European Union lawmakers have voted to hold up a major free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries over concerns about the legality of the deal. In a vote in Strasbourg, France, the lawmakers narrowly approved sending the EU-Mercosur agreement to Europe’s top court to rule on whether it is in line with the bloc’s treaties. The agreement was just signed into effect to great fanfare on Saturday. It aims to gradually eliminating more than 90% of tariffs on goods ranging from Argentine beef to German cars, creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones.
A South Korean court has ruled that the failed imposition of martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol constituted an act of rebellion. The ruling came Wednesday as it sentenced ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was appointed by Yoon, to 23 years in prison for his involvement. Han is the first Yoon administration official convicted of rebellion charges in related to the martial law declaration in December 2024. The verdict is expected to set the stage for upcoming rulings involving Yoon and his other associates who also face rebellion charges. Han served as one of the three caretaker leaders during the martial law crisis that led to Yoon’s impeachment and eventual removal from office.
A Japanese court sentenced a man who admitted assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to life imprisonment. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, earlier pleaded guilty to killing Abe in July 2022 during his election campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The Nara District Court said Wednesday that it had issued a guilty verdict and sentenced Yamagami to life in prison, as prosecutors requested. Yamagami told investigators that his goal in shooting Abe was to hurt the controversial Unification Church and expose its ties with the former leader.
A former flight attendant posed as a pilot and received hundreds of free flights, US authorities say
Authorities say a former flight attendant for a Canadian airline posed as a commercial pilot and as a current flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights from U.S. airlines. Authorities say 33-year-old Dallas Pokornik of Toronto pleaded not guilty Tuesday following his extradition. He was arrested in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. Court documents say Pokornik was a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019, then used fake employee identification to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three airlines. The indictment did not identify the airlines except to say they are based in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas.
A Japanese court sentenced the man who shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to life in prison, NHK TV reports.
Actor Timothy Busfield has been released from a jail in New Mexico, where he faces charges of child sexual abuse. Attorneys for the actor known for appearances in “The West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” successfully argued during a detention hearing Tuesday that he's not a danger to the community. Prosecutors sought to keep him behind bars, emphasizing the gravity of the charges and what they say is a pattern of sexual misconduct, grooming behavior and abuse of power by Busfield over decades. Busfield is accused of inappropriately touching a minor while working as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady.” Busfield denies the allegations.
An Indiana state court judge and his wife are in stable condition after being shot in their Lafayette home. Authorities continued to search for suspects Monday, a day after the attack. Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer suffered an injury to his arm. His wife, Kimberly Meyer, had a hip injury from the attack. Officers responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a shooting in the residential area about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis to find the couple injured. Police have not released a motive or suspect description. The shooting had other Indiana judges worried for their safety.
A man charged with vandalizing Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home has pleaded not guilty. William D. DeFoor on Tuesday entered pleas to three counts in federal court in Cincinnati. Prosecutors have charged the 26-year-old with damaging government property, engaging in violence in a restricted area, and assaulting federal officers. The charges could lead to significant prison time. The Secret Service reported seeing someone breach the property line and damage security enhancements valued at $28,000. DeFoor's attorney claims the incident is a mental health issue, not politically motivated.
President Donald Trump’s bid to reshape the Federal Reserve board is putting the Supreme Court in a familiar position, weighing an emergency appeal from the president’s lawyers in a politically charged case. The court hears arguments Wednesday over Trump’s effort to oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook based on allegations she committed mortgage fraud, which she denies. No president has fired a Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history. Trump's critics say he wants to take control of U.S. interest rate policy. The Republican president wants interest rates to fall so Americans pay lower borrowing costs for homes and cars. Worries about high costs have soured some voters on Trump's economic management.
Israeli forces have targeted two United Nations facilities as part of their crackdown on the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. On Tuesday, crews bulldozed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's offices in Sheikh Jarrah and fired tear gas at a vocational school in Qalandia. The agency's West Bank director, Roland Friedrich, said this marks the culmination of two years of measures against UNRWA in east Jerusalem. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the demolition enforced a new law banning UNRWA, claiming the agency has ties with militant groups. The U.N. has denied these claims. Israel has long claimed the agency has an anti-Israel bias, often with little evidence.