AFP - Squid Business

La peine de François Fillon au cœur d’un troisième procès

Huit ans après la révélation de l’affaire des emplois fictifs de son épouse Penelope, fatale à ses ambitions présidentielles, François Fillon est de retour mardi devant la justice pour que les juges tranchent sur la peine qui doit lui être infligée.L’ancien Premier ministre de 71 ans est attendu à la cour d’appel de Paris pour cette brève audience à l’issue de laquelle la décision devrait être mise en délibéré à une date ultérieure.François Fillon est depuis avril 2024 définitivement coupable notamment de détournement de fonds publics, mais la Cour de cassation a ordonné une nouvelle audience consacrée uniquement à la peine, dans cette affaire qui a feuilletonné des mois durant et stoppé net sa course en tête pour la présidentielle 2017.En appel, le 9 mai 2022, l’ancien chef du gouvernement, désormais retiré de la vie politique, a été condamné à quatre ans d’emprisonnement, dont un an ferme, 375.000 euros d’amende et 10 ans d’inéligibilité pour détournement de fonds publics, complicité d’abus de biens sociaux, recels.Son épouse, Penelope Fillon, avait quant à elle été condamnée à deux ans de prison avec sursis, ainsi que 375.000 euros d’amende, et son ex-suppléant, Marc Joulaud, à trois ans de prison avec sursis, avec des inéligibilités respectives de deux et cinq ans.Les trois prévenus avaient en outre été condamnés à verser un total d’environ 800.000 euros de dommages et intérêts à l’Assemblée nationale.Si elle a rejeté les pourvois de Penelope Fillon et Marc Joulaud rendant leurs peines définitives, la Cour de cassation, dont la tâche est de statuer non sur le fond du dossier mais sur la bonne application du droit, a estimé que la cour d’appel n’avait pas suffisamment motivé la partie ferme de la peine prononcée contre François Fillon.- Calvaire politico-médiatique -En outre, la haute juridiction avait jugé que le montant de 126.167 euros, accordé à l’Assemblée nationale en dommages et intérêts pour le contrat d’assistante parlementaire de Penelope Fillon auprès de son mari en 2012-2013, avait été mal évalué, dans la mesure où la cour d’appel avait reconnu que Penelope Fillon avait tout de même réalisé certaines tâches. D’autres dommages et intérêts sont définitivement dus par le couple.L’affaire avait éclaté en janvier 2017 avec les révélations du Canard enchaîné, amorçant pour François Fillon un interminable calvaire politique et médiatique, et une campagne dans laquelle se sont invités les bruits de casseroles et les “Rends l’argent” contre celui qui était alors candidat de la droite et du centre.Lancés sur la piste des emplois de Mme Fillon, les enquêteurs ont entendu du jardinier aux journalistes locaux en passant par d’anciens collaborateurs et des préfets en poste à l’époque, sans guère trouver de témoignages établissant la réalité du travail de l’épouse de celui qui s’est longtemps posé en héraut de l’intégrité.Il sera éliminé au premier tour de la présidentielle, arrivant en troisième position avec 20,01% des voix, situation inédite pour un candidat de droite sous la Ve République.Ciblé par une autre enquête ouverte en 2017 pour détournement de fonds publics, François Fillon avait accepté de rembourser près de 70.000 euros, correspondant au salaire et aux cotisations sociales d’un ex-assistant parlementaire, l’écrivain et philosophe Maël Renouard, qui avait contribué à l’écriture d’un de ses livres.Du fait de cette régularisation, le parquet national financier avait classé sans suite cette enquête préliminaire.

