Jurors making ‘good progress’ towards Weinstein retrial verdict

Jurors reported getting closer to a verdict Monday in the sex crimes retrial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, despite tensions raising the risk of a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.”We’re making good progress,” Judge Curtis Farber read in a final note from jurors wrapping up the third day of closed-door deliberations in the New York courtroom.Farber had previously read aloud two notes sent to him by the 12-member jury.In the first note, a juror expressed a desire to talk to Farber “about the situation that isn’t very good.”In the second, jurors wrote they “request the entire definition of reasonable doubt and rules of the jury especially to avoid a hung jury.”A hung jury occurs when a judge acknowledges that jurors have been unable to reach a unanimous decision after several days of deliberations. In that case, a mistrial would be declared and a new trial may be held.On Monday morning, Weinstein, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, looked on impassively from his wheelchair, as the judge, prosecutors and his lawyers engaged in tense discussions.The jury must decide whether Weinstein — accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator — is guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on Miriam Haley and former model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann.Weinstein is on trial again after a New York state appeals court threw out his 2020 convictions, citing irregularities in the original proceedings. The former movie industry titan’s 23-year prison sentence for the initial conviction was thrown out, but he remains imprisoned for separate offenses.- ‘Playground stuff’ – On Friday, one juror came forward to report tensions between his fellow panelists, alleging “people are being shunned. It’s playground stuff.”He asked to resign as a juror, but Farber denied his request.Responding to the situation, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala called for a mistrial, but the judge refused his request.At midday Monday, another juror sought to deliver a message of reassurance that matters had calmed down.”Things are going well, the tone is very different today, we are finding headways,” she told the judge, who appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. During the trial, the three alleged victims testified for several days, recounting how the powerful movie producer had forced them into sexual relations after luring them to his apartment or a hotel room in New York.On Wednesday, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg summarized the evidence of the three alleged victims by saying simply: “He raped three women, they all said no.”The Hollywood figure had “all the power” and “all the control” over the alleged victims, which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said.”The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him.”Weinstein did not take the stand but conceded in an interview with FOX5 television on Friday that he had acted “immorally.” He insisted he did nothing criminal, however.Weinstein’s defense team has suggested the women accused him to score a payday from a legal settlement or criminal damages. 

Un des accusés du procès Bolsonaro confirme un projet d'”état de siège” en 2022

Jair Bolsonaro a évalué la possibilité de décréter l'”état de siège” et de convoquer de nouvelles élections après sa défaite face à Lula en 2022, a affirmé lundi un des accusés du procès historique contre l’ex-président brésilien, qui encourt une lourde peine de prison pour tentative de coup d’Etat.Ces propos devant la Cour suprême ont été tenus par Mauro Cid, aide de camp de l’ancien dirigeant d’extrême droite durant son mandat (2019-2022), dont l’interrogatoire a duré environ quatre heures lors d’une audience retransmise en direct à la télévision.M. Bolsonaro, 70 ans, doit lui aussi être interrogé cette semaine, au même titre que sept autres co-accusés parmi ses plus proches collaborateurs, notamment d’anciens ministres et des militaires de haut rang.Vêtu d’un costume sombre et non de son habituelle tenue décontractée, l’ex-président s’est assis sur le banc des accusés face à Alexandre de Moraes, magistrat puissant et controversé en charge de ce dossier, considéré comme l’ennemi numéro un du camp Bolsonaro.Le parquet l’accuse d’avoir été le “leader d’une organisation criminelle” ayant comploté pour empêcher le retour au pouvoir du président de gauche Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, qui l’a battu lors de l’élection de 2022.Selon l’accusation, le supposé projet de coup d’État, qui prévoyait jusqu’à l’assassinat de Lula, n’a pas abouti faute de soutien du haut commandement militaire. Les accusés encourent une peine pouvant aller jusqu’à 40 ans de prison.Inéligible jusqu’en 2030, Jair Bolsonaro demeure néanmoins le meneur incontesté de l’opposition face à Lula. Il clame son innocence, criant à la “persécution politique” pour l’empêcher de se présenter à la présidentielle de 2026, alors qu’il espère encore faire annuler son inéligibilité.”Il n’y a aucune raison de me condamner, j’ai la conscience tranquille”, a déclaré l’ex-président à un groupe de journalistes lors d’une pause durant l’audience.- Un traître -La série d’interrogatoires a débuté avec Mauro Cid, considéré comme un traître par les bolsonaristes pour avoir noué un accord de collaboration avec les autorités dans l’espoir d’une réduction de peine.Selon lui, Jair Bolsonaro a “reçu, lu”, puis “retouché” un projet de décret présenté par de proches conseillers prévoyant l’instauration d’un “état de siège”, l'”arrestation d’autorités” et la création d’un “conseil électoral” pour réaliser un nouveau scrutin après la présidentielle de 2022 remportée par Lula.Quand le juge Moraes lui a demandé en quoi ont consisté les retouches, l’ancien aide de camp a répondu : “il a retiré des noms d’autorités, faisant en sorte que seulement vous (le juge Moraes, ndlr) seriez arrêté”, a répondu l’ancien aide de camp.Ce à quoi le magistrat a rétorqué, caustique: “les autres ont donc bénéficié d’un habeas corpus”, mesure judiciaire permettant de contester une détention considérée comme arbitraire.Parfois hésitant dans ses réponses, Mauro Cid a répété à plusieurs reprises “je ne me souviens pas”, quand on lui posait des questions sur dates, horaires ou lieux où il aurait été témoin des supposées velléités putschistes de l’ex-président et son entourage.Il a par ailleurs confirmé que l’un des autres accusés, le général Walter Braga Netto, candidat à la vice-présidence sur le ticket de Jair Bolsonaro, lui avait remis de l’argent dans une caisse de vin.Selon les enquêteurs, cet argent était censé financer une opération de militaires des forces spéciales pour assassiner Lula et d’autres autorités.- “Heure de vérité” -Les interrogatoires sont menés au siège de la Cour suprême à Brasilia, un des lieux saccagés le 8 janvier 2023 par des milliers de bolsonaristes réclamant une intervention militaire pour renverser Lula, une semaine après l’investiture de ce dernier.Les audiences pourront s’étendre tout au long de la semaine, sachant que Jair Bolsonaro est le sixième dans l’ordre fixé par la cour.Même s’il a le droit de garder le silence à la barre, l’ex-président avait assuré jeudi qu’il répondrait “sans aucun problème” aux questions qui lui seront posées.”C’est l’heure de vérité”, a-t-il résumé vendredi, durant un événement du Parti Libéral, sa formation politique. Le verdict ne devrait pas être connu avant plusieurs mois. Après les réquisitions du parquet et les plaidoiries de la défense, les cinq juges de la première chambre de la Cour suprême doivent voter pour décider s’ils condamnent ou non les accusés, et, le cas échéant, fixer les peines.”L’histoire du Brésil est en train d’être écrite”, résume à l’AFP Marcio Coimbra, directeur du groupe de réflexion Casa Politica.

