UNITED STATES: A criminal court case against former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump over his alleged attempt to cover up involvement with a porn star began with juror selections today.

The case is a first in US history as Mr Trump answers to criminal charges that he handed out hush money to silence stories about his sex life before the 2016 presidential elections.

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AUSTRALIA: A civil court battle over defamation has revealed that political staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins inside Parliament House and told “deliberate lies” to cover it up.

Mr Lehrmann had denied the allegations and was suing Network 10 over a 2021 TV interview with Ms Higgins on the attack. The criminal trial in 2022 over the action was abandoned over concerns for his mental health.

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SOMALIA: A cargo vessel seized by pirates has been freed along with its crew after more than a month of captivity, the European Union maritime security forces said today.

Twenty armed assailants took control of the vessel while it was going from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, to Hamriya in the United Arab Emirates. It was not immediately clear under what circumstances the ship was released.

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CLIMATE: Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in Oman today, killing at least 17 people including schoolchildren. A downpour in Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people in the last three days and 36 people, mostly farmers, have died across Pakistan.

It comes as a rain-induced landslide in Indonesia killed 18 people earlier today and more than 58 people have died in Tanzania due to floods over the past two weeks.