appeal

Paris appeals court to rule July 7 in Marine Le Pen fraud case that could reshape 2027 race A Paris appeals court will deliver its ruling on July 7 in a fraud case against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a decision poised to set the course of France’s next presidential contest. The lower court last year imposed a five-year ban from public office on Le Pen, 57, over a fake jobs scheme at the European Parliament. If the appeals court upholds that verdict, the three-time presidential candidate would be barred from running in…

London — Prosecutors have launched a High Court appeal to revive a terrorism-related case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, arguing that a chief magistrate erred in ruling the proceedings were “instituted unlawfully.” Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed terror organization Hezbollah during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November 2024. The case was thrown out on technical grounds in September last year by chief magistrate Paul…

Pope Leo XIV is expected to renew his calls for peace on Monday as he delivers his first Christmas blessing from St. Peter’s Basilica, closing a year overshadowed by war but punctuated by fragile hopes for a truce in Gaza. The “Urbi et Orbi” message, scheduled for 11 a.m. Irish time, traditionally surveys global conflicts and urges reconciliation. The pontiff’s appeal for a one-day worldwide cease-fire went unheeded in Ukraine, where fighting continued. On Christmas Eve, Leo celebrated his first Christmas Mass, calling the…

Somalia, AU and UN issue urgent donor appeal to sustain Somali Security Forces support MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for new donor contributions to keep critical support flowing to Somali Security Forces. The call came during a Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund event in Mogadishu attended by Somalia’s National Security Advisor, the U.N.…

Africa’s quiet emergency: rising suicide rates meet a shrinking safety net When Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah told Parliament this year that 542 people had died by suicide between 2023 and 2024, she broke a painful public silence. Her warning — that Namibia now has the highest suicide rate in Africa — landed alongside a stark global tally from the World Health Organization: more than 720,000 people die by suicide each year, and suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for 15- to 29‑year‑olds, most…

**Mogadishu (AX) — An urgent situation unfolds in Saudi Arabia, where around 50 Somali citizens face capital punishment for alleged drug smuggling. Family members and Somali authorities are fervently seeking clemency, arguing for a reduction of sentences from the grim reality of execution to imprisonment. These individuals, mostly young, initially ventured to Saudi Arabia in search of employment opportunities. They were either coerced or misled into participating in drug trafficking across the Saudi border. Now, with the…

Former nurse Lucy Letby, now a convicted murderer, has faced a setback in her attempt to overturn her conviction for the attempted murder of a baby girl. In a recent session at the British Court of Appeal, her legal team sought permission to challenge the verdict from a retrial held in July, where she was found guilty of attempting to take the life of an infant known only as Child K. Letby's attorneys argued that the charge of attempted murder should have been halted, describing it as an "abuse of process." They claimed…

NAIROBI, Kenya (AX) — Hashi Energy, a key player in the petroleum industry, hit a wall attempting to shake off a Sh7 billion ($54 million) tax demand from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). This tax debacle only adds to the company’s economic woes as liquidation looms large.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is poised to take the spotlight at the United Nations, intent on galvanizing ongoing global backing just as the U.S. elections loom on the horizon. These elections might significantly alter the dynamics of support from his primary ally. Reflecting on his previous appearance, Zelensky delivered a poignant address at last year's UN General Assembly, urging a consolidated international front against Russia following its invasion. His impassioned plea reverberated through the hall,…

Moroccan journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi was sentenced on appeal to six years in prison for espionage and rape. Radi, a 35-year-old freelance journalist known as a vocal critic of the…