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Britain’s King Charles III Welcomes the Visiting Japanese Emperor and Empress 

Britain's King Charles III (R) sits with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on June 25, 2024, on the first day of a three-day State Visit by Japan's Emperor and Empress to Britain. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III (R) sits with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on June 25, 2024, on the first day of a three-day State Visit by Japan's Emperor and Empress to Britain. (AFP)
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Britain’s King Charles III Welcomes the Visiting Japanese Emperor and Empress 

Britain's King Charles III (R) sits with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on June 25, 2024, on the first day of a three-day State Visit by Japan's Emperor and Empress to Britain. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III (R) sits with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on June 25, 2024, on the first day of a three-day State Visit by Japan's Emperor and Empress to Britain. (AFP)

King Charles III welcomed the Japanese emperor and empress for a state visit that began on Tuesday, offering the best in pomp and circumstance as the UK seeks to bolster its role as the most influential European nation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress of Masako are to attend a banquet hosted by the king, lay a wreath at Westminster Abbey and tour one of Britain’s premier biomedical research institutes. But the emperor began this week’s trip by visiting a site that has special meaning: The Thames Barrier.

The retractable flood control gates on the River Thames seemed a natural destination for a royal long interested in the waterway that runs through the heart of London. Naruhito studied 18th-century commerce on the river as a graduate student at the University of Oxford some 40 years ago.

He chronicled the interest in his memoir “The Thames and I,” together with his fondness for Britain and its people. The future emperor got a chance to experience life outside the palace walls, including doing his own ironing and going to the bank.

Tuesday's ceremonial welcome seemed warm. Charles and Naruhito, who have known each other for years, settled into the back of a carriage and chatted like old chums.

Masako wore a mask in her carriage because of a horse hair allergy.

Both countries look to each other as a source of stability and mutual reassurance at a time of potentially destabilizing global political change.

“We’ve had a long history of engagement,” said John Nilsson-Wright, the head of the Japan and Koreas program at the Center for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. “But ... this current visit (is) a reflection of both the personal ties of affection between the two royal families (and) perhaps most importantly of all, the geopolitical significance of the relationship.”

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Varieties

Health Threat of Global Plastics Projected to Soar

The world's addiction to plastic is a 'global public health crisis', a researcher warned. Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP/File
The world's addiction to plastic is a 'global public health crisis', a researcher warned. Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP/File
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Health Threat of Global Plastics Projected to Soar

The world's addiction to plastic is a 'global public health crisis', a researcher warned. Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP/File
The world's addiction to plastic is a 'global public health crisis', a researcher warned. Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP/File

The threat posed by plastic production, usage and disposal to human health will skyrocket in the coming years unless the world does something to address this global crisis, researchers warned Tuesday.

A British-French team of researchers attempted to cover all the different ways that plastic affects health, from oil and gas extraction during production to all the products that end up in landfills.

However they said that their modelling study still does not take into account an array of other ways plastic could harm health, such as microplastics or chemicals that can leach out of food packaging.

"This is undoubtedly a vast underestimate of the total human health impacts," lead study author Megan Deeney of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine told AFP.

The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, said it was the first to estimate the number of healthy years of life lost due to the lifecycle of plastic worldwide.

The researchers used a measure called DALYs, which represents the number of years lost to either early death or diminished quality of life from illness.

Under a business-as-usual scenario, the number of DALYs caused by plastic was projected to more than double from 2.1 million in 2016 to 4.5 million in 2040.

Planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production had the biggest health impact, followed by air pollution and toxic chemicals.

- 'Public health crisis' -

Deeney gave the example of a plastic water bottle.

Like more than 90 percent of all plastic, its production begins with the extraction of oil and gas.

A series of chemical processes then transform those fossil fuels into Polyethylene terephthalate -- or PET -- which the bottle is made from.

Deeney pointed out that a stretch of more than 200 petrochemical plants involved in plastic production in the US state of Louisiana is known as "cancer alley".

Once made, the plastic bottle is transported across the world to a shop.

Then it gets chucked in the rubbish -- or littered.

Despite recycling efforts, most plastic ends up in landfills where it can take centuries to decompose, leaching out chemicals during that time, Deeney said.

The researchers also modelled a scenario where the world tried harder to fight the health effects of plastic.

They found that plastic recycling made little difference.

The most effective measure was reducing the amount of "unnecessary" plastic created in the first place, Deeney said.

Talks to seal a world-first treaty to fight plastic pollution fell apart in August under opposition from oil-producing countries.

However Deeney emphasized that countries can still act at a national level to address this "global public health crisis".

Varieties

Sweden Plans to Jail 13-year-olds for Serious Offences

A Swedish flag hangs outside a store on a busy street as visitors walk past in the background in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, July 14, 2023 REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo
A Swedish flag hangs outside a store on a busy street as visitors walk past in the background in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, July 14, 2023 REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo
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Sweden Plans to Jail 13-year-olds for Serious Offences

A Swedish flag hangs outside a store on a busy street as visitors walk past in the background in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, July 14, 2023 REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo
A Swedish flag hangs outside a store on a busy street as visitors walk past in the background in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, July 14, 2023 REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo

Sweden's government said Monday it was moving forward with a hotly contested bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 for serious offences, potentially allowing prison sentences in certain cases.

