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France's culture minister to be tried on corruption charges

France's culture minister to be tried on corruption charges

Arab News3 days ago
'We will appeal this decision today,' Dati's lawyers, Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo, saidDati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, was defiant in comments made Monday ahead of the decisionPARIS: France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati is to go on trial accused of corruption and abuse of power while she was a European Parliament member, a judicial source told AFP on Tuesday.Dati, a high-profile minister who holds ambitions to become Paris mayor next year, was placed under investigation in 2019 on suspicion she lobbied for the Renault-Nissan car group while at the European Union institution.Dati, 59, denies the allegations. She did not respond to an AFP request for comment.'We will appeal this decision today,' Dati's lawyers, Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo, told AFP.Dati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, was defiant in comments made Monday ahead of the decision.'I will lead you to victory. Some people are trying to attack me over my private life, over many aspects that are collateral to my candidacy,' said Dati, who is mayor of the French capital's 7th district that is home to most French ministries, the country's parliament and many foreign embassies.'I am not afraid of anything or anyone.'Dati, who was justice minister under right-wing leader Nicolas Sarkozy from 2007 to 2009, will remain in the government, said an associate of President Emmanuel Macron.'The president has taken note of the decision to refer Rachida Dati to the criminal court. As a referral is not a conviction, she will continue her work,' said the associate on condition of anonymity.Dati is accused of accepting 900,000 euros ($1 million) in lawyer's fees between 2010 and 2012 from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan, but not working for them, while she was an MEP from 2009 to 2019.Investigations have sought to determine whether she carried out banned lobbying for the carmaker at the European Parliament.In their order signed on Tuesday, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the investigating magistrates said that Dati's activities in parliament 'amounts to lobbying,' which 'appears incompatible with both her mandate and the profession of lawyer.'Initially placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness — a step before being indicted — in 2019, Dati was charged in 2021.She has since repeatedly sought to have the charges quashed.French investigating magistrates also ordered that Carlos Ghosn, the former Renault-Nissan chairman and chief executive, be tried, the judicial source said.The 71-year-old, who has been living in Lebanon for years after escaping arrest in Japan, has also rejected the charges against him.A hearing on September 29 will decide on the date of the trial, the source said.According to another source following the case, the trial could be held after the Paris municipal elections in March next year.'She will go until the end,' Jean-Pierre Lecoq, mayor of the French capital's 6th district and one of Dati's close associates, said on Tuesday.Ghosn, who headed the Renault-Nissan alliance, was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, before being sacked by Nissan's board.He jumped bail the following year and made a dramatic escape from Japan hidden in an audio-equipment box, landing in Beirut, where he remains as an international fugitive.Japan and France have sought his arrest.Ghosn's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
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Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears
Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears

Arab News

time2 hours ago

  • Arab News

Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears

EDINBURGH/LONDON: US President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on Friday for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters upon his arrival that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a 'highly respected woman.' As hundreds of onlookers cheered his arrival, Trump repeated his earlier comment about a 50-50 chance of securing a deal with the EU, adding it would be his administration's biggest trade agreement thus far, if it came together. However, he said there were still 'sticking points' with Brussels on 'maybe 20 different things.' Trump said his meeting with Starmer would be more of a celebration of the trade deal already reached than continued work on it, adding, 'It's a great deal for both.' Before he left Washington, Trump said his administration was working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, and Brussels was keen to make a deal. Von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a 15 percent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework accord with Japan reached this week and half of the 30 percent Trump is threatening to impose by August 1. Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10 percent tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Trump says the moves will reduce the US trade deficit and bring in extra revenue, but economists warn the new trade policies could drive up inflation. Trump, facing the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term, expressed frustration about ongoing questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison. 'You make it a very big thing over something that's not a big thing,' Trump told reporters in Scotland, urging them to focus on other prominent Americans with ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton. 'Talk about Clinton. Talk about the former president of Harvard. Talk about all of his friends. Talk about the hedge fund guys that were with him all the time. Don't talk about Trump,' he said. 'What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.' The Epstein issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, two people familiar with the matter said. Trump will stay at his Turnberry property on Scotland's west coast this weekend, before traveling on Monday to a golf property in Aberdeen, where he will open a second 18-hole course named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. MacLeod was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the US As he left the White House, Trump said he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election. The trip gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm ties, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and US sources said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the 'unspeakable and indefensible' suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tons of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the US, while working to clinch the first tariff-reduction deal with the US in May. The framework agreement reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump has described Scotland as a 'very special place' and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his earlier run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 percent of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18 percent have a favorable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019.

