Unsho Ishizuka started lending his voice to the animated Pokémon expert, named Okido in Japanese, when the franchise’s first anime series debuted on Japanese television in 1997. Ishizuka also narrated for the show and voiced the Pokémon’s Onix and Steelix, to name a few, reports Mantan Web via Kotaku.

Ishizuka started his career in voice acting for anime in 1984 for the TV show Giant Gorg. Since then he’s voiced Jet Black from the iconic “Cowboy Bebop,” Moichi Taoka of “Slam Dunk” and more. He also took over voicing for Mr. Satan from the “Dragon Ball” franchise and Heihachi Mishima from the “Tekken” game series after the characters’ original voice actor, Daisuke Gori, died in 2010.

Before passing away, Ishizuka had been involved with some of the latest anime to air on Japanese TV. He narrated for the show “Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online,” voiced for Willibald Joachim von Merkatz in “Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These” during the spring season, and for Dino Golzine of this summer season’s “Banana Fish.”

He also dubbed English movies and shows into Japanese. Some of the projects he worked on included “The Davinci Code,” “Mission Impossible III” and “Wolverine: X-Men Zero.”

With the amount of stress placed on a Japanese voice actor’s vocal chords, actors with throat ailments are not uncommon. Some actors are even forced to go on hiatus in the middle of a project to recover their health. In these cases, a new voice actor gets hired to continue the voicing project.

The entrance gate to the complex is tightly guarded. Motorists were forced to turn around and park their cars outside the sports complex before walking or taking the shuttle bus to get into the sports arena.

South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin acknowledged that the no-car policy had been widely criticized.

“I think a lot of people are still not familiar with the policy and we are still facing some hiccups. But once they know about the policy, there shouldn’t be any problems. We will continue promoting this policy,” he said after inaugurating the South Sumatra Expo on Thursday.

Alex added that he would not back down from implementing the policy despite the complaints and protests. He insisted that the policy had been implemented to create a comfortable sports complex for athletes, officials and guests.

According to Alex, in the next 25 years, South Sumatra would transform its existing coal-fired power plant and fossil-fuel transportation into zero emission technology. He added that he would make sure that the province had cleaner air and an affordable renewable energy source.

“We will start with Jakabaring Sport City. It will be our pilot project in implementing green infrastructure,” he said.

South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Zulkarnain Adinegara said the police implemented the no-car zone policy for visitors on Thursday. He added that the policy was for the sake of the spectators and competing athletes.

“I have to ride my bicycle inside the Jakabaring. But we need to comply with the rules, including the non-smoking policy,” he said.

PT Jakabaring Sports City (JSC) Palembang CEO Bambang Suprianto said his office had prepared shuttle buses and golf carts, which were provided by Norway.

“In total, there are 20 two-seater golf carts, 15 10-seater golf carts and 15 15-seater shuttle buses operating non-stop in the JSC,” he added.

Bambang said the JSC had created a green area smart city concept since the beginning. Since it is a sports complex, the area must have clean air. Therefore, the operating vehicles must not have fossil fuel energy, but use hydrogen instead.

He added that spectators would be able to use bicycles to ride around the complex.

The animals are among the lucky few to be rescued in a country where hundreds of bears are feared to have been killed or starved to death as the cost of once-valuable farmed bile has plummeted.

This photo taken on August 15, 2018 shows veterinarians from Four Paws, an animal conservation group, inspecting the health condition of a sedated bear during a rescue operation from a facility where bear bile is extracted in Thai Nguyen province. // AFP PHOTO

Bear bile is extracted — often continuously and painfully — from the animals’ gallbladders and used in traditional medicine in Vietnam, where the illegal practice remains widespread.

But consumers are shunning the farmed version in favour of bile taken from the nearly extinct wild bear population, which can cost 12 times more, and farmers can no longer earn what they used to from the illicit trade.

If consumer demand for wild bear gallbladders catches on, it could spell the end for wild bears, which are killed for the sought-after organ.

The trend is also bad news for caged bears, whose owners can no longer afford to keep them alive.

“Farmers said it wasn’t profitable to keep the bears any more so they started feeding them less and let them die off,” Brian Crudge, research programme manager at Free The Bears, told AFP this week.

