charges

Kim Keon-hee is standing trial on three charges related to corruption and stock manipulation.

Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee has appeared in court for her first hearing in a corruption trial involving bribery and stock manipulation.

With her face partially covered with a mask and wearing her inmate number, 4398, Kim, 53, was brought to the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday from detention, where she had been held since August 12.

During an identity check from the bench, Kim told the court she was currently “unemployed” and did not want a jury trial.

Kim becomes the first spouse of a former president to stand trial after she was accused of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation.

The former first lady’s charge under the Capital Markets Act is related to claims that she conspired with the former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer, and a close associate to manipulate the company’s stock prices and make 810 million won ($581,000) in profits in two years, between 2010 and 2012.

Kim’s second charge is based on allegations that she and her husband, ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol, received free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker, for free, ahead of the 2021 elections, which Yoon went on to win.

However, the trade-off for the free polling was securing the nomination of the former People Power Party representative, Kim Young-sun, for a by-election later that year.

Kim’s final charge, related to corruption, is connected to her alleged acceptance of luxury bags and jewellery from the Unification Church in 2022.

The head of the church, Han Hak-ja, was arrested on Tuesday for bribing Kim, a claim that Han and her church have denied.

Meanwhile, Yoon is also standing trial for his failed attempt to impose martial law in the country in December of last year.

Tesco Mobile, EE, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, O2 and Three all have different policy when it comes to how much customers pay when using their mobiles in the EU post-Brexit

Tesco Mobile has extended its free-roaming policy so customers can use their minutes, texts and data for no extra cost when in Europe.

Since leaving the EU, people living in the UK have been excluded from the bloc’s 2022 Roaming Regulations, which ban mobile operators from charging customers extra when they travel into other EU countries with their phone.

While some providers have allowed their customers to keep the perk, others have started charging considerable sums. Today, Tesco Mobile announced that it will not charge its users extra for texts, calls, and data made across 48 EU destinations “into 2026 and beyond.” Until this point, Tesco Mobile had hinted that the perk would end at the beginning of next year.

Laura Joseph, chief customer officer at Tesco Mobile, said: “We know how important it is for families to stay connected—whether you’re sharing holiday snaps, checking in with loved ones, or finding your way around a new city. That’s why we’re proud to extend our roaming offer, giving customers the freedom to use their UK data, minutes, and texts across 48 destinations in the EU and beyond, at no extra cost. With no setup, no hidden fees, and no stress, it’s one less thing to worry about when you’re away.”

Here is a rundown of the other major mobile providers in the UK and how much they charge for roaming in EU countries.

Under EE you can use your minutes, texts and data allowances in its European roaming zone – which includes most countries on the Continent – for £2.50 a day (up until midnight UK-time). You don’t need to do anything to opt in. If you use your allowances you’ll pay £2.50 for that day, and if you don’t, you won’t be charged anything. You can also buy a £10 ‘roam home’ seven day package.

The phone company offers free data roaming in the EU, so your data (subject to roaming limit), minutes and text allowances will work in the Europe Zone, just like they do at home.

If your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB, you’ll have a roaming limit of 25GB when roaming in the firm’s Europe Zone. This means you can use up to 25GB of your allowance at no extra cost. O2 sends customers a text if they’re getting close to the limit, and again if they reach it. Then they can buy a ‘bolt on’.

For Pay Monthly customers, it’s a daily charge of £7 per day for unlimited calls, texts and date. For Pay As You Go customers, it’s a daily charge of £1.99.

Those customers whose plans started on or after October 1, 2021 can unlock their data, call and text for a daily roaming charge. For Pay Monthly customers, roaming costs £2 a day in Europe and £5 a day in Go Roam Around the World destinations. The Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man are excluded from the daily roaming charge.

If you’re on a Three Your Way plan, it comes with up to 56 days of roaming included. If you run out – or you’re on a Standard plan – you can also buy three, seven, or 14-day Go Roam Passes. With a £5 a day Data Passport, you can get unlimited data to use when roaming.

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If your plan doesn’t have inclusive roaming in the firm’s Europe Zone – which includes all European countries other than Ireland, the Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway – then it will cost you £2.57 a day to roam. You can reduce this cost with a European Roaming pass, available as £15 for eight days or £20 for 15 days (a cost increase of roughly 25% in two years)

A day starts from the time when roaming is detected and lasts for 24 hours. For example, if roaming is detected at 10am, the daily roaming fee would be valid until 10am the next day. If you bought your plan before 11 August 2021, roaming is included up to 25GB of data usage.

‘Roam Like Home’ is available to all BT Mobile customers at no extra cost. It lets you to use your minutes, texts and data allowances within our Roam Like Home zones without paying extra roaming charges.

From 15 June 2017, if your plan gives you 20GB or more of data each month, a surcharge may be applied if you use more than 15GB, while roaming, in one billing cycle.

GiffGaff has one of the most generous policies out there. The company’s plans can be used in the EU and selected destinations just as customers would use them at home and at no extra cost. If you opt to pay as you go and use credit instead, data, calls and texts will be charged at the firm’s pay-as-you-go UK rates while you roam in the EU.

There’s a fair use limit on data of 5GB. If you go over it’ll cost 10p/MB, or you can start a new plan early which will give you another 5GB allowance.

