Driver George Alvarez yelled anti-migrant insults, says witness

Driver George Alvarez yelled anti-migrant insults, says witness

A witness to the car crash that killed eight people outside a migrant shelter in Texas says the driver made anti-immigrant remarks before he was detained by members of the public.

Suspect George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Sunday morning’s incident.

Police say they are still investigating whether the crash was intentional as well as the driver’s alleged remarks.

Earlier police revealed that Mr Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple assault charges.

And shocking security camera footage shared by Texas congressman Henry Cuellar showed the moment a grey Ranger Rover, travelling along North Minnesota Avenue towards Boca Chica Boulevard, smashed into the crowd outside of the city’s Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center.

The Venezuelan government has called for an investigation to determine if the crash was deliberate and motivated by hate

BitSummit 2023 Celebrates Indie Games in Kyoto

BitSummit, held in Kyoto’s Miyako Messe, had its biggest showcase yet in July, featuring over 100 game titles alongside their developers, publishers and associated businesses who came together to promote the magic of independently made video games.

“We wanted to do something that was different from the big shows like PAX,” says John Davis, co-founder of BitSummit. “It all started in 2012 as an intimate gathering to promote Japanese indies. People in the industry weren’t really talking to each other and we wanted to raise the profile of the indie industry in Japan as a whole.”

BitSummit took up the entire first floor of Miyako Messe, with several smaller breakout rooms below as private meeting spaces and resting areas. Continuing with the successful format of 2022, Friday remained a business day for industry-related individuals to meet and try out each other’s video games. At the weekend, domestic and international gamers

Suikawari 101: Smashing Watermelons in the Summer

Japanese watermelons are famous across the world for their fantastically bizarre shapes and deep, sweet flavors. When they come into season from June onwards, watermelons (suika in Japanese) make for the perfect summertime snacks. The game associated with the fruit, suikawari, or watermelon smashing, providing enjoyment and refreshment in one go. Let’s have a look at the history of it and how to play it.

What is Suikawari?

Suikawari is a traditional Japanese summertime activity. Usually taking place on a beach or on a sports field, it involves participants trying to smash open a watermelon while blindfolded. Frequently, one or more teams will have a go. Once the watermelon is successfully split, it is divided out for everyone to enjoy.

A popular group game for the beach, suikawari is easy to prepare. Most Japanese people have played suikawari at least once in their lifetime. Many even more so. For

Europe is packed with tourists finally taking post-pandemic trips

VENICE, Italy — Tourists are waiting more than two hours to visit the Acropolis in Athens. Taxi lines at Rome’s main train station are running just as long. And so many visitors are concentrating around St. Mark’s Square in Venice that crowds get backed up crossing bridges – even on weekdays.

After three years of pandemic limitations, tourism is expected to exceed 2019 records in some of Europe’s most popular destinations this summer, from Barcelona and Rome, Athens and Venice to the scenic islands of Santorini in Greece, Capri in Italy and Mallorca in Spain.

While European tourists edged the industry toward recovery last year, the upswing this summer is led largely by Americans, boosted by a strong dollar and in some cases pandemic savings. Many arrive motivated by “revenge tourism” – so eager to explore again that they’re undaunted by higher airfares and hotel costs.

Lauren Gonzalez, 25, landed

Hokkaido’s Higashikawa Effuses Creativity in Every Corner

Qhough best known for its unspoiled wilderness and harsh winters, Hokkaido’s Daisetsuzan National Park is also home to one of Japan’s most creative small towns. Called Higashikawa, this town of 8,000 people has blossomed into an artistic hub since launching an international photography festival in the mid-1980s. From photography to furniture design and more, here are just a few of the reasons to visit.

Higashikawa Bunka Gallery

With regularly changing exhibitions featuring images by everyone from local school kids to acclaimed photographers, this should be the first stop for anyone interested in Higashikawa’s photography scene. Recent exhibitions have included Han Kyoungho’s “North Context,” a Tokyo Frontline Photo Award-winning series of winter images of Hokkaido displayed on large sheets of Korean hanji paper. Non-photography events also happen here, like TeamLab’s Sketch Christmas in 2022, where pictures drawn by local children were used to create a Christmassy digital installation.

