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Mase Mahonri Schwalger was appointed as head coach of Manu Samoa in late March. Photo: Lakapi Samoa Mase Mahonri Schwalger has been suspended as Manu Samoa head coach after criminal charges were filed against him. Mase was charged in September with unlawful sexual connection, attempted sexual violation, sexual conduct with a person under 16, indecent assault and common assault. He was released on bail and will appear in court in Samoa on 4 November. The former national rugby team captain, who played professional rugby in New Zealand, was appointed as head coach of Manu Samoa in late March. In a statement released on Friday, Lakapi Samoa said he had been suspended, "effective immediately". "The suspension, resolved by the Board on 30 September 2024, will be reviewed in three months." Mas...

By Kanishka Singh, Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch Residents inspect the damage following Israeli airstrikes on the Mreijeh neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on 4 October, 2024. Photo: AFP Residents inspect the damage following Israeli airstrikes on the Mreijeh neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on 4 October, 2024. An Israeli strike on Friday morning near Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days, Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters. Hamieh said the strike hit inside Lebanese territory near the border crossing, creating a four-metre (12 feet) wide crater. An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) military spokesman had accused Iran-backed Lebanese armed group H...

Erik Menendez (R) and brother Lyle listen to court proceedings during a May 17, 1991 appearance. Photo: Reuters: Lee Celano Los Angeles authorities are reviewing new evidence that could lead to the release or a new trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Beverly Hills brothers convicted of killing their parents three decades ago. The brothers are serving life in prison without parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents. Jose Menendez was shot in the back of the head and Kitty Menendez was shot 15 times. At the time of the murders Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18. At a televised trial that captivated the United States in 1996, the brothers claimed they had been sexually abused by both parents for years and were acting in self-defence. Prosecutors argued the pair were seeking their pare...

Tammie Mance hugs her boss Liesl Steiner (L), whose home was destroyed, after seeing each other for the first time since the storm in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on 3 October, 2024 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Photo: MARIO TAMA / AFP By Ulysse Bellier and Mandel Ngan, AFP More than 210 people are now confirmed dead after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through several US states, officials said, making it the second-deadliest storm to hit the US mainland in more than half a century. US President Joe Biden made his second straight day of visits to the country's southeast on Friday (NZT) to grieve with residents of a region traumatised by a disaster that has upended life for millions. The storm flooded towns and cities, made countless roads impassable, kn...