Four of the five Japanese ex-soldiers accused of sexually abusing a colleague in a widely followed case denied the allegations on Wednesday despite a previous apology to the victim, reports said.. In a separate criminal case, three ex-soldiers were charged in March over sexual abuse towards Gonoi.
Shell plans to maintain oil production levels until 2030, the British energy giant said Wednesday, triggering an outcry from green campaigners who also slammed a big payout for shareholders.. "Our target of a reduction in oil production by 2030 has not changed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday rebuffed growing international pressure on Ankara to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid before the Western defence alliance meets in July.. And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg personally discussed the bid with Erdogan in Istanbul earlier this month ahead of an alliance summit in Lithuania in July.
Marvel Comics artist John Romita Snr, primarily known for his work on "The Amazing Spider-Man", has died, his son said Tuesday.. "My father, John Romita passed away peacefully in his sleep this Monday morning," his son, John Romita Jnr, also a comic book artist, wrote on Instagram.
A child was arrested Wednesday after allegedly shooting a teacher at an elementary school in the northeastern Bosnian city of Lukavac, officials and the family of the victim said. . According to the hospital in the nearby city of Tuzla, the victim in the shooting had sustained "gunshot wounds to the neck".
Global oil demand could peak before the end of this decade as the energy crisis has accelerated the transition to cleaner technologies, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.. "The shift to a clean energy economy is picking up pace, with a peak in global oil demand in sight before the end of this decade as electric vehicles, energy efficiency and other technologies advance," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement.
An ally of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced Wednesday to seven and a half years in prison on "extremism" charges as Moscow cracks down on dissent during its military campaign in Ukraine. . Navalny is set to go on trial in a new "extremism" case, and faces at least 30 years in prison. bur/js
Lawmakers in crisis-hit Lebanon on Wednesday failed for a 12th time to elect a new president, with bitter divisions between the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah and its opponents marring the vote.. The vote for the presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's delicate sectarian power-sharing system, pitted the Hezbollah-backed Sleiman Frangieh against financial official Jihad Azour, who has mainly been endorsed by Christian and independent legislators.
Simple, deadly, efficient -- mines are being used in "phenomenal quantities" in Ukraine, including some types that are prohibited under international law, making the country one of the world's biggest minefields.. "From a military point of view, the war in Ukraine marks the great return of mine usage," said Stephane Audrand, a specialist in international risk, saying they are being used in "phenomenal quantities".
Greece's coastguard said 17 migrants died early Wednesday after their boat capsized and sank off the Peloponnese, while around 100 others were rescued.. "Since very early Wednesday, an extensive rescue operation is underway off Pylos, after a fishing boat capsized with a large number of migrants onboard," the coastguard said.