This photo taken on August 15, 2018 shows veterinarians from Four Paws, an animal conservation group, inspecting the health condition of a sedated bear during a rescue operation from a facility where bear bile is extracted in Thai Nguyen province. //AFP PHOTO

The number of captive bears has dropped dramatically since 2005 from about 4,500 to less than 800 today, according to official data and Crudge, who recently co-authored a study on the issue.

With about 200 bears in Vietnam’s rescue centres, he said many likely starved to death or were killed off and sold for their body parts.

Bear paws are popularly used as a delicacy in soup or liquor, while bones are used for cooking and teeth and claws for decoration or jewellery.

– Race against time –

Now it’s a race against time to rescue Vietnam’s remaining caged bears.

“It’s quite urgent, we want to get as many of them as we can before it’s too late,” Crudge said.

This photo taken on August 14, 2018 shows veterinarians from Four Paws, an animal conservation group, inspecting the health condition of a sedated bear during a rescue operation from a facility where bear bile is extracted in Thai Nguyen province. // AFP PHOTO

Some farmers — who can legally keep bears as pets but are not allowed to extract bile — have started handing over their bears voluntarily.

One farmer told AFP he used to earn $10 for one millilitre (0.03 fluid ounces) of farmed bile, but now only makes about $2, as some consumers prefer to shell out for a supposedly higher quality product from wild bears.

“People don’t seem to like the bile anymore so it’s harder to find customers,” said the farmer, speaking anonymously.

He used to keep about a dozen bears in cages at his home and now has none, but just smiled when asked when happened to them, refusing to elaborate.

Vietnam has come under fire for failing to crack down on the illegal trade, but in a landmark decision last year said it would abolish all bear farms by 2022.

It is likely to meet that goal, but not all will make it into sanctuaries with death rates likely to remain steady.

But a fortunate few will, like moon bears Hoa Lan and Hoa Tra who were sent to a rescue centre in Ninh Binh province this week.

This photo taken on August 14, 2018 shows a caged bear during a rescue operation from a facility where bear bile is extracted in Thai Nguyen province. // AFP PHOTO

After being rescued from the farm where they have lived since 2005, they will spend a few weeks in quarantine before being allowed to frolic in the grass with their fellow rescuees — which will require some courage after so many years in a cage.

“It’s pretty scary for them at first. It can take several weeks until they’re brave enough to go around the enclosure,” said Emily Lloyd, animal manager at Four Paws Vietnam, which runs the sanctuary.

Italy’s government has intensified its attacks on the operator of the decades-old Morandi bridge, which buckled without warning on Tuesday, sending cars, trucks and huge chunks of concrete plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto railway tracks below.

Anger is rising over the tragedy that left dozens dead and the structural problems that have dogged the viaduct for decades.

Despite dwindling expectations of finding survivors, rescue workers said they had not given up hope as they pressed on with the dangerous operation to search through the unstable mountains of debris.

“Is there anyone there? Is there anyone there?” one firefighter shouted into a cavity dug out of the piles of concrete and twisted metal, in a video published by the emergency services.

Cranes and bulldozers are working to help clear the site as hundreds or rescuers try to cut up and remove the biggest slabs of fallen bridge.

“We are trying to find pockets in the rubble where people could be — alive or not,” fire official Emanuele Gissi told AFP.

With the provisional toll at 38 dead, Genoa’s chief prosecutor has said that between 10 and 20 people could still be missing.

– Grief and anger –

The populist government has accused infrastructure giant Autostrade per L’Italia of failing to invest in sufficient maintenance — a claim the company denies — and said it would seek to revoke its lucrative contracts.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini demanded that the company offer up to 500 million euros ($570 million) to help families and local government deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

“If we’ve put up five million euros, they should offer 500 million,” he told reporters.

“There needs to be an immediate, concrete and tangible signal for these families: they should put their hands on their hearts and in their wallets.”

Authorities plan a funeral service for the victims on Saturday, coinciding with a day of mourning.

But local media said some families have chosen instead to hold private funerals, including the relatives of 24-year-old Stella Boccia, killed alongside her boyfriend.

The dead also include children, one as young as eight, and three Chileans and four French nationals. Fifteen people were injured, five of whom are in serious condition.

The French nationals, all in their 20s, had travelled to Italy to go to a music festival, and other victims included a family setting off on holiday and a couple returning from their California honeymoon.

One Italian mother said she was out shopping when a huge chunk of concrete from the bridge hit the store she was in.

