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The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand convicted over an eruption that killed 22 people are awaiting a ruling on whether they suffered a miscarriage of justice.A judge is considering an appeal from Whakaari Management, which is run by three brothers who own the active volcano Whakaari, also known as White Island. The company was convicted of failing to keep visitors safe following an eruption that killed 22 tourists and local guides in 2019.In March, it was ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines and reparations to the victims of the eruption, who were mostly US and Australian cruise ship passengers on a walking tour.Whakaari Management's case, laid out in a three-day appeal at the High Court in Auckland which ended on Thursday, was that responsibility for the safety of visitor...

North Korea says it will support Russia in its war with Ukraine "until the day of victory" - after the US warned thousands of Pyongyang's troops are set to enter combat in the coming days.North Korea's foreign minister Choe Son Hui hailed Vladimir Putin's "wise leadership" ahead of talks in Moscow on Friday, and insisted that Russia will "achieve a great victory". "We also assure that until the day of victory we will firmly stand alongside our Russian comrades," she added.US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said thousands of North Korean troops are stationed near Ukraine's border and are set to enter combat in the coming days.Mr Blinken said 10,000 soldiers have been deployed to Russia, with up to 8,000 in the Kursk border region, and indicated they would be used on the frontline. He ...

Botswana is set for its first change of governing party in 58 years after president Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat in the general election.Mr Masisi's Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which had held power in the southern African country since independence from Britain in 1966, was in fourth place in the parliamentary elections, after winning three of the 61 seats available. He conceded defeat on Friday morning, before final results were announced, signalling a victory for the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which had taken 25 seats to that point, needing 31 seats to clinch a majority. Image: Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) presidential candidate Duma Boko voting in the capital, Gaborone. Pic: AP Min...