News   Dec 23, 2025
Happy Holidays From the UrbanToronto Team!
 725     3 
News   Dec 23, 2025
UrbanToronto Year-End Poll: Vote on the Best Buildings of 2025, presented by Diverso Energy
 1.8K     1 
News   Dec 23, 2025
City Council December, 2025 Zoning Settlements: Large-Scale Housing, City-Wide Policy
 2.6K     1 

News from across Asia

Japan: Man sentenced to death for Kyoto anime fire which killed 36​


The incident, one of Japan's deadliest in recent decades, killed mostly young artists and shocked the anime world.

Shinji Aoba, 45, pleaded guilty to the attack but his lawyers had sought a lighter sentence on grounds of "mental incompetence".

Judges rejected this however, ruling that Aoba knew what he was doing.

"I have determined that the defendant was not mentally insane or weak at the time of the crime," Chief Judge Masuda said on Thursday at Kyoto District Court.
Click to expand...

www.bbc.com

Japan: Man sentenced to death for Kyoto anime fire which killed 36

The arson attack in a revered Kyoto animation studio killed 36 people and injured dozens more.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Japan to make it easier for Indian students to get study visas in their country:

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian students only need their student ID card to get a visa to Japan, says Japanese Ambassador

Highlighting the streamlined visa process, along with an abundance of skill development programs and promising job prospects, the envoy stressed about the vast potential awaiting Indian aspirants in the ‘land of the rising sun.’ Suzuki conveyed a specific message to the people of India...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com
 
Since the middle-east thread remains locked, I will put this here:

www.cnn.com

Live updates: Iran launches barrage of strikes toward Israel

Iran has launched a wave of strikes toward Israel in retaliation for last week's deadly Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy complex in Syria. Follow here for the latest live news updates.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com

This seems destined to go well.

Edit to add: No time wasting here, Israel has launched attacks on Tehran:

1713049015626.png
 
Last edited:
Northern Light said:
Edit to add: No time wasting here, Israel has launched attacks on Tehran:

1713049015626.png
Click to expand...

There seems to be no actual corroboration of any Israeli attack on Tehran. This looks like misinformation being passed around.

Northern Light said:
This seems destined to go well.
Click to expand...

Mostly yes. If that was the Iranian response, I'd say Israel did alright. That was a rather weak response. Iran launched a bunch of slow drones, some cruise and ballistic missiles against a country that has the densest air defence network on Earth. Some countries en route closed their airspace and launched tracking aircraft, giving Israel plenty of warning and help. That's why Israel is claiming 99% of 300 projectiles shot down and just one casualty (a young girl injured by falling debris). And Iran has already said that they consider the matter "concluded".
www.nbcnews.com

Live updates: Iranian barrage of missiles and drones causes little damage, Israel says

Iran has launched drones toward Israel, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement, in an attack that Tehran had promised to carry out after its embassy in Damascus was hit last week.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

I would have been far more worried about escalation if an Israel-Hezbollah war looked likely.
 
Some news from Asia.

www.theglobeandmail.com

Israel releases 90 Palestinian prisoners, Hamas releases three Israeli hostages as part of ceasefire deal

The ceasefire that began on Sunday morning raises hopes for ending the devastating conflict, but questions remain about whether fighting will resume after the initial six-week phase
www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com

One has to wonder, after tens of thousands of their countrymen dead, the destruction of Hezbollah, the fall of Assad, the neutering of Syria and Iran; if the Palestinian people and their Hamas leadership believe the Oct 7th attacks, murders, rapes and kidnapping were worth it. Was that the geopolitical and national outcome they wanted?
 
Northern Light said:
A significant bridge in China (newly opened this year) has collapsed:

www.newsweek.com

Bridge in China collapses months after construction finished

Video shows the Hongqi Bridge collapsing into the river after cracks were found in nearby slopes and roads.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com
Click to expand...
Hidden deep below the headline:

The first signs of trouble appeared on Monday, when slope deformation was detected on the right bank of the bridge section of the highway in Maerkang City. Local authorities immediately launched an emergency response. By 11 p.m., all stranded vehicles had been evacuated, and warning signs were placed at the site to restrict unauthorized entry, according to the local paper Sichuan Daily.

Slope deformation is short-form in this case for a landslide which altered the hill which the bridge was based on. Authorities caught the issue, evacuated and closed the bridge, and then the hill further deteriorated.
 
Mihairokov said:
Hidden deep below the headline:

The first signs of trouble appeared on Monday, when slope deformation was detected on the right bank of the bridge section of the highway in Maerkang City. Local authorities immediately launched an emergency response. By 11 p.m., all stranded vehicles had been evacuated, and warning signs were placed at the site to restrict unauthorized entry, according to the local paper Sichuan Daily.

Slope deformation is short-form in this case for a landslide which altered the hill which the bridge was based on. Authorities caught the issue, evacuated and closed the bridge, and then the hill further deteriorated.
Click to expand...

Fair to post, I did read it all, actually a few different pieces.........there is some question as to the appropriate construction standard, if any, in light of the geological instability at this location.

Good response by local authorities. But still no bridge there for the foreseeable future.
 
A profound tragedy is unfolding in Hong Kong at this hour as 7 residential towers are ablaze.

At this hour, 36 confirmed dead, 29 in hospital, but 279 uncontactable. It seems likely this will be worse, possible much so than the Grenfell disaster in London some years ago.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/hong-kong-tai-po-buildings-fire-11-26-25

1764179531096.png

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/wor...re-apartments-wang-fuk-court-tai-po-district/

1764179602490.png

Credit: Bertha Wang/CNN Source: https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/bwp08536.jpg?c=original&q=w_1280,c_fill/f_avif

What a disaster. My sympathies to those affected/victims.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top