Japan Princess to wed, sparking debate on shrinking royal family

Japanese princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of emperor Akihito, will wed a former college classmate, Japanese media reported, heating up debate on the ever shrinking royal family since she must become a commoner after marriage. Japan’s cabinet is expected to approve a bill by this weekend to allow Akihito, 83, to step down, the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries, after he said last August he feared age would make it hard to fulfil his duties. But the legislation will make no reference to the controversial topics of whether to revise a males-only succession law or to allow women to stay in the imperial family after marriage, a move conservatives fear would be a first step to letting females inherit the throne. Asked about the problem of the shortage in royals, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said: “There is no change in our view to proceed with consideration of steps to ensure stable imperial succession.”  There are only four heirs to the throne -Akihito’s two middle-aged sons, his octogenarian brother, and prince Hisahito, the ten-year-old son of his younger son. Akihito has only four grandchildren, the other three of whom are female -Mako, her younger sister, Kako, and crown prince Naruhito’s daughter, Aiko.

The shrinking royal population has raised concerns that the youngest prince may also be the last.

McDonald’s pulls UK ad over child bereavement complaints

McDonald’s pulled a UK television advert following complaints the fast food chain exploited child bereavement in its promotion of a fish burger.

“We’ve listened & decided to remove our ‘Dad’ TV advert. We apologise unreservedly for any upset caused,” McDonald’s UK wrote on Twitter.

The controversial advert portrays a boy asking his mother about his late father, who appeared to be vastly different from his son in everything from football skills to shoes.

It is not until the child bites into a McDonald’s fish burger that his disappointment is countered, as his mother says: “That was your dad’s favourite, too.” Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received around 100 complaints from viewers who criticised the use of grief to sell fast food, some noting the proximity to Father’s Day on June 18.

Briton sued for banning Indian tenants

A 69-year-old landlord who instructed agents not to let his properties to people from India and Pakistan is facing legal action, UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said. Fergus Wilson, one of the UK’s biggest buy-to-let landlords, banned “coloured“ people from renting his properties as they cooked curry and left behind lingering smell.“We have asked the Central London county court if it agrees with us that Wilson’s lettings policy contains unlawful criteria and, if so, to issue an injunction,“ EHRC said.