“I was buried up to my chest, and my daughter was completely buried. I fainted several times, Marina Guagliata, 58, told Italian media from her hospital bed.

More than 600 people were evacuated from around a dozen apartments beneath the remaining shard of bridge.

On Thursday evening the first residents of some buildings in the affected area were allowed to return home, though others are too badly damaged to save.

Local hotels and individuals have offered free lodging to those still displaced.

– Infrastructure alarm –

The Morandi viaduct was completed in 1967 and has been riddled with structural problems for decades, leading to expensive maintenance and severe criticism from engineering experts.

Its collapse prompted the government to announce a year-long state of emergency in the region.

Autostrade, which operates and maintains nearly half of Italy’s motorways, estimates it will take five months to rebuild the bridge.

It denies scrimping on motorway maintenance, saying it has invested over one billion euros a year in “safety, maintenance and strengthening of the network” since 2012.

Shares in Atlantia, the holding company of Autostrade, slumped Thursday in the face of the barrage of criticism.

Atlantia has lashed out at the threats to revoke its concessions and warned that the government would have to refund the value of the contract, which runs until at least 2038.

The disaster is the latest in a string of bridge collapses in Italy, where infrastructure generally is showing the effects of a faltering economy.

Senior government figures have also lashed out at austerity measures imposed by the European Union, saying they restrict investment.

But the European Commission said Italy it “will not engage in any political finger pointing”, adding that it had given Rome billions of euros to fix infrastructure.

The collapse has prompted fears over ageing infrastructure across the world, including in Venezuela where a fire on a viaduct also designed by Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi caused a major blackout last week.

When it was formed at the end of last year, it was announced that the advisory board of five international and five Burmese members would have a term of one year, with the possibility of a renewal.

The other international members were Lord Ara Darzi of the United Kingdom, Urban Ahlin of Sweden and Roelf Meyer of South Africa. Another member, Bill Richardson of the United States, resigned after the first meeting of the board in protest against State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi Kyi’s handling of the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.

Some members of the advisory board will remain engaged, including in inter-communal dialogue, the pilot project for a model township and assistance to the health sector in Rakhine State, the statement said.

When the board held its third meeting in Nay Pyi Taw in mid-July, it was expected to submit a half-term report.

The report was not finalised for submission, due primarily to the resignation a few days earlier of its main drafter, former Thai ambassador Kobsak Chutikul.

Questions are being asked about what the report contained, amid suggestions that much work was needed in the repatriation and resettlement of Rohingya Muslims.

Some commentators said the report will validate the charge of “whitewash” directed at the board from Richardson, a former US energy secretary.

Another question concerns what is to be the status of the 88 recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan Commission report submitted in August 2017.

The Surakiart board was tasked to advise on the implementation of the recommendations.

The Burmese implementation committee headed by Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye declared that 80 out of the 88 recommendations has been implemented, with the remainder dealing with issues like citizenship requiring more time.

The international community has consistently called for the “full implementation” of the recommendations.

The UN Security Council is scheduled on August 28 to debate the issues and hear a report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Also present in Nay Pyi Taw is the new body established a couple of weeks ago, the Commission of Enquiry, headed by former Philippine undersecretary for foreign affairs, Rosario Manalo.

It was apparently engaged in working out terms of reference, funding and secretarial support structure.

Kobsak said the decision of Nay Pyi Taw to wind down the advisory board was understandable. Having too many bodies could pose administrative burdens and any overlapping mandates would be unhelpful and counterproductive, he said.

The Richardson Centre in Washington tweeted that after just seven months with no improvement in Rakhine State, the advisory board has been wrapped up.

It said Richardson stands by his original resignation letter in January in which he expressed alarm at the lack of sincerity by Nay Pyi Taw on the “critical issue” of citizenship and the “cheerleading squad” nature of the advisory board.

Richardson blamed the board chairman, Surakiart, whom he accused of “not genuinely committed to implementing” the Annan recommendations, and of “a general desire to avoid real issues.”

One outstanding matter appears to be whether the funds transferred by Nay Pyi Taw to the advisory board secretariat in Bangkok will be returned.

Sources say that some Bt3 million remains unspent and no requirement for accounting was made by Burmese officials.

It is thought that the transferred funds came from donations meant for Rohingya assistance.

Jakarta’s toxic skies have been stuck at unhealthy levels for weeks despite drastic efforts to cut down on congestion, including an odd-even licence plate system and the closure of some schools and toll roads.

