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Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial ends in mistrial after jury fails to reach verdict
Harvey Weinstein's third rape retrial has ended in a mistrial after the jury said it was deadlocked.

A majority-male jury had been weighing whether Weinstein, now 74, raped former aspiring actor Jessica Mann, now aged 40, in 2013 in a New York hotel.

But in a note to Judge Curtis Farber, the jury said it could not reach a unanimous decision.

Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape in the third degree, and he has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

The mistrial comes nearly a year after a different New York jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge tied to Ms Mann's allegations, which she recounted across five days in court.

Weinstein's lawyers ​have argued that Ms Mann made up the rape allegation after regretting that her consensual romance with Weinstein failed to advance her film career.

While Weinstein remains behind bars, the mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials.

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Judge Farber said outside the presence of the jury that it was clear they were "hopelessly deadlocked" and that there was no reason to keep them any longer.

He told lawyers for both sides to return for a hearing in June. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would seek ​to try the case for a fourth time.

Weinstein appeared expressionless as court officers ushered him out in his wheelchair.

In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said his office would "consider our next steps in consultation with Ms Mann".

"Her perseverance and bravery are inspiring to the members of my office, and more importantly, to survivors everywhere," Mr Bragg said.

At his ‌first ⁠trial in New York in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Ms Mann and assaulting onetime production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.

But the state's highest court overturned the conviction and Weinstein's 23-year prison sentence after concluding he did not get a fair trial.

A Manhattan jury then convicted Weinstein of sexually abusing Ms Haley at a trial in June 2025, but found him ​not guilty of assaulting former ​model Kaja Sokola.

The same jury were ⁠deadlocked on the third-degree rape charge relating to Ms Mann, and Justice Curtis Farber declared a mistrial on that count.

That paved the way for this year's retrial.

Weinstein ​was convicted of rape in California in 2022 and is serving ​a 16-year prison sentence. He is appealing that conviction and sentence.

The Miramax studio co-founder will face up to 25 years in prison when he is ​sentenced for abusing Ms Haley.


New Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 65
A new Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 65 deaths recorded so far, according to Africa's top public health body.

The outbreak has been identified in the remote Ituri province, where officials have recorded 246 suspected cases, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Most of the cases and deaths have been reported in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, the agency said on Friday.

Four deaths have so far been confirmed among laboratory-tested Ebola cases, while suspected infections have also been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province near the border with Uganda.

Preliminary laboratory testing detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples analysed.

The Ebola virus spreads through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen, and can cause severe and often fatal illness.

Africa CDC has also raised concerns over the proximity of the outbreak to neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan.

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An emergency meeting involving health officials from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, alongside UN agencies and other international partners, was due to take place on Friday to coordinate the response.

Congo has experienced 17 Ebola outbreaks since the disease was first identified in the country in 1976.

One of the deadliest outbreaks, between 2018 and 2020 in eastern Congo, killed more than 2,000 people.

The country's eastern regions are also facing ongoing violence involving armed groups, including the M23 rebel movement and the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Force, complicating efforts to contain the disease.

Dr Gabriel Nsakala, a public health professor involved in previous Ebola responses in Congo, said the country had extensive experience dealing with outbreaks but warned rapid action would be essential.

"In terms of training, people already know what they can do," he said.

"Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly."


Man charged after Motherwell v Celtic referee’s personal details leaked
A man has been charged after the referee in Motherwell’s controversial defeat to Celtic had his personal details leaked.

The 19-year-old is accused of a data protection offence. Police Scotland said he would appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court "at a later date".

The teenager's arrest and charge comes after the official and his family were placed under "police surveillance", according to the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

On Wednesday, Celtic kept their title hopes alive after they were awarded a late penalty by John Beaton in the 2-3 win. The decision drew widespread criticism.

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Penalising Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson for handball in a stoppage-time VAR review, allowed Celtic to cut the gap on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts to one point.

On Saturday, the two remaining title contenders will play each other in a final-day decider.


Failed asylum seeker who left fake dynamite outside MI5 headquarters jailed
A Brazilian man who planted a fake stick of dynamite outside MI5 headquarters has been jailed.

Julian Valente Pereira, 33, left the mock explosive at the Thames House home of the security service in central London, on New Years day.

A day earlier his asylum claim had been rejected and he was handed a deportation notice to return to Brazil.

On Friday he was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars for the hoax.

Prosecutor Shannon Revel had said he wanted "maximum attention" after a long running battle with the Home Office to stay in the UK.

In CCTV footage, he could be seen stuffing paperwork about his immigration case through the doors of the building, before planting the fake stick of dynamite.

A bomb expert had to be called, who discovered that the device was made from rolled-up A4 paper, brown masking tape, and string.

The incident coincided with a New Year's Day parade taking place in the capital.

In February, after a trial at City of London Magistrates' Court, Pereira was found guilty of placing an article with the intention of inducing another to believe the item was going to explode.

The court heard how he was living in an asylum hotel in Uxbridge, west London, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Giving evidence, Pereira said the device he left outside MI5 would not have been mistaken for an explosive.

Judge Lucraft noted police concerns at the time that the fake dynamite was a "genuine explosive", and that dealing with the incident "diverted them from other things".

Even though officers identified it as a hoax in under an hour, concerns remained the dummy device could have been "a diversionary tactic in preparation for another incident elsewhere", Judge Lucraft said.

Sentencing him at the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said he "may well" be deported.

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He told the defendant: "You are of good character, demonstrating some remorse for what you did, expressing regret and sorrow for your actions that day.

"You accept now that what you did was foolish."


US influencer charged with assault over Tube station incident
An American influencer has been charged with assault after an incident at a London Underground station, police have said.

US national Melissa Rein Lively is charged with assault by beating while German national Philipp Ostermann, 37, is charged with two racially aggravated public order offences and a further public order offence.

The incident occurred at Bond Street Underground station on the evening of 11 October last year, British Transport Police said on Friday.

Rein Lively, 40, is the founder of "anti-woke" PR firm America First PR, according to her Instagram page.

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According to a court list, the charges against Lively and Ostermann relate to two alleged victims.

The first hearing for the case will be at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, police said.


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