Asia in 3 minutes: Yabba, dabba, doo for sultan’s Flintstone car; yabba, dabba, don’t for Japan’s fugu lovers

Malaysian sultan channels Fred Flintstone with new car

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor, one of Malaysia’s most powerful and wealthiest state rulers, was given a life-size replica of Fred Flintstone’s car from the classic cartoon. The car, which has an engine so he will not have to power it with his regal feet, was a belated birthday gift from a fellow high-ranking royal. The iconic vehicle from The Flintstones, the sultan’s favourite cartoon, is an accurate likeness of the original, with a wood-like finish on the sides, stone-like finish on the wheels and a cloth roof.

What next: It will take pride of place in a house he built in the southern coastal town of Mersing inspired by the Flintstone’s home from the 1960s cartoon. “Yabba, dabba, doo”, said a post on the sultan’s Facebook page on Monday, using Fred’s favourite catchphrase to announce the arrival of the gift from the crown prince of Pahang state. The car adds to the sultan’s eclectic collection of vehicles, which includes Rolls-Royces and vintage three-wheelers.

Citywide emergency in Japan after sale of poisonous fugu fish

A city in central Japan used its emergency loudspeaker system to try to recall four packages of blowfish meat after discovering a fifth one contained the poisonous and potentially deadly liver. The fish, known as fugu, is an expensive delicacy but requires a licence to prepare because of the dangers of mishandling. The fugu’s liver is mostly toxic, can prove deadly and is banned from sale. Regional health officials said on Tuesday that a supermarket in Gamagori sold five packages of assorted blowfish meat on Monday and the liver parts could have contaminated them with the poison. Health officials say fugu poison cannot be removed by washing or cooking. So far, no one is thought to have died.

What next: Health authorities said the store had been selling the liver of a particular kind of nearly non-toxic blowfish, called “yorito fugu”, or blunthead puffer. The health ministry ordered the store to recall all the blowfish packages and suspend their sale, but the store told officials that it would no longer sell blowfish whatsoever. Last year, 31 people were poisoned, none fatally.

Philippines declares state of calamity as volcano showers ash on villages

A state of calamity was declared for the central Philippine province of Albay this week as the volcano Mount Mayon spewed lava beyond a 6km (3.7-mile) radius and showered ash on nearby farms and villages. The number of people who fled their homes since the volcano started erupting last Saturday reached more than 34,000, according to authorities. Placing the province under a state of calamity gave the province access to extra funds. “This kind of eruption, it will take weeks, so we have to sustain the operations in the evacuation centres,” Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara told local news outlets. “We need to use the calamity funds.”