WORLD - The African Mirror

Jun

29

2023

Trump sues E. Jean Carroll for defamation after jury finds he sexually abused her

WORLD

FORMER U.S. President Donald Trump sued E. Jean Carroll for defamation, alleging she falsely accused him of rape after a jury in a civil trial found that he sexually abused her. Trump's counterclaim against Carroll in Manhattan federal court comes after a jury's unusual finding in May that he sexually abused and defamed but did not rape Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist. Trump seeks a retraction as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that Trump's filing was "nothing more than his latest effort to delay accountability" for the jury's verdict. "Donald…

Jun

29

2023

By LAYLI FOROUDI and JULIETTE JABKHIRO

Paris police shooting: Macron deplores ‘inexcusable’ killing of teenager

WORLD

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting dead of a 17-year-old by police during a traffic stop near Paris "inexcusable" in a rare criticism of law-enforcement hours after the incident triggered unrest. A police officer is being investigated for voluntary homicide for shooting the youth, who was of North African origin. Prosecutors say he failed to comply with an order to stop his car early on Monday. The interior ministry called for calm after at least 31 were arrested in overnight clashes, mainly in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the victim lived, with youths burning cars and shooting fireworks at police,…

Jun

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Mercenary chief Prigozhin starts exile in Belarus, Putin praises Russian troops

WORLD

RUSSIAN mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus under a deal that ended a brief mutiny by his fighters, as President Vladimir Putin praised his armed forces for averting a civil war. A plane linked to Prigozhin and believed to be carrying him into exile was shown on a flight tracking service taking off from the southern Russian city of Rostov early on Tuesday and landing in Belarus. "I see Prigozhin is already flying in on this plane," state news agency BELTA quoted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as saying. "Yes, indeed, he is in Belarus today." In Moscow, Putin sought to reassert…

Jun

28

2023

By JÖRN POLTZ

Audi ex-boss becomes first VW board member sentenced over diesel scandal

WORLD

FORMER Audi boss Rupert Stadler was handed a suspended sentence of one year and nine months by a Munich court on Tuesday for fraud in the 2015 diesel scandal, becoming the first former Volkswagen board member to receive such a sentence. The ex-boss was fined 1.1 million euros ($1.20 million), which will go to the state treasury and non-governmental organisations, the court said. Further ongoing cases include a criminal case against other former managers of Volkswagen taking place in Braunschweig and a case against former Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn on hold due to problems with his health. Stadler's sentence is in the…

Jun

28

2023

By STEPHANIE VAN DEN BERG and ROZANNA LATIFF

Dutch court rules sultan’s heirs cannot seize Malaysian assets

WORLD

A Dutch court of appeal dismissed a bid by eight descendants of a former sultanate to enforce a $15-billion arbitration award against the Malaysian government, which hailed the decision as a "landmark victory". Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government was confident it was "closer than ever to completely nullifying" the award after the decision. "Malaysia trusts that today’s decision ... will put an end to the frivolous attempts of the claimants to enforce the purported final award in other jurisdictions," Anwar said in a statement. Last year, a Paris arbitration court awarded $14.9 billion to the Filipino heirs of the last…

Jun

27

2023

By The African Mirror

Russian mercenary leader says he did not aim to overthrow government

WORLD

THE boss of Russia's Wagner mercenary group broke his silence, two days after leading an aborted mutiny, saying he had never intended to overthrow the government while giving few clues about his own fate or the deal under which he stood down. In the first public remarks released since he was last seen on Saturday night smiling and high-fiving bystanders from the back of an SUV as he withdrew from a city occupied by his men, Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters had halted their campaign to avert bloodshed. "We went as a demonstration of protest, not to overthrow the government…

Jun

27

2023

By The African Mirror

North Korea holds rallies denouncing US, warns of nuclear war

WORLD

NORTH Korea held mass rallies in Pyongyang where people shouted slogans vowing a "war of revenge" to destroy the United States, as it marked the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, state media reported on Monday. About 120,000 working people and students took part in the rallies held across the capital on Sunday, state news agency KCNA reported. Photos released by state media showed a stadium crowded with people holding placards reading "The whole U.S. mainland is within our shooting range" and "The imperialist U.S. is the destroyer of peace." Sunday's anniversary came amid concerns Pyongyang could…

Jun

27

2023

By The African Mirror

Special Report: US, Swedish prosecutors study graft complaint naming son of Turkey’s Erdogan

WORLD

DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS ANTI-CORRUPTION authorities in the United States and Sweden are reviewing a complaint alleging that the Swedish affiliate of a U.S. company pledged to pay tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks if a son of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped it secure a dominant market position in the country. The proposed plan was detailed in communications and business documents seen by Reuters, as well as by a person familiar with the matter. Reuters is reporting this plan and the resulting preliminary probes for the first time. Ultimately, no kickbacks were paid, according to the complaint submitted to…

Jun

26

2023

By The African Mirror

Russian mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin’s authority

WORLD

HEAVILY armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov overnight under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Ending their mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group headed back to their bases in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy's foreign minister said it had shattered the "myth" of Russian unity. Putin…

Jun

26

2023

By The African Mirror

One killed, nine injured in roller coaster crash in Sweden

WORLD

MARIE MANNES ONE person was killed and nine injured, including children, in a roller coaster accident at the Grona Lund amusement park in the Swedish capital, representatives of the park said. Eyewitnesses said the park's Jetline roller coaster had partly derailed during a ride, sending people crashing to the ground. "Today is a day of mourning at Grona Lund, we've had a very serious accident in the roller coaster Jetline, where one person has died and nine people have been injured," Jan Eriksson, the park's chief executive, said in a press conference. Ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter were seen…