Danish citizen arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, German prosecutors say
Prosecutors said the man, who they named as only Ali S under German privacy law, spied on three properties in June 2025 in preparation for further intelligence activities, including possibly terrorist attacks on Jewish targets.
(Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by Matthias Williams)
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The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Sean 'Diddy' Combs jury to resume deliberations after partial verdict
Sean "Diddy" Combs and his attorney Marc Agnifilo discuss how to respond to a new note sent by jurors, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., July 1, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg NEW YORK (Reuters) -The jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial will continue deliberations on Wednesday, a day after reaching a verdict on four of the five counts the music mogul faces in his sex trafficking case but failing to agree on a racketeering conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said on Tuesday the jury had reached a verdict on the two counts of sex trafficking and two of transportation to engage in prostitution faced by Combs, a former billionaire known forelevating hip-hop in American culture. The judge did not reveal the verdict on those counts. Subramanian instructed the 12-member jury to keep deliberating about the racketeering count after the panel sent him a note indicating jurors had "unpersuadable opinions on both sides." Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all five felony counts. He faces a mandatory 15-year prison sentence if convicted of sex trafficking. A guilty verdict on either that charge or the racketeering conspiracy count could result in up to a life sentence. Jurors must be unanimous to reach a verdict on any count. After reading the note the jury sent Subramanian, Combs appeared emotional, rubbing his eyes and resting his face against his palm while seated at the defense table with his lawyers huddled around him. Over the course of a seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors sought to persuade jurors thatCombs for two decades used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "Freak Offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. Two of Combs' former romantic partners, the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane, testified that he beat them and threatened to cut off financial support or leak sex tapes if they stopped taking part in the performances. Combs' lawyersacknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. The apparent discord among the jurors had echoes of the sometimes fractious deliberations in movie producer Harvey Weinstein's trial in June on sex crime charges in New York state court in Manhattan, just across the street from where Diddy is on trial. Jurors spent five days deliberating Weinstein's fate, with some acrimony directed toward the foreman. They eventually convicted Weinstein of one felony sex crime but deadlocked on a rape charge, leading to a mistrial on that count. A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE? To convict Combs of racketeering conspiracy, prosecutors would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was part of a criminal enterprise consisting of his employees and other associates whose aim was in part to facilitate his sexual abuse and keep evidence of wrongdoing under wraps. Jurors heard testimony from Combs' formerpersonal assistantswho said their jobs included setting up hotel rooms for "Freak Offs" and buying their boss drugs. An InterContinental security guard testified that Combs, in the presence of his chief of staff, paid him $100,000 tohand overwhat he thought was the only copy of the surveillance tape of his attack on Ventura. And Scott Mescudi, the rapper known asKid Cudi, told jurors Combs was likely involved in an arson on his car after Combs found out he was romantically involved with Ventura. The defense argued Combs was a successful entrepreneur who used drugs recreationally, but kept his professional and personal lives separate. Combs has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. (Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jack Queen in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Lithuania charges three with defacing anti-Soviet monument
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -A Lithuanian prosecutor said on Wednesday he had charged three people with defacing a monument to an anti-Soviet resistance leader in January 2024, and that Russian intelligence was the main organiser behind the act. Prosecutor Rimas Bradunas told a press conference two of the three charged are dual Estonian-Russian citizens, while one is a Russian citizen. When asked at the press conference about any involvement of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency in the act, Bradunas said: "That was the main organizer, without doubt, yes". Two of the three detained were arrested in Estonia and handed over to Lithuania, he said. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Anna Ringstrom)
The Star
2 hours ago
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Australia says it cancelled Kanye West's visa over 'Heil Hitler' song
FILE PHOTO: Rapper Kanye West makes a point as he holds his first rally in support of his presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -Kanye West, also known as Ye, has had his Australian visa cancelled after he released 'Heil Hitler', a song promoting Nazism, the country's home affairs minister said on Wednesday. The U.S. rapper released the song that praised the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler across social media and music streaming platforms in May this year. The song came a few months after West made a string of antisemitic posts on X, which included comments such as "I love Hitler" and "I'm a Nazi". Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said that while previous offensive comments made by West had not affected his visa status, officials 'looked at it again' after the song's release. 'It was a lower level (visa) and the officials still looked at the law and said you're going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don't need that in Australia," he told national broadcaster ABC on Wednesday. "We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry." Burke added that West had family in Australia and had been a longtime visitor prior to the visa cancellation. The singer married his wife Bianca Censori, an Australian architect, in December 2022. Burke's office declined to comment on the exact date of the visa cancellation. West's management did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside U.S. business hours. In October 2024, U.S. conservative influencer Candace Owens was also barred from entry into Australia. Burke said 'Australia's national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else'. (Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
