Trump fails to end New York lawsuit over his charity
Reuters, New York
A New York state judge rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to dismiss a lawsuit in which New York’s attorney general accused him of misusing his namesake foundation to advance his 2016 presidential campaign and his businesses.
The decision issued Friday by Justice Saliann Scarpulla of the state supreme court in Manhattan is a rebuke to the Republican president, whose lawyer had accused Attorney General Barbara Underwood, a Democrat, of “pervasive bias” for suing.
Israel rearrests Palestinian Jerusalem governor
AFP, Jerusalem
Israeli police arrested the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem for the second time in as many months, a spokesman said Sunday, after reports of an investigation related to a land sale.
Adnan Gheith was arrested in east Jerusalem overnight, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement, without providing further details.
Israeli security forces would not comment beyond saying the arrest had to do with money-related issues.
Russia, Ukraine involved in Black Sea naval standoff
Reuters, Moscow
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaking international law on Sunday after Russian border guards tried and failed to stop two Ukrainian armored artillery vessels circumnavigating Crimea en route to a Ukrainian port.
The incident in the Black Sea reflects rising tensions between Moscow and Kiev around the Sea of Azov which both countries have the right to use.
Russia and Ukraine, whose relations remain acutely strained after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine, have accused each other of harassing each other’s shipping in the area.
Romania consecrates giant Orthodox cathedral
AFP, Bucharest
Tens of thousands of worshippers attended the inauguration Sunday of a massive new Orthodox cathedral in Bucharest, amid criticism that public funding for the project could be better used to pay for hospitals and schools in one of the EU’s poorest members.
Construction of the Romanian People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest began in 2010 and is only scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Strong quake shakes Colombian islands
AFP, Bogota
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Colombian-owned islands in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, but authorities said there was no need for a tsunami alert. The quake struck 32 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Mountain, Colombia, at 0340 GMT Sunday, according to the US Geological Service, which monitors quakes worldwide.
Both the Colombian geological service and the USGS said the quake’s epicenter was ten kilometers deep. Colombian officials said that the municipalities of San Andres, Providencia.
