Kim Kardashian’s next star turn is in a Paris courtroom
Kim Kardashian is due to testify in the Paris trial that begins Monday of the “grandpa robbers” accused of stealing $10 million worth of jewellery from the billionaire high priestess of social media.The ageing French underworld figures accused of tying her up and threatening her with a gun in the heist during Paris Fashion Week in 2016 reportedly did not know who she really was.Yet few under 50 on the planet with a smartphone could have escaped the rise of one of the world’s most famous influencers over the last two decades.Kardashian has been a constant presence in popular culture, an uber-celebrity whose every move commands attention, yet who never seems to be anything other than in complete control.While lesser stars have been consumed by fame, Kardashian remains at the height of her powers, defying criticism that she is really only famous for being famous.It is thought Kardashian’s frequent posts about her wealth, personal life and whereabouts may have helped put the robbers on her trail.When they burst into her exclusive Paris suite they shouted that they wanted the $4-million (3.5-million euro) diamond engagement her now ex-husband, US rapper Kayne West, gave her, and that she had shown off on social media.- Fame -Los Angeles-born Kardashian, 44, spent her childhood on the periphery of fame.Her mother Kris married the 1976 Olympic decathlon winner then known as Bruce Jenner, who has since transitioned to life as Caitlyn, after divorcing her late father Robert Kardashian.He was one of the high-flying lawyers who defended American football legend OJ Simpson in his 1995 murder trial. As a teenage friend of Los Angeles socialites Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, Kardashian garnered the first inklings of her own fame, being photographed with them at popular nightspots and appearing in their reality show “The Simple Life.”But it was in 2007 that she was catapulted into popular consciousness when an explicit four-year-old home movie she had made with her then-boyfriend singer Ray J was posted online.Cynics noted the tape appeared as Kardashian and her family were readying to promote “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” a fly-on-the-wall reality TV look at the family’s life of wealth, luxury, unbelievable cattiness — and startling mundanity.Planted or not, the footage burned Kardashian onto the public’s collective retina.”Keeping up with the Kardashians,” which followed the personal and professional trials of sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe and their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, was one of television’s longest-running reality shows.For some, it was must-see entertainment offering an insight into celebrity through the prism of a unique family.For others, as The Washington Times once wrote, it was vapid chaff that “illustrates our nation’s moral, spiritual and cultural decay.”Either way, the show was very, very good for business.A series of enterprises including KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance established Kardashian as a serious player in the fashion and lifestyle sector, propelled by the rise of social media, where she regularly posted titillating thirst traps to build her brand.But it was the apparel label Skims that really brought in the big bucks.The firm unapologetically celebrates the female form, boasting “technically constructed shapewear that enhances your curves.”A 2023 investment round valued the company at $4 billion, and Forbes estimates Kardashian’s personal net worth is now $1.7 billion.- Marriage to Kanye… and divorce -Her forays into the fashion and beauty worlds were supercharged by her relationship with West, her third husband.Their marriage in 2014 — the year of that “Break the Internet” photoshoot involving her shapely bare buttocks and lots of champagne — was a “historic blizzard of celebrity,” according to The New York Times.They flew to France for a pre-wedding rehearsal at the Palace of Versailles, where they arrived in a gold-plated carriage before flying on to Italy to tie the knot.Four children later, the couple’s relationship ran into difficulties, as West’s behavior became increasingly erratic. His bizarre but truncated 2020 bid for the US presidency degenerated into rambling self-confession.Kardashian appealed for empathy for her husband, who at one time spoke of living with bipolar disorder, but by 2021 was filing for divorce.Kardashian said she has tried to protect the couple’s children from the inevitable hurt of their parents’ split.”You want to be sensitive because they’re just kids, and it’s hard to go through no matter what age,” she told GQ in 2023.”Ultimately what matters is that kids feel loved and heard.”They are certainly seen: Kardashian’s 357 million Instagram followers are given regular updates on the children.Since her split with West, Kardashian had a high-profile romance with comedian Pete Davidson, and was linked to NFL player Odell Beckham Jr.Amid the parenting, the television shows, the endless red carpets and the multi-billion-dollar business, Kardashian has also found time to launch a legal career.After embarking on an apprenticeship with a prison reform group, she successfully petitioned US President Donald Trump to pardon a grandmother serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense — and then visited him at the White House.In 2021 and on her fourth attempt, she passed California’s “baby bar” exam, a seven-hour slog for first-year law students with a pass rate of only around 20 percent.Her late father, she mused, “would be so proud.””He would actually be so shocked to know that this is my path now.”
