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OSLO — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape and domestic violence but admitted to lesser offenses Monday as his closely watched trial opened in the capital, laying bare the most serious crisis to face the country’s royal family in peacetime. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, faces 38 counts in total and could receive multiple years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He does not hold a royal title and is outside the line…

OSLO — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape and domestic violence as his trial opened in Oslo, a case that has jolted an already embattled royal family and stirred debate over the future of the monarchy. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, faces 38 counts and could receive multiple years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He entered not-guilty pleas to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. Under Norwegian…

Russia launched its most powerful barrage of the year against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, Ukrainian officials said, knocking out heating for hundreds of thousands as temperatures plunged below minus 20 C and ahead of a new round of talks aimed at halting the four-year war. The strikes hit as an arctic cold snap gripped the country and damaged the base of Kyiv’s iconic Soviet-era Motherland monument, adding a symbolic wound to widespread utility outages. “Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to…

Spain will move to ban social media for under-16s and force platforms to adopt robust age checks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced, positioning the country among a growing number of governments tightening rules to protect minors online from pornography, violence and manipulation. "Spain will ban access to social media for minors under the age of 16. Platforms will be required to implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work," Mr Sanchez told a summit in Dubai. Framing…

Peter Mandelson will step down from the House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive government information to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to threaten swift legislation to strip the former Cabinet minister of his title. The Cabinet Office said it handed material to police after an initial review of documents released as part of the Epstein files found they contained “likely market-sensitive information” and that official handling…

Epstein files trigger global fallout as royals, diplomats and Olympic chief face scrutiny The release by U.S. authorities of a new cache of files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has set off a wave of repercussions across Europe and the United States, drawing in royals, senior diplomats, a top Olympic organizer and prominent political figures. None of the individuals named has been accused of wrongdoing. In Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears at least 1,000 times in the newly released…

QUINDALUP, Australia — A 13-year-old boy swam for four hours through rising swells off Western Australia to raise the alarm for his family, a feat rescuers called “superhuman” after his mother and two younger siblings were found alive offshore. The ordeal unfolded Friday afternoon near the tourist town of Quindalup, where a family outing in kayaks and on paddleboards turned into a fight for survival. The boy, identified by local media as Austin Appelbee, set out with his mother and two siblings when the wind and waves built…

Tallinn’s Slava Ukrainia restaurant was meant as a refuge for people displaced by the war next door. One winter morning, it became a crime scene. CCTV captured two men outside: one filming, the other setting the blaze that would gut the Ukrainian-themed eatery. Within weeks, a cross-border investigation had tracked the suspects — Moldovan nationals — to Italy. By summer, an Estonian court had convicted one of arson in the interests of a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors said he worked for Russia’s military…

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken over his artificial intelligence company xAI in a merger aimed at deploying space-based data centers, fusing the rocket maker’s launch capabilities with xAI’s AI systems to meet surging demand for computing power. In an announcement, Musk called the combined effort “the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth,” positioning the deal as a response to strains emerging in Big Tech’s breakneck AI buildout. The plan centers on a new constellation of satellites…

Trump announces U.S.-India trade deal slashing tariffs to 18%, tied to cuts in Russian oil purchases President Donald Trump said he has agreed to a trade deal with India that will cut U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, in exchange for New Delhi lowering trade barriers, curbing purchases of Russian oil and increasing energy buys from the United States — and potentially Venezuela. In a social media post after a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said the United States would reduce its “reciprocal”…