Far-right Danish-Swedish politician on trial for Qur’an burnings in Sweden

Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan holds up a copy of the Qur’an as he speaks in front of a mosque in Copenhagen. (AFP/File Photo)
Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan holds up a copy of the Qur’an as he speaks in front of a mosque in Copenhagen. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 14 October 2024
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Far-right Danish-Swedish politician on trial for Qur’an burnings in Sweden

Far-right Danish-Swedish politician on trial for Qur’an burnings in Sweden
  • Paludan, leader of the Danish Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, is the first individual to stand trial in Sweden in connection with Qur’an burnings

LONDON: Rasmus Paludan, a far-right Danish-Swedish politician known for burning copies of the Qur’an, went on trial in Sweden on Monday facing charges of incitement against an ethnic group.

Paludan, leader of the Danish Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, is the first individual to stand trial in Sweden in connection with Qur’an burnings.

He faces two charges of incitement against an ethnic group and one charge of insult, stemming from public gatherings held in Sweden in 2022 and 2023.

During an event in April 2022, Paludan made statements that allegedly incited violence against ethnic groups, leading to riots in several cities, including Malmo, where about 20 percent of the population identifies as Muslim.

In a separate incident in September 2022, he was accused of verbally attacking “Arabs and Africans,” resulting in the insult charge, which can carry a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment.

And in January 2023, he was involved with Qur’an burnings outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, which sparked diplomatic tensions between Sweden and Muslim-majority countries. The furore delayed Sweden’s bid for NATO membership, political commentators said.

Paludan has denied all charges.

He appeared via video link at Monday’s hearing from an undisclosed location, saying he feared for his safety if attending the Malmo district court in person.

Law professor Vilhelm Persson from Lund University highlighted the significance of the trial as the first related to Qur’an burnings, though he noted that a ruling from the Swedish supreme court would be necessary to establish legal precedent, The Guardian newspaper reported.


Sanction on Harvard’s foreign students strikes at the heart of the university’s global allure

Sanction on Harvard’s foreign students strikes at the heart of the university’s global allure
Updated 17 sec ago
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Sanction on Harvard’s foreign students strikes at the heart of the university’s global allure

Sanction on Harvard’s foreign students strikes at the heart of the university’s global allure
  • Students say their hopes and dreams are at stake

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.: For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement, offering a spot among the elite at a campus that produces Nobel Prize winners, captains of industry and global leaders.
That allure is now in jeopardy. In its intensifying fight with the White House, Harvard was dealt its heaviest blow yet on Thursday, when the government blocked the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. The move threatens to undermine Harvard’s stature, its revenue and its appeal among top scholars around the world.
Even more than the government’s $2.6 billion in research cuts, the administration’s action represents an existential threat for Harvard. The school summed it up in a lawsuit seeking to block the action: “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Within hours of the decision, the consequences started becoming clear. Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth, who just finished her first year in a Harvard graduate program, is waiting to find out if she can return next year, the royal palace said. The Chinese government publicly questioned whether Harvard’s international standing will endure.
“The relevant actions by the US side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing in Beijing.
A federal judge on Friday blocked the administration’s decision as the lawsuit plays out, but the order is only temporary.
Students say their hopes and dreams are at stake
On the Harvard campus, international students said they were stunned, confused and deeply concerned about what the revocation means for their degrees, their future plans and their legal status in the United States.
Walid Akef, a Harvard graduate student in art history from Egypt, said the Trump administration action would cost him “dreams, hopes and 20 years of my life.”
“Coming to Harvard, I’m not exaggerating. I planned for it for 15 years,” Akef said. He earned two master’s degrees and learned multiple languages before arriving at the university. He also worries what the changes will mean for his family, since his wife is pregnant and will soon be unable to travel.
“So this is absolutely disastrous. I’m going to lose not just stability, but I also lose my dreams and then lose, I don’t know, my beautiful life.”
Akef is cautiously optimistic that Harvard “will take care of this,” but he is also considering other options as US policy becomes increasingly inhospitable to foreign students.
A graduating law student from Asia said he had planned to stay in the United States and find work, “but not anymore.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do, but my future doesn’t appear to be here,” said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
Changes could erase a quarter of the student body
With a $53 billion endowment, Harvard has the means to weather federal funding losses that would cripple other institutions. But this new sanction strikes at the heart of its campus.
Already, the change is causing disarray, as thousands of students consider whether to transfer elsewhere or risk being in the country illegally. It could wipe out a quarter of the university’s total student body, while halving some of its graduate schools and threatening students who work as lab researchers and teaching assistants. Some sports teams would be left nearly empty.
For many, it has been a time of panicked calls home and huddles with fellow international students. For Kat, a data science math student from China, the news comes as she prepares to graduate from Harvard next week.
“My biggest fear is whether I would get deported immediately, because we’re not sure about our status,” said Kat, who spoke on the condition that she be identified only by her first name out of concern about retaliation.
If the government’s action stands, Harvard would be banned from admitting new international students for at least two school years. Even if it regains its place as a global magnet, top students may shy away for fear of future government reprisals, the school said in its lawsuit.
The university enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston. India and China send more students to the US than any other countries.
Asked if he was considering restrictions on other universities, President Donald Trump said, “We’re taking a look at a lot of things.”
“Harvard’s going to have to change its ways. So are some others,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office. He added, “We don’t want troublemakers here.”
A time to weigh other opportunities
In its court filing, Harvard listed some of its most notable alumni who enrolled as foreign students. The list includes Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia; Empress Masako of Japan; and many leaders of major corporations.
While foreigners set to graduate from Harvard next week can still do so, the remaining current students and those bound for the university in the fall were weighing other opportunities. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for one, said Friday that it would welcome international students already at Harvard and those who have been admitted.
“It feels like my world has exploded,” said Fang, a Chinese student who was accepted to Harvard for a master’s program. She also spoke on the condition that only her first name be used out of fear that she could be targeted.
Her student visa to the US was approved the day before the latest Harvard news broke. “If America becomes a country that doesn’t welcome me, I don’t want to go there.”
The action has dominated news in countries around the world, said Mike Henniger, president and CEO of Illume Student Advisory Services, a company that works with colleges in the US, Canada and Europe to recruit international students. He is currently traveling in Japan and awoke to the news Friday with dozens of emails from colleagues.
The reactions from the international community, he said, were incredulous: “’Unbelievable!’ ‘Oh My God!’ ‘Unreal!’“
For incoming freshmen who just got accepted to Harvard — and already committed — the timing could not be worse, but they are such strong students that any top university in the world would want to offer them a spot, he said.
“I think the bigger story is the students around the country that aren’t a Harvard student, the students that scraped by to get into a state university and are thinking: ‘Are we next?’” he said. “The Harvard kids are going to be OK. It’s more about the damage to the American education brand. The view of the US being a less welcoming place for international students.”

