LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who tried to get into pop star Sabrina Carpenter ‘s home more than a dozen times was ordered by a judge Wednesday to stay away from her for five years.

William Applegate, 31, said at a hearing that he and Carpenter were part of a classified military program that required them to “be together as soon as possible” because it’s essential to “national and global security.”

In one instance last month, Applegate hit a security guard and was arrested after reaching the front door of Carpenter’s home in Los Angeles, she said in a petition. He got there through a neighboring property. He came back in the following days, and the judge issued a temporary restraining order on May 29.

Applegate admitted to all his appearances, saying Carpenter wanted him to be there. However, he said he would be “more than willing” to stay away from her if she told him herself. He said police and her representatives were working against him.

With no attorney, he delivered the message coherently, wearing a suit and sitting at the defense table with a laptop.

Carpenter was ready to testify remotely but was not called to do so.

Her attorney Blair Berk told the judge “she is in fear for her own personal safety and the safety of members of her family.” Berk questioned Applegate only to verify that social media posts about Carpenter were from him.

Applegate said in his filing opposing the restraining order that he was at Carpenter’s Coachella festival performance in April and she had looked at him as she sang in an attempt to communicate with him.

In her petition, Carpenter called him “a complete stranger” who she has never met or communicated with, and never wants to.

Judge David L. Wasserman treated Applegate’s assertions seriously in his questioning and said he appreciated the decorum of everyone in the courtroom.

“I understand that it’s your belief that in order to save the world, you and the petitioner must be together,” the judge said. “I expect you to obey the order, not what you think is right, not what you think the military commands you.”

He ordered Applegate to stay at least 100 yards (meters) from Carpenter and her sister and sister’s partner who live with her, along with many other restrictions. Applegate was also ordered not to attempt to communicate with her in any way and not to possess any firearms.

Applegate remains under a criminal investigation, but court records do not show that charges have been filed.

Carpenter, 27, starred in the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World” as a teen before turning to a music career. She had modest success with her first few studio albums before scoring a breakthrough with 2022’s “Emails I Can’t Send.” With her 2024 album “Short n’ Sweet” and its No. 1 hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” she became a multiple Grammy winner and one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

Finland’s parliament on Wednesday voted to lift a decades-old ban on nuclear weapons, approving a major defense policy shift aimed at aligning the country more closely with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deterrence strategy.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said a strong majority backed the amendment to the Nuclear Energy Act, calling it a “historic reform” that strengthens Finland’s security and that of the alliance.

“The Parliament approved the amendment to the Nuclear Energy Act with a strong 2/3 majority,” Häkkänen said in a post on X. “This historic reform strengthens the security of Finland and of NATO as a whole.

In April 2023, Finland joined NATO in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ending decades of military non-alignment. The move, aimed at securing Finland’s collective defense, roughly doubled NATO’s border with Russia.

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“The overall nuclear weapons policy has been one of the most challenging issues in the Ministry of Defence during this parliamentary term. Years of study, discussions with nuclear-weapon states and other allies, and assessments of how Finland’s security can best be strengthened in NATO,” Häkkänen said.

The measure repeals provisions in Finland’s 1987 Nuclear Energy Act that banned the import, production, possession and detonation of nuclear explosives.

If enacted, the legislation would allow nuclear weapons to be transported, supplied or possessed in Finland where the country’s military defense requires it.

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According to Euro News, 125 deputies backed the government proposal, 61 voted against it and 13 abstained.

The bill now moves to the president for final approval.

“I thank all the Members of Parliament who supported our legislative proposal for their strong backing,” Häkkänen said. “Thank you to the defense administration professionals at home and abroad for their high expertise also in this project.”

Despite the bill passing, the proposal has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers, who warned it could escalate tensions, make Finland a potential primary target, and break from regional norms, noting that several neighboring countries have rejected hosting or permitting nuclear weapons.

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The introduction of the proposed law also provoked a strong reaction from Russia last March, according to Reuters.

“This is a statement that leads to an escalation ​of tensions on the European continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“This statement adds to Finland’s vulnerability, a ​vulnerability provoked by the actions of the Finnish authorities. The fact is that by deploying ⁠nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland is beginning to threaten us. And if Finland threatens us, we take appropriate measures.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

The dispute between US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and the public broadcaster ZDF is causing a major stir across Germany.

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In its coverage of last week’s anti-immigrant riots in Belfast, an edition of “ZDFheute live” said that Musk had called for “a migrant hunt” in his social media posts about Northern Ireland.

On Monday, Musk called ZDF’s characterisation of his words a “terrible lie” and said he was pursuing legal action against the broadcaster, which has since removed the contested passage.

On 9 June, Musk shared a post by British far-right activist Tommy Robinson in which Robinson, following the knife attack by a Sudanese man in Belfast, called for protests.

Musk commented: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

ZDF has since confirmed “that Elon Musk, via a German law firm, demanded a cease-and-desist declaration concerning the opening presentation of the 12 June 2026 edition of ‘ZDFheute live’ entitled ‘Riots in Belfast – How Musk is fuelling the protests.’ ZDF has complied and removed the disputed passage from the introduction. As early as Saturday, ZDF had added a corrective transparency note to the programme.”

The broadcaster added a disclaimer to the online version of the broadcast in question in which it admitted that its words were “imprecise and potentially misleading.”

According to the BBC, the US-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate said social media had played a “key role” in stoking the violence in Belfast.

At the same time, the organisation accused Musk of having amplified “anti-migrant narratives” spread by others and extended their reach to millions of users.

Support from the German right

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came out in support of Musk in the row with ZDF.

Joining in on the debate, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel posted on X saying: “Defamation shouldn’t go without consequences. Don’t let them get away with it.”

Musk has been a vocal supporter of the AfD in recent years and has also backed other far-right parties in Europe.

The row is being further fuelled by editor-in-chief of the right-wing news portal, Julian Reichelt.

The former editor-in-chief of the daily tabloid Bild wrote on X: “Lerchenberg is a fortress of lies. ZDF simply invents the claim that Elon Musk ‘called for a hunt for migrants.’ In fact, Musk wrote on X: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!” How much longer are we going to accept that this state forces us to pay for the propaganda lies it tells us? And how can it be that at ZDF heute there is constant lying, deception and manipulation with words and AI, without any personal consequences?’”

In his statement in support of Musk, Reichelt also mentioned Germany’s public broadcasting licence fees, whose abolition the AfD has made one of its flagship policy points.

Additional sources • AFP