Iran cleric says bad driving a sin as 700 die over new year
Tehran: Some 700 people were killed over the Persian new year on roads in Iran, which are among the deadliest in the world despite Islamic leaders declaring bad driving a sin. The two-week break for Nowruz that ended at the weekend actually saw a 12-per cent improvement on last year’s death toll, police chief Taghi Mehri said on Tuesday.
But the horrific loss of life — with more than half a million killed over the past two decades — has led religious leaders to step in. “Violating traffic laws is a sin, and following these rules is a religious duty,” said Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi last week.
He was repeating a declaration he made in 2014, when he said: “Driving while tired and sleepy, illegally passing other cars and running red lights are haram (forbidden).” Iran is almost alone among middle-income countries when it comes to the scale of its road deaths.
The World Health Organisation places it in the top 10 alongside extremely poor African countries such as Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic where drivers must contend with terrible roads and armed militants. The reasons are unclear, though the highly aggressive nature of Iranian driving and poor quality of locally made cars are clearly factors. (afp)
Japan Cabinet allows schools to study banned imperial order
Tokyo: Opposition politicians are criticising a decision by Japan’s Cabinet to allow schools to study a 19th century imperial order on education that was banned after World War II for promoting militarism and emperor worship, saying it’s a sign that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is becoming more nationalistic. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday the Imperial Rescript on Education should be allowed as a teaching material if it is used in line with the constitution and the education law.
The Cabinet adopted the policy Friday. Opposition politicians on Tuesday called the move unconstitutional and unacceptable.
The rescript, banned in 1948, calls on Japanese to sacrifice their lives for the emperor. It recently captured national attention because of a political scandal involving a school whose ultra-nationalistic owner used it. (AP)
Trump impersonator gets own talk show
Washington: A stand-up comedian impersonating US President Donald Trump is set to get his own talk show on Comedy Central, the media reported.
The channel announced the weekly talk show called “The President Show”, starring Anthony Atamanuik, reports the Entertainment Weekly.
The show, which was created by Atamanuik, will debut on April 27 at 11.30 p.m., and air weekly on Thursday nights.
The idea is that Trump is subverting the traditional, fake media by hosting a show in the Oval Office, complete with field pieces and guest interviews. The fake president will be joined regularly by “Vice President Mike Pence”, who is played by former Colbert Report’s Peter Grosz.
“Laughing at the President is a proud American tradition and we hope not to disappoint anyone in that department,” the Entertainment Weekly quoted Atamanuik as saying.
“But our political system is too broken for us to be content joking about one man, even though he is a disastrous silly little toddler boy. Mostly I’d just like to thank Comedy Central for giving us this platform to speak truth to power and if we’re lucky, end up in prison.”
Atamanuik joins a group of actors and comedians who have mimicked the President’s quirks for laughs, including Meryl Streep, Jimmy Fallon, and most famously Alec Baldwin on Saturday Night Live. (IANS)