 


UN refugee agency fears more than 400 fleeing Rohingya died this month in separate boat incidents

UN refugee agency fears more than 400 fleeing Rohingya died this month in separate boat incidents
Updated 27 min 52 sec ago
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UN refugee agency fears more than 400 fleeing Rohingya died this month in separate boat incidents

UN refugee agency fears more than 400 fleeing Rohingya died this month in separate boat incidents
  • UNHCR said it has collected reports from family members and others of two separate boat tragedies off the coast of Myanmar
  • About 1 million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are in camps in Bangladesh after leaving Myanmar

GENEVA: The UN refugee agency said Friday it fears that 427 Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and a refugee camp in Bangladesh may have died at sea this month.
UNHCR said it has collected reports from family members and others of two separate boat tragedies off the coast of Myanmar in May. It acknowledged that details remained unclear but that enough information has been collected and verified to bring the incidents to light publicly.
About 1 million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are in camps in Bangladesh after leaving Myanmar. They include about 740,000 who fled a brutal “clearance campaign” in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.
A first boat that left from a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and traveled to Rakhine State in neighboring Myanmar to pick up more people sank on May 9, with only 66 survivors among a total of 267 people on board, UNHCR said.
The Geneva-based agency said reports indicated a second boat with 247 people on board that made a similar journey capsized a day later, with only 21 survivors.
“Reports have been coming in and it has been very hard to confirm what has happened, but the fear is that this number of people may have lost their lives at sea in the region,” said UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch.
“Before these two tragedies, some 30 Rohingya were reported to have died or gone missing in boat journeys in 2025,” he said. “So if confirmed, this is a huge jump.”
Thousands of Rohingya each year attempt to cross the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, and often the fates of those who have gone missing go unexplained. Even when officials knew the boats’ locations, maritime authorities to rescue some of them have gone ignored, UNHCR has said.
A total of 657 people died or went missing in the regional waters in more than 150 boat journeys by fleeing Rohingya last year, UNHCR said.
The recent monsoon season brought perilous maritime conditions including strong winds, rain and rough seas, UNHCR said, adding that it was investigating reports about the fate of a third boat carrying 188 Rohingya that left Myanmar on May 14.
Many Rohingya have fled by sea to Indonesia, which has reported an increase in the number of Rohingya refugees in recent months.