The company has a roaming passport which costs £2 a day and lets you access your UK data, calls and text allowances in over 55 popular holiday destinations, including the EU, the USA and Australia and more.

Rodrigo Duterte is accused of being an ‘indirect co-perpetrator’ in the murders of dozens of alleged criminals.

Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with three counts of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which alleges that he played a role in the murders of at least 76 people during his so-called “war on drugs”.

The charges against the 80-year-old, who has been held in a detention facility in the Netherlands since March, are set out in a document that was published by the ICC on Monday.

They relate in part to the anti-drug crackdown Duterte led when he was president, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of alleged narcotics dealers and users.

The heavily redacted ICC charge sheet, which is dated from early July and is signed by the court’s deputy prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang, sets out what prosecutors see as Duterte’s individual criminal responsibility for dozens of deaths that occurred between 2013 and 2018.

The first count dates to his time as mayor of Davao City, when he is alleged to have been an “indirect co-perpetrator” in 19 murders between 2013 and 2016.

The second and third ICC charges concern his years as president. The former relates to the murders of 14 so-called “high-value” targets in 2016 and 2017, while the latter refers to 43 murders committed during “clearance” operations against lower-level alleged criminals between 2016 and 2018.

The 76 murders were carried out by police as well as non-state actors, such as hitmen, according to the ICC document.

The publication of the charges came several weeks after a court delayed Duterte’s appearance scheduled for later this month at the ICC to hear the accusations against him.

The court must first consider whether the former president is fit to stand trial, following his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman’s suggestion that the case should be indefinitely postponed because of Duterte’s poor health.

Kaufman has said that Duterte is suffering “cognitive impairment in multiple domains”.

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines’ capital, Manila, on March 11, and was swiftly flown to the Netherlands, where he has been held in ICC custody. The 80-year-old insists his arrest was unlawful.

Duterte’s supporters in the Philippines allege that his detention is political and the result of his family’s falling out with the current president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

On a Wednesday podcast, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said ABC had to act on Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the killing of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. “We can do it the easy way or the hard way,” the Trump appointee told right-wing commentator Benny Johnson.

The intended audience, the owners of ABC stations across the country, heard the message loud and clear. They chose the easy way.

Within hours of Carr’s comments, Nexstar, which controls 32 ABC affiliates, agreed to drop “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely.

Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC quickly followed with its own announcement that it was pulling Kimmel from the network. Sinclair Broadcasting, a TV station company long sympathetic to conservative causes, also shelved the show and went a step further by demanding that Kimmel make a financial contribution to Kirk’s family and his conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA.

It is not clear if or when Kimmel’s show will return. On Thursday, high-level ABC executives spoke with Kimmel and his team to see whether there was a way to “bring the temperature down,” allowing the show to return, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment.

The situation reflects the power that Carr has over the companies with outlets that still reach the largest audiences in the U.S., even in the age of streaming. Over-the-air TV and radio stations are the only media licensed by the government due to their use of the public airwaves, and Carr, whose commitment to President Trump is unwavering, holds the keys to their future.

Companies that own TV stations are desperate to make acquisition or merger deals so they can compete with the clout of tech companies. Nexstar, for example, needs the FCC’s permission for a proposed $6.2-billion acquisition of rival station operator Tegna, and other companies are expected to swap and acquire outlets as well. All deals have to get approval of the FCC, which is also being lobbied to lift the cap on how much of the U.S. station owners can cover.

That gives Carr tremendous leverage.

The latest trouble for Kimmel started Monday when he seemed to suggest during his monologue that Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused in the shooting death of Kirk, might have been a pro-Trump Republican. He said MAGA supporters “are desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Carr, during Johnson’s podcast, called Kimmel’s comments “the sickest conduct possible.” Carr, who has previously styled himself as a free speech absolutist, argues that stations have the right to pull the show if owners believe the content conflicts with community standards.

“Broadcast TV stations have always been required by their licenses to operate in the public interest — that includes serving the needs of their local communities,” he wrote Thursday on X. “And broadcasters have long retained the right to not air national programs that they believe are inconsistent with the public interest, including their local communities’ values. I am glad to see that many broadcasters are responding to their viewers as intended.”

Kimmel’s staff was told not to report to work Thursday but has been given no information about the program’s future. Kimmel has yet to comment.

Top Disney executives, including Chief Executive Bob Iger — who has a close relationship with the host — and Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, made the decision to bench Kimmel.

Disney executives had been huddling as the crisis mounted throughout Wednesday and Kimmel and his staff had been preparing the show. The comedian planned to address the situation, according to three people close to the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Some Disney execs were belatedly uncomfortable with Kimmel’s monologue, which became a lightning rod for conservatives on social media. Walden spoke with Kimmel on Wednesday, one of the knowledgeable sources said, and she and other executives became concerned that Kimmel’s planned remarks were “pretty emotional” and “did not strike the right tone.”

With only about an hour before the show was set to begin taping, the ABC executives felt they did not have time to work out an appropriate response and decided to suspend the show rather than risk an escalation of the cultural tensions, one of the sources said.

The call to dump Kimmel by Nexstar, whose founder and CEO Perry Sook has praised the administration and said lifting station ownership restrictions was the company’s top priority, put pressure on Disney to act because of the number of affiliate stations it owns.

