Names and faces
■ Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, on Friday concluded their first foreign tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a four-day trip that took them to Jordan and Egypt and was meant to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss ways to combat climate change with leaders. Egypt is set to host the COP27 climate change conference next year. The prince of Wales and the duchess of Cornwall also visited famous archaeological, religious and historical sites in the two countries. On Friday, Charles visited a facility for entrepreneurs in downtown Cairo while Camilla stopped at an equestrian hospital. Later, they made a trip to the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city, which is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea and backs up to a lake, making it susceptible to the rise in sea levels caused by global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps. The royal couple also toured Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern library built in tribute to the famed Library of Alexandria that burned in 48 B.C., where Camilla read a storybook to children. Egypt and Jordan are former British protectorates. Jordan gained independence in 1946, and Egypt overthrew its British-backed monarchy in 1952. In recent decades, the two countries have both maintained strong ties with the United Kingdom. The royal couple was last in Egypt in 2006. The visit is also the first by the royals to the country since it was rocked by a popular uprising in 2011 that was followed by years of political turmoil.
■ Twelve people will stand trial in Paris over a $10 million jewelry heist targeting Kim Kardashian West in 2016, authorities said Friday. The reality TV star said she was tied up at gunpoint and locked in a bathroom after armed robbers forced their way into her rented Paris apartment during fashion week. After five years of investigation, investigating judges have ordered the case sent to trial, a judicial official said Friday. The 12 suspects face a range of charges related to the theft. No trial date has been set, and the official would not provide further details. Kardashian West’s French attorney did not immediately comment. Several suspects have been released from jail pending trial for health reasons, including 68-year-old Yunice Abbas, one of the five men accused of carrying out the heist itself, who published a book about it last year. The alleged mastermind, Aomar Ait Khedache, wrote Kardashian West an apology letter from his prison cell, saying he regrets his actions and realizes the psychological damage he caused. At the time, a spokeswoman for Kardashian West said she was badly shaken but physically unharmed.