AI, Crime & justice, Consumer, Disasters & accidents
544 storiesOkinawa police send US Marine to prosecutors over Naha hotel robbery-murder
Okinawa prefectural police arrested US Marine lance corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, of Futenma base, on suspicion of robbing and killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Naha, and sent him to the Naha district prosecutors’ office on Oct …
US Marine arrested in Naha hotel killing; Japan protests, Okinawa governor speaks out
A 20-year-old US Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder after a 39-year-old woman was found dead at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, and Japanese officials protested to the US side. Foreign Ministry Senior Deputy Minister Ta…
Okinawa US forces order 48-hour pause and overnight curfew after Marine arrest
The top US commander in Okinawa, Lt. Gen. Watson, issued an emergency statement ordering a 48-hour “training period” for US military-related personnel in the prefecture from noon on 7 October to noon on 9 October, with off-base outings and …
Christa Pike conscious and speaking after failed Tennessee execution, lawyers say
Christa Pike, 50, is conscious and speaking and receiving critical medical care nearly a week after Tennessee's attempt to execute her with the drug pentobarbital failed, her attorneys said Tuesday. They said her prognosis remains unclear, …
Japan defense minister to meet Okinawa governor over arrested U.S. Marine
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Oct. 6 that he will meet Okinawa Governor Genta Kojya on Oct. 7 to discuss measures to prevent a repeat of incidents involving U.S. military personnel, after a Marine based at Futenma was arrested o…
Three typhoons active near Japan as Typhoon 27 moves north, JMA says
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on Oct. 5 that Typhoon 28 (Nolo) and Typhoon 29 (Koguma) had formed, making three active typhoons near Japan with Typhoon 27 (Choi-wan). Typhoon 27 was large and very strong, moving north-northwest …
Police: bar owner held over girlfriend’s body in Miyagi; staged messages suspected
Police in Tokyo have arrested a 36-year-old bar owner on suspicion of abandoning the body of his 25-year-old girlfriend in mountains in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, on 28 September. Investigators believe he used her smartphone to send messa…
Typhoon No. 27 moves north near Ogasawara as typhoons 28 and 29 form
Typhoon No. 27, described by the Japan Meteorological Agency as large and very strong, moved north over waters near the Ogasawara Islands and was forecast to approach the islands at very strong intensity from the evening of Oct. 5 to early …
Okinawa governor protests to US commander over Marine held in Naha killing
Okinawa Governor Koja Genta summoned the top US commander in Okinawa, Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson, and other US and Japanese officials to the prefectural office on Oct. 5 and protested over the killing of a woman at a Naha hotel for which a…
Two arrested, others sought after fight among about 10 foreigners in Pyeongtaek
Police in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, arrested two men in their 20s — a Russian national and a Kyrgyz national — after a fight involving about 10 foreigners late on Oct 3, and are tracing others who fled. Reports differ on whether the fi…
Serving Seoul police officer arrested over AI-generated sexual exploitation videos
A senior constable in the traffic division of Seoul’s Dongdaemun Police Station was arrested last month on charges of possessing, producing and distributing sexual exploitation material and false videos, including AI-generated images of acq…
Former Sochi mayor Kopaygorodsky sentenced to 15 years in strict-regime colony
A Moscow court sentenced former Sochi mayor Alexey Kopaygorodsky to 15 years in a strict-regime penal colony, fined him 500 million rubles and stripped him of a state award in a corruption case. His wife, Yanina Kopaygorodskaya, was also co…
US charges Washington state resident in Canada school shooting case
US authorities arrested and charged James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington, with conspiring to murder people in a foreign country over the Feb. 10 school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Officials say Bryant communicat…
German prosecutors arrest former BND president Hanning on espionage suspicion
German federal prosecutors announced on October 6 the arrest of August Hanning, 80, who led the foreign intelligence service BND from 1998 to 2005, on suspicion of treasonous espionage. Prosecutors allege he obtained about 2,000 documents, …
Fishing boat capsizes off Jeju; nine rescued, two missing as search continues
A 29-tonne fishing vessel registered in Sacheon capsized at about 03:04 on October 5 about 65 kilometres northwest of Chagwido, off Jeju, with 11 people aboard. Nine crew — eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese — were rescued and taken to Ha…
Lawyers for ex-Olympian David Hearn seek watchdog inquiry into Reflecting Pool case
Lawyers for former Olympic canoeist David Hearn asked the inspectors general of the Justice and Interior departments on Tuesday to investigate what they call a flawed investigation and prosecution over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflect…
One worker injured in rock collapse at Vostochny mine in Russia's Primorye
A rock collapse at the Vostochny mine in Primorsky Krai injured one worker, with no fatalities reported. Twenty-two people were in the shaft at the time; rescuers brought the injured miner to the surface and handed him to ambulance crews. P…
Nippon Ham to cut Schauessen pack weight by 10g, keeping price unchanged
Nippon Ham said it will reduce the contents of its flagship “Schauessen” sausages from 117 grams to 107 grams per pack for deliveries from October 1, leaving the reference retail price of 702 yen including tax for two bundles unchanged — an…
US Marine in Okinawa arrested on suspicion of robbery-murder at Naha hotel
Okinawa prefectural police arrested US Marine Pfc. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, of the Futenma base, on suspicion of robbing and killing a woman at a hotel in Naha, where she was found dead around 04:30 on Oct 3. Police said the suspect denies …
California couple charged with child abuse in surrogacy case involving 21 children
Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested Tuesday at their Arcadia, California, home and charged with child abuse, conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County District A…