Losing Kimmel would be a major blow to ABC.

While late-night ratings are in decline and profits on his show have greatly diminished, Kimmel is a recognizable personality who is strongly identified with the network. He has emceed the Emmys and the Oscars, and hosted game shows in addition to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He’s also the current host of ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” After years of ABC being a non-entity in late-night TV, Kimmel put the network in the game when he arrived in 2003 after hosting popular shows on Comedy Central.

Trump and Kimmel have long sparred. Tensions date back to 2017, when Trump first moved into the White House and Kimmel poked fun at the new president from the Oscars stage. The comedian’s position on Trump hardened, and grew more personal, later that year after he and his wife nearly lost their infant son who was born with a rare heart condition.

Kimmel then advocated for the preservation of the Affordable Care Act, which had been a Trump target. The rift widened last year at the Oscars when Trump posted a harsh review of Kimmel on Truth Social in real time, asking whether there had ever been a worse emcee.

Kimmel read the post during the telecast, then looked at the camera and said: “Thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still — isn’t it past your jail time?” Since then Trump has called for Kimmel’s cancellation.

Trump has long been comedic fodder for late-night hosts, and now he is exacting his revenge with Carr’s help. He called for the firing of Stephen Colbert ahead of CBS’ decision to cancel his program, “The Late Show,” for financial reasons. That decision came after Colbert blasted parent company Paramount’s decision to pay $16 million to settle a Trump lawsuit — a move he and many others speculated was made to get FCC approval of its merger deal with Skydance Media.

Trump has also gone after NBC’s late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, saying they should be next on the chopping block.

The chilling effect is already evident on ABC. “The View,” the network’s daytime talk program that airs live and regularly skewers Trump, made no mention of the Kimmel controversy on Thursday. The story was covered briefly on the network’s “Good Morning America.”

Prominent writer-producer Damon Lindelof (a creator of ABC’s hit drama “Lost” and HBO’s “The Leftovers”) posted on Instagram that he was “shocked, saddened and infuriated” by Kimmel’s suspension. Lindelof wrote he could not “in good conscience work” for Disney if the company failed to bring Kimmel back.

Disney’s action was quickly condemned by Hollywood unions, progressive groups, free speech organizations and Democratic politicians.

“The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other — to disturb, even — is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people,” the Writers Guild of America West and East chapters said in a statement. “It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.”

“If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the Constitution,” the writers group said. “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.”

Tino Gagliardi, international president of the American Federation of Musicians, which includes members of Kimmel’s band, added: “This is not complicated. Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals. This is state censorship.”

Four prominent unions, including Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, issued a joint statement saying that the removal of Kimmel “under government pressure” has added further uncertainty to the Hollywood workforce, which already has been reeling from a cutback in film and television production.

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the lone Democrat on the three-member panel, said the agency “does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes.” Gomez also was sharply critical of Disney, calling out what she called as “cowardly corporate capitulation.”

Disney has not commented beyond its initial announcement.

Gomez referenced an incident earlier in the week, when Trump threatened ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl after the president bristled over a question Karl asked about a crackdown on free speech. Trump said Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi might “go after” the reporter “because you treat me so unfairly.”

“We cannot allow an inexcusable act of political violence to be twisted into a justification for government censorship and control,” Gomez said.

The alleged offences took place when the Ghanaian defender played for London club Arsenal in the Premier League.

Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey, appearing in a London court, has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.

The 32-year-old Ghana international appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.

Partey is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, as well as a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022. The alleged offences took place when he played for Premier League football club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.

The footballer was released on bail in advance of his trial, which was listed for November 2, 2026, and is due to take between six and eight weeks.

He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59m) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.

Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, on Tuesday night. He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.

Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government in March 2022 over alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin – something he has denied.

He was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, providing he could prove he would not benefit from the sale.

The 58-year-old said funds from the sale would be donated via a foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”, which would include those in Russia.

The £2.5bn in proceeds have been frozen in a UK bank account since the sale – Abramovich does not have access to the money but it still legally belongs to him.

In 2023, the BBC reported that leaked documents revealed a money trail linking Abramovich to two men dubbed “wallets” of Putin.

BBC Newsnight, BBC Verify and Panorama partnered with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism to uncover the revelations as part of Cyprus Confidential – a global investigation led by reporters at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Paper Trail Media.

The reports alleged that the leaked documents from Cyprus revealed new evidence linking the former Chelsea owner to a secret £26m deal in 2010.

Abramovich has previously denied any financial relationship with the Russian leader.

In June, the Government threatened to sue Abramovich to make sure the money from the Chelsea sale goes to Ukrainian humanitarian aid – rather than “all victims of the war in Ukraine” as Abramovich had said.

Two months before selling Chelsea in May 2022, Abramovich was said to have suffered from suspected poisoning at peace talks on the Ukraine-Belarus border.

The Russian billionaire, who made his fortune in oil and gas, was reported to have a role as a broker in talks between Ukraine and Russia.

UCLA backup quarterback Pierce Clarkson was arrested Friday on unspecified felony charges and has been suspended indefinitely from the team pending the outcome of legal proceedings.

The arresting agency was the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division and bail was set at $30,000, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website. Clarkson’s first court hearing is set for Oct. 3.

