Tram driver Alfred Dorris has appeared in London's Old Bailey court charged with a health and safety failing over a crash on 9 November 2016 in Croydon, south London, which claimed seven lives. The charge accuses Dorris of failing to take reasonable care for the safety of himself and other passengers on board tram 2551, as well as failing to negotiate the tram around a curve at a safe speed. Dorris denies the offence. He is facing five weeks of trial and the case is being prosecuted by the Office of Rail and Road.
Ukrainian anti-graft prosecutors have accused Vsevolod Kniaziev, the supreme court chief justice, of taking bribes worth $2.7m from an oligarch in return for a ruling in the latter’s favour. The judiciary is currently in the midst of a long-term anti-corruption drive, but the arrest of the judge could have far-reaching constitutional implications.
The head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, has been detained amid an investigation into "large-scale corruption," according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Evidence reportedly links a $2.7m bribe investigation involving top judges at the court to billionaire Kostiantyn Zhevago and the Finance and Credit Financial Group. The agencies have not formally identified Kniaziev as being under suspicion but noted that other individuals are still being investigated.
Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Ukraine 116th out of 180 countries evaluated.
Kniaziev was suspended following a no-confidence motion.
A 12-year-old boy has been arrested on a murder warrant in connection with the fatal shooting of a Sonic Drive-In employee on Saturday night in Keene, Texas. The employee, Matthew Davis, 32, was shot multiple times during a fight between Angel Gomez, 20, and an unspecified number of others in the parking lot. The boy was with Gomez and shot Davis using an AR-style rifle after taking the gun from Gomez’s vehicle. Both Gomez and the boy fled the scene but were later arrested on murder warrants.
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios could be fit for the grass-court season, after he missed the 2019 Australian Open and hasn't played a match this season due to a cyst on his left knee. Kyrgios had planned to return to the court at the French Open for the first time since 2017, but is still working his way back to full fitness. It is understood he is expected to take part in the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart from June 12. Last year he had his best season, reaching the Wimbledon final.
Travis Everett McDermott has been charged with manslaughter following a shooting at a nightclub in North Dakota that left one man dead and another injured. Authorities say surveillance cameras captured footage of Greyson Sletto, 32, arguing with McDermott, 40, at the Original Bar & Nightclub in Minot. He pushed McDermott to the ground, prompting him to draw his weapon and shoot Sletto twice. McDermott has also been charged with reckless endangerment-extreme indifference with a dangerous weapon.
Prince Harry has five ongoing lawsuits in the UK, including one against the Home Office over the decision to no longer give him full protective security. In addition to his suit against the Home Office, Harry is suing a number of UK newspapers for unlawful information gathering including Associated Newspapers Ltd, News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers. His total legal bills are already considerable, especially given his wife Meghan only had 90% of her legal costs covered when she won her claim against the Mail on Sunday for breach of privacy and copyright.
The forensic pathologist in the trial of a man accused of murder in Vancouver has said that the victim was killed by strangulation, which had caused blood vessels to burst. Dr. Jason Morin, who conducted the autopsy of the girl, who was 13 years old at the time of her death in July 2017, also revealed to British Columbia Supreme Court that the girl sustained “blunt force” scalp and head injuries before she died. The presence of sperm was found within the victim's body and a lack of blood supply was identified by the autopsy.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for reform of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent future illegal migrant deportations being blocked “arbitrarily” in last-minute injunctions. Sunak met Siofra O’Leary, the court’s president, in Reykjavik to appeal for alterations to the court’s rules to prevent a repeat of the “opaque” rule 39 procedures, which in June 2020 saw a judge block the first deportation flight to Rwanda by the UK government at the eleventh hour. Sunak said that the UK had a record of “leading and being at the heart of these conversations” on ECHR change.
Johnny Depp stars as King Louis XV in the opening gala of Cannes Film Festival. The film, which portrays the story of the 18th-century royal and his scandalous affair with courtesan Jeanne Vaubernier, otherwise known as the Comtesse du Barry, has been criticised as a "stale and draughty" period piece. Although handsomely shot, audiences have complained that the central relationship between Jeanne and Louis never convinces. It's yet to be reported when the film will premiere in the UK.
General Electric, Ikea Supply, and Home Depot have won a battle against the University of California, who requested that a US appeals court block the import of their light bulbs, arguing that the products infringed on its patents. The US International Trade Commission previously ruled that the companies' light bulbs did not include a key part of the university's patented technology. The university accused the companies of violating its patent rights in "filament" LED light bulbs, which last longer than traditional bulbs.
