World news in brief
‘Attack on Titan’ star dies aged 30
Haruma Miura, the Japanese actor known for playing Eren Jaeger in the adventure film Attack on Titan, died aged 30. According to The Japan Times, Miura was found unresponsive at his home in Tokyo on Saturday and was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital. Tokyo Metropolitan Police were investigating the death as a possible suicide. The Tokyo-born actor’s early film credits include Catch a Wave and Children. He also appeared in the TV shows The Last Cinderella, Never Let Me Go, Adult School, Dying Eye and Two Weeks. In 2013, Miura was nominated for an award from the Japanese Academy for his role in The Fighter Pilot. A year later he landed his role in live-action manga adaptation Attack on Titan, in which he starred alongside Queer Eye star Kiko Mizuhara. Miura’s final Instagram post came earlier this week, as he celebrated his upcoming leading role in Love Will Begin When Money End, which will air in September. To contact the Samaritans helpline, call 116 123. The phone line is open 24 hours, seven days a week. You can also contact the charity by email by sending a message to jo@samaritans.org. The average response time is 24 hours. has
Florida street party flouts social distancing
Police in Florida have released footage of a large street party that took place earlier this month, where attendees flouted social distancing guidance as coronavirus cases soared in the state. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said it had broken up several parties at holiday rental homes in recent days, despite public health guidance in the state advising people to avoid large gatherings. In video footage taken from a police helicopter, partygoers were filmed dancing in the street at an event in Kissimmee, near Orlando, which ran into the early hours of the morning on 12 July. Large gatherings at holiday homes have been banned due to the risk of spreading Covid-19 during the pandemic. Florida has recorded nearly 338,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 5,002 deaths, as of Saturday evening.
Arrests made after ancient Buddha statue destroyed
Police in Pakistan have arrested four people in connection with the destruction of a third-century life-sized Buddha statue. Four people were detained on Saturday under the antiquities law for allegedly destroying the centuries-old statue, police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province of Pakistan, told The Independent. The rare idol was discovered during construction work in a village near Takht-i-Bahi, known around the world for being the main cradle of the Buddhist civilisation. According to initial reports, the contractor and his three labourers destroyed the statue at the behest of a local religious leader. However, a local police official told The Independent “at this moment it is not clear why and on whose directives the four accused destroyed the statue”. The group were arrested after their video, in which they could be seen hammering a statue to pieces, went viral on social media. A blaze broke out at a power station in southwestern Iran towards the start of July. It came days after a fire broke out at a nuclear facility in the cenral city of Natanz.
Explosion hits power plant in Iran
An Iranian power plant has been hit by an explosion, the country’s official news agency has reported. There were no casualties after the blast in the central Isfahan province, according to IRNA. It was caused by the wear and tear of a transformer, the managing director of the Isfahan power company told the news agency. Power was interrupted for two hours, he said. There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities since late June. A former official suggested the blaze could have been an attempt to sabotage work at the plant, which has been involved in activities that breach an international nuclear deal. On 26 June, an explosion occurred east of Tehran near the Parchin military and weapons development base that the authorities said was caused by a leak in a gas storage facility in an area outside the base. Other recent incidents reported by Iranian news agencies include a fire at industrial complex where gas condensate storage tanks are sited, one at a petrochemical factory and an explosion in Tehran, the capital, which killed two people.