“We are aware of the charges against Pierce Clarkson,” a UCLA athletic department spokesperson said in a statement. “He has been indefinitely suspended from all team activity pending the outcome of the legal process. This situation will be evaluated by the UCLA Office of Student Conduct and any further action taken will be in accordance with that evaluation and University policy.”

One of the top backups to starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Clarkson was not spotted on the field before the Bruins lost to Nevada Las Vegas 30-23 on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The son of quarterback guru Steve Clarkson, Pierce Clarkson joined the Bruins this offseason after having spent last spring at Mississippi. The former St. John Bosco High standout had played sparingly in two seasons at Louisville.

Sky-high air fares and peak holiday cost increases have left families cutting back to make trips abroad a reality, research has revealed.

A survey of 1,000 parents with children up to the age of 16 who holiday abroad revealed that 66% believe price hikes have made it more challenging to get away. This has led to 69% having to be inventive with their finances to make overseas trips feasible due to rising air fares.

Top tips for stretching budgets included booking flights and accommodation well in advance, packing snacks and essentials instead of buying them upon arrival, and using comparison sites to hunt for the best deals.

Research commissioned by travel insurance provider Staysure showed that families have had to slash their holiday budgets by an average of £941 in recent years, with the cost of a holiday now just over £2,800. As a result, 44% are now more likely to opt for a staycation than a trip abroad.

However, with the average family having spent nearly £300 to keep kids entertained during school holidays, even UK day trips can still put a real strain on budgets, with 57% looking for discounted tickets for theme parks and attractions.

It’s not just young families that are struggling to afford a trip abroad as 60% of over 65s also say a staycation is on the cards due to increased prices. While 75 % of this age group also look for discounted day trip and attraction tickets when entertaining the grandchildren.

A spokesperson for Staysure, which has launched a rewards scheme offering customers access to 1.4 million worldwide hotel discounts and reduced entry fees to major UK attractions for 12 months when they purchase a policy, said: “Families long for holidays abroad, and need to entertain the kids with days out but rising costs are just squeezing what’s affordable for all generations.

“With children now back in school, thoughts will naturally turn to the October half term – and how families will once again afford to keep the kids busy often relying on grandparents to help out.

“Whether it’s a trip away or days out in the UK, the desire for cost savings will only increase as people look for more creative ways to maximise budgets – it’s a tricky juggling act.”

With getaway expenses rocketing, it merely compounds the frustration of having to fork out extra to guarantee seats that keep relatives and youngsters together on aircraft, with those surveyed expressing irritation (41%) and exasperation (32%).

Meanwhile, 44% of over 65s went as far as to say they feel livid. And 40% believe it’s unjust that a youngster’s spot on a plane can cost nearly as much as an adult fare.

Of the 66% who have been forced to slash holiday expenses, it has meant compromising on dining out (32%), slashing their total spending allowance (31%), and forgoing accommodation improvements or additional perks (28%). A further 28% have also had to reduce spending on souvenirs and shopping whilst abroad to maintain strict budgets.

Of all respondents surveyed, 71% have previously enjoyed an all-inclusive break, but 75% are now more inclined to choose self-catering options due to unaffordable price increases during busy periods.

Nearly a third (30%) have removed their child from school to secure cheaper holidays, with 29% of those doing so regularly, for an average of five days each time.

And 55% believe they could be taking breaks exclusively within the UK moving forward due to rising expenses according to the OnePoll.com research.

A spokesperson from Staysure, which is providing a 20% discount on policies in September, said: “With costs creeping up at every turn it’s no wonder parents are feeling the pinch and making cutbacks to afford a family holiday.

“Many will already be counting the cost of having spent plenty of cash keeping their kids entertained over the past six weeks.

“With expensive day trips, cinema outings, excursions, and visits to theme parks all mounting up, these are areas where parents could make savings.”

TOP 10 WAYS PARENTS LOOK TO MAKE THEIR BUDGET GO FURTHER FOR HOLIDAYS ABROAD.

1. Book flights and accommodation well in advance.
2. Pack snacks and essentials to avoid buying on the go.
3. Use comparison sites for best deals.
4. Plan free or low-cost activities.
5. Use cashback and reward schemes.
6. Set a daily spending limit
7. Whip up your own meals rather than dining out.
8. Value experiences over keepsakes.
9. Jet off during quieter seasons.
10. Take advantage of loyalty points or travel vouchers.

The Football Association will not appeal against the decision to clear West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta of four spot-fixing charges.

An independent regulatory commission hearing, which took place following an FA investigation, found four charges to be “not proven”.

The written reasons detailing the commission’s finding were published on Wednesday.

“The FA is committed to ensuring that the integrity of football is maintained, and full and thorough investigations will always be conducted into serious allegations of rule breaches,” said English football’s governing body., external

The FA started its investigation in August 2023 and the Brazil international was charged in May last year for allegedly getting booked deliberately “for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market”.

The four charges against him related to a Premier League game against Leicester City on 12 November 2022, as well as 2023 fixtures against Aston Villa on 12 March, Leeds United on 21 May and Bournemouth on 12 August.

Paqueta was also charged with two counts of failing to co-operate with the investigation after breaching “FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2”, which relates to providing information and documents.

He also denied these charges, but the regulatory commission found them to be proven.