La peine de François Fillon au cœur d’un troisième procès

Dead salmon create election stink on Australian island

On a tree-lined beach in Australia’s rugged island state of Tasmania, locals discovered popcorn-sized bits of dead salmon washed up along the sand.When the stinky remains landed in Verona Sands, population 131, they stirred up a festering environment-versus-industry row shortly before Saturday’s general elections.The fish remnants found in February were traced to a mass die-off from vast, circular salmon farming pens set up in the waters of the surrounding Tasman Sea estuary.The Tasmanian fish farming industry produces 75,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year — 90 percent of Australia’s total output.But in the warm, summer temperatures, a bacterium had taken hold in some of the salmon pens.”What I saw was little chunks, the size of small plums, and they were scattered the entire length of the beach,” said Jess Coughlin, a campaigner with community group Neighbours of Fish Farming.When she sought advice to identify the mystery morsels, a diver who had worked in fish farms told her the industry referred to them as popcorn.”It’s a common occurrence when the fish are left dead in the pens for a number of days and they start to rot and break down,” Coughlin told AFP.- Rotting salmon -At first, the dead salmon sink.”The flesh and fat pull away from the body and, because of the pressure of the water and the wave action, as it makes its way up to the surface it clumps into these balls.”Dead salmon falling apart within pens where fish are still being grown for human consumption is “incredibly disturbing”, she said.Tasmania’s environmental regulator described the die-off in salmon pens in the area — the D’Entrecasteaux Channel — as an “unprecedented salmon mortality event”.The state’s chief veterinary officer, Kevin de Witte, reported that in the warm, summer waters, the fish had been infected with an endemic bacterium, Piscirickettsia salmonis.”P. salmonis fish bacterium does not grow in humans and do not present a human or animal health, or food safety risk,” he assured people.Industry body Salmon Tasmania said the microbe had devastated some farms in the area, and operators worked around the clock to clean up the mess and keep fish healthy.- ‘Catastrophe’ -“While industry always does its utmost to raise healthy fish, just like all animals and primary producers, salmon and our farms are not immune to the vagaries of our natural environment,” it said.Some estimates put the number of dead salmon in the millions, said the Bob Brown Foundation, named after its co-founder, an environmentalist and former lawmaker.”This catastrophe is not just a ‘natural vagary’,” the foundation said.”This is the direct result of excessive nitrogen pollution, overstocking of pens, corrupt governance and a consequent failure to regulate, all directly attributable to the foreign-owned salmon corporations’ endless greed.”The salmon industry is notably blamed for threatening the existence of the endangered Maugean skate, a species of ray that grows to about the length of an adult person’s arm.An estimated 4,100 Maugean skates remain in the world, and fewer than 120 of them are old enough to reproduce, according to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.They are found only in western Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, which is also home to about 10 percent of the state’s salmon industry.Official advice to the federal government in November 2023 said it may have to reconsider the industry’s legality — and eventually even suspend its operations — due to scientific findings of an “increased extinction risk” to the skates.- ‘Anger and distress’ -Less than six weeks before the elections, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government intervened to block that possibility, saying it had to protect jobs.Parliament adopted a law curbing the environment minister’s power to review years-old rulings — effectively shielding the Macquarie Bay salmon farmers.But the bay only represents 10 percent of Tasmania’s salmon industry and it is a gateway to rural tourism, the environmentalist Bob Brown told AFP in the weeks leading up to the election.”There’s a mood of anger and distress that I haven’t seen for decades and it’s getting stronger and there’s a lot of young people involved and it’s very heartening,” Brown said.Some candidates in Tasmania are campaigning to bring a halt to salmon farming operations based in the open sea.”I think there will be a bigger vote away from the big parties,” Brown predicted. “I think the vote against them will be a record.”

