Tulips razed in Japan

Tokyo: Thousands of tulips in full bloom were razed at a Japanese park to prevent crowds from gathering. The flowers were the centerpiece of a popular annual festival in Sakura city, east of Tokyo, that was cancelled this year. “We wish for many people to see our flowers, but this situation is now about human life. It was a heart-wrenching decision, but we had to do it,” Takahiro Kogo, an official overseeing the park, said.