Higashikawa Arts

8 Sailor Moon Real-Life Locations in Tokyo

To the excitement of sailor Moon fans all over the world, the second half of Sailor Moon Cosmos was just released at the end of June. The animated film, released in two parts, is a direct sequel to Sailor Moon Eternal and serve as a finale to Sailor Moon Crystal. To celebrate the release of the final installment of the reboot series, here’s a list of real-life places that served as a model for the popular series.

1.
Azabu-Juban

sailor Moon takes place in a district called Juban, and its real-life counterpart, Azabu-Juban, inspired much of the retro-romantic backdrop we know and love in the 1990s franchise. Located in the Minato ward, it’s a high-end shopping and residential district that is also laid-back and surprisingly cozy. The neighborhood’s main shopping street sports over 300 shops, many of which are traditional and long-standing, like Mamegen, which was established in 1865.

Airlines urged to provide ‘realistic traveling times’ for domestic flights

Airlines should be forced to provide “realistic traveling times” for domestic flights, according to a public transport lobby group.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) called for the rule to be introduced as part of its Fewer Flights Charter aimed at reducing aviation’s carbon emissions.

Airline schedules do not include time spent at airports before and after flights, which can add a significant proportion to the duration of domestic trips.

For example, easyJet advertises flights between Birmingham and Edinburgh taking one hour and 10 minutes.

Most passengers doing the journey will spend at least the same amount of time at airports.

CBT’S charter states: “Require airlines to give passengers realistic traveling times for domestic flights.”

The group also wants airlines to offer free train tickets to people who book international flights, to encourage them to travel to the airport by rail instead of car.

It called for the Government to

Paul Jacoulet: An Exquisite Fusion of East and West

We see the world in shapes and colors, but to draw it we need lines. By keeping the colors from spilling into one another and the shapes from becoming amorphous blobs, lines carry out an essential function, but remain mysteriously absent from our visual perception. An ability to first recognize and then replicate these invisible physical boundaries is what drawing is all about. If you can do it with some precision, and a bit of style, then something truly magical happens.

Western focus on painting over other art forms, has often meant that sketching, so long as it is done in scribbly and hasty strokes, carries an air of just-permissible artistic respectability not afforded to the deliberate use of an outline, long considered childish, eccentric or (worst of all) commercial. In Japan, this practice has enjoyed a higher reputation, especially in the world of ukiyo-e printmaking, where admirably precise and

Ryuchell Found Dead at the Agency’s Office

In this week’s news roundup, we report on the tragic death of television personality Ryuchell (stylized as Ryuchell). The 27-year-old social media influencer and LGBTQ advocate was found dead by their manager at the agency’s office in Tokyo on Wednesday. Police are investigating whether the celebrity died by suicide. Also this week, we take a closer look at the landmark decisions made by the Japanese Supreme Court regarding transgender rights. Several people died as parts of Japan experience torrential downpours. Prosecutors announce they are going to drag out the Iwao Hakamada case. A teenage Canadian tourist defaces a 1,200-year-old temple. And Naomi Osaka celebrates the birth of her first child.

TV Personality Ryuchell Dies at 27

Ryuji Higa, known professionally as Ryuchell, passed away on Wednesday at the age of just 27. The former model, singer and activist was discovered unconscious by their manager at the office of an

Activists Angry as the IAEA Approves Fukushima Water Release

In this week’s news roundup, we report on Japan’s controversial plan to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, a decision that was given the green light by the IAEA on Tuesday. Other stories making headlines this week include the discovery of a headless body in Sapporo and the tragic death of two workers at a construction site in Shizuoka. There are also some controversial comments from China’s top diplomat and the completion of Japan’s tallest skyscraper. Plus, we have the latest sports news.

Release of Treated Radioactive Water Given Green Light by UN Watchdog

On Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea. According to the report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the discharge is only expected to have “negligible radiological impact on people and the