Marius Borg Høiby found guilty of two counts of rape in Oslo court
Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been found guilty of two counts of rape by Oslo District Court and sentenced to four years in prison. The verdict was delivered in courtroom 250 in Oslo, with three judges hearing the case. Høiby was not present in court and joined the session by video link.The court cleared him of two other rape counts, but found him guilty of many of the other offences he had been accused of. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months, while his defence lawyers had argued for... [Continue Reading]
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Carney says Iran is 'topic number one' for G7 in France amid ceasefire progress
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Iran will be the main focus of the Group of Seven summit in France, as leaders gather to discuss what he described as progress towards a more durable ceasefire between the United States and Iran. In comments ahead of the meeting, he said the summit would centre on the most important issues facing the world and that Iran was "topic number one". He added that the question now was how to reinforce the ceasefire and make it last.Carney said the issue would also be important for partner countries from the Gulf that are... [Continue Reading]
UK Court of Appeal due to rule on Palestine Action terror designation
The UK Court of Appeal is expected to rule on Monday on whether the government acted lawfully when it proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. The case centres on a ban imposed last July and later challenged by the group in the High Court. The appeal is being closely watched because it could determine whether the designation remains in force.The government appealed after the High Court ruled in February that the ban was unlawful and disproportionate. Earlier this month, a court in London also ruled that four activists convicted of criminal damage at a British facility owned by an... [Continue Reading]
Why the price of gold is trending down amid war-driven inflation
Gold prices have come under pressure as the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has pushed up inflation and kept interest-rate expectations elevated. The metal fell from a high of $5,303 per troy ounce on 28 January to $4,235 on Friday, according to the supplied report. The decline comes despite gold's usual role as a safe-haven asset during periods of geopolitical stress.The report says the conflict has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and gas shipments, since the start of the war. That has helped drive energy prices higher, feeding into inflation... [Continue Reading]
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Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center after court ruling
Workers have removed Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center in Washington after a federal judge ruled the venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress. The work began around 1.20am local time and was completed in about 30 minutes, with letters taken down from the building's facade after scaffolding and tarps were put in place. The removal came less than six months after the name was added to the performing arts centre.The action followed a court-ordered deadline that the Department of Justice said it would miss, asking for a 12-hour extension because thunderstorms could create safety risks for... [Continue Reading]
Israeli and Palestinian groups press G7 for Gaza action ahead of Évian summit
Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups have met in Paris to urge G7 leaders to take action on Gaza at next week's summit in Évian-les-Bains. The groups called for a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and the start of reconstruction in Gaza. They also said the various peace efforts should be brought together into a single programme.The Paris meeting drew up proposals from five working groups and brought together as many as 150 activists from across the Israeli-Palestinian divide. In a joint statement, the groups said Gaza was devastated and Israel remained under threat. They also said settler violence, settlement... [Continue Reading]
Belfast unrest spreads for a second day after stabbing attack
Anti-immigrant unrest continued in Belfast on Thursday, with reports of racist attacks, arson and fresh fear among ethnic minority residents. The disorder has spread across parts of the Northern Irish capital after a knife attack earlier in the week, and some families have now been evacuated and are sheltering outside the city. Residents described a climate of intimidation as homes and businesses believed to belong to ethnic minorities were targeted.The unrest is linked to the stabbing case in which a 30-year-old Sudanese national has been charged with attempted murder. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, remains in hospital with severe injuries to... [Continue Reading]
South Korea court sentences ex-president Yoon to 30 years over drone operation
A court in Seoul has sentenced South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over military drone flights into North Korea. The ruling says the 2024 operation was used to heighten tensions and help justify Yoon's later declaration of martial law. It adds another major legal blow to the ousted leader and deepens a political crisis that has already reshaped South Korea's presidency.A spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Court said Yoon was given 30 years in jail for the drone case, without giving further detail. According to a summary of the judges' findings, the operation... [Continue Reading]
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Thailand court sentences two Uyghur men to death over 2015 Bangkok shrine bombing
A Thai court has sentenced two Uyghur men to death over the 2015 bombing at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine, in a case that has taken more than a decade to reach judgment. The ruling was delivered on Thursday after a lengthy trial over one of Thailand's deadliest attacks. The blast killed 20 people and injured 120 at a busy site in the city centre.The court convicted Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili of offences including premeditated murder, with the judges saying their actions amounted to multiple separate crimes. The court statement said the sentence included the death penalty for the murder charge.... [Continue Reading]