“The regulatory commission will decide an appropriate sanction for the breaches of FA Rule F3 that were found proven and the details will be published at the earliest opportunity,” added the FA.

Paqueta joined the Hammers from Lyon for an initial £36.5m in August 2022 and helped the club win the Europa Conference League during his debut season.

Sept. 2 (UPI) — Australian authorities charged three Sydney dockworkers over a shipment of cocaine and money found hidden in a false wall.

The shipment of 1,116 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of roughly $107 million, and $215,000 in cash were seized following an investigation by the Multi Agency Strike Team, which was formed in April 2025, Australian Federal Police and the NSW Police Force said in a joint statement.

A 25-year-old man and a 38-year-old man were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to posess a commercial quantity of cocaine.

The 38-year-old, who worked as a forklift driver, was seen moving shipping containers to gain access to the container where the cocaine was eventually found.

Police arrested the 25-year-old after he left the shipping container and found a crowbar, angle grinder, ear protection, portable lights and hand tools they alleged he was using to create a false wall in the shipping container where authorities found 506 blocks of white powder that was confirmed to be cocaine.

Upon executing a search warrant at the 38-year-old’s home, authorities where a 42-year-old man was intercepted while leaving the property and found with more than $130,000 in cash.

He was charged with dealing with money believed to be proceeds of general crime.

The two older men were employed by a global shipping and logistics company as forklift drivers, the company has not yet been named.

All three, if convicted, face potential life sentences.

The 42-year-old man was released but the others remain in custody.

Their next court date is Oct. 29. Where all of them will be present.

The source of the cocaine remains under investigation but the shipping container was sent from Europe.

“To anyone lured in by the false promise of riches from drug importations, these offences carry the potential of life in jail,” AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said.

A senior Israeli official accused of child sex crimes in the United States has failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing in his case, weeks after he returned to Israel, prompting concerns that he may have fled to avoid facing trial.

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich’s lawyer, David Chesnoff, told the court in Nevada on Wednesday that he told his client not to attend the hearing.

“He was instructed by me that he didn’t have to be here,” Chesnoff said.

However, Judge Barbara Schifalacqua was quick to shut down the suggestion, stressing that suspects released on bond like Alexandrovich have “to make every court appearance”.

“I’m looking at his bond documents that indicate the court appearance that he was ordered to appear at was today,” Schifalacqua told Chesnoff. “And so your oral – I guess – request without anything before the court to waive his appearance here today is hereby denied.”

Alexandrovich’s case has been stirring controversy and making international headlines since his arrest was announced earlier this month.

The Israeli official was arrested on August 6, but the incident was not made public until more than a week later, when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators”.

Alexandrovich was released and allowed to return to Israel after being charged with luring or attempting to lure a child online to engage in sexual conduct.

His release without travel restrictions has led to speculations that he may have received preferential treatment due to the close ties between the US and Israel.

But the administration of President Donald Trump has denied intervening in the case, and the local district attorney has argued that Alexandrovich’s release was “standard”.

Earlier this month, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu falsely denied that Alexandrovich was arrested and downplayed the incident.

On Wednesday, Chesnoff suggested that he had a deal with prosecutors relating to Alexandrovich’s court appearances going forward.

“My client is not here. We have an agreement with the state, and I informed your staff earlier that he was not going to be here,” the lawyer told the court.

But Schifalacqua said the district attorney’s office has “no authority to waive appearances” at a felony arraignment.

“Nobody got a waiver from my court,” Schifalacqua said.

Eventually, Chesnoff and the court agreed that Alexandrovich would appear remotely before the court next week, on September 3, for his arraignment – a hearing where he would be formally presented with the charges and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

Schifalacqua warned that she may impose conditions on Alexandrovich’s release, including a possible ban on contact with minors and using social media and dating platforms.

As outrage grew over allowing Alexandrovich to leave the country, last week, acting US Attorney for the District of Nevada Sigal Chattah – a Trump appointee – pointed the finger at local prosecutors.

“A liberal district attorney and state court judge in Nevada FAILED TO REQUIRE AN ALLEGED CHILD MOLESTER TO SURRENDER HIS PASSPORT, which allowed him to flee our country,” Chattah wrote on social media.

But Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said that there was nothing unusual about how Alexandrovich’s case was handled.

“The standard bail for this charge was $10,000, so anybody, upon being booked on that charge, can post that bail and get released with no conditions, and that’s what happened in this case,” Wolfson told Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this month.

However, Richard Davies, a criminal defence lawyer in Nevada, told Al Jazeera last week that the apparent lack of conditions on Alexandrovich’s release despite the seriousness of the charges was “fishy”.

“The court should be concerned about protecting children in this community and nationwide. So it’s highly unusual – again – to allow this person to leave,” Davies said.

Wolfson and Chesnoff did not return Al Jazeera’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Aug. 22 (UPI) — Sri Lanka’s former president was arrested Friday for the alleged misuse of public funds, police said.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capitol, while giving a statement to the country’s Criminal Investigations Department. He’s been facing multiple government investigations into widespread bribery and corruption. The charge in his arrest was for using public funds for his personal travel.

