Latest news with #Belgian-Italian
Gulf Today
25-06-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Saint Laurent, Vuitton kick off Paris men's fashion week
Saint Laurent and Vuitton opened Paris Men's Fashion Week on Tuesday with collections tinged with retro influences, as the industry reels from the revolving door of creative directors and a diminished appetite for luxury goods. Saint Laurent kicked things off with a playful, spring-summer 2026 collection mixing shorts with strong shoulder pads, and rolled-up darted trousers with loose trench coats nonchalantly tied at the waist. Shorts, evoking those worn by the label's founder, Yves Saint Laurent, in his youth, were paired with bright and loose long-sleeved shirts and finished off with oversized sunglasses. A model presents a creation by Saint Laurent for the menswear Ready-to-wear Spring-Summer 2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week. AFP The show marked Saint Laurent's official return to the fashion week fold after a two-and-a-half-year absence from the Paris men's fashion official calendar. Heads have been rolling across much of the luxury industry as bumper profits have evaporated, with brands grappling with a reduced appetite for luxury products. Saint Laurent's parent group Kering is no exception, with falling sales last year wiping 28 percent off its share price since the turn of the year. Saint Laurent's Belgian-Italian Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello receives applause as he walks on the catwalk at the end of Saint Laurent's menswear Ready-to-wear Spring-Summer 2026 show in Paris. AFP But shares shot back up 12 percent last week after former Renault boss Luca de Meo was named as Kering's new chief executive. Fashion buyer Alice Feillard of Galeries Lafayette, Europe's biggest department store chain, said the return of Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello to men's fashion week was "rather a good thing", and would help reinforce the label's men's line. VIP-studded show Festivities continued Tuesday night in front of the Pompidou Centre modern art museum with Louis Vuitton artistic director Pharrell Williams hosting a VIP-studded event before the architectural icon closes for a major overhaul. The US singer and producer who got the world dancing to his infectious hit "Happy", unveiled a quieter palette of earth tones, dusky pinks and rich browns, under the watchful eyes of US superstar Beyonce, music producer Jay-Z and film director Spike Lee. In a nod to the past, models wore shorts, and flared or cargo pants, paired with short-sleeved, unbuttoned shirts layered over retro white t-shirts. A model presents a creation by Saint Laurent for the menswear Ready-to-wear Spring-Summer 2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week in Paris. AFP Models pushed large leather trunks adorned with a cartoonish safari print down the catwalk, echoing the fashion house's roots in luxury travel. Also at the show were US basketball legend LeBron James and San Antonio Spurs star Victor "Wemby" Wembanyama from France, both ambassadors for the brand. Beachwear twist Founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai, the Tokyo-based clothing brand -- known for its meticulously crafted fabrics -- revisited its traditional urban roots with a summery, beachwear twist. In the courtyard of Paris's Archives National, swimsuits, bucket hats and flip flops sat alongside light cashmere poplin suits, soft leather and light calf hair garments. "There's a term in Japanese which means the winds of spring," Iwai said after the show, describing the mixture of blue skies and strong winds that inspired this collection. A model presents a creation by designer Anthony Vaccarello as part of his Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 collection show. Reuters "In the same scene you'll have someone ready to go to the beach but then you'll have someone in a down jacket. That kind of odd balance is interesting," he said. Anderson's Dior debut The packed six days of Paris shows are in stark contrast to London -- which cancelled its men's shows completely -- and the rather thinned-out line-up in Milan last week. The French capital will see a "rather dense programme with big headliners including Jonathan Anderson", who will be making his highly anticipated debut at Dior on Friday, said Adrien Communier of French GQ magazine. The Northern Irish designer is the first to oversee the men's, women's and haute couture lines at the fabled French house since its founder, Christian Dior. In all, some 70 brands will unveil their latest looks across 40 runway shows and 30 presentations that end late Sunday with the French label Jacquemus. Anderson, the son of former Irish rugby captain Willie Anderson, had previously turned around the rather fusty Spanish house Loewe. He was named as the head of Dior's women's collection earlier this month, replacing the Italian Maria Grazia Chiuri. Agence France Presse