Fox Sports journalist Paul Kent pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting a 33-year-old woman, but faces a further charge of assault. Stood down from his role with NRL 360, Kent, 52, sat in silence in Downing Centre Local Court as his lawyer submitted submissions denying the common assault charge and a further count of intentionally choking a person without consent. The journalist faces a hearing in December. Kent was also stood down from his weekly column for The Daily Telegraph, and his back catalogue of shows on NRL 360 were deleted from Kayo.
Maryland's new raft of gun-control bills includes one that aims to prevent people from carrying concealed firearms in public areas such as schools and hospitals. However, it removes the stipulation that a person must show "good and substantial reason" to carry a concealed weapon outside of the home, which could be challenged under a recent Supreme Court ruling. Maryland's law mirrors legislation passed by the state of New York following the same ruling; the Bruen decision was that the right to carry a gun extends beyond home.
Montana abortion clinics ask judge to block law that bans second-trimester abortion method
The Toronto Star
23-05-16 22:39
Planned Parenthood of Montana has asked a state judge to temporarily block a law that bans the most common abortion method used after 15 weeks of gestation, arguing it is unconstitutional. The organization filed the complaint over the ban of dilation and evacuation abortions just hours after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's office announced he had signed the bill into law. Under the new ban, which took immediate effect, anyone who performs a dilation and evacuation abortion can be charged with a felony that can be punished by five to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
Alaska LNG project clears legal challenge over environmental harms
Reuters
23-05-16 22:22
A US appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by environmental groups challenging the federal approvals needed for the $39bn Alaska LNG project. The case was filed by the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, who claim the scheme, which will move natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope across the state via an 800-mile pipeline, will have an adverse effect on wildlife and the planet's climate. Despite the rejection, the former group's Kristen Monsell said the fight was not over. Construction is yet to begin on the project, which backers say could compete with Russian gas supplies to Asia.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has criticized Donald Trump over his comments that the state's recently approved six-week abortion ban is "too harsh." DeSantis suggested the bill had widespread support among those opposed to abortion and noted that Trump hadn't given his position on the issue. The increased exchanges between DeSantis and Trump come as DeSantis edges closer to making a bid for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. Abortion is already a major issue in the field of Republican presidential candidates.
Former Pakistani leader Imran Khan and supporters will appear in military courts over their alleged links to mob attacks on security personnel, following his recent arrest on corruption charges. The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) had hoped sympathetic judges of the Supreme Court could protect the party, but parliament will seek Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s removal from the top court for alleged pro-Khan bias. Political analysts and diplomats warn of an increasingly polarized situation in Pakistan, with Khan and his supporters set to typically push back using “support in the higher judiciary, social media and the street” while the government will use “the power of the state machinery and its own street protests, backed as of now by the army higher command to counteract the PTI”, according to former ambassador Husain Haqqani. Analyst Mosharraf Zaidi said judges were split down the middle over the political crisis.
A case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to approve a medication used for medical abortions over two decades ago will move to a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The case concerns mifepristone and relates to the FDA's initial approval in 2000, as well as actions to make the drug more accessible. It comes nearly a year after the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling establishing abortion rights. It is expected that the case will reach the Supreme Court, with judges nominated by Donald Trump set to play a significant role.
An appeals court has dismissed Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' bid to avoid imprisonment while she seeks to overturn her blood testing company’s fraud and conspiracy conviction. The company tried to revolutionise blood testing with processes using small blood samples. Holmes has also been told to pay $452m restitution to her victims, shares liability with former business partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, who has already been incarcerated. Holmes attempted a last-minute legal manoeuvre to delay the start of her 11-year sentence. She is to be separated from her family at her current home in San Diego to serve her sentence.
Nebraska has passed a bill that not only restricts gender-affirming healthcare for trans people under the age of 19, but also bans abortion at 10 weeks of pregnancy, alongside a stipulation that the state’s GOP-appointed medical officer will set rules for affirming care. Hundreds of campaigners gathered at the state’s capital, Lincoln, to protest against the combination bill. Whilst a separate amendment in the bill addressing abortions provides no exceptions for pregnancies with fatal fetal anomalies, the gender-affirming care ban has provoked particular concern from campaigners, who point out that more than half of all trans US youth between 13 and 17 could lose access to medically necessary gender-affirming healthcare in their home states. Campaigners argue that anti-abortion measures and legislation targeting LGBT+ people use similar arguments to restrict healthcare access.
