While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 31
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Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the press after being convicted in his hush money criminal trial.
PHOTO: AFP
Jury finds Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Donald Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime on May 30 when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
After deliberations over two days, the 12-member jury announced it had found Trump guilty on all 34 counts he faced. Unanimity was required for any verdict.
Trump watched the jurors dispassionately as they were polled to confirm the guilty verdict.
Justice Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, days before the July 15 start of the Republican National Convention expected to formally nominate Trump for president.
Biden secretly gave Ukraine permission to strike Russia: Report
REUTERS
US President Joe Biden has secretly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia - solely near the area of Kharkiv - with American weapons, Politico reported on May 30, citing a US official and two other people familiar with the plan.
“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them,” Politico reported, citing a US official who added that the policy of allowing long-range strikes inside Russia “has not changed.”
Politico’s story did not say when Mr Biden gave the permission.
Hamas says it is ready for a ‘complete agreement’
REUTERS
Hamas said on May 30 it had told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during ongoing aggression but was ready for a “complete agreement”, including an exchange of hostages and prisoners, if Israel stopped the war.
Talks, mediated by among others Egypt and Qatar, to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist movement in the Gaza war have repeatedly stalled with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.
The latest Hamas statement came as Israel pressed on with an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top UN court, to halt the attacks.
British extreme kayaker found dead in Swiss lake
The body of British extreme kayaker Bren Orton, missing since May 16, was found in southern Switzerland in Lake Maggiore on May 30, Swiss police said. He was 29.
Orton amassed nearly 60,000 followers on Instagram, documenting his adventures.
His kayak manufacturer Pyranha had announced Orton had gone missing in Switzerland’s southern Ticino canton on May 16.
Delight as Jakob Ingebrigtsen takes a dive to win 1500m
Jakob Ingebrigtsen ensured a raucous end to a thrilling Diamond League meeting in front of his home fans in Oslo by hurling himself over the line to snatch victory in the men’s 1500m.
A more dramatic finish to the thrilling schedule could not have been better scripted on a night of shocks that saw five other reigning Olympic champions – including Ingebrigtsen’s Norwegian teammate Karsten Warholm – upstaged.
For Ingebrigtsen, beaten over a mile last week by world 1500m champion Josh Kerr, the victory was the perfect tonic with the Paris Olympics now just two months away.