Canada: le suspect de l’attaque à la voiture-bélier qui a fait 11 morts inculpé
Le suspect d’une attaque à la voiture-bélier qui a tué 11 personnes et fait des dizaines de blessés lors d’un festival de la communauté philippine de Vancouver a été inculpé de meurtre, a annoncé dimanche la police.”Le parquet de Colombie-Britannique a inculpé Kai-Ji Adam Lo”, le suspect âgé de 30 ans, “de huit chefs de meurtre”, a déclaré la police dans un communiqué, ajoutant que d’autres inculpations étaient attendues.L’homme présenté comme un habitant de Vancouver, qui a comparu devant un tribunal avant d’être remis en garde à vue, a agi délibérément et a des antécédents de troubles mentaux, selon la police.Aucun motif n’a été confirmé pour cette attaque survenue samedi soir dans la ville de Vancouver, dans l’ouest du pays, en pleine campagne électorale alors que les Canadiens sont appelés aux urnes lundi pour des élections législatives. La police a exclu cependant la piste terroriste.Le Premier ministre canadien Mark Carney s’est rendu dimanche à Vancouver, où il a assisté dimanche, des fleurs à la main, à une veillée religieuse organisée pour les victimes, selon le média CPAC.”La nuit dernière, des familles ont perdu une sœur, un frère, une mère, un père, un fils ou une fille”, a-t-il déclaré. “Ces familles vivent le cauchemar de toutes les familles.Le suspect a “un lourd passé d’interactions, avec la police et des soignants, liées à la santé mentale”, a déclaré Steve Rai, un haut responsable de la police de Vancouver, lors d’une conférence de presse dimanche.”Même si je ne peux pas m’exprimer à ce stade sur un possible mobile, je peux désormais dire, confiant, que les éléments de ce dossier ne nous mènent pas à penser qu’il s’agit d’un acte terroriste”, a-t-il ajouté.”Il y a désormais 11 décès confirmés, et nous pensons que des dizaines d’autres sont blessés, dont certains gravement”, a poursuivi Steve Rai, prévenant que le nombre de morts pourrait augmenter.”Il s’agit du jour le plus sombre de l’histoire de Vancouver”, a-t-il estimé.- Des corps “écrasés” -Peu après 20H00 locales samedi (03h00 GMT dimanche) selon la police, “un homme au volant d’un SUV Audi noir” a foncé à travers la foule dans le quartier Sunset on Fraser de la ville de la côte pacifique où des membres de la communauté philippine s’étaient rassemblés pour célébrer la journée Lapu-Lapu, qui commémore une victoire du XVIe siècle contre les explorateurs européens.Abigail Andiso a raconté au Vancouver Sun qu’elle a entendu de grands bruits, puis des hurlements: “Il y avait des corps. Ils ont été écrasés. Certains étaient déjà morts sur place”.Des images partagées sur les réseaux sociaux et vérifiées par l’AFP montrent un véhicule, un SUV noir dont l’avant est très endommagé, arrêté dans une rue jonchée de débris avec des camions de restauration rapide tout autour.Sheila Nocasa était sur place peu avant l’incident. Elle a dit à l’AFP être “sous le choc”, “anéantie”.Des personnes sont venues dimanche déposer des fleurs pour rendre hommage aux victimes sur le site de l’attaque.”C’est très traumatisant”, a indiqué à l’AFP Mohamad Sariman, qui travaillait dans un food truck au festival Lapu Lapu et qui dit avoir entendu une “grosse détonation”.De nombreuses communautés asiatiques, notamment chinoise, indienne et philippine, vivent dans l’ouest du Canada, pour beaucoup autour de Vancouver, troisième agglomération du pays.Dimanche, le roi Charles III, chef d’Etat du Canada, s’est dit “profondément attristé” par cette “terrible tragédie”. Le président français Emmanuel Macron a dit sa “solidarité aux Canadiens et à la communauté philippine”.De son côté, le président des Philippines Ferdinand Marcos a déclaré dans un communiqué qu’il était “complètement bouleversé d’apprendre ce terrible incident”.