Tag: Court

Suspended sentences in Japan army sexual assault case

By Kyoko HASEGAWA FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Dec 12, 2023 (AFP) – Three Japanese ex-soldiers were found guilty Tuesday but given only suspended jail sentences for sexually assaulting a female colleague who won praise but also online hate for going public with her accusations. Rina Gonoi, 24, broke the mould by speaking out publicly last year about her ordeal in 2021 in a country where the #MeToo movement failed to gain much ground and where many sexual […]

Japanese prosecutors seek death penalty for Kyoto Animation arsonist

By Natsuko FUKUE   TOKYO, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – Prosecutors on Thursday sought the death penalty for a man charged over a 2019 arson attack on an anime studio that killed 36 people in Japan’s deadliest crime in decades, reports said. Shinji Aoba, who nearly died from burns he sustained, has admitted to starting the fire at Kyoto Animation and faces five charges including murder, attempted murder, and arson. He is accused of breaking […]

Meta sued by New Mexico for child exploitation on Facebook and Instagram

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – The US state of New Mexico filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing Facebook and Instagram of being a “breeding ground” for predators who target children. The new suit comes less than two months after dozens of US states accused Facebook and Instagram owner Meta of profiting “from children’s pain,” damaging their mental health and misleading people about the safety of its platforms. In total more than 40 states are […]

Meta sues to block FTC’s proposed privacy settlement changes

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Meta filed a lawsuit late Wednesday arguing that US regulators planning to change the terms of a 2020 privacy settlement are overstepping their authority and should be stopped. The Silicon Valley tech giant, known as Facebook when the $5 billion settlement was made, said that aspects of the Federal Trade Commission’s very structure violate the US Constitution, making its proceeding against Meta unlawful. Meta contended in a filing […]

Colorado judge lets Trump stay on ballot but says he incited riots

WASHINGTON, Nov 18, 2023 (AFP) – A Colorado state judge on Friday ruled that Donald Trump can remain on the state’s presidential primary ballot, finding that while he incited political violence during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, he did not violate his oath of office by doing so. Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace’s ruling follows similar court decisions in several other states that have left Trump on the ballot. The ruling […]

Myanmar nationals ask Philippines to probe alleged war crimes

MANILA, Oct 25, 2023 (AFP) – Five Myanmar nationals asked the Philippines on Wednesday to investigate alleged war crimes committed by 10 serving or former members of Myanmar’s military against the mainly Chin minority. Filipino lawyers representing the Myanmar nationals told reporters they lodged the “landmark” criminal complaint against junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and nine others at the Department of Justice in Manila. They asked prosecutors to open an investigation into alleged war crimes […]

Hong Kong man jailed for importing ‘seditious’ children’s books

HONG KONG, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – A Hong Kong man was sentenced to jail on Friday after importing “seditious” children’s books that portrayed the city’s democracy supporters as sheep defending their village from wolves. Following massive democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019, authorities have revived a colonial-era sedition offence to jail dozens of residents, which critics have decried as political suppression. Finance company worker Kurt Leung, 38, was sentenced to four months […]

NY Attorney General: “I will not be bullied” in $250 million civil fraud suit against Trump

By Andrea Bambino with Chris Lefkow in Washington NEW YORK, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – New York Attorney General Letitia James hit back at Donald Trump on Wednesday over his virulent attacks on the $250 million civil fraud suit she brought against him, saying she will “not be bullied.” “The Donald Trump show is over,” James told reporters after the 77-year-old former president left court at the midpoint of Wednesday’s proceedings. Before leaving, Trump railed […]

Putin’s Kyrgyzstan visit to be first abroad since ICC warrant

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Kyrgyzstan next week, authorities in the Central Asian country said Wednesday, in his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him. Putin has not left Russia since The Hague-based court issued the warrant in March over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. “By the invitation of the president of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov on […]

Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins

By Thomas URBAIN NEW YORK, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of one of cryptocurrency’s biggest exchanges, began Tuesday with a jury set to determine if he committed massive fraud by stealing billions of dollars from clients. The 31-year-old — once one of the most respected figures in crypto — now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the […]

UK child-killer nurse to face retrial over attempted murder charge

LONDON, Sept 25, 2023 (AFP) – A British nurse jailed for life for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others will face a retrial on an outstanding charge of attempted murder, prosecutors said on Monday. Lucy Letby, 33, was convicted last month of killing five baby boys and two baby girls, making her Britain’s most prolific child serial killer in modern times. But the jury in the months-long trial at Manchester Crown Court […]

California sues oil giants, alleging climate risks deception: NYT

LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – The US state of California sued five of the world’s largest oil companies on Friday, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels, The New York Times reported. It follows numerous other cases brought by US cities, counties and states against fossil fuel interests over the impact of climate change as well as alleged disinformation campaigns […]