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Lobbying scandal related to Huawei: What we know so far
A major corruption investigation shook the European Parliament in March, focused on allegations that Chinese tech giant Huawei engaged in illicit lobbying practices to sway EU policy in its favour. The probe has led to several arrests and office raids in the Brussels' seat of the Parliament, and provoked as a reaction a temporary ban on Huawei lobbyists. Belgian prosecutors are probing whether Huawei orchestrated a covert influence campaign within the European Parliament. Investigators are examining whether from 2021 Huawei representatives offered bribes to MEPs and their assistants. The corruption 'is said to have been practised regularly and very discreetly, under the guise of commercial lobbying ', according to the Belgian prosecutor, and included remuneration, excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches. These incentives were allegedly aimed at securing favourable political positions on topics of interest to the Chinese company. What has the Belgian prosecutor decided so far? On 13 March Belgian authorities conducted 21 searches across Belgium and Portugal, including raids on Huawei's Brussels headquarters and the offices of some parliamentary assistants. These actions resulted in several arrests and the seizure of documents and electronic devices. Subsequently, eight individuals were charged with offences including corruption, money laundering, and participation in a criminal organisation. Among these, three remain in custody, three are under electronic surveillance, and two were released under conditions, according to the latest information provided by the Belgian prosecutor. The prosecutor has not named any of the suspects, but several media outlets reported the name of Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who is Huawei's EU public affairs director and had been working as assistant to several MEPs in the Parliament. Ottati is considered a central figure in the alleged bribery scheme. He has not replied to Euronews' requests of comment. Abraham Liu, chief representative to the EU Institutions for Huawei is also involved in the case, according to media reports. The Belgian Prosecutor also asked to lift the immunity of five members of the European Parliament, in order to be able to investigate their involvement. Three of them belong to the center-right European People's Party: the Italians Salvatore De Meo, Giusi Princi and Fulvio Martusciello. The others are the Maltese Socialist MEP Daniel Attard and the Bulgarian Renew Europe's MEP Nikola Minchev. Offices of assistants to MEPs Marco Falcone (Italy/EPP) and Nikola Minchev (Bulgaria/Renew Europe) were sealed during the investigation, while in Italy the assistant Lucia Simeone was put under arrest and subsequently released. Italian newspaper La Repubblica has cited a 2021 letter signed by eight MEPs advocating for the continued development of 5G technology in Europe without geopolitical hindrances as germane to the investigation. The letter - promoted by Martusciello's office - did not explicitly mention Huawei, but prosecutors believe it was crafted to promote the company's interests. Investigators allege that payments were made to the letter's author and co-signatories, disguised as consultancy fees and campaign expenses, according to reports. Have the prosecutors given no information on this? Five of the eight MEPs who signed the letter and who are still members of the Parliament, told Euronews that they received no payments from Huawei. The European Parliament immediately suspended Huawei lobbyists from access to its premises, as a precautionary measure. This means that the company's representatives cannot enter Parliament's premises in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. The European Commission also suspended relations with Huawei. 'The Commission shall not meet with any lobby groups and/or trade associations that represent Huawei's interests and/or speak on its behalf," the executive said in a statement. Huawei has stated that it takes the allegations seriously and is committed to cooperating with the investigation, emphasising that the company has a 'zero-tolerance policy toward corruption or other wrongdoing' and is 'committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times'.
