Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

French-Italian singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has been summoned before a judge for possible indictment. (AFP)

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Updated 09 July 2024

AFP

July 09, 2024 15:20

Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

Four sources familiar with the case said Bruni was brought before a Paris investigating magistrate for financial crime
Her interview was “likely to continue” into Wednesday before she finds out whether she will be charged

Updated 09 July 2024

AFP

July 09, 2024 15:20

PARIS: Singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was being questioned by a French judge Tuesday in connection with an investigation into the alleged Libyan financing of her husband Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign, which could lead to her being charged, sources told AFP.
Four sources familiar with the case said Bruni was brought before a Paris investigating magistrate for financial crime at 10:00 am (0800 GMT).
Her interview was “likely to continue” into Wednesday before she finds out whether she will be charged, one of the sources said.
According to one source close to the case, the 56-year-old singer is suspected of concealment of witness tampering and involvement in an attempt to bribe Lebanese judicial personnel, among other violations.
Her lawyers, Paul Mallet and Benoit Martinez, did not immediately comment when contacted by AFP.
Sarkozy, 69, was charged in October 2023 with illegal witness tampering, as part of a probe into whether he took money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi to fund his 2007 election campaign.
Investigators suspect that several people, some close to Sarkozy, were involved in paying a key witness in that case to retract a statement he made incriminating the former president.
Bruni-Sarkozy could be charged or given the status of assisted witness, which under the French legal system falls short of being formally charged.
She has already been questioned twice by investigators, first as a witness in June 2023, then as a suspect in early May.
An investigation showed Bruni-Sarkozy deleted all messages exchanged with French “paparazzi queen” Michele Marchand on the day Marchand was charged with witness tampering in June 2021.
Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine had claimed several times that he helped deliver up to five million euros ($5.4 million at current rates) in cash from Qaddafi to Sarkozy and his chief of staff in 2006 and 2007.
But in 2020, Takieddine suddenly retracted his incriminating statement, raising suspicions that Sarkozy and close allies may have paid the witness to change his mind.
Authorities took an interest in Bruni-Sarkozy when Marchand justified her trips to the Sarkozy home as social calls with the singer.
Sarkozy is set to stand trial in 2025 over the allegations that he conspired to take cash from the Libyan leader to illegally fund his subsequently victorious 2007 bid to become French president.
The right-wing politician, who ran France from 2007 to 2012, has faced a litany of legal woes since leaving office.

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

Updated 4 sec ago

Reuters

November 08, 2024 04:19

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

India-born British author’s novel was banned by India in 1988 after some Muslims viewed it as blasphemous
Salman Rushdie’s fourth fictional novel ran into a global controversy shortly after its publication in September 1988

Updated 4 sec ago

Reuters

November 08, 2024 04:19

NEW DELHI: India’s three-decade ban on importing author Salman Rushdie’s controversial ‘The Satanic Verses’ book has effectively been lifted after a court said the government was unable to produce the original notification that imposed the ban.
The India-born British author’s novel was banned by India in 1988 after some Muslims viewed it as blasphemous. The Delhi High Court was hearing a 2019 case challenging the import ban of the book in India.
According to a Nov. 5 court order, India’s government told the Delhi High Court that the import ban order “was untraceable and, therefore could not be produced.”
As a result, the court said it had “no other option except to presume that no such notification exists.”
“The ban has been lifted as of Nov. 5 because there is no notification,” Uddyam Mukherjee, lawyer for petitioner Sandipan Khan, said.
India’s interior and finance ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Khan’s plea said he approached the court after being told at bookstores that the novel could not be sold or imported in India and then when he searched, he could not find the official import ban order on the government websites.
Even in court the government has been unable to produce the order, he said.
“None of the respondents could produce the said notification ... in fact the purported author of the said notification has also shown his helplessness in producing a copy,” the Nov. 5 order noted, referring to the customs department official who drafted the order.
Rushdie’s fourth fictional novel ran into a global controversy shortly after its publication in September 1988, as some Muslims saw passages about Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous.
It sparked violent demonstrations and book burnings across the Muslim world, including in India, which has the world’s third largest Muslim population.
In 1989, Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, calling on Muslims to assassinate Rushdie, sending the Booker Prize-winning author into hiding for six years.
In August 2022, about 33 years after the fatwa, Rushdie was stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York, which left him blind in one eye and affected the use of one of his hands.

Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

Updated 4 min 6 sec ago

Reuters

November 08, 2024 04:24

Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

Prabowo Subianto has signaled he is keen to play an active role on the international stage
Prabowo’s agenda for China is unclear, but he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping

Updated 4 min 6 sec ago

Reuters

November 08, 2024 04:24

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s new leader Prabowo Subianto set off for China on Friday for his first international trip as president, kicking off a tour that will include stops in the United States, Britain, and South America for the APEC and G20 summits.
Prabowo, who won the presidency in February at his third attempt, has signaled he is keen to play an active role on the international stage, demonstrated by his visits to 21 countries during the time he was president-elect.
“It shows that Indonesia is well respected and its presence is needed in bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss important issues, not only the economy but also the current rising geopolitical tensions,” he told a press conference before flying to China.
“I think all parties are waiting to hear about Indonesia’s stance and role.”
The former defense minister and special forces commander has said that under his presidency, Indonesia would continue its long-held foreign policy of non-alignment.
Prabowo’s agenda for China is unclear, but he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping. He is due to meet US counterpart Joe Biden in Washington and Prabowo’s office has said it was possible he could meet president-elect Donald Trump.
He will go to Britain to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and may also visit several countries in the Middle East, he said. His office has not provided dates for any of the visits.
The trip will include stops in Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and to Brazil for the summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.
Prabowo is expected to strengthen ties with both the United States and China as Indonesia’s main partners, said Prasetyo Hadi, the state secretariat minister, adding he would discuss potential partnerships in trade, energy, housing and marine sectors.

Topics: Indonesia China Prabowo Subianto

Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

Updated 16 min 23 sec ago

AFP

November 08, 2024 03:59

Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

The Qantas flight, QF520, was bound for Brisbane

Updated 16 min 23 sec ago

AFP

November 08, 2024 03:59

SYDNEY: A Qantas plane made an emergency landing due to a “contained engine failure” soon after taking off from Sydney Airport, the carrier said in a statement.
The Qantas flight, QF520, was bound for Brisbane and was circling for a “short period of time” before landing safely at Sydney Airport, Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said in the statement.
“Qantas engineers have conducted a preliminary inspection of the engine and confirmed it was a contained engine failure,” the airline said.
“While customers would have heard a loud bang, there was not an explosion.”
A Sydney Airport spokesperson said it was not yet clear whether the plane’s emergency landing and a grassfire on a nearby runway were linked, but investigations were ongoing.
The grassfire was brought under control by the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service, the spokesperson said.
“With the safe arrival of the aircraft, Sydney Airport’s priority is to conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Plane passenger Georgina Lewis told local outlet Channel Nine that she was onboard the flight.
“We were taking off, and we heard a bang. One of the engines appeared to have gone. The pilot came on 10 minutes later to explain that they had a problem with a right-hand engine on take-off,” she said.
Tobiano of Qantas said his staff were “highly trained” to respond to such emergency situations.
“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support,” he said in the statement.
“We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue,” he added.
Customers were being moved to alternate flights, Qantas said.

Topics: Qantas Australia

Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

Updated 21 min 9 sec ago

AFP

November 08, 2024 04:04

Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

But while nearly 30,000 people took cover in government-run facilities in the days and hours before Yinxing made landfall

Updated 21 min 9 sec ago

AFP

November 08, 2024 04:04

MANILA: Authorities cleared uprooted trees and debris in the northern Philippines on Friday as Typhoon Yinxing blew out to sea after pounding the coast overnight, ripping roofs from homes and forcing thousands to seek shelter.
But while nearly 30,000 people took cover in government-run facilities in the days and hours before Yinxing made landfall, there were no reported casualties from the typhoon, which came just two weeks after a major storm killed more than 150.
Yinxing’s 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour winds knocked down power lines, tore trees from the ground and shattered windows as it slammed into the country’s north coast on Thursday, the national weather agency, residents and rescuers said.
Officials reported 242.6 millimeters (0.80 ft) of rain dumped in a 24-hour window.
“Many trees were uprooted. There was also soil erosion in some areas. We are lucky they were not full-blown landslides,” said Cagayan province disaster chief Rueli Rapsing, whose agency has so far reported no casualties.
In the province’s Pamplona municipality, strong winds sent roofs flying through the air and residents scrambling for shelter.
“The fierce wind that we experienced last night was the strongest I’ve ever felt and seen in this town,” 35-year-old resident Patrick Maquiraya told AFP by phone.
“The roof of the house that was being constructed in front of our home suddenly went flying.”
Maquiraya said friends who sought shelter at a gymnasium had to relocate to a nearby church after strong winds shattered the building’s glass windows.
A live video seen by AFP on Thursday showed fierce winds blowing merchandise from store shelves in Santa Ana town, where the typhoon made landfall.
As of 8 am Friday (0000 GMT), Typhoon Yinxing’s center was estimated to be northwest of Laoag city and moving out across the South China Sea, according to the state weather agency.
Rapsing, the Cagayan disaster chief, said power lines were being restored as the province shifted into cleanup mode, with police, firemen and rescuers using excavators and other equipment to clear major roads.
Yinxing is the third storm in less than a month to threaten the Philippines after Severe Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-rey together left 158 people dead, the national disaster agency said, with most of that tally attributed to Trami.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.
A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.

