SOUTH KOREA
Weather halts ‘Sewol’ lift
Strong waves forced the suspension of an operation to lift a ferry that sank in 2014 in a disaster that shocked and enraged the nation, a spokesman said yesterday. The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it sank off the southwestern island of Jindo in April 2014 with the loss of 304 lives — most of them schoolchildren. Attempts to raise the bow of the vessel that began on Sunday afternoon marked the start of a long and difficult process to bring the wreckage to the surface, a key demand of victims’ families, who hope nine bodies still unaccounted for might yet be recovered, but high waves and strong winds compelled a salvage company to put off the operation on Monday after lifting the bow slightly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said. “The operation will resume later this month when weather improves and tides are weak,” a ministry spokesman said. The bow of the ship was lifted by about 4m during the operation, but lifting wires sawed into the wreck because of jolts from the waves, forcing the company to suspend the work, he said.
JAPAN
Woman forced to do porn
Three talent agents who allegedly forced a woman to appear in more than 100 pornographic videos have been arrested, a police spokesman and local media said on Monday. The suspects, including a 49-year-old executive at Tokyo-based agency Marks Japan, were arrested on suspicion of violating the worker dispatch law, a spokesman with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said. The woman signed a contract as a model with the agency in 2009, Kyodo News Agency reported. She was forced to appear in more than 100 videos, Nippon Television Network said. The talent agency pressed the victim to perform in adult videos by allegedly warning her that she had to pay penalties for breach of contract if she refused, Kyodo added.
CHINA
Sperm banks face shortage
If you are a man between 20 and 45, the government has a message for you: For the sake of your nation, please donate sperm. The nation’s sperm banks are facing severe shortages, for a variety of political and cultural reasons. Comparatively few men offer to donate and a study found that almost half of those who do volunteer are screened out. Now that government policy allows more couples to have a second child, officials are concerned that the sperm shortages will get much worse — and they are doing everything they can to find new recruits. On social media, young men are bombarded with endorsements from video game characters and promises of cash and, even better, a coveted rose-gold iPhone. Some sperm banks have tried to appeal to feelings of patriotism, as China grapples with an aging population and a diminishing workforce. “Show your compassion,” an article on a state-run Web site urged men this year. “Help mitigate the country’s aging problem.”
CYPRUS
Punching priest probed
The best man slapped the groom on the back, which is an old wedding custom. The priest punching the best man would be an innovation, but police said on Monday that they are investigating a report that this allegedly happened at a wedding. Police say the victim — the groom’s 22-year-old brother — was not seriously hurt, but his family filed a complaint. A family member said the priest had gestured for the slapping to cease, then punched the brother in the chest and face when the warning went unheeded.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number