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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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