The city’s air-quality index reading hovered around 107 on Friday, posing a danger for people sensitive to air pollution including those with respiratory problems.

But the index has regularly topped 150 this month, which is considered a health threat to the general population. A reading over 300 is seen as hazardous.

About 16,000 athletes and officials from 45 Asian countries — along with hordes of sports-crazy tourists — are flocking to Jakarta and co-host city Palembang for the showpiece event, which kicks off Saturday.

Athletes competing indoors will be relatively unaffected, but it’s a different story for outside sports like athletics, archery, baseball, softball and rugby, said Budi Haryanto, an air pollution and health expert at the University of Indonesia.

Competing in an environment with dirty air limits athletes’ ability to perform at their best, he added, with Jakarta’s average 31 degree Celsius temperatures already threatening to leave competitors drenched in sweat.

It’s a worry for racewalker Hendro Yap, 17, who hails from Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta where the climate is cooler and less polluted.

Yap, who broke the Southeast Asian Games record last year in Kuala Lumpur for 20-kilometre race walking, said he finds competing in Jakarta a challenge.

“For (people) who are used to running in Jakarta… it might be slightly easier,” he told AFP.

“But it’s still very hard. You sweat more. And in Jakarta it’s so polluted… that it’s hard to perform.”

Tackling Jakarta’s foul air is no easy task.

There are some 18 million cars plying the roads of the sprawling city of 10 million — and the number of vehicles is going up every year.

The majority of Jakarta’s air pollution is due to vehicle emissions.

Environmental experts say there is little hope for clean skies during the two-week tournament.

“It’s hard to find a solution because the key lies in regulating emissions,” said Hindun Mulaika, climate and energy manager at Greenpeace Indonesia.

“The government still thinks this is purely a transport problem.”

Meanwhile, annual forest fires in Sumatra are threatening to envelop the sleepy city of Palembang in a different kind of toxic cloud.

Other countries have faced similar air pollution challenges including Beijing when it was set to host the Olympics in 2008.

The Chinese capital took successful, drastic measures including temporarily closing factories to clean up its skyline.

During the week-long 9th Asean Journalists’ Visit Programme in Singapore, 13 journalists from Asean nations were briefed by agency staff on cyber security to promote security within their own workplaces.

CSA Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) Mr Ng Hoo Ming told the visiting group they were working with cyber security sectors in Asean by sharing experiences at the regional meeting. But some agencies had not sent enough representatives to the meeting so the CSA hoped that more agencies would participate and share lessons learnt in order to bolster cyber security in Asean.

“The world today is more connected than ever. Once we are online, we are all at risk of cyber threats such as phishing, malware attacks, attacks targeting critical systems, to advanced persistent threats,” Mr Ming said.

Last year, the CSA saw the impact of the WannaCry and notPetya malware attacks which affected 150 countries around the world, including Asean countries. Singapore itself was recently hacked on the healthcare institution, SingHealth, where the personal particulars of 1.5 million people were illegally accessed and copied.

“Hence, it’s critical that we get cyber security right so that we do not all become victims, and our people can reap the full benefits that technology promises. Combating cyber threats requires close cooperation with our international and regional partners,” he said.

At the Asean summit held in Singapore in April this year, regional leaders issued a joint statement on cyber security cooperation, in recognition of the growing urgency and sophistication of transboundary cyber threats.

The agency said the level of capacity in cyber security in the region is not the same so capacity building is needed in countries with less experience. Singapore is arranging meetings with these countries’ media to share experiences and lessons learnt in the field.

Assistant Manager at CSA Ms Stacey Hong said cyber security was a transboundary issue and could not be assigned neatly to a particular area of responsibility.

She explained that a secure and resilient rules-based cyberspace is a key enabler of economic progress and better living standards. Regional effort cooperation amongst Asean member states and ongoing norms discussions is important for Asean to work together to develop a rules-based order for cyberspace in the region.

The CSA also promoted the Computer Emergency Respond Team, known as CERT, which has teamed up with regional countries to alert them to cybercrime and other problems related to cyber security in Asean. They will work together on sharing information on the problem and continue to make public announcements to protect their devices.

The CSA was formed in April 2015 to provide dedicated and centralised oversight of Singapore’s cyber security functions with sector leads to protect Singapore’s critical services. It also engages with various industries and stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness as well as to ensure the holistic development of Singapore’s cyber security landscape.