- “J’ai peur” -“J’étais choqué” en apprenant la nouvelle, a déclaré dimanche matin à l’AFP Julie Dunbar, une retraitée de la capitale Ottawa. Elle rappelle tristement qu’il “est arrivé la même chose à Toronto” en 2018, quand un homme avait tué 11 personnes avec un van. “J’ai peur de la société dans laquelle on vit”.Ce drame fait monter la tension à quelques heures du scrutin, lundi. La campagne électorale a été dominée par la question de la guerre économique avec les Etats-Unis de Donald Trump et ses menaces d’annexion.Le nouveau Premier ministre Mark Carney, qui se présente comme un rempart face au président américain, est donné favori par les sondages. Il a modifié le programme de son dernier jour de campagne en raison de l’attaque à Vancouver.bur-tib-fz-ab/lgo/roc
Lycéenne tuée à Nantes: des élèves “stressés” reviennent en cours
Les collégiens et lycéens du Groupe scolaire de Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides, à Nantes, ont repris lundi les cours, quatre jours après le meurtre d’une jeune fille de 15 ans au cours d’une attaque au couteau commise par un élève de seconde.De l’extérieur, peu de signes trahissent le drame qui s’est déroulé jeudi au sein de l’établissement, si ce n’est que de nombreux élèves sont vêtus de blanc, suivant l’appel relayé la semaine dernière sur les réseaux sociaux à saluer ainsi la mémoire de la lycéenne tuée et des trois autres élèves blessés, a constaté un journaliste de l’AFP sur place.Les élèves se sont pressés à l’intérieur du collège-lycée par petites grappes, le visage souvent fermé, les mines graves.V. et S., deux lycéens, se disent toutefois “un peu stressés” d’être “déjà de retour”. “Ça fait chelou” lance V., qui triture nerveusement sa cigarette “puff” au milieu de son groupe d’amis. “On a beaucoup parlé entre nous ce week-end, mais ça fait bizarre de revenir aujourd’hui, on a un peu l’impression de revivre la journée de la semaine dernière”, explique-t-il à l’AFP.”Pour ceux qui étaient en classe avec (la victime), je pense que ce n’est pas facile”, compatit S.Près de l’établissement scolaire, Véronique, mère de deux élèves, raconte qu’au cours du week-end, sa famille et elle ont “essayé de former un cocon autour (de ses filles) et d’en parler même si elles ont du mal à réaliser ce qui s’est passé”.”C’est bien qu’ils aient rouvert l’école tout de suite, les élèves ont besoin d’être ensemble et avec leurs professeurs”, juge Véronique, qui se dit quand même “rassurée” par la présence de policiers aux abords de l’école.Une cellule d’aide psychologique a été activée dès jeudi, après l’attaque.”On a été bien accompagnés, la cellule psychologique est là, ils ont tout fait pour qu’on se sente bien” estime S., qui a “hâte de retrouver les cours” et “une vie normale”.”On en a besoin”, mais “personne n’oubliera jamais ce qui s’est passé ici”, ajoute-t-il.Dans une voiture, une jeune fille pleure à chaudes larmes. Sa mère, qui s’entretenait avec un responsable scolaire devant la porte, revient en courant vers elle. “Non, ça ne va pas”, glisse-t-elle en passant. “C’est trop tôt, voilà. Je leur ai dit. On rentre à la maison.”L’auteur présumé de l’attaque, âgé de 16 ans, et dont “aucun mobile” n’a pu être déterminé dans l’immédiat selon le procureur de Nantes Antoine Leroy, a été interpellé peu après les faits au sein de l’établissement et hospitalisé dans une unité psychiatrique.
Stock markets mostly rise as investors eye trade talks
Stocks mostly rose on Monday as investors assess how the land lies on the trade war front with countries seeking to temper Donald Trump’s eye-watering tariffs.Investors were also keeping tabs on China after President Xi Jinping and other top leaders last week discussed plans to boost consumption in the world’s number two economy.Markets started Monday on a tepid note after a much-needed positive run-up last week, with eyes on the upcoming earnings season, key data and central bank decisions.”We head into month-end and a risk event-heavy trading week, with a ‘cautiously optimistic’ stance adopted by the collective,” said Chris Weston at Pepperstone.”Whether the move in risk can kick (on) will be determined by the incoming economic data and US company earnings, but the bar to beat expectations remains low and the wall of worry is there for climbing.”He added that while caution remained, there was optimism that the White House was sensitive to extreme market reactions, such as the bond market’s plunge in reaction to Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs.Investors “feel a renewed sense of control — where the collective has seen the response from the US administration to moves in the US 10-year Treasury, equity and implied cross-asset volatility — to know that Trump et al do have a threshold and a trigger point”, Weston said.Asia enjoyed a largely healthy start after a strong end to last week on Wall Street. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Mumbai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Wellington rose with London, Paris and Frankfurt.But Shanghai, Singapore and Manila edged down while Hong Kong was flat.The more positive mood weighed on gold, which hit a record high around $3,500 last week as investors flocked to safe havens.Traders are hoping governments can hammer out deals with Trump to soften the impact of his sweeping tariffs, with reports last week saying China was considering exempting some US goods from its hefty retaliatory measures.Beijing has said there are no active negotiations between the economic superpowers and on Monday an official denied Trump’s claims to have spoken with Xi by phone.Japanese media reported that a second round of trade talks in Washington was set for Thursday.The discussions will be closely watched as a barometer for efforts by other countries seeking tariff relief.And US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a trade “understanding” between South Korea and the United States could be reached by this week.Separately, officials in Beijing were due to hold a news conference on Monday on employment, economic growth and development, days after China’s top decision-making body gathered to discuss how to kickstart growth.Leaders are looking at a range of domestic issues with an eye to “enhance the role of consumption in stimulating economic growth”, according to Xinhua on Friday.They also said they would seek to “work with the international community to actively uphold multilateralism and oppose unilateral bullying practices”.- Key figures at 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 35,839.99 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 21,971.96 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,288.41 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,439.98Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1349 from $1.1359 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3305 from $1.3314 Dollar/yen: UP at 143.70 yen from 143.69 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 85.28 pence from 85.31 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $63.16 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.2 percent at $65.93 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 40,113.50 (close)
China says on ‘right side of history’ in trade standoff with US
A top Chinese economic official on Monday said Beijing was on the “right side of history” in its gruelling trade war with the United States.Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump 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 on US goods.Speaking in Beijing at a news conference at which officials vowed greater steps to shield China’s flagging economy from the impact of the standoff, senior economic planner Zhao Chenxin said Beijing was “on the right side of history”.”We firmly believe that if you are against the world and the truth, you will only isolate yourselves,” Zhao said.”Only by travelling with the world and with morality can we win the future,” he added.The United States, he said, “play cards out of thin air, bully and go back on their word”, condemning Washington’s “unilateralism and bullying”.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday defended Trump’s tumultuous tariff policy — which has sent shivers through markets — as a way of creating “strategic uncertainty” that gives Washington the upper hand.When asked about Bessent’s comments, Beijing on Monday said that the US should approach dialogue with China in a “fair, respectful and reciprocal” manner.”If the US really wants to solve the problem through dialogue and consultation, it should stop its threats and extortion,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference. Dozens of countries face a 90-day deadline expiring in July to strike an agreement with Washington and avoid higher, country-specific rates.Beijing, however, has vowed to fight a trade war “to the end” and denied US claims it is in talks with Washington.But it has acknowledged global economic vicissitudes have strained its economy, long dependent on exports.”External pressures are increasing,” said Yu Jiadong of China’s labour ministry on Monday.”The US imposition of successive high-tariff measures has created production and operation challenges for some export-oriented companies and impacted some workers’ jobs,” he said.