Author: Frank Deux

French prosecutors on Monday, December 16, sought jail terms of between one and 16 years for eight people on trial over the 2020 beheading of a school teacher by an Islamist radical that shocked France. The harshest sentence was reserved for a defendant accused of joining a terrorist enterprise helping to prepare the murder of Samuel Paty, after the teacher showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class. Charges of “complicity in terrorist murder” against two of the men on trial were dropped. Prosecutors told the court that Naïm Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, a Russian of Chechen origin,…

The Cinémathèque française, Paris, February 15, 2013. JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP There was no screening as planned of Last Tango in Paris (1972), by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci (1941-2018), on Sunday, December 15, at La Cinémathèque Française. The cinema establishment in Paris, which had scheduled it as part of a retrospective devoted to American actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004), canceled the screening the night before. The lack of mediation around the film, which shows a rape scene shot without the consent of actress Maria Schneider (1952-2011), had provoked protests all week from film personalities and feminist associations. “In a bid to calm spirits…

The solidity of the majority that has supported Pedro Sánchez in the last year will undergo a new test this Tuesday. The left’s proposal to limit temporary rentals of homes and rooms returns to the plenary session of Congress this Tuesday, after having caused an uncomfortable episode for the Government last September, when Junts decided at the last minute to vote against it and force its rejection. The text has been retouched to attract the support of Carles Puigdemont’s party, which has not anticipated its position, although it has shown itself willing to allow its processing if it is respectful…

The businessman in the plot expands the names of members of the Sánchez Government and politicians who, according to his testimony, contacted the corrupt network. Read Reyes Maroto joins the "influence peddling": five designated ministers and Ábalos "spoke with Armengol directly"

TikTok petitioned the US Supreme Court to halt a law mandating its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest or close the app by January 19. This appeal coincided with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s meeting with President-elect Trump, who expressed interest in reviewing the app despite the law signed by President Biden. TikTok asks US Supreme Court to temporarily block law that could ban popular app

Teenager kills at least two people at Wisconsin school as another school shooting shook American society on Monday evening. According to initial reports, the shooter killed two people at a school in Madison, the capital of the Midwestern state of Wisconsin. Then he turned his weapon on himself. The number of victims was initially stated to be at least four, though later reduced to two, leaving six injured. Motive remains unknown at this time. Teenager kills at least two people at Wisconsin school Little has been released on the identity of the victims, but one of them was a teacher…

The Comoros, on Monday, December 16, declared a national week of mourning after Cyclone Chido devastated the neighbouring French overseas department of Mayotte, where the authorities fear “several hundred” deaths, especially in shantytowns populated by many Comoran nationals. President Azali Assoumani said the mourning period would last until Sunday on the Indian Ocean islands, where a number of people have lost their lives and infrastructure has suffered “enormous” damage. Mayotte, a sister island in the archipelago which chose to remain French in two referendums, held in 1974 and 1976 when Comoros declared independence, was hit by winds of more than…

The Perrier bottling plant in Vergèze, the site of the Bouillens spring LODI FRANCK/SIPA The most famous of sparkling water brands is under threat of losing its natural mineral water label, which it has held for more than a century. A confidential report from the Occitanie regional health agency (ARS), obtained by The World and Radio France’s investigative unit, leaves little room for any other outcome for Perrier. Completed in August, following an inspection carried out at the end of May at Perrier’s packaging site in Vergèze, southern France, the report concluded that Nestlé Waters, the brand’s owner, should seriously…

No Madrid politician is fooled: this year, the many Christmas dinners and drinks organized by the parties throughout the region have strategic importance. For the PSOE, opened wide by the resignation of Juan Lobato, the holidays are the opportunity for his replacement as regional general secretary, Minister Óscar López, to heal wounds and make himself known: he will visit more than a dozen groups. For the PP, they are once again the ideal setting to defend the harmony between Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who met at the party dinner in Madrid this Monday. For Vox, it is…

Faced with an unforeseen surplus of medical supplies, Víctor de Aldama demanded that the advisor increase the amount of the order and the then minister endorsed the increase. Read "I’m left hanging with 4 million masks": the first explanation of how Ábalos doubled the order in 38 minutes

Syria’s rebel factions will be “disbanded,” the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”. Syria’s Jolani says rebel factions will be ‘disbanded’ Syria’s rebel factions will be “disbanded,” the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect all…

Mass rape trial: 50 defendants make their final statements One last word each. After three and a half months, on the 64th day of the hearing, the defendants in the Pelicot rape trial had the floor one last time on Monday, December 16. These 50 men – a 51st defendant is currently on the run – answered a final question from the judge presiding the criminal court in Avignon, Roger Arata: “Do you have anything to add in your defense?” Usually, this exercise rarely lasts more than a minute. In this trial with its 51 defendants, it lasted an hour…

France’s central bank on Monday, December 16, downgraded its 2025 growth forecast to 0.9% from 1.2%, citing “increased uncertainty” for the economic outlook both at home and abroad. The bank also reduced its forecast for 2026 by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3% – a figure it also expects for 2027. The latest forecasts come two days after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating to Aa3 on the back of months of political crisis and a budget standoff that brought a change of prime minister. For 2024, the bank maintained its projection at 1.1%, as in 2023, based on a fourth quarter…