Several authorities, including police, prison officials and prosecutors, have opposed the plans.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a press conference that it was not "a general lowering of the age of criminal responsibility".

"Rather, we are talking about a lowering for the most serious crimes, such as murder, attempted murder, aggravated bombings, aggravated weapons offences and aggravated rape," Strommer said, AFP reported.

The Scandinavian country has struggled for more than a decade to contain a surge in organised violent crime, linked primarily to settlings of scores between rival gangs and battles to control the drug market.

The networks have increasingly recruited under-15s to carry out bombings and shootings, knowing that they will not face prison time if caught.

A government-ordered inquiry in January 2025 proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 14.

But in September the government announced plans to lower it to 13, and sent out the bill for input from 126 authorities and organizations.

A majority of those that responded were critical of the proposal or opposed it outright.

At the time, the police authority said that lowering the age meant there was a risk that "significantly younger children than today become involved in criminal networks".

Others pointed to the prison system not being equipped to handle such young offenders, and said it risked breaching children's rights.

Strommer said Monday he had taken note of the criticism, but said the situation had become more urgent.

"We are in an emergency situation. The measures we take must reflect the seriousness of the situation," he said.

He added the change would be introduced temporarily, limited to five years to start.

The bill would first be sent to Sweden's Council on Legislation, which scrutinises bills the government intends to put before parliament.

Strommer said they planned for the legislation to go into force this summer.

jll/po

Varieties

Second Edition of Space Debris 2026 Conference Kicks Off with Participation from 75 Countries

The conference program includes specialized panel discussions addressing space sustainability and governance, in addition to the technical and regulatory challenges associated with space debris - SPA
The conference program includes specialized panel discussions addressing space sustainability and governance, in addition to the technical and regulatory challenges associated with space debris - SPA
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Second Edition of Space Debris 2026 Conference Kicks Off with Participation from 75 Countries

The conference program includes specialized panel discussions addressing space sustainability and governance, in addition to the technical and regulatory challenges associated with space debris - SPA
The conference program includes specialized panel discussions addressing space sustainability and governance, in addition to the technical and regulatory challenges associated with space debris - SPA

The second edition of the Space Debris 2026 Conference officially commenced today. Organized by the Saudi Space Agency (SSA), the conference is witnessing broad international participation representing 75 countries from around the world, with the attendance of leading experts, decision-makers, and leaders from the global space sector.

The conference is held with the support of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and with the participation of a number of local and international entities.

This reflects ongoing international efforts to strengthen cooperation in addressing space debris challenges and ensuring the sustainability of outer space, SPA reported.

In his opening remarks, SSA Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mohammed Al Tamimi stated that convening the second edition of the conference reflects the Kingdom’s firm commitment to addressing the challenges of space debris management. He noted that the rapid increase in the number of objects and fragments in Earth orbits represents a growing challenge to the safety and sustainability of space activities, underscoring the need to enhance international cooperation and adopt innovative and effective solutions to address this phenomenon.

He also emphasized the importance of unifying international efforts in this field, and the role of the Kingdom, represented by the Saudi Space Agency, in supporting international initiatives and adopting best practices and advanced technologies for space debris management.

UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini affirmed that addressing space debris challenges requires comprehensive global cooperation, stating: “Global cooperation among international organizations, governments, industry, and academia in addressing space debris challenges is no longer merely a desirable objective. It has become an absolute necessity. At the same time, leading spacefaring nations must lead by example and develop concrete plans to address the accumulated legacy debris resulting from their past activities.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union Thomas Lamanauskas stressed the importance of responsible and inclusive management of space resources, stating: “We need to ensure that the opportunities created by the rapid growth of the space economy are accessible to all and can be enjoyed by future generations. Predictable, responsible, and inclusive management of space resources, including satellite orbits, is essential to achieving this.”

The conference aims to raise global awareness of the risks posed by space debris and to support international efforts to protect the future of the space economy. This is achieved through discussions on relevant policies and regulations, the promotion of research and innovation, and the development of effective international governance frameworks that contribute to mitigating the impacts of space debris and ensuring the responsible and sustainable use of orbital environments.

The conference program includes specialized panel discussions addressing space sustainability and governance, in addition to the technical and regulatory challenges associated with space debris. It also showcases innovative operational solutions and international partnerships that contribute to enhancing space security and long-term sustainability.

The conference is accompanied by an exhibition featuring 20 shortlisted projects from the DebrisSolver Competition, presenting innovative solutions and applied projects aimed at addressing space debris challenges. This reflects international innovation efforts to protect outer space as a shared resource for humanity and to ensure its sustainability.