Friday’s arrest was about a detour Wickremesinghe, 76, made to Britain in 2023 on his way back to Sri Lanka from an official visit to the United States. He made the stop to attend an awards ceremony for his wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe, who was awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Wolverhampton. The government alleged that it was a personal trip for which about $56,000 of public money was used.

Wickremesinghe was widely credited with helping put the country back on the road to economic recovery. He also served six separate terms as prime minister since the 1990s.

He made 23 foreign trips during his time as president, at a cost of more than $2 million, according to BBC Sinhala.

He served as president from 2022 to 2024, stepping into the role after the country’s worst ever economic crisis triggered a popular uprising that caused his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee.

Wickremesinghe’s arrest is the most high-profile case since the National People’s Power, a leftist coalition, won the presidential election in September. Its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake became president. Dissanayake, 56, campaigned on a promise of weeding out corruption and prosecuting those who had misused public funds.

In 2019, Sri Lanka fell into a downward spiral, partly driven by poor policymaking by the government of Rajapaksa that depleted foreign reserves and eventually forced the country to default on its debt. Terrorist bombings in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which crushed tourism, also eroded the domestic economy.

By 2022, when Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves ran so low that it couldn’t buy fuel, public anger led to protests and the ouster of Rajapaksa.

As president, Wickremesinghe helped secure an International Monetary Fund bailout in 2023. But the deal required austerity measures. Those unpopular policies, a growing sense among people that he was part of the old guard, and discomfort that he was close to Rajapaksa, led Sri Lankans to reject him during last year’s elections.

NEW YORK — A former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams was hit Thursday with a second wave of bribery charges in a swirling corruption investigation of City Hall, with prosecutors alleging she exchanged political favors for cash, home renovations and a speaking role on a TV show.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams’ former chief of staff and closest confidant, her son Glenn D. Martin, former state Sen. Jesse Hamilton and two of Adams’ political donors, siblings Tony and Gina Argento, are among those facing new charges.

Lewis-Martin and the other defendants were expected to appear in court on Thursday.

Adams himself has not been charged, but the case will thrust the corruption allegations that have dogged the Democrat back into focus as he seeks to regain voters’ trust ahead of a contested election in November. A spokesperson for Adams did not immediately return a request for comment.

On Thursday, Lewis-Martin was charged with four additional counts of conspiracy and bribe receiving in a series of indictments Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described as “classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on city government.”

“As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets. While she allegedly received more than $75,000 in bribes and an appearance on a TV show, every other New Yorker lost out,” Bragg said in a statement.

Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, vowed to fight the charges, saying, “This is not justice — it is a distortion of the truth and a troubling example of politically motivated ‘lawfare.’”

She resigned last December ahead of her indictment in a separate case in which she and her son are accused of taking bribes in exchange for speedy approval of construction projects. That case is still pending. She has continued to volunteer for the Adams campaign while awaiting trial.

The fresh round of indictments brought against Adams’ close allies could add to political headwinds already facing the mayor, whose own indictment on federal bribery charges was abandoned by President Trump’s administration earlier this year.

The corruption scandals have opened the door to challengers in the upcoming election, including the Democratic primary winner, Zohran Mamdani, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Adams is running as an independent, claiming the case brought against him — in which he was accused of accepting bribes and travel perks from foreign interests — had prevented him from campaigning in the Democratic primary. Those charges were dismissed in April following an extraordinary intervention by U.S. Justice Department officials, who said the case was impeding Adams from assisting in Trump’s immigration crackdown.

In the months since, the status of other federal probes linked to Adams’ key allies, including his former police commissioner and several deputy mayors, has remained uncertain. The new charges were brought by Bragg, who prosecuted Trump last year and who is also running for reelection.

Both federal and state investigators seized Lewis-Martin’s phone at Kennedy Airport last September as she returned from a trip to Japan with several colleagues.

Hours later, Lewis-Martin appeared on her attorney’s radio show, denying that she had “done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us.”

Both she and her son pleaded not guilty to charges of accepting improper gifts worth more than $100,000 in exchange for speeding construction approvals for two real estate investors.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for Adams’ campaign, Todd Shapiro, said the mayor would stand with Lewis-Martin.

“Ingrid has dedicated her life to the people of New York City,” Shapiro said, “and she deserves the presumption of innocence and the support of those who know her best.”

Last week, federal prosecutors wrapped up their two remaining Adams-related cases.

Mohamed Bahi, who served as the mayor’s chief liaison to the Muslim community, pleaded guilty to soliciting straw donations to Adams’ campaign, and Brooklyn construction magnate Erden Arkan was sentenced to a year of probation for his involvement in a straw donor scheme.

Offenhartz, Sisak and Izaguirre write for the Associated Press.

Arrest of Yann Vezilier, accused of trying to destabilise Mali, marks new low in relations between Paris and Bamako.

France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has said that a French man recently arrested in Mali on “unfounded” charges of plotting a coup was a French embassy employee.

The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it was in talks with Bamako to “clear up any misunderstanding” and obtain the “immediate release” of Yann Vezilier, who had been arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel.

It added that the arrest of the French national was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Mali’s security minister, General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, had announced Vezilier’s arrest on Thursday, alleging that he had been working for the French intelligence services, mobilising “political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” to destabilise the country.

Mohammedine said that a full investigation into the alleged plot, which he said had been launched on August 1, was under way and that “the situation is completely under control”.

