the camps as part of the overall plan to beef up the Philippines' defense posture.

Digital art creates new worlds right before our eyes with a blend of reality and imagination. MURAMATSU Ryotaro, a digital artist and projection-mapping pioneer, created his Dandelion Project to connect people worldwide in a prayer for peace. This project sends virtual flowers, a symbol of peace, to locations in various countries by transmitting digital fluff. We see visitors in Kyoto experiencing this project and exchanging fluffs from their smartphones with people around the world in real time, the replies generating beautiful blossoms in Kyoto temples. VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPANGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

The price of riceThe government recently ordered to set the retail market ceilings for rice prices in an effort to bring down rice price inflation. Rice price ceilings. The government price order is justified under the Price Act, a law passed in 1992 (R.A. 7581) as further amended in 2013 (R.A. 10623). The price ceiling for “regular milled” rice is P41 per kilo while for “well-milled” rice at P45/kilo. In general, the provision of the Price Act is that price ceilings are designed to cover special emergencies and are temporary in character.

Two infected people have died since Aug. 30 in Kerala’s fourth virus outbreak since 2018, forcing authorities to declare containment zones in at least eight Kozhikode villages. “We are focusing on tracing contacts of infected persons early and isolating anyone with symptoms,” state Health Minister Veena George told reporters. The Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 during an illness outbreak among pig farmers and others in close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore. During the 2018 Nipah outbreak, fruit bats from the same area tested positive for the virus. In Kerala’s first Nipah outbreak, 21 of the 23 people infected died.

Jay ClaytonUnderlying US inflation ran at a faster-than-expected monthly pace in August, leaving the door open for additional interest-rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. The so-called core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, advanced 0.3 percent from July, the first acceleration in six months, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Wednesday. From a year ago, it increased 4.3 prcent, in line with estimates and marking the smallest advance in nearly two years. Economists favor the core gauge as a better indicator of underlying inflation than the overall CPI. That measure rose 0.6 percent from the prior month, the most in over a year, and 3.7 percent from a year ago, reflecting higher energy prices.

The livestreamer continued on with her trip to Macau after the incident but returned to Hong Kong yesterday. She told fans on interactive livestreaming platform Twitch yesterday she was taking a ferry from Macau to Hong Kong. She took the train to Admiralty after arriving at Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan about 3 pm. But the man kept getting close to her and said: "I am alone, come with me." Although the woman said she was not alone and refused the man, he continued to touch her and pressed her against the wall.

For the first, do we say, "She didn't used to be my trusted associate" ("used" with the "d") or "She didn't use to be my trusted associate" ("use" with no "d")? And for the second, do we say, "The couple didn't used to swim in the community pool" or "The couple didn't use to swim in the community pool"? And for the second, do we say, "Did the couple used to swim in the community pool?" The correct usage for negative "used to" statements is therefore this: "She didn't use to be my trusted associate." For negative "used to" constructions, these grammar contrarians prescribe this form instead: "She used not to be my trusted associate."

A South Korean female live-streamer who was recently sexually harassed while live-streaming in Central has sought help from the consulate and reported the case to the police on Wednesday. The well-known live streamer visited Hong Kong recently and experienced the shocking ordeal on Monday night. She started a live broadcast after arriving in Hong Kong from Macau on Wednesday saying, “I will go to the embassy (the Consulate General of Korea in Hong Kong), they will help me, also I will find the police”. It was learned that she had filed a report to the Central District Police Station. Many netizens encouraged her, noting that the suspect had been arrested and urging her to stay strong, before the live show concluded.

FRENCH regulators on Tuesday ordered Apple to halt sales of the iPhone 12 for emitting too much electromagnetic radiation, and to fix existing handsets. PHOTO BY APPLEThe ANFR said it "ordered Apple to remove the iPhone 12 from the French market from September 12 due to the model exceeding the limit" for electromagnetic absorption by the body. ANFR noted that tests that measure the electromagnetic radiation absorbed at a distance of five centimeters was in compliance with the limit of 2.0 watts per kilogram. ANFR said its agents would verify beginning Wednesday that that iPhone 12 models were no longer being offered for sale in France. Regulators in a number of countries have limits on the amount of electromagnetic radiation mobile phones may emit to prevent adverse health effects.