The leadership of the Madrid PP met this Monday at a wedding palace, Negralejo, on the Mejorada road, to celebrate their traditional Christmas dinner and remind themselves that they are “a big family”, an expression that they repeated no less than a dozen times. The first member to whom they gave a plaque of “recognition” for her work was, curiously, called Casado, but there is no evidence that she is related to the former leader of the party, the first elected in primaries, defenestrated another cold night a couple of years ago by its acronym relatives.The bride, the hostess, the…

Updated Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – 03:29The commission agent Victor de Aldama placed a dozen Spanish construction companies and a technological advisor for Correos in the murky field of commission payment, during his statement in the Supreme Court.The most relevant one that made a splash is the Acciona groupwhich is listed on the Ibex 35 and which, according to Aldama, “has a series of agreements for the Basque Country” related to the PSOE to obtain works. So much so that Aldama says he was forced to pay Become Premium from €1 the first month Take advantage of this limited time…

King Charles, 76, was all smiles today as he attended a church service in Wiltshire, wearing a 70-year-old overcoat that once belonged to his late father, Prince Philip. The outing comes amidst controversy surrounding Prince Andrew, who is at the center of a Chinese spy scandal. Watch the video on WTX News News Channel – King Charles brushes off Prince Andrew ’s Chinese spy scandal King Charles brushes off Prince Andrew ’s Chinese spy scandal Recent revelations, reported by The Sun, allege that a foreign agent had knowledge of how to sneak individuals in and out of Andrew’s Royal Lodge…

The workers of Barcelona’s cleaning and garbage collection services have called a strike that will begin at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday the 22nd and will end at 10:00 p.m. on December 25th. Jaume Collboni’s government team has been mediating for days with the four companies that have subcontracted the city’s cleaning to prevent the image of these festivities from being that of an unhealthy Barcelona full of garbage. The threat is getting closer due to the opposing positions maintained by the cleaning companies and the UGT union.In Barcelona, ​​4,500 cleaning workers work, many of them while the city sleeps, in…

The PSOE spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, accused the judges this week of acting with “political activism” Read The filing of a dozen complaints against Pedro Sánchez and his ministers in the Supreme Court dismantles the accusations of ‘lawfare’

Russia mounted a rescue effort Sunday after two oil tankers were wrecked in rough seas off Moscow-annexed Crimea and one broke apart, killing at least one sailor and causing an oil spill. Two criminal cases have been opened by Russian investigators.  Oil spill near Black Sea after two Russian tankers seriously damaged in storm

This undated photo provided by NGO Medecins du Monde on Sunday, December 15, 2024, shows a devastated hill on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. AP There are fears of a heavy death toll in the French overseas territory of Mayotte after Cyclone Chido caused severe damage over the weekend. The French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said at least 11 people had died, while an earlier provisional toll from Mayotte authorities, and shared with Agence France-Presse (AFP), said 14 people had been killed so far. But…

The week that begins will be marked by the courts with the statements of businessman Víctor de Aldama and Begoña Gómez, wife of President Pedro Sánchez. For the socialist leader and leader of the Executive there will be two appointments that mark him personally and politically, but neither calls into question the stability and fulfillment of the Government’s objectives. The General Budgets for 2025 continue to be the priority issue over any other issue, and the partners of the Executive maintain very different approaches, especially when it comes to economic matters.Carles Puigdemont’s warnings to the President of the Government, expressed…

EL MUNDO accesses ‘whatsapps’ between Koldo’s right hand and Carlos Moreno, chief of staff of the head of the Treasury. Read Koldo García’s messages to Minister Montero’s ‘number 2’ on Aldama’s cell phone: "help me"

Pope Francis urged Catholic priests on Sunday to guard against spiritual groups that stoke political divisions, speaking during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first by a pontiff to the French Mediterranean island. FRANCE 24 correspondent Seema Gupta reported on the event from Rome, Italy. Pope Francis, in Corsica, warns against religion that stokes divisions

  Andrés Villavicencio, a 31-year-old lawyer, had just a minute to think about the decision that changed his life. As in the last eight elections that have taken place since he came of age, on July 28, 2024, he was an electoral observer for the opposition coalition at the Paraguaná Institute, in the municipality of Carirubana. This is an impoverished area between the Caja de Agua and Antiguo Aeropuerto sectors of the oil-producing state of Falcón, on Venezuela’s west coast. However, this past election was the only time in which he ever had to demand the records that must be…

Faithful members of the Fraternité Saint-Barthélemy walk along the seafront promenade during Good Friday, as part of the Easter celebrations, in Bonifacio, Corsica, March 29, 2024. PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP This Sunday, December 15, Pope Francis is attending a symposium on “popular religiosity” in Ajaccio, Corsica, organized at the initiative of local cardinal and bishop François Bustillo. This is a theme dear to the pontiff, who placed it at the heart of his latest encyclical, He loved us (“he loved us,” in Latin), published on October 24. Corsica appears to be a particularly rich laboratory for the study of this…