London jury acquits Kevin Spacey of sexual assault charges

LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey charmed the jury in his sexual assault trial with humor, humility and emotion as he dropped names of fellow stars and stories from his once-celebrated career while his lawyer called his accusers liars and said the Oscar winner was the real victim. Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault Wednesday after his star turn as a witness in his own defense spared him a possible prison term and gave him a shot at a career comeback.

Japan records steepest population decline; number of foreign residents hits new high

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s population declined in all of its 47 prefectures for the first time in a record drop, while its number of foreign residents hit a new high, reaching almost 3 million people, according to government data released Wednesday, highlighting the increasing role that non-Japanese people play in the shrinking and aging country. The population of Japanese nationals fell by about 800,000 people, or 0.65%, to 122.4 million in 2022 from the previous year, falling for a 14th straight year, according to data from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry based on residency registrations as of Jan. 1 this year. Japan’s total population was 125.41 million, down just over half a million people from a year earlier, and there was a 10.7% jump in foreign residents with addresses registered in Japan, the ministry said.

Cambodia’s Hun Sen, Asia’s longest serving leader, says he’ll step down

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he will step down in August and hand the position to his oldest son, though Asia’s longest-serving leader is expected to continue to wield significant power. The widely anticipated move comes after the autocratic Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party secured a landslide victory on Sunday in elections that Western countries and rights organizations criticized as neither free nor fair, partially because the country’s main opposition was barred from competing.

British man who served 17 years in prison for rape has conviction quashed

LONDON (AP) — A British man who served 17 years for rape had his conviction quashed Wednesday by the country’s Court of Appeal after recently obtained DNA evidence linked another suspect to the crime. Andrew Malkinson, 57, was found guilty of the brutal 2003 attack on a 33-year-old woman in Greater Manchester who had picked him out from a police line-up. At the time of his trial, there was no DNA evidence linking Malkinson to the crime..