Trump’s latest tariff threats knock Wall Street, European stocks and Apple lower

Trump’s latest tariff threats knock Wall Street, European stocks and Apple lower
Updated 45 min 40 sec ago
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Trump’s latest tariff threats knock Wall Street, European stocks and Apple lower

Trump’s latest tariff threats knock Wall Street, European stocks and Apple lower
  • Trump threatened to impose 50 percent tariffs on the European Union, saying that trade talks “were going nowhere”
  • Apple dropped 3 percent after Trump warned a tariff “of at least 25 percent” if the company does not move production to the US

NEW YORK: US stocks fell Friday after President Donald Trump threatened 50 percent tariffs on the European Union that could begin in a little more than a week.
The S&P 500 lost 0.7 percent to close out its worst week in the last seven. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 256 points, or 0.6 percent, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1 percent.
Trump threatened the tariffs before the US stock market opened, saying on his Truth Social platform that trade talks with the European Union “were going nowhere” and that “straight 50 percent” tariffs could go into effect on June 1. The European Union is one of the United States’ largest trading partners.
Stocks fell immediately afterward in Europe, with France’s CAC 40 index losing 1.7 percent. The US market also took a quick turn lower, and futures for US stock indexes tumbled after earlier suggesting only modest moves at the open of trading.
The S&P 500 lost as much as 1.3 percent shortly after trading began, but it pared its loss as traders weighed whether Trump’s latest threats were just negotiating tactics aimed in hopes of getting a deal or something more.
Apple dropped 3 percent and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after Trump went after the company specifically. He said he’s been pushing Apple CEO Tim Cook to move production of iPhones to the United States, and he warned a tariff “of at least 25 percent must be paid by Apple to the US” if it doesn’t.
Trump later clarified his post to say that all smart phones made abroad would be taxed and the tariffs could be coming as soon as the end of June.
“It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product,” Trump said. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.”
Trump has been criticizing companies individually when he’s frustrated with how they’re acting because of his tariffs and because of the uncertainty his trade war has created. He earlier told Walmart it should “eat the tariffs,” along with China, after the retailer said it would likely have to raise prices to cover the increased cost of imports.
Deckers Outdoor, the company behind the Hoka and Uggs brands, became one of the latest companies to say all the uncertainty around the economy means it won’t offer financial forecasts for the full upcoming year. Instead, it gave forecasts only for the upcoming quarter, and they fell short of analysts’ expectations for revenue and profit.
That sent its stock down 19.9 percent, even though the company reported a stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected.
Ross Stores fell 9.8 percent after it pulled its financial forecasts for the full year, citing how more than half the goods it sells originate in China. “As such, we expect pressure on our profitability if tariffs remain at elevated levels,” CEO Jim Conroy said.
The off-price retailer gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that included a hit taken from tariffs, and it fell short of analysts’ expectations. That dragged its stock down even though the company also reported a better profit for the latest quarter than expected.
On the winning side of Wall Street was Intuit, which rose 8.1 percent after the company behind TurboTax and Credit Karma reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Perhaps more importantly, Intuit also raised its forecasts for revenue and profit over its full fiscal year.
Stocks in the nuclear industry also rallied after Trump signed executive orders to speed up nuclear licensing decisions, among other measures meant to charge up the industry. Oklo, which is developing fast fission power plants, jumped 23 percent.
All told, the S&P 500 fell 39.19 points to 5,802.82. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 256.02 to 41,603.07, and the Nasdaq composite sank 188.53 to 18,737.21.
Trump’s latest tariff threats stirred up Wall Street after it had recovered most of the losses it had earlier taken because of the trade war. The S&P 500 dropped roughly 20 percent below its record at one point last month, when worries were at their height about whether Trump’s stiff tariffs would cause a global recession. The index then climbed back within 3 percent of its all-time high after Trump paused his tariffs on many countries, most notably China.
In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after swinging back and forth a few times. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.51 percent from 4.54 percent late Thursday.
It had been running higher earlier in the week, in part on worries about how Washington’s efforts to cut taxes could add trillions of dollars to the US government’s debt.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Asia, where markets closed before Trump issued his latest tariff threats. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.5 percent, while stocks fell 0.9 percent in Shanghai.
 


