Japan

The Kyodo news agency says about 40 people are being treated at a hospital in Kumamoto, some of them seriously injured, and the government says at least 19 buildings have collapsed. At least two deaths occurred in the town of Mashiki, where the shaking was most severe. The town lies 15km east of Kumamoto.

The boat is part of the Project for Improvement of Sea Transportation Infrastructure and is funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, GGP.

Mr. Yukio Numata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Tonga and Tu’itufu of ‘Eueiki, the Chief of the Island commissioned the new boat at the Queen Salote Wharf, and honoured its first voyage to the second half of the commissioning ceremony held at ‘Eueiki Island.

PIC invited three cosmetics companies from the Pacific Islands, Bue’t Niue of Niue, Mailelani of Samoa and Volcanic Earth of Vanuatu to participate in the show. Additionally, some Japanese companies which are already importing and distributing cosmetics from the Pacific Islands were hosted in the PIC booth.

The reigning Asian Games champions, who secured an automatic berth for the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning the Asia Rugby Sevens Qualifier in Hong Kong in November, joins the 15 core teams -  Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and Wales – on the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit which stops over in Singapore on 16/17 April.

The aim of the strategy is to check China’s advances in the region through infrastructure and other improvements.

The robot’s small body looks a bit like a stylized version of the Pixar lamp, a pedestal with a bendy column and an oblong face. In the middle of the face sits a single unblinking eye, so that Talking Ally can maintain eye contact with its person. A second, tucked-away camera tracks the human’s face. Servomotors and springs give the robot a surprising range of movement.

Last weekend's defeat to Japan ended the Manu's hopes of making the quarter finals.

In a further blow, vice-captain Alesana Tuilagi was banned for five weeks for striking a Japanese defender with his knee.

Tuilagi struck Japan's Harumichi Tatekawa with his knee in the second minute of the Pool B match on Sunday.

He denied the act of foul play but was found guilty by the citing commissioner and will miss Samoa's last match against Scotland at St James' Park on Sunday.

Samoa cannot reach the quarter-finals after losses to Japan and South Africa in Pool B.

The Brave Blossoms face Samoa at Milton Keynes in a match that will make or break their quarter-final chances. After stunning South Africa in their opening game in Pool B, Japan played Scotland just four days later and faded after an hour, slipping to a 45-10 defeat.

Eddie Jones’ men, however, have recuperated over the past six days in the quiet of Warwick, where the team have been able to focus on preparing for the Samoa game.

Hidekichi Miyazaki, dubbed "Golden Bolt" after the fastest man on the planet, clocked 42.22 seconds in Kyoto to set a 100 metres world record in the over-105 age category — one for which no mark previously existed — a day after reaching the milestone age.

"I'm not happy with the time," the pint-sized Miyazaki told AFP in an interview after recovering his wind on Wednesday (local time).

"I started shedding tears during the race because I was going so slowly. Perhaps I'm getting old."