The arrests followed a crackdown on dissent following a pro-democracy rally in May, the first since the military government came to power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

France’s once close relationship with its former colony in West Africa’s Sahel region has soured since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago.

The military government, led by President Assimi Goita, has turned away from Western partners, notably former colonial power France, expelling its troops and turning to Russia for security assistance.

The country has since been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence from groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group, as well as local criminal gangs.

In June, Goita was granted an additional five years in power, despite the military government’s earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by March 2024. The move followed the military’s dissolution of political parties in May.

LaToya Cantrell is accused of ‘defrauding’ the city, paying Jeffrey Vappie as if he were on duty while on trips and trysts.

The mayor of New Orleans has been indicted on conspiracy, fraud and obstruction charges by a federal grand jury after a long-running investigation.

The charges released on Friday against LaToya Cantrell were based on accusations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie, who was paid as if on duty while the pair conducted their affair.

The indictment states that Cantrell and Vappie “developed a personal and intimate relationship” in 2021, defrauding the city as they attempted to “hide their relationship and maximise their time together”.

Acting United States Attorney Michael Simpson said the pair met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and that Cantrell had arranged for Vappie to attend 14 trips.

The trips, which included wine tasting at vineyards, were described by her as times “when they were truly alone”, said Simpson.

He dubbed the affair a “three-year fraud scheme that we allege exploited their public authority and positions”.

Cantrell allegedly lied in an affidavit that she had activated a function on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021, when she had not activated the feature until December 2022, one month after the media began speculating on the pair’s conduct.

When a private citizen took photos of the pair dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, said Simpson.

The mayor’s office didn’t immediately comment.

“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell.

Vappie is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty.

He has pleaded not guilty following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements.

Cantrell, the city’s first female mayor, is term-limited and will leave office in January.

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man accused of killing a top Democratic state lawmaker and wounding another while pretending to be a police officer is now facing new and upgraded state charges under a fresh indictment announced Thursday, just a week after he pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Vance Boelter now faces two charges of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty for shooting one family’s dog. Hennepin County Atty. Mary Moriarty said the charges “reflect the weight of Mr. Boelter’s crimes.”

But the state case continues to take a backseat to the federal case against Boelter, where he faces potentially more serious consequences. He was indicted July 15 on six federal counts of murder, stalking and firearms violations. The murder charges could carry the federal death penalty, although prosecutors haven’t decided yet whether to pursue that option. The maximum penalty on the state charges is life in prison because Minnesota doesn’t have the death penalty.

Boelter pleaded not guilty in federal court Aug. 7.

Moriarty had requested the state prosecution proceed first, but federal prosecutors are using their authority to press their case, according to Daniel Borgertpoepping, Hennepin County attorney’s office’s public information officer.

“When Boelter returns to state custody, we will be prepared to prosecute him — to hold him accountable to our community,” Moriarty said. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that he is never able to hurt anyone again.”

Shocking case of political violence

The full extent of the political violence that officials said Boelter, 58, intended to inflict in the early hours of June 14 after months of planning alarmed the community. The Green Isle, Minn., resident was arrested a day later following a massive search involving local, state and federal authorities.

“The damage done to the victims — those with us, those who were taken from us and to our entire community — has opened wounds that will never heal,” Moriarty said in a statement.

The Hennepin County attorney’s office initially issued a warrant charging Boelter with two counts of second-degree murder for allegedly posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home.

Boelter, authorities said, wore a uniform and a mask and yelled that he was police and told these lawmakers that he was an officer.

Authorities originally charged Boelter with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, alleging he shot state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. But officials said when the charges were filed to secure the warrant that they would likely be updated to first-degree murder charges. They also added two additional attempted murder charges Thursday.

Moriarty said the Hoffmans managed to push Boelter out of their home, shutting the door before the gunman fired nine times through the door, striking the senator nine times and his wife eight times. Both survived. Their adult daughter nearby was not hit.

Other lawmakers targeted

Federal prosecutors already revealed details of their investigation showing Boelter had driven to two other legislators’ homes in the roughly hour and a half timeline. Moriarty charged Boelter with trying to kill one of those lawmakers because he went to her door in the same way he approached the Hortmans’ and Hoffmans’ homes and tried to get inside. She said it doesn’t matter that Rep. Kristin Bahner wasn’t home. Moriarty said Boelter rang Bahner’s door for two full minutes while yelling it is the police and trying to open the door himself.

The state case against Boelter shows an application for public defender was filed June 16, but one has yet to be assigned. Public defenders are typically assigned in Minnesota at a defendant’s first appearance, which Boelter did not have before being taken into federal custody, Borgertpoepping said in a text message.

Controversial prosecutor

Moriarty announced last week that she would not seek reelection next year.

Moriarty, a former public defender, was elected in 2022 as the Minneapolis area and the country were still reeling from the murder of George Floyd, a Black man pinned under the knee of a white officer for 9 1/2 minutes. She promised to make police more accountable and change the culture of a prosecutors’ office that she believed had long overemphasized punishment without addressing the root causes of crime.

Moriarty faced controversy during her tenure because she said she wanted to move away from punishment as the purpose of prosecution and focus on issues that lead people to engage in violence. But her critics say she has downplayed the concerns of crime victims and damaged public trust in her office.