Kardashian ‘grateful’ after Paris robbers convicted

Kardashian ‘grateful’ after Paris robbers convicted
Updated 23 May 2025
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Kardashian ‘grateful’ after Paris robbers convicted

Kardashian ‘grateful’ after Paris robbers convicted
  • Kardashian described the heist as the most terrifying experience of her life
  • Gang of robbers convicted for stealing $10 million in jewelry from the reality TV star

PARIS: A French court on Friday convicted a gang of robbers who stole $10 million in jewelry from reality TV star Kim Kardashian in a Paris hotel in 2016, although they will not return to jail and the verdicts were more lenient than requested by the prosecution.
Describing the heist as “the most terrifying experience of my life,” Kardashian swiftly expressed her gratitude to the French authorities for pursuing “justice” in the case.
Nine men and one woman have been on trial since April and prosecutors sought the toughest jail terms — 10 years — for the four men accused of carrying out the robbery.
Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, the ringleader, was handed the heaviest sentence of three years in prison plus five years suspended, but due to time served in jail will not return to detention, like all the others convicted.
Two other suspects accused of handing information about the American superstar’s whereabouts were acquitted. All the sentences were substantially lower than the terms demanded by the prosecution.
Kardashian, then 35, was robbed while staying at an exclusive hotel in the French capital on the night of October 2-3, 2016.
She was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up, with her mouth taped.
Kardashian said after the verdict she she was “deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice.”
“The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family,” she said in a statement sent by her lawyers.
“While I’ll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all,” she added.
After the hearing adjourned, the convicted men embraced their loved ones in relief and slowly left the courtroom, taking with them the bags and suitcases they had prepared in case of imprisonment.
“The sentences are quite lenient; I understand that you understand that you have caused harm,” presiding judge David De Pas told them as he read out the verdicts.
He also said “the state of health of the main protagonists ethically prohibits incarcerating anyone. It would have been unjust to take you to prison this evening.”
Aomar Ait Khedache had begged to be forgiven in his final statement ahead of sentencing.
Khedache is now virtually mute and completely deaf, and his statement was read out by his lawyer.
“I ask for forgiveness. I can’t find the words. I am very sorry,” he wrote, asking for “a thousand pardons” from his son Harminy, who was convicted for acting as a driver on the night of the heist.
Two other men convicted of carrying out the robbery on the night, Yunice Abbas, 71, and Didier Dubreucq, 69, were sentenced to seven years jail including five suspended. Dubreucq was absent as he is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
The fourth member of the robbery gang, Marc-Alexandre Boyer, at 35 the only youngster, was given the same sentence.
Kardashian’s lawyers said in a statement that the star “looks forward to putting this tragic episode behind her, as she continues working to improve the criminal justice system on behalf of victims, the innocent, and the incarcerated seeking to redeem themselves.”
Most of the stolen valuables were never recovered, including a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West.
The ring alone was valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million).
The robbery was the biggest against a private individual in France in 20 years.
Most of the accused are now in their 60s and 70s and have been dubbed the “Grandpa robbers” by French media.
But making the sentencing demands earlier this week, the prosecutor urged the judges and jury to remember that Kardashian was targeted by a violent attack and not to be taken in by the “wrinkles” of the defendants.
The American star testified at the trial, wearing a diamond necklace valued at $3 million, according to its New York-based creator Samer Halimeh.
During the trial, Kardashian told the court she forgave Khedache after hearing a letter of apology from him.
“I forgive you for what has taken place but it does not change the emotion, the feelings, the trauma and the way my life changed,” she told Khedache, adding that she believed in a “second chance.”
Kardashian, sometimes described as “famous for being famous,” became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in films.


France’s Deneuve joins over 900 cinema figures on Gaza petition

France’s Deneuve joins over 900 cinema figures on Gaza petition
Updated 23 May 2025
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France’s Deneuve joins over 900 cinema figures on Gaza petition

France’s Deneuve joins over 900 cinema figures on Gaza petition

CANNES: France’s Catherine Deneuve has joined over 900 cinema figures who have signed an open letter denouncing alleged “genocide” in Gaza and the movie industry’s failure to speak up about it, organizers said on Friday.
The petition began circulating during the buildup to the Cannes film festival and had garnered around 380 names, including “Schindler’s List” star Ralph Fiennes, when the event kicked off on May 13.
An update by organizers on Friday included more than 900 names, including Deneuve, British director Danny Boyle, and Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgard.
The initiative, called “Artists for Fatem,” was sparked by the killing of Palestinian photojournalist Fatima (“Fatem“) Hassouna, who was the subject of a documentary that premiered at Cannes week.
Hassouna, 25, was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with 10 relatives in her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.
“As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard,” the open letter says.
Other signatories include Juliette Binoche, who is chairing the jury at Cannes, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, US indie director Jim Jarmusch, “Lupin” star Omar Sy, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Pedro Almodovar, and
Mark Ruffalo.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is in Cannes to promote a documentary about his life, has also signed the letter, organizers said Friday.
He posed for photographers on Tuesday with a T-shirt bearing the names of killed Gaza children.
On Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 3,613 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,762, mostly civilians.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack triggered the war.