The Daily Populous

Friday June 27th, 2025 evening edition

image for Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with rape, sexual assault and bodily harm

Oslo police on Friday announced charges against Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess, on counts including rape, sexual assault and bodily harm after a months-long investigation of a case that involved a “double-digit” number of alleged victims.

Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.

The Oslo police attorney Andreas Kruszewski said Høiby had been cooperative during police questioning, which was now complete.

Evidence in the case was drawn from sources including text messages, witness testimonies and police searches, the police attorney said.

The charges included one case of rape involving intercourse and two cases of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm, Kruszewksi said at a news conference.

“I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number,” he said.

He remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise. »

AI is ruining houseplant communities online

Authored by theverge.com
image for

This was the first time I came across AI-generated plant content from well-meaning people who earnestly believe it is real, but its proliferation is a growing problem in plant-lover communities online and off.

The offer of pink pastel monstera seeds, a variation of a favorite houseplant that cannot be real because of the species’ lack of pink pigment genes, is a common scam online, with even Google’s AI assistant confirming its existence.

Plant care misinformation regurgitated by AI chatbots and apps is also a common occurrence, according to Ahl. »

Australian man charged with cattle theft after $100,000 load of bull semen found

Authored by theguardian.com

Bull semen worth $100,000 is part of a haul of allegedly stolen wagyu cattle uncovered by police in regional Australia.

A 34-year-old man from Grafton, in northern New South Wales, faces 20 charges including cattle theft and obtaining financial advantage after allegedly stealing more than 100 cattle from his employer.

The 34-year-old is charged with 20 offences including cattle theft, animal cruelty and obtaining financial advantage by deception. »

Putin under pressure to declare war on Ukraine, but experts say Russia isn't ready

Authored by kyivindependent.com
image for

"Putin has protected himself in this war by separating the direct effects of the war from the majority of the Russian population.".

But partial mobilization announced in September 2022 led to the only widespread protests against the war inside Russia, making clear to Putin that announcing anything more would cause him serious political problems.

"Putin has protected himself in this war by separating the direct effects of the war from the majority of the Russian population," Karolina Hird, Russia deputy team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, told the Kyiv Independent. »