World's oldest person, Kane Tanaka, dies in Japan at 119
Tokyo, Apr 25: The world's oldest person from the southwestern Japanese city of Fukuoka died at the age of 119 on April 19, the government said on Monday.
Kane Tanaka was born on January 2 in 1903, the year Wright Brothers -- Wilbur and Orville Wright -- made the world's first successful flight of powered aircraft, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
Famous people born in 1903 included British novelist George Orwell, film director Yasujiro Ozu and Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko.
According to the report, Tanaka, whose life spanned several Japanese imperial eras -- Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa, was born just a year before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.
She was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest person in March 2019 at the age of 116.
Tanaka also became the oldest person ever on record in Japan after turning 117 years and 261 days old in September 2020.
Apart from being the oldest verified Japanese person ever, Tanaka was also the second oldest verified person ever in the world.
The seventh of nine siblings, Tanaka married when she was 19 and later ran a noodle shop when her husband Hideo and their eldest son went to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. The couple ran a rice cake store after the war.
Tanaka ascribed her longevity to "eating delicious food", including soda and chocolate, as well as "learning" new things.
She was also fond of calligraphy and liked to solve arithmetic problems.
She spent her later years in a Fukuoka nursing home, where she enjoyed playing the board game Reversi, among other activities.
With Tanaka's death, the world's oldest person now is Lucile Randon, a French woman who is 118 years and 73 days, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks super-centenarians globally.
Japan's oldest person is now Fusa Tatsumi, a 115-year-old woman living in Osaka prefecture, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
