Skip to main content

Stepson of Norway's crown prince denies drugging alleged rape victim

The son of Norway's crown princess denied in court on Thursday that he ever drugged the alleged victim of one of the rapes he is charged with, on his second day of testimony in a trial that has transfixed Norway. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, is charged with 38 counts. He faces years in prison if convicted. On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. He pleaded guilty to offensive sexual behaviour, driving too fast and driving without a valid licence. Hoiby also said he was partially guilty — a plea allowed under Norwegian law — of aggravated assault and reckless behaviour. On Wednesday, he denied that videos on his phone showed acts of rape and broke down as he recalled a childhood in the public eye. Read More: Son of Norway's crown princess denies rape, admits lesser charges in court The trial comes with his mother facing scrutiny over fresh r...
Post a Comment

Ukraine and Russia resume US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi

Ukraine and Russia started a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, after a first day described as productive and positive by both Kyiv and Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said on Thursday that there was progress and a positive movement forward in talks on how to end the four-year war. Ukraine's top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said after Wednesday's meetings that the discussions were "meaningful and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions". Read: Israeli strikes kill 20 in Gaza as Rafah medical exits halted Announcing the start of the second day of talks, he said the officials would work in the same formats as during their first day - trilateral consultations, group discussions, and then again joint coordination of the positions. "The second day of negotiations in Abu Dhabi has begun," Umerov said on the Telegram app. Dmitriev said that active work was underway torestore Russia's relations with the United States, including within the framework of a US-Russia working group on the economy. "The warmongers from Europe, from Britain, are constantly trying to interfere with this process, constantly trying to meddle in it. And the more such attempts there are, the more we see that progress is definitely being made," Dmitriev said. "There is positive movement forward," he said, in comments supplied by his press service. Trump's pressure to find a compromise US President Donald Trump's administration has pushed both Kyiv and Moscow to find a compromise to end the war, but the two sides appear to remain far apart on key points despite several rounds of talks with US officials. Read more: Trump agrees to trade deal with India, slashes tariffs Ukrainian officials have said that this round of talks was different compared with previous attempts, as the Russian delegation also included military teams. The most complicated issues are Moscow's demands that Kyiv cede land it still controls in the eastern Donetsk region and the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which is in a Russian-occupied area. As a precondition for any deal, Moscow wants Kyiv to pull its troops from all of the Donetsk region, including a line of heavily fortified cities regarded as one of Ukraine's strongest defences. Ukraine has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front lines and rejects any unilateral pullback of its forces. Kyiv says it wants control of the Zaporizhzhia power plant. Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion. Analysts say Russia has gained about 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since early 2024. After heavy Russian airstrikes on Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, ahead of the talks, there were fewer reports of attacks on Thursday. Kyiv's mayor said two people were injured in a drone strike overnight in the capital.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/oX9lbMx
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Chinese defence chiefs hold first talks since 2022

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke via video teleconference Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in their first engagement in more than a year, the Pentagon said. They discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global security issues, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. "During the discussion, Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the US and the People's Republic of China. "He also underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea, and reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows," Ryder added. Read also: US, China need 'tough' conversations, Yellen tells Chinese premier Austin reiterated that the US remains committed to its One China Policy, which is guide...
Post a Comment
Read more