denies

OSLO — Marius Borg Hoiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, admitted in court to a yearslong life of excess fueled by “an extreme need for recognition” but denied raping a woman at the royal family’s Skaugum estate in 2018. He is on trial in Oslo District Court for 38 alleged offenses, including four rapes and multiple assaults against former partners. He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges and faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. Breaking down in tears as he addressed the…

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…

Iran signals no talks with U.S. under threat as Trump touts new ‘armada’ toward Gulf Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran has not sought or held contact with Washington’s special envoy in recent days, rejecting fresh talk of backchannel diplomacy as the United States moves additional forces toward the region and President Donald Trump presses for a deal. Abbas Araqchi, speaking to state media on Wednesday, said there had been “no contact” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and “no request for negotiations” from Tehran. He…

Tuesday January 27, 2026 DAVOS, Switzerland — Eric Trump has denied holding talks or discussing port investments with North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi after reports and a widely shared photo suggested the pair met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. A spokesperson for Trump said Abdullahi attended a dinner reception where the U.S. president’s son was present, but emphasized there was no private meeting. “At no point did Eric Trump ever have a meeting with the North…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government on Thursday denied a U.S. allegation that authorities in Mogadishu destroyed an American-funded World Food Program warehouse and seized food aid, as Washington suspended assistance to the federal government over concerns about possible diversion of relief supplies. The State Department said Wednesday it had halted all U.S. assistance to Somalia’s federal government, citing “a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft and diversion of life-saving assistance.” The move immediately…

U.S. strikes rock Caracas as Trump claims capture of Maduro; Venezuela declares state of emergency Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States launched a large-scale military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, shaking the capital with explosions as President Donald Trump claimed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of the country. The assertion was immediately denied by Venezuelan authorities and could not be independently verified. Here’s what we…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — North Western State of Somalia on Thursday denied that it had agreed to resettle Palestinians from Gaza or host Israeli military bases in exchange for recognition from Israel, rejecting the claims as false and politically motivated. In a statement posted on X, North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “firmly rejects false claims made by the President of Somalia alleging the resettlement of Palestinians or the establishment of military bases in North…

Ukraine denies involvement in alleged drone attack on Putin residence as Kremlin lashes out, says incident will harden stance in peace talks Ukraine said there is no plausible evidence it launched a drone attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s residences, accusing Moscow of fabricating the claim to manipulate an emerging peace process, as the Kremlin warned the alleged incident would toughen Russia’s position in negotiations. “Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of…

U.S. bars visas for ex-EU tech regulator Thierry Breton, four NGO leaders, escalating rift over online speech rules The U.S. State Department said it will deny visas to former European Union commissioner Thierry Breton and four prominent figures in the digital-speech arena, accusing them of trying to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. “These radical activists and weaponised NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states — in each case targeting American speakers and…

Somalia rejects Israeli claim of contacts, says no ties with Israel Saturday December 13, 2025 MOGADISHU (AX) — Somalia’s government has forcefully denied having any ties or communications with Israel, rebutting a public assertion by an Israeli official that the two sides have been in contact. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar, widely known as Ali Balcad, said Thursday there is “no truth” to the suggestion that Israel and Somalia maintain channels of communication. His remarks followed comments by Israeli…