Dead salmon create election stink on Australian island

Mic check: Singapore’s podcast boom amplifies opposition voices

In a tiny studio, a former Wall Street banker and an ex-aviation executive are doing what critics say is lacking in Singapore’s tightly managed media landscape — giving opposition politicians unfiltered airtime ahead of an upcoming election.The popular podcast Yah Lah But — a colloquial Singlish way of saying “Yes, but” — promises “the most uncensored conversations and interviews from the much-censored country of Singapore”, according to its YouTube description.The show is part of a growing wave of podcasts deep-diving into the affluent city-state’s politics, providing alternative coverage of the May 3 polls.”We’re not scared. I think there’s a desire to really hear different voices,” said host Terence Chia.Despite its reputation as a modern global hub, Singapore’s domestic media is “tightly controlled by the government” and self-censorship is “widespread”, said Reporters Without Borders, ranking it 126th out of 180 countries. Its media landscape is also dominated by players linked to the government that critics say are too pro-establishment.However, mainstream election coverage of the opposition has improved over the past decade, with its news podcasts showing a willingness to feature alternative voices. Co-host Haresh Tilani said the independent Yah Lah But will not give their guests a free pass, no matter their party.”We don’t just bash the establishment. We, in fact, challenge them,” he told AFP.Ahead of the election, Yah Lah But has pivoted to political topics and conducted long interviews with politicians from both sides of the aisle, employing a candid tone that allows a peek into their personalities. “In parliament, rallies, and in mainstream media you see one side of them but podcasts allow you to see the human side of them,” Tilani said.- Mainstream media ‘won’t engage’ -Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has held power since 1959 with an overwhelming majority of parliament seats, and is expected to win the May 3 election. But the opposition has made gains in recent years, and the election will be seen as a referendum on PAP’s popularity under Prime Minister Lawrence Wong when up against a rejuvenated opposition. Despite podcasts’ niche reach, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah said they are “definitely” a better platform than mainstream outlets for non-ruling party players. “The PAP government has made no secret of the need for agencies… to promote the views of the ‘government of the day’,” he told AFP. SDP leader Chee Soon Juan said he has never been invited for a long-form interview by mainstream media in his three decades in politics.Earlier this month, Chee was on The Daily Ketchup, another breakout podcast, for nearly an hour and a half.”Ask me the hard-hitting questions, the ones that drill into the issues — I’m happy to answer. But they (mainstream media) just won’t engage in that sense,” Chee told AFP.Legacy media’s “biggest problem” is “the government which controls the media”, said veteran former editor P.N. Balji.”Even if the government… opens up, I’m not sure the media knows what to do,” Balji said. “They’ve been used to a certain style of reporting.”Mainstream outletsdid not respond to comment when contacted by AFP.- ‘Pent-up demand’ -With the podcast microphones finally on, the opposition is not wasting time — and Singaporeans are taking note. When Workers’ Party’s rookie candidate Harpreet Singh appeared on Yah Lah But, his hour-plus-long episode racked up almost 100,000 views in two weeks — huge for a long-form interview in tiny Singapore.”This is literally the first time I’ve heard this man speak, but (he) has completely won me over,” said one commenter. SDP leader Chee’s episode on The Daily Ketchup got 126,000 views since its mid-April debut — a reflection of the “pent-up demand” for long interviews with politicians, said co-host Jonathan Chua. In JanuaryThe Daily Ketchup landed a coup, securing Prime Minister Wong for an interview. It now has 269,000 views. “The cast members on the show have been upfront on which political parties they are leaning towards… Instead of self-moderating, we cast people with different political views and let them be themselves,” Chua told AFP.Podcasts have “greatly expanded the opposition’s access to the public”, said Cherian George, a Singapore politics and media expert, adding that their presence also “pressured the mainstream media to take down their pro-establishment bias a notch”.Yah Lah But’s hosts believe podcasts will play a larger role in Singapore’s political discourse in the future. “Podcasts are really providing the platform to ask really tough questions that the mainstream media isn’t able to ask,” Chia said.

Markets rise as traders gear up for earnings, key jobs data

Markets edged up Tuesday after a largely positive day on Wall Street with investors eyeing a busy week of data and earnings releases that could provide clues about the effects of Donald Trump’s trade policies.A month that started with the explosion of the US president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2 was on course for a somewhat calmer close as governments line up to cut deals to avert the full force of the measures.But while there is a hope that the sweeping measures can be tempered before a 90-day stay of execution comes to an end in July, there appears to be little movement with the main focus of the levies — China.Reports last week said China was considering exempting some US goods from its retaliatory tariffs but Beijing has said there are no active negotiations between the economic superpowers.On Monday an official denied Trump’s claims to have spoken with President Xi Jinping.The White House has imposed 10 percent tariffs on most US trading partners and a separate 145 percent levy on many products from China. Beijing has responded with 125 percent tariffs of its own.The chance of a deal between the two for now seems remote, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling CNBC that negotiations were ongoing but the ball was in China’s court.”We’ll see where this goes,” he said in an interview aired Monday.”As I’ve repeatedly said, I believe it’s up to China to de-escalate because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them, so these 125 percent tariffs are unsustainable.”While uncertainty rules on trading floors, Asian markets pushed higher on Tuesday, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Manila in positive territory.Tokyo was closed for a holiday.Data this week could give an idea about the impact of Trump’s measures on companies, with tech titans Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft all reporting their first-quarter earnings this week,Also on the agenda are key economic data, including jobs creation and the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of inflation amid warnings the tariffs could reignite prices.”While consumer and business survey data continue to plunge, the hard data has shown resilience, a trend likely to persist for a month or two until the effects of the Liberation tariffs become evident mid-year,” said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG.”If President Trump’s tariffs are reduced, weaker hard data will be looked through, allowing the US economy and stock markets to muddle through the end of the year.”However, he added that if tariffs stayed elevated, stock markets could resume their losses and the chances of a recession rose.- Key figures at 0200 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 percent at 22,050.01Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,291.03Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1392 from $1.1424 on MondayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3421 from $1.3441 Dollar/yen: UP at 142.41 yen from 142.04 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 84.89 pence from 84.99 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $61.91 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $64.66 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 40,227.59 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,417.34 (close)