The aircraft swerved to the left and off-runway around 11:55 p.m. Thursday. All 157 passengers and crew of the airplane have been evacuated safely, according to a joint statement from the NAIA and Civila Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). Contributed photo

Several flights have been canceled and diverted Friday after a Chinese plane went off-runway due to heavy rainfall.

Xiamen Air flight MF8667 remains stuck beside the main runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), as of this posting, prompting airport authorities to close down the airstrip and call off or divert a number of domestic and international flights.

The aircraft swerved to the left and off-runway around 11:55 p.m. Thursday. All 157 passengers and crew of the airplane have been evacuated safely, according to a joint statement from the NAIA and Civila Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

“Due to the incident, NAIA’S international runway 06/24 is closed until 12 noon today (Friday),” the statement read.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the following flights have been canceled as of 8:23 a.m.:

NAIA Terminal 1

Etihad Airways:        EY 421 MNL- ABU DHABI 2336H

Saudia Airlines:       SV 871 MNL – Jeddah 1810H

Hongkong Airlines: HX 781 HONG KONG-MNL 2300H

China Airlines:         CI 711 KHH  – MNL 0910H

China Airlines:         CI 712 MNL – KHH 1000H

NAIA Terminal 2

Philippine Airlines:

PR 453 MNL-GES 0715H

PR 454  GES-MNL 1215H

PR 1845  MNL-CEB 0655H

PR 1846 CEB-MNL 1010H

PR 432  MNL-TOKYO 1440H

NAIA Terminal 3

Cathay Pacific:

CX 908 MNL-Hong Kong   0600H

CX 912 MNL – Hong Kong 0825H

CX 907 Hong Kong – MNL 0940H

CX 906 MNL- Hong Kong  1050H

CX 901 Hong Kong – MNL 1125H

CX 900 MNL – Hong Kong 1235H

Cebu Pacific

5J 272 MNL- Hong Kong 0600H

5J 273 Hong Kong – MNL 1200H

5J 5054 MN – Hong Kong 0615H

5J 5055 NARITA – MNL 1720H

5J 929 MNL-BANGKOK 0615H

5J 930 Bangkok – MNL 1445H

5J 110 MNL-Hong Kong 0735H

5J 111 Hong Kong- MNL 1400H

5J 805 MNL-SIN 1330H

5J 896 SIN-MNL 2330H

Meanwhile, NAIA said the following flights have been redirected :

Philippine Airlines

PR 105 SAN FRANCISCO – MNL > DIVERTED TO CEBU

PR 103 LOS ANGELES – MNL > DIVERTED TO CLARK

PR 117 VANCOUVER – MNL > DIVERTED TO CEBU

PR 115 SAN FRANCISCO – MNL > DIVERTED TO CLARK

PR 119 TORONTO – MNL > DIVERTED TO CLARK

District Governor Mr Bounhom Phommasane told reporters yesterday morning that floods had not yet reached the school but the water was not far away.

Families made homeless by last month’s inundation are also living in two primary schools.

“These two schools should remain safe because the water is some distance away, but we still have to monitor the situation closely,” Mr Bounhom said.

If the secondary school becomes flooded, the two primary schools are next in line.

Any evacuees will then have to take shelter at the District Administration Office, which is on higher ground.

Rain began here in earnest a few days ago, submerging two bridges in the centre of Sanamxay.

The level of water in the Xepian and Xekong rivers has risen and is set to rise further after the Xekhaman 1 Power Co., Ltd. releases water from its dam on Thursday morning.

District officials have prepared boats to take people out of shelters if flooding occurs.

About 7,000 people who had to leave their flooded homes following the collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam last month are now living in shelters.

Mr Bounhom said part of the district’s border with Phuong district was flooded and people have now left that area. Some of the people who live there are sweetcorn farmers, but they have returned to their homes until the water recedes.

The road to Sanamxay district from the provincial capital has been cut off since Tuesday so people are travelling in small wooden boats or army helicopters.

Travelling by speedboat, a third group of visiting officials from state-run media agencies arrived at the Attapeu Press Centre on Thursday morning, after a journey of two hours.

Because of the flooded road, the group spent two nights in the provincial capital Samakhixay district before arriving in Sanamxay, where they replaced the second group of media staff who are keeping the rest of the country informed of developments.