Vancleave and Funk write for the Associated Press. Funk reported from Omaha and AP writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report from Des Moines.

Paul Doyle allegedly drove his car into crowds celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title win in May.

A British man accused of driving his vehicle into crowds celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title win faces an additional 24 criminal charges, prosecutors have revealed at his latest court hearing.

Former British marine Paul Doyle, 53, appeared tearful as he joined the hearing on Thursday at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink from prison, when details of the new counts stemming from the May 26 incident emerged.

Merseyside Police now say 134 people were injured when Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds who were leaving Liverpool’s waterfront after a victory parade.

The 31 charges in total now filed involve 29 victims, aged between six months and 77, the court heard.

Six relate to children, including two babies – one aged six months at the time and one aged seven months – who were injured when the car hit people massed on Water Street in the city centre.

Supporters of the city’s world-famous football team had thronged its streets to celebrate the club’s record-equalling 20th English top-flight title when scenes of joy turned to horror.

Doyle, a father-of-three from the Croxteth neighbourhood in the city, was initially charged with seven offences, including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He now faces multiple additional counts under that and other charges, including 19 for attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, three of wounding with intent, and one of affray.

Doyle, wearing a grey T-shirt, did not enter any pleas during the 20-minute hearing, which several relatives of the victims and more than 20 members of the media attended.

Judge Andrew Menary adjourned the case until September 4, when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

Earlier this year, a provisional trial date was fixed for November 24, with the case expected to last three to four weeks.

Aug. 13 (UPI) — Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will face a third trial in New York in connection to the sexual assault case of actor Jessica Mann.

New York Judge Curtis Farber said Wednesday that the trial will take place before the end of 2025.

A jury was unable in June to come to a verdict on a rape charge that alleged Weinstein sexually assaulted Mann but did find him guilty of sexually assaulting former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, and not guilty of assaulting former runway model Kaja Sokola that same year.

The judge announced he would not sentence Weinstein on the conviction involving Haley until Weinstein is retried for the charge related to Mann, who has alleged Weinstein raped her in 2013.

Weinstein was slated to be sentenced on Sept. 30 for the guilty verdict in Haley’s case, which means unless he pleads guilty to the charge that involves Mann, or either he is tried before September or prosecutors drop that charge, he’s likely to have that sentencing date postponed.

Weinstein, the co-founder of film studios Miramax and The Weinstein Company, was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.

However, New York’s state Court of Appeals overturned his conviction after finding the jury in the 2020 trial was prejudiced by the judge of that trial who allowed women with unrelated allegations to testify.

Weinstein was also found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of sexual assault and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

He is currently appealing against that conviction and has denied all of the charges lodged against him. Weinstein has been held in custody in New York’s Rikers Island jail.

L.A. County prosecutors plan to file additional corruption charges this week against City Councilman Curren Price, who is already facing multiple counts of grand theft and perjury for allegedly voting in favor of projects his wife had a financial interest in, multiple sources told The Times.

The charges were expected to be made public Thursday during a pretrial hearing in downtown L.A., according to three people with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly about an ongoing criminal case.

In June 2023, Price was charged with 10 counts of grand theft by embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest. Prosecutors said Price’s wife — Del Richardson, founder of the consulting company Del Richardson & Associates — received “payments totaling more than $150,000 between 2019 and 2021 from developers before [Price] voted to approve projects.”

The perjury charges stem from a claim that Price didn’t list his wife’s income on disclosure forms. Prosecutors also accused Price of theft by embezzlement for bilking the city out of tens of thousands of dollars by placing Richardson on his city-issued healthcare plan between 2013 and 2017, before they were legally married.

Price’s attorney, Michael Schafler, called the new charges “nothing more than an attempt to pile on to a weak case.”

“They have gone back as much as 6 years, combing through thousands and thousands of votes, to find a couple more allegedly conflicted votes, hoping that the public will overlook the fact that there is no evidence whatsoever that Councilmember Price was aware of the alleged conflicts when he voted for the agenda items,” Schafler said in a statement.

The original criminal complaint was filed roughly four years after a Times investigation found Price had repeatedly cast votes that affected housing developers and other firms listed as clients of his wife’s consulting company.

The new charges relate to similar conduct related to votes that Price cast, according to two of the sources. One of the sources said the votes related to contracts for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the city’s housing authority.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said a press release would be issued later on Tuesday.

In an October 2023 motion seeking to dismiss the charges, Price’s legal team argued prosecutors failed to show the payments to Richardson had any influence on the councilman’s votes. Many of the votes described in the criminal complaint were also approved by an overwhelming majority of the council, meaning Price did not swing any one decision that could financially benefit Richardson.

Schafler also argued the embezzlement charges are invalid because Price did not have control over the funds used to pay for Richardson’s healthcare, which is a required element of the crime under California law. Price’s conduct might meet the definition of grand theft, Schafler wrote in 2023, but the statute of limitations for that crime had long expired.

A judge rejected Schafler’s motion. Price is expected to face a preliminary hearing later this year.

Price, who was first elected in 2013, must leave office due to term limits at the end of 2026. Several candidates have already launched campaigns to replace him in a district that stretches from the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown to 95th Street in South L.A.

Times Staff Writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.