Congress passes ‘revenge porn’ ban, sending it to Trump

The US House of Representatives voted almost unanimously Monday to make it a federal crime to post “revenge porn” — whether it is real or AI-generated — sending the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval.The Take it Down Act passed in a 409-2 vote, and would criminalize the non-consensual publication of intimate images, while also mandating their removal from online platforms, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said. In March, the president vowed to sign the bill into law during a joint session of Congress.”I look forward to signing that bill into law. Thank you,” Trump said. “And I’m going to use that bill for myself too if you don’t mind, because nobody gets treated worse than I do online, nobody.”House approval of the bill follows its unanimous passage in the Senate in February, an advancement that Johnson called “a critical step in fighting” the growing online problem. Deepfakes often rely on artificial intelligence and other tools to create realistic-looking fake videos. They can be used to create falsified pornographic images of real women, which are then published without their consent and proliferate.First Lady Melania Trump endorsed the bill in early March and said in a statement Monday that the bipartisan passage “is a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children.”Some US states, including California and Florida, have already passed laws criminalizing the publication of sexually explicit deepfakes.Critics voiced concern that the Congress bill grants authorities increased censorship power.The Electronic Frontiers Foundation, a nonprofit focused on free expression, posted a statement Monday saying the new legislation gave “the powerful a dangerous new route to manipulate platforms into removing lawful speech that they simply don’t like.” “President Trump himself has said that he would use the law to censor his critics,” they added.

Canada: les libéraux de Mark Carney donnés vainqueurs des législatives (projection médias)

Assemblée générale de L’Oréal: Françoise Bettencourt Meyers s’apprête à prendre du champ

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, 71 ans, s’apprête à céder son mandat d’administratrice de L’Oréal à la holding familiale Téthys, lors de l’assemblée générale du groupe mardi, et son poste de vice-présidente à un de ses fils. “Je ne quitte pas L’Oréal, mais son conseil d’administration, où je serai restée près de 30 ans”, a-t-elle déclaré lundi à l’AFP.”C’est un bonheur pour mon mari et moi de voir le lien se perpétuer entre notre famille et L’Oréal. Nous en profiterons aux côtés de nos fils Jean-Victor et Nicolas”, a-t-elle ajouté.L’héritière du numéro un mondial des cosmétiques cédera la vice-présidence à son fils aîné Jean-Victor, qui fête mardi ses 39 ans et est déjà membre du conseil d’administration avec son frère Nicolas, 36 ans. Les actionnaires voteront sur son remplacement comme administratrice par la société Téthys, la holding familiale et premier actionnaire de L’Oréal, qui sera représentée au conseil d’administration par Alexandre Benais. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers est présidente de Téthys.Françoise Bettencourt Meyers sera restée 28 ans au conseil d’administration de L’Oréal.Ces changements avaient été dévoilés par L’Oréal en février à l’occasion de la présentation des résultats annuels du groupe.”Passage de génération, la quatrième côté famille, et aux côtés de la sixième des grands patrons de L’Oréal depuis sa création. Des patrons visionnaires qui ont chacun anticipé de façon magistrale le futur de L’Oréal”, a précisé Mme Bettencourt Meyers dans sa déclaration à l’AFP.”J’en suis le témoin et avec ma famille nous en sommes les gardiens. Nous voulons apprécier cette continuité remarquable par respect et fierté pour tous ceux qui ont contribué partout dans le monde. Au fond, pour que presque rien ne change dans cette épopée”, selon elle.- “Caricaturés” -Son fils Jean-Victor, qui avait succédé à sa grand-mère Liliane au poste d’administrateur, deviendra vice-président à l’issue de l’assemblée générale, ce que le conseil d’administration a approuvé à l’unanimité.La famille, extrêmement discrète, a été mise sous les feux des projecteurs contre son gré lors de l’affaire Bettencourt, qui a abouti à la condamnation du photographe François-Marie Banier en appel en 2016 à quatre ans de prison avec sursis pour abus de faiblesse contre Liliane Bettencourt.Les Bettencourt Meyers “sont tellement discrets qu’ils ne sont pas connus et donc caricaturés”, a expliqué à l’AFP Jean-Claude Le Grand, directeur des relations humaines chez L’Oréal.Lors du prochain festival de Cannes, une fiction inspirée de Liliane Bettencourt avec Isabelle Huppert sera présentée. “L’affaire Bettencourt” a quant à elle déjà fait l’objet d’une série documentaire sur Netflix.Lors de l’assemblée générale, le mandat d’administrateur du directeur général Nicolas Hieronimus arrivant à échéance, son renouvellement pour une durée de quatre ans sera également soumis au vote. Nicolas Hieronimus, entré chez L’Oréal en 1987, en est administrateur depuis avril 2021 et directeur général du groupe depuis le 1er mai 2021.Au 24 mars 2025, la famille Bettencourt Meyers possédait 34,76% du capital. En 2024, L’Oréal a réalisé un bénéfice net en hausse de 3,6% à 6,4 milliards d’euros et un chiffre d’affaires en progression de 5,6% à 43,48 milliards d’euros.