A Georgia man charged with shooting dead eight people in three Atlanta-area spas in March has pleaded guilty to murdering four of the victims. Robert Aaron Long made the plea as part of an agreement with state prosecutors. They have recommended a sentence of four life terms without parole. However, they are seeking the death penalty for Long, 22, if he is convicted on the other four counts. Six of the victims of the attack on 16 March were women of Asian descent. Mr Long has said his attack was not racially motivated.Police say Mr Long shot and killed four people – three women and a man – at Young’s Asian Massage near Woodstock, in Cherokee County. The police say he then drove to Atlanta, in Fulton County, where he shot dead three women at the Gold Spa and another woman at the Aromatherapy Spa. Mr Long pleaded guilty to murdering four people during his court appearance on Tuesday in Canton, Cherokee County.(BBC)…[+]

Prosecutors in Sweden have charged an Iranian with war crimes over the mass execution of prisoners in 1988. The suspect was not named but has been widely identified as Hamid Nouri, 60. In 1988, Iran was at war with Iraq. Iran’s supreme leader ordered the mass execution of prisoners linked to an armed opposition group allied to Iraq. The suspect was working in a prison near the Iranian capital Tehran, prosecutors say. His lawyer told news agencies he denied the charges. Human rights groups have long campaigned for justice over the executions across Iran, in which an estimated 5,000 people were killed. Prosecutors were able to invoke the principle of “universal jurisdiction” for serious crimes to bring the case. The killings have come under renewed focus following Ebrahim Raisi’s election as president of Iran last month.(BBC)…[+]

A police officer who defended the US Capitol during a riot by Donald Trump supporters on 6 January has said he feared he would be crushed by the mob. “This is how I’m going to die,” a tearful Aquilino Gonell told a Congressional committee as an inquiry opened into the Washington DC attack. Another officer, Harry Dunn, who is black, said he was racially abused. At least 535 rioters have been arrested since the attack that left five dead, including one police officer. Prosecutors have so far secured only a few convictions. The assault led to the political impeachment and acquittal of Republican Mr Trump, who was accused by lawmakers of inciting the riot – a claim he has repeatedly denied. The inquiry in the House Select committee is being conducted almost entirely by Democrats, after most Republicans boycotted the proceedings. However, two Republicans – Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – have broken ranks to join the investigation. “If those responsible are not held accountable… this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic,” Ms Cheney said as the hearing began on Tuesday. The nine-member select committee was formed after Republicans objected to an independent commission such as the one that investigated the 11 September 2001 attacks.(BBC)…[+]

At least five policemen in India have died after police from two states fired at each other. The unusual incident happened along the border between Assam and Mizoram states in north-eastern India. Officials from both sides, including chief ministers, have accused each other of provoking violence. The firing incident follows months of simmering tensions over a long-running border dispute between the two states. Assam shares a 164km (about 101 miles) border with Mizoram, and both states contest its demarcation. The two sides have often sparred over it, sometimes violently. But this was the first time police in the states had fired at each other in a direct confrontation. The officers killed in the attack were from Assam. The federal government has been trying to mediate a truce between the states since 1994 but has failed to achieve a breakthrough.(BBC)…[+]

Sri Lankan authorities say the world’s largest star sapphire cluster has been found in a backyard – by accident. A gem trader said the stone was found by workmen digging a well in his home in the gem-rich Ratnapura area. Experts say the stone, which is pale blue in colour, has an estimated value of up to $100 million in the international market. The cluster weighs around 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats and has been named the “Serendipity Sapphire”. “The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen,” Mr Gamage, the owner of the stone, told the BBC. He did not want to give his full name or location for security reasons.(BBC)…[+]