Topics: Philippines

Republicans pick up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority

Updated 08 November 2024

November 08, 2024 05:52

Republicans pick up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority

Seeing their options narrow, Democrats focused on flipping a handful of seats in Arizona, California and possibly Oregon to close the gap
Trump is consolidating power in Washington, returning to the White House a much more dominant force than in his first term

Updated 08 November 2024

November 08, 2024 05:52

WASHINGTON: Republican leaders projected confidence Thursday that they will keep control of the US House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted.
The GOP picked up two more hard-fought seats in Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another win in New York, defeating a third Republican incumbent in that state.
Both parties in the House huddled privately on conference calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to return next week to a changed Washington, where a sweep of MAGA-infused GOP power is within reach for President-elect Donald Trump.
“The latest data indicates that we will also hold — and likely grow — our Republican majority in the House,” Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to colleagues, seeking their support to keep the gavel.
But Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “it has yet to be decided” which party will control the House as several key races remained uncalled.
Seeing their options narrow, Democrats focused on flipping a handful of seats in Arizona, California and possibly Oregon to close the gap.
“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.
A final tally in the House will almost certainly have to wait until next week, at the soonest, when Congress is back in session and prepares to elect its new leaders, including nominees for House speaker and the senator who will replace outgoing GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The election results were beyond what Republicans had even hoped for, including a majority in the Senate, where two races were still undecided — in Arizona between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake and in Nevada between Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown.
The Associated Press called more races Thursday. In Pennsylvania, Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the Allentown-area district, and Republican Robert Bresnahan dislodged Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in the Northeast part of the state.
Pennsylvania’s Senate race between Sen. Bob Casey and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick was decided in McCormick’s favor, giving Republicans a 53rd seat in the chamber.
Democrats made up some ground in New York, where Laura Gillen beat incumbent GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the third flip for Democrats in Jeffries’ home state.
Attention increasingly focused on the West, where Democrats were eyeing what’s left of their path to the majority.
Democrats would need to sweep the most contested races, including two in Arizona and several in California, to win power. But tallies are expected to drag on as California, in particular, counts mail-in ballots that are arriving in the week after the election.
Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told lawmakers on a private call that he’s confident the GOP will hold the House majority, according to a Republican who is familiar with the call but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details.
Trump is consolidating power in Washington, returning to the White House a much more dominant force than in his first term, when Republicans split over their support for him and some were openly skeptical of if not opposed to his rise.
This time, Johnson and Senate GOP leaders have drawn closer to Trump, relying on his power for their own as they drive a common Republican agenda more aligned with his “Make America Great Again” priorities.
Johnson, in his letter to colleagues, used a football metaphor to say he’s “ready to take the field with all of you” to play “the biggest offense of our lives.”
While Johnson is in line to remain House speaker in the new Congress, if Republicans keep control, the question of who will replace McConnell, who led his party in flipping Senate control, is its own intense contest.
The choices facing Republican senators for a new leader are between the “Johns” — No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune and Texas Sen. John Cornyn — and a longshot, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is favored by hard-right Senate conservatives who want Trump to weigh in on the race.
Cornyn and Thune, who both campaigned for Trump, are building support among senators in what is expected to be a close race on private ballots.
Thune has worked to mend a rocky relationship with Trump, and the two spoke as recently as Wednesday, according to another Republican familiar with the private conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it.
The South Dakota senator had been critical of Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election for stoking claims of fraudulent voting ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Thune and Trump have been in touch throughout the year, the person said.
Thune has suggested it might be best if Trump stayed out of the leadership race.
“It’s his prerogative to weigh in on that,” Thune said on Fox News. “Frankly, I think if he lets it play out, we’ll get the right person. I’ve had conversations with him and have told him that we want to get his team in place so that he can hit the ground running and get to work on an agenda to make sure that he and our team succeeds.”
The Republicans are eyeing quick action aligned with Trump’s day-one priorities, which revolve around cutting taxes, deporting immigrants who are in the country without certain legal status, and reducing federal regulations and operations.
But after the chaos of the past two years of GOP control of the House, it’s unclear how much Republicans will be able to accomplish, especially if they have another razor-thin majority with few seats to spare for dissent, in the face of resistance from Democrats.

Topics: US Election 2024 Hakeem Jeffries

Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

France’s Sarkozy found guilty of illegal campaign financing, appeals court confirms

Appeal hearing opens into Sarkozy’s 2012 campaign fraud

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

Indonesia’s Prabowo to visit China, US on first foreign trip: report

Ex-general Prabowo Subianto takes oath as Indonesia’s 8th president

Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

UAE budget carrier flydubai cancels flights to Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Israel

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Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

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Republicans pick up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority

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Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

Carla Bruni questioned in Sarkozy campaign probe in France

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