UNITED KINGDOM
Prince shows up at event
Britain’s Prince William returned to public duty on Wednesday following his wife Kate’s surgery and the revelation King Charles had cancer, with the heir to the throne set to take on a more prominent role in his father’s absence. William postponed all his planned engagements to look after his three children after Kate, 42, underwent planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 16. Since then, his father has undergone treatment at the same hospital as Kate for an enlarged prostate, before Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that subsequent tests on the 75-year-old monarch had revealed he had a form of cancer. On Wednesday, William, 41, made his first official public appearance since the series of health blows to the royals when he carried out an investiture — a ceremony to hand out state honors — at Windsor Castle.
UNITED STATES
AI institute head appointed
The Biden administration on Wednesday named a top White House aide as the director of the newly established safety institute for artificial intelligence (AI). Elizabeth Kelly is to lead the AI Safety Institute at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, which is part of the Department of Commerce. Currently an economic policy adviser for President Joe Biden, Kelly played an integral role in drafting the executive order signed at the end of October last year that established the institute, the Department of Commerce said in a statement.
UNITED STATES
Crew missing after crash
A missing military helicopter was found on Wednesday in California but the search for the five service members who were aboard it is still ongoing, the US Marine Corps said. The five Marines were flying on a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in southern California when “the aircraft was reported overdue” on Tuesday, the service said in a statement on Facebook. “The aircraft was located by civil authorities in Pine Valley, California” the following day, the statement said. “The 3rd Marine Aircraft wing is managing the search and rescue efforts” and is “using ground and aviation assets to locate the aircrew in coordination with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and multiple federal, state and local agencies,” it said. The Marine Corps made no mention of remains being found with the helicopter, indicating that those aboard may have survived.
ITALY
Man arrested for ‘sextortion’
An Italian man suspected of obtaining sexual photos of dozens of underage girls after threatening them online has been arrested in Iceland, Italian police said on Wednesday. Over a period of three years, the 48-year-old suspect contacted female minors on social networks and messaging platforms “to obtain sexually explicit images through threats and blackmail,” Italy’s police division charged with fighting cybercrime said. The FBI said last month of the growing threat of so-called “sextortion,” which involves “an offender coercing a minor to create and send sexually explicit images or videos.” The offender then “threatens to release that compromising material unless the victim produces more,” the FBI said. Europol recommends that the phenomenon be called the “online sexual coercion and extortion of children.” Tracking the Italian living in Iceland was difficult because he used numerous nicknames and foreign telephone numbers, Italian police said.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
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