Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Japan’s centenarian population has risen above 100,000 for the first time, reaching a record 107,677 as the country faces a rapidly shrinking workforce and persistently low birth rate. The figure, released by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, represents an increase of 7,914 on last year and the 56th consecutive annual rise. Women make up almost 88 per cent of those aged 100 or older. Health minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was “very pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives”, pointing to advances in medical technology, healthy lifestyles and diet. Japan’s ageing population Almost three…

An active-duty Air Force officer accused of making contemptuous statements about President Trump has defended his actions as an expression of his constitutional oath, in a military hearing that could become a rare test of service members’ freedom of speech. Major Jason Watson made his first comments in court on Friday during an Article 32 hearing, an early stage in the military justice process which will help determine whether he faces a court-martial. Giving an unsworn statement, Maj Watson told the investigating officer, Major Joshua Wendell, that he had been motivated by duty rather than party politics. “I spoke to…

The DUI trial of suspended Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch has been put on hold while the Georgia Court of Appeals considers a challenge to evidence that prosecutors intend to use against him. Couch’s lawyer, Blake Poole, said a hearing scheduled for Monday would not go ahead. No replacement date has been set, with the timetable dependent on the outcome of the appeal. The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed on 24 August to hear Couch’s challenge to parts of a pre-trial ruling by Hall County State Court Judge Charles E Auslander III. The case has been placed on the court’s…

Three teenagers have been arrested after a police officer was hit by an allegedly stolen car in Ashwood, south-east Melbourne, and thrown several metres through the air. Police were tracking a black Mercedes-Benz SUV when it was found in Gubbah Court at about 2.15am on Saturday. Officers moved in as the vehicle allegedly left the court and mounted the footpath. The car allegedly struck a female constable, who was propelled several metres along the road. Police said she was taken to hospital with minor injuries and was “lucky to escape serious injury”. The Mercedes allegedly fled the scene before hitting…

A 15-year-old girl was killed after a sanitation truck struck a crowd in Manhattan’s East Village on Friday night. The girl was riding a Citi Bike with her 13-year-old friend when the private Badger garbage truck hit people as it turned right at 14th Street and First Avenue. She was left trapped beneath the vehicle at the scene. Witnesses said police tried to rouse her before removing her and administering CPR for about 10 minutes. “The police went and then tried to shake her, but she wasn’t responsive,” one witness said. “And then, a bunch of police came in. They…

Queen Elizabeth allegedly offered to restore Diana’s HRH title after her death, according to her brother, Earl Spencer, who said he rejected the gesture as a “consolation prize”. Spencer claims the late Queen contacted him through her Private Secretary, Robert Fellowes, as he travelled by royal train to Althorp in Northamptonshire ahead of Diana’s burial at the family estate in 1997. The Her Royal Highness style had been removed from Diana after her divorce from Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was finalised in August 1996. In his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer writes that Diana was “dreadfully…

The Walt Disney World costume team is responsible for one of the resort’s largest behind-the-scenes operations, creating and maintaining outfits that help thousands of cast members fit the story of their surroundings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. From parking attendants and attraction operators to restaurant staff and performers, each uniform is designed around a particular role, location and atmosphere. The costuming department includes more than 1,500 cast members involved in designing, producing and caring for the wardrobes used across the resort. How Walt Disney World costumes are designed Michael Sendek, senior manager of Costume Design & Development, said the process…

Donald Trump’s drive to accelerate artificial intelligence has exposed a deep split inside his administration, with the president dismissing fears of mass extinction while senior officials privately warn that rapidly advancing systems could threaten national security and the global economy. Trump has described concerns about AI’s potential to cause mass death as a “HOAX” and attacked opponents of new data centres as people who “want to end up being backwards and poor”. Those familiar with his views say he fears that any slowdown in the technology boom could trigger a market crash and recession. His position has been reinforced by…

Katseye have unfollowed Ed Sheeran on Instagram, prompting speculation that the group could distance themselves from the singer after Macklemore was removed from his Loop Tour over his pro-Palestinian comments. Fans noticed that all six members – Megan Skiendiel, Manon Bannerman, Yoonchae, Daniela Avanzini, Sophia LaForteza and Lara Raj – no longer appeared among Sheeran’s followers this week. Raj has also begun following Macklemore, while she and Skiendiel both liked the rapper’s post announcing that he had been dropped from the remaining tour dates. The development has led supporters online to suggest that Katseye could boycott Sheeran more widely, although…

The San Francisco Opera orchestra has reached a tentative four-year agreement with management, bringing an end to a strike that disrupted the start of the company’s new season. The deal still requires ratification by union members, but rehearsals are expected to resume ahead of next week’s performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the War Memorial Opera House. The agreement, covering 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030, was reached after nearly a week of industrial action by musicians represented by American Federation of Musicians Local 6. The financial terms have not been made public. The walkout forced the cancellation…