Trump warns of decision time as Iran prepares nuclear counter-proposal

President Donald Trump said Monday that new US-Iran talks this week could make clear if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action, as Tehran readies a counter-proposal on a potential agreement.Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said the US leader informed that he had made a “reasonable offer” to Iran.Netanyahu has threatened to strike the nuclear sites of Iran, whose cleric-run government he sees as Israel’s existential enemy, but Trump has said he has held him back.”We’re trying to make a deal so that there’s no destruction and death,” Trump told reporters after what he described as a positive call with Netanyahu.”But it might not work out that way. We’ll soon find out,” Trump said.Trump said the latest meeting with Iran was expected Thursday, although a source familiar with preparations said it would more likely be on Friday or Saturday. In a key sticking point, Iran has insisted on the right to enrich uranium at low levels for civilian use — as allowed under a 2015 deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama which Trump tore up in his first White House term.”They seek enrichment. They can’t have enrichment,” Trump said. “So far, they’re not there. I hate to say that because the alternative is a very, very dire one,” he said.”But they’re not there. They have given us their thoughts on the deal and I said, it’s just not acceptable.”- ‘Reasonable, logical and balanced’ -Iran and the United States last held talks on May 31, after which Iran said it had received “elements” of a US proposal.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said the text contained “ambiguities.”Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticized the US proposal as “lacking elements” reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman, without providing further details.”We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through Oman once it is finalised,” Baqaei told a press briefing.”It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity.”Also on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told state news agency IRNA that Iran’s response “is a framework for agreement.””If we reach an understanding on this framework in principle, further extensive negotiations will begin on its details,” he added.Iran’s parliament speaker has said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.Israel has hit Iran directly, impeding its air defenses, since the October 7, 2023 deadly attacks by Tehran-sponsored Hamas which also triggered its Gaza offensive.Iran’s top security body, however, warned Monday that it had intelligence on Israeli nuclear facilities and could carry out counterattacks should Israel strike.- IAEA tension -Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.The United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday began a Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that will last until Friday to discuss Iran’s nuclear activities among other topics.”I call upon Iran urgently to cooperate fully and effectively with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in his opening speech.”Unless and until Iran assists the agency in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues, the agency will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” he added.Iran has warned European powers of counter-measures to reduce cooperation with the IAEA if European powers back a draft resolution that accuses Tehran of non-compliance.rkh-mz-pdm-dk-sct/mlm