Nahar Net
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Belgian prosecutors make arrests in corruption probe linked to EU Parliament
by Naharnet Newsdesk 7 hours Belgian federal prosecutors said Thursday they have arrested several individuals as part of a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament amid reports in local media that Chinese company Huawei bribed EU lawmakers. Some 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels as well as in Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal, the federal prosecutor's office said. The suspects were arrested for questioning in "connection with their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries," prosecutors said. "The offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization." According to an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media, lobbyists working for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei are suspected of bribing current or former MEPs to promote the company's commercial policy in Europe. Huawei public relations representatives in London did not respond to an emailed request for comment and could not be reached by phone. A European Parliament spokesperson said only that the assembly "takes note of the information. When requested, it always cooperates fully with the judicial authorities." The federal prosecutor's office, which did not name Huawei, said that corruption is believed to have been practiced "regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches." Prosecutors believe that payments might have been disguised as business expenses and in some cases may have been directed to third parties. "From this point of view, the investigation also aims to detect any evidence of money laundering," they said. Police seized several documents and objects during the searches. Staff at Huawei's offices in Brussels declined to speak to an AP reporter. They turned the lights off inside when he started taking pictures through the window. This is the second corruption case targeting the EU Parliament in less than three years. In December 2022, the legislature was left reeling after a corruption scandal in which Qatari officials accused of bribing EU officials to play down labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup. The scandal scarred the reputation of the EU's only institution comprised of officials elected directly in the 27 member countries. It undermined the assembly's claim to the moral high ground in its own investigations, such as into allegations of corruption in member country Hungary. The impact of the scandal is still being felt, with the parliament due to rule soon on whether to lift the immunity of two more lawmakers who were implicated According to Follow The Money, an investigative journalism platform, one of the main suspects in the latest probe is 41-year-old Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming Huawei's EU Public Affairs Director, Ottati was an assistant to two Italian MEPs who were both members of a European Parliament group dealing with China policy, Follow the Money reported.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belgian prosecutors make arrests in a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian federal prosecutors said Thursday they have arrested several individuals as part of a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament amid reports in local media that Chinese company Huawei bribed EU lawmakers. Some 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels as well as in Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal, the federal prosecutor's office said. The suspects were arrested for questioning in 'connection with their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries,' prosecutors said. 'The offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. According to an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media, lobbyists working for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei are suspected of bribing current or former MEPs to promote the company's commercial policy in Europe. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The federal prosecutor's office, which did not name Huawei, said that corruption is believed to have been practiced 'regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches." Police seized several documents and objects during the searches. This is the second corruption case targeting the EU Parliament in less than three years. In December 2022, the legislature was left reeling after a corruption scandal in which Qatari officials accused of bribing EU officials to play down labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup. The scandal scarred the reputation of the EU's only institution comprised of officials elected directly in the 27 member countries. It undermined the assembly's claim to the moral high ground in its own investigations, such as into allegations of corruption in member country Hungary. The impact of the scandal is still being felt, with the parliament due to rule soon on whether to lift the immunity of two more lawmakers who were implicated According to Follow The Money, an investigative journalism platform, one of the main suspects in the latest probe is 41-year-old Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming Huawei's EU Public Affairs Director, Ottati was an assistant to two Italian MEPs who were both members of a European Parliament group dealing with China policy, Follow the Money reported.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Belgian prosecutors make arrests in a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament
Belgian federal prosecutors said Thursday they have arrested several individuals as part of a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament amid reports in local media that Chinese company Huawei bribed EU lawmakers. Some 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels as well as in Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal, the federal prosecutor's office said. The suspects were arrested for questioning in 'connection with their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries,' prosecutors said. 'The offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization.' According to an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media, lobbyists working for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei are suspected of bribing current or former MEPs to promote the company's commercial policy in Europe. The federal prosecutor's office, which did not name Huawei, said that corruption is believed to have been practiced 'regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches." Police seized several documents and objects during the searches. This is the second corruption case targeting the EU Parliament in less than three years. In December 2022, the legislature was left reeling after a corruption scandal in which Qatari officials accused of bribing EU officials to play down labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup. The scandal scarred the reputation of the EU's only institution comprised of officials elected directly in the 27 member countries. It undermined the assembly's claim to the moral high ground in its own investigations, such as into allegations of corruption in member country Hungary. The impact of the scandal is still being felt, with the parliament due to rule soon on whether to lift the immunity of two more lawmakers who were implicated According to Follow The Money, an investigative journalism platform, one of the main suspects in the latest probe is 41-year-old Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming Huawei's EU Public Affairs Director, Ottati was an assistant to two Italian MEPs who were both members of a European Parliament group dealing with China policy, Follow the Money reported.