Family of stabbing victim urges calm as violence flares in Northern Ireland
Police in Northern Ireland have clashed with protesters for a second night after a knife attack in Belfast triggered unrest targeting ethnic minorities. Officers used water cannons and armoured vehicles against groups of young men throwing bricks and fireworks to the north of the city. The family of the man injured in the stabbing has now appealed for calm, saying peaceful protest is the only way forward.The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, was described in court as a man in his 40s who suffered significant injuries to his face and back. A Sudanese man, named in court as Hadi Alodid, appeared on... [Continue Reading]
US urges Europe to adopt Ebola travel restrictions ahead of World Cup
The Trump administration has asked European countries to impose travel restrictions on people who have recently been in Ebola-affected countries in Central Africa, according to officials and sources familiar with the request. The appeal was made as Washington said it wanted to reduce the risk of the virus spreading during the World Cup. The request adds a diplomatic dimension to an already active public health response to the outbreak.The United States sent a formal démarche on 1 June, asking European states to introduce Ebola-related travel limits, a European Union diplomat based in Africa and a second source with knowledge of... [Continue Reading]
Hundreds of former European officials urge EU to suspend Israel trade access
More than 460 former European political figures have called on the European Union to take tougher action against Israel over its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The appeal was set out in an editorial published ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg next week and an EU summit in Brussels. The signatories include former Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox.The group said the EU should suspend Israel's preferential trade access under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It argued that such a move would affect... [Continue Reading]
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US judge permanently blocks Alabama nitrogen-gas execution
A federal judge has permanently blocked Alabama from carrying out the execution of inmate Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas. The ruling was issued on Tuesday by US District Judge Emily C. Marks and came just days before Lee had been scheduled to die at an Alabama prison on Thursday.It marks a significant setback for the state's use of nitrogen gas as an execution method. In her 26-page decision, Marks said the method violates the Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. The judge had previously allowed the execution to proceed, saying no execution is entirely free of pain, but... [Continue Reading]
Bus set on fire during anti-immigration protest in Belfast
A bus was set on fire on Belfast's Newtownards Road as disorder flared during an anti-immigration demonstration in the east of the city. The incident happened on Tuesday evening, when a large crowd gathered in the area for a scheduled protest. The unrest came amid wider demonstrations and road blockages in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland.According to the confirmed account, masked men set commercial bins alight and pushed them into a Glider bus on the Newtownards Road. Northern Ireland's public transport operator said it had suspended all services in and out of Belfast after the attack. It said... [Continue Reading]
Australia urged to audit VIQ Solutions contracts after court file access breach and agency use expands
Thirteen Australian government agencies are now said to be caught up in an expanding scandal involving potential data breaches linked to transcription company VIQ Solutions. The issue centres on an earlier breach of the company's Commonwealth contract with the Federal Court, after highly sensitive court files were reportedly accessed offshore in India. The company is now being wound down, and the widening use of its services across government has raised fresh concern about the handling of sensitive material.According to the supplied material, the breach was identified earlier this year and involved access to Federal Court files outside Australia. The company... [Continue Reading]
IAEA and Western powers press Iran to resume nuclear cooperation
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has called on Iran to re-engage with inspections of its nuclear sites, as the United States and European powers push for more information on the country's enriched uranium. The appeal came during a quarterly meeting of the agency's Board of Governors on Monday. It follows renewed concern over the state of Iran's nuclear infrastructure after last year's strikes on its facilities.Rafael Grossi said it was "very important" that Tehran re-engage so the International Atomic Energy Agency can continue oversight of the programme. In a written statement, he urged Iran to work constructively to... [Continue Reading]
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Peru presidential race remains dead heat as count nears completion
Vote counting in Peru's presidential election is nearing completion, with right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori holding a narrow lead over leftist rival Roberto Sanchez. With more than 92 percent of polling centres reporting on Monday, the race remained too close to call and no winner had been declared. Fujimori was on 50.2 percent, compared with Sanchez on 49.8 percent, according to the latest confirmed count.The result underscores the deep political polarisation in the South American country. Fujimori said late on Sunday that there was still no winner and that there would be "long days ahead". Sanchez described the contest as a... [Continue Reading]