Trump annonce une nouvelle réunion cette semaine avec l’Iran sur le nucléaire

Le président américain Donald Trump a annoncé lundi une nouvelle réunion cette semaine entre les États-Unis et l’Iran à propos du programme nucléaire iranien, après que Téhéran a annoncé la prochaine remise à Washington de sa propre proposition d’accord. Interrogé sur cette proposition que les Iraniens ont dit vouloir soumettre “bientôt”, le président américain a déclaré: “Nous avons une réunion avec l’Iran jeudi, donc nous attendrons jeudi”. Une source proche du dossier évoque cependant une réunion plus probablement vendredi ou samedi. Les discussions butent toujours sur la question de l’enrichissement d’uranium iranien, après la remise d’une offre américaine qui ne semble pas avoir convaincu Téhéran. “Ils veulent l’enrichissement (d’uranium), ils ne peuvent pas avoir l’enrichissement” d’uranium, a insisté Donald Trump.Ennemis depuis quatre décennies, l’Iran et les États-Unis ont tenu depuis avril cinq séries de pourparlers, sous la médiation d’Oman. Ils tentent de conclure un accord censé empêcher Téhéran de se doter de l’arme atomique, en échange d’une levée des sanctions qui paralysent son économie. L’Iran se défend d’avoir des ambitions militaires avec le nucléaire. Un précédent accord sur le nucléaire iranien avait été conclu en 2015 entre l’Iran et les cinq membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU (Chine, États-Unis, France, Royaume-Uni, Russie) plus l’Allemagne. Mais en 2018, après plusieurs mois de menaces, Donald Trump avait annoncé le retrait des États-Unis de l’accord.L’enrichissement d’uranium est central dans les négociations actuelles. Les États-Unis exigent que l’Iran y renonce totalement, tandis que Téhéran considère cette demande comme non négociable, arguant qu’elle est contraire au Traité de non-prolifération nucléaire (TNP) dont il est signataire.”Nous proposerons bientôt notre propre plan à l’autre partie, par l’intermédiaire d’Oman”, a déclaré lundi le porte-parole de la diplomatie iranienne, Esmaïl Baghaï.  La proposition de l’Iran en vue d’un accord est “raisonnable, logique et équilibrée, et nous recommandons vivement à la partie américaine de saisir cette occasion”, a ajouté le porte-parole, lors d’un point de presse hebdomadaire à Téhéran.Les États-Unis et leurs alliés occidentaux, ainsi qu’Israël, considéré par des experts comme la seule puissance nucléaire au Moyen-Orient, accusent depuis longtemps la République islamique d’Iran de chercher à se doter de l’arme atomique, ce qu’elle a toujours nié.- “Offre raisonnable” -Donald Trump a informé lundi le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu que Washington avait transmis à Téhéran une “offre raisonnable”, selon un bref communiqué du bureau de M. Netanyahu.Le président américain l’a informé “que les États-Unis avaient transmis une offre raisonnable à l’Iran, et qu’ils s’attendaient à recevoir une réponse dans les prochains jours”.La semaine dernière, l’Iran avait dit avoir reçu des “éléments” d’une proposition américaine d’accord, mais estimé qu’elle contenait de “nombreuses ambiguïtés”.Le contenu de cette offre américaine n’est pas connu. Mais le président du Parlement iranien, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, a déclaré dimanche qu’elle n’abordait pas la question de la levée des sanctions, dont l’Iran fait une priorité. – “Manque d’honnêteté” -La proposition américaine “manque d’honnêteté”, a estimé M. Ghalibaf, appelant Donald Trump à “changer d’approche s’il cherche vraiment un accord”, dans une vidéo diffusée par la télévision d’État.Mercredi déjà, le guide suprême iranien, l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei, avait qualifié la proposition américaine de “100 % contraire” aux intérêts de son pays. L’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique (AIEA), gendarme onusien du nucléaire, doit passer en revue cette semaine les activités de l’Iran dans ce domaine.L’Iran a menacé dimanche de réduire sa coopération avec l’AIEA si une résolution lui étant défavorable était adoptée.”L’AIEA ne doit pas s’attendre à ce que l’Iran poursuive sa coopération large et amicale”, a déclaré le porte-parole de l’Organisation iranienne de l’énergie atomique, Behrouz Kamalvandi.Selon des sources diplomatiques, les Européens et les États-Unis ont l’intention de soumettre durant cette réunion de l’AIEA une résolution contre l’Iran, avec une menace de renvoi du dossier devant les Nations unies. Cette mesure déclencherait un mécanisme pour un rétablissement de sanctions onusiennes contre l’Iran.”J’appelle l’Iran à coopérer pleinement et efficacement avec l’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique”, a déclaré lundi son patron, Rafael Grossi.”Tant que l’Iran n’aidera pas l’agence à résoudre les questions (…) en suspens, celle-ci ne sera pas en mesure de garantir que le programme nucléaire iranien est exclusivement pacifique”, a-t-il ajouté.

