In Brief

Washing machine ‘twists, turns’ TOKYO – For Japanese people who want their lives to be even faster, a company on Monday unveiled a washing machine billed to be the quickest in the world.

Mitsubishi Electric said it has made the first machine that changes angles automatically depending on the volume of clothes and function. The “Moving Drum” machine can wash nine kilograms of clothes in 35 minutes and dry six kilograms in 145 minutes – half the time of a traditional washer.”It’s not only about saving time for users but also saving energy,” said company spokespeson Kazuhiko Mizuno.”We wanted to maximise the best of washing and the best of drying.A straight tub is the best when washing, but a slanted tub is the best for drying.So we combined the two functions,” he added.The slant also means that clothes will not stick onto the walls as in a normal machine, the company said.The machine will go on sale from May throughout Japan, although there are no plans yet for sales overseas.* Dramatic rescue saves boy, 8 PRETORIA – An eight-year-old boy was stuck for nearly two hours underwater after his arm became stuck in a swimming pool.He survived because a man continued to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation under water.Halaletsang Nkome, 8, became stuck after his right arm was sucked in up to the armpit in a waterpipe of the municipal swimming pool in Danville in the western parts of Pretoria on Sunday.The drama started shortly after 15:00 and continued until about 17:00.During the first half hour Hansie Diffenthal, 21, from Elandspoort kept resuscitating the boy underwater.Diffenthal worked as a lifesaver at this pool until a year ago.Meanwhile, children, parents and residents tried to empty the pool with buckets, containers and dustbins to get the boy’s head above water.Nampa-AFPThe “Moving Drum” machine can wash nine kilograms of clothes in 35 minutes and dry six kilograms in 145 minutes – half the time of a traditional washer.”It’s not only about saving time for users but also saving energy,” said company spokespeson Kazuhiko Mizuno.”We wanted to maximise the best of washing and the best of drying.A straight tub is the best when washing, but a slanted tub is the best for drying.So we combined the two functions,” he added.The slant also means that clothes will not stick onto the walls as in a normal machine, the company said.The machine will go on sale from May throughout Japan, although there are no plans yet for sales overseas.* Dramatic rescue saves boy, 8 PRETORIA – An eight-year-old boy was stuck for nearly two hours underwater after his arm became stuck in a swimming pool.He survived because a man continued to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation under water.Halaletsang Nkome, 8, became stuck after his right arm was sucked in up to the armpit in a waterpipe of the municipal swimming pool in Danville in the western parts of Pretoria on Sunday.The drama started shortly after 15:00 and continued until about 17:00.During the first half hour Hansie Diffenthal, 21, from Elandspoort kept resuscitating the boy underwater.Diffenthal worked as a lifesaver at this pool until a year ago.Meanwhile, children, parents and residents tried to empty the pool with buckets, containers and dustbins to get the boy’s head above water.Nampa-AFP