UN urges UK to repeal ‘disproportionate' Palestine Action ban
UN urges UK to repeal ‘disproportionate' Palestine Action ban

Arab News

time2 hours ago

  • Arab News

UN urges UK to repeal ‘disproportionate' Palestine Action ban

GENEVA: The United Nations rights chief on Friday slammed Britain's ban on activist group Palestine Action as a 'disturbing' misuse of UK counter-terrorism legislation and urged the government to rescind its move. 'The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary,' Volker Turk said in a statement. The ban, introduced under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000, took effect earlier this month after activists from the group broke into an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7.0 million ($9.55 million) in damage. Turk's statement said the ban raised 'serious concerns that counter-terrorism laws are being applied to conduct that is not terrorist in nature, and risks hindering the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms across the UK.' He stressed: 'According to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not.' But the ban among other things makes it a criminal offense to be a member of Palestine Action, to express support for the group or wear items of clothing that would arouse 'reasonable suspicion' that the person is a member or supporter of the group, Turk pointed out. UK police have arrested at least 200 people during protests, many of them peaceful, over the ban since it took effect, the UN rights office said. Palestine Action itself has condemned its outlawing — which makes it a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison — as an attack on free speech. The UN high commissioner for human rights agreed. The ban, Turk said, 'limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.' 'As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law.' The rights chief warned that the government's decision 'also conflates protected expression and other conduct with acts of terrorism and so could readily lead to further chilling effect on the lawful exercise of these rights by many people.' 'I urge the UK government to rescind its decision to proscribe Palestine Action and to halt investigations and further proceedings against protesters who have been arrested on the basis of this proscription,' he said. 'I also call on the UK government to review and revise its counter-terrorism legislation, including its definition of terrorist acts, to bring it fully in line with international human rights norms and standards.'

Oil prices dip to settle at 3-week low on US and China economic concerns
Oil prices dip to settle at 3-week low on US and China economic concerns

Al Arabiya

time3 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

Oil prices dip to settle at 3-week low on US and China economic concerns

Oil prices eased on Friday and settled at a three-week low as traders worried about negative economic news from the US and China and signs of growing supply. Losses were limited by optimism US trade deals could boost global economic growth and oil demand in the future. Brent crude futures fell 74 cents, or 1.1 percent, to settle at $68.44, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 87 cents, or 1.3 percent, to settle at $65.16. Those were the lowest settlement levels for Brent since July 4 and WTI since June 30. For the week, Brent was down about 1 percent with WTI down about 3 percent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday in Scotland. European Union officials and diplomats said they expected to reach a framework trade deal this weekend. The euro zone economy has remained resilient to the pervasive uncertainty caused by a global trade war, a slew of data showed on Friday, even as European Central Bank policymakers appeared to temper market bets on no more rate cuts. In the US, new orders for US-manufactured capital goods unexpectedly fell in June while shipments of those products increased moderately, suggesting business spending on equipment slowed considerably in the second quarter. Trump said he had a good meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and got the impression that the head of the US central bank might be ready to lower interest rates. Lower interest rates reduce consumer borrowing costs and can boost economic growth and demand for oil. In China, the world's second-biggest economy, fiscal revenue dipped 0.3 percent in the first six months from a year earlier, the finance ministry said, maintaining the rate of decline seen between January and May. Growing supplies? The US is preparing to allow partners of Venezuela's state-run PDVSA, starting with US oil major Chevron, to operate with limitations in the sanctioned nation, sources said on Thursday. That could boost Venezuelan oil exports by a little more than 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), news US refiners would welcome, as it would ease tightness in the heavier crude market, ING analysts wrote. Iran said it would continue nuclear talks with European powers after 'serious, frank, and detailed' conversations on Friday, the first such face-to-face meeting since Israel and the US bombed Iran last month. Venezuela and Iran are members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Any deal that could increase the amount of oil either sanctioned country could export would boost the amount of crude available to global markets. OPEC said the joint ministerial monitoring committee (JMMC) scheduled to convene on Monday does not hold decision-making authority over production levels. Four OPEC+ delegates said an OPEC+ panel is unlikely to alter existing plans to raise oil output when it meets, noting the producer group is keen to recover market share while summer demand is helping to absorb the extra barrels. OPEC+ includes OPEC and allies like Russia. In Russia, the world's No. 2 crude producer behind the US, daily oil exports from its western ports are set to be around 1.77 million bpd in August, down from 1.93 million bpd in July's plan, Reuters calculations based on data from two sources show. In the US, energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for the 12th time in 13 weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday.

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