US, China trade talks to stretch into second day

United States and Chinese officials are set to meet Tuesday for a second day of trade talks in London, seeking to shore up a shaky tariff truce in a spat further strained by export curbs.The gathering of key officials from the world’s two biggest economies began Monday in the historic Lancaster House, run by the UK Foreign Office, following an earlier round of talks in Geneva last month.Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was again heading the team in London, which included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation.A source familiar with negotiations told AFP that talks wrapped up Monday evening and are expected to restart Tuesday at 10:00 am local time (0900 GMT).The London meeting came after Washington accused Beijing of violating their Geneva deal to de-escalate staggeringly high tariffs.A key sticking point was the export of rare earths from China.”In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy,” Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, told CNBC on Monday.But even though Beijing was releasing some supplies, “it was going a lot slower than some companies believed was optimal,” Hassett added.This issue was raised last week in US President Donald Trump’s first publicly announced telephone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping since the Republican’s return to the White House.Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Thursday’s long-awaited call reached a “very positive conclusion”.On Monday, the US leader told reporters that he was “only getting good reports” on the trade talks, adding: “We are doing well with China. China is not easy.”- US easing curbs? -US official Hassett said he expected “a big, strong handshake” at the trade negotiations.”Our expectation is that after the handshake,” Hassett added, “any export controls from the US will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume.”Both sides can then “go back to negotiating smaller matters,” he said.Tensions between Washington and Beijing have soared since Trump took office, with both countries engaging in a tariffs war that took duties on each other’s exports to three figures — an effective trade embargo.The Geneva pact to cool tensions temporarily brought new US tariffs on Chinese goods from 145 percent to 30 percent, and Chinese countermeasures from 125 percent to 10 percent.But Trump recently said China “totally violated” the deal. A key issue was Beijing’s shipments of rare earths, crucial to goods including electric vehicle batteries.”Rare earth shipments from China to the US have slowed since President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB.Brooks was referring to when Trump slapped sweeping levies of 10 percent on friend and foe alike, and threatened steeper rates on dozens of economies.”The US wants these shipments to be reinstated, while China wants the US to rethink immigration curbs on students, restrictions on access to advanced technology including microchips, and to make it easier for Chinese tech providers to access US consumers,” Brooks added.Hassett’s statement signaled the Trump administration might be willing to ease some recent curbs on tech exports.- ‘Green channel’ -Throughout its talks with Washington, China has also launched discussions with other trading partners — including Japan and South Korea — to try to build a united front to counter Trump’s tariffs.On Thursday, Beijing and Canada agreed to regularise their channels of communication after strained ties.Beijing has also proposed establishing a “green channel” to ease exports of rare earths to the European Union, and fast-tracking approval of some export licenses.China is expected to host a summit with the EU in July, marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties.According to a UK government spokesperson, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves took advantage of the London talks to meet with her US counterpart Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He on Sunday.

Sly Stone: soul music’s groundbreaking, elusive superstar

Funk master and iconic music innovator Sly Stone, whose songs drove a civil rights-inflected soul explosion in the 1960s, sparking influential albums but also a slide into drug addiction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 82.Stone was the multi-instrumentalist frontman for Sly and the Family Stone — rock’s first racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup.He “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,” after a prolonged battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues, Stone’s family said in a statement.”While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come,” it added.With his vibrant on-stage energy, killer hooks and lyrics that often decried prejudice, Stone became a superstar, releasing pivotal records that straddled musical genres and performing a memorable set at Woodstock.But he retreated to the shadows in the early 1970s, emerging sporadically for unfulfilling concert tours, erratic TV appearances and a flopped 2006 reunion on the Grammy Awards stage.An effervescent hybrid of psychedelic soul, hippie consciousness, bluesy funk and rock built on Black gospel, Stone’s music proved to be a melodic powerhouse that attracted millions during a golden age of exploratory pop — until it fell apart in a spiral of drug use.Over the course of five years, his diverse sound cooperative left an indelible impact, from the group’s debut 1967 hit “Dance to the Music” and their first of three number one songs, “Everyday People” a year later, to the 1970s rhythm and blues masterpiece “If You Want Me To Stay.”For many, Sly was a musical genius creating the sound of the future.It was “like seeing a Black version of the Beatles,” funk legend George Clinton told CBS News of his longtime friend’s stage presence.”He had the sensibility of the street, the church, and then like the qualities of a Motown,” Clinton added. “He was all of that in one person.”- Huge influence -The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the band in 1993, saying: “Their songs were more than danceable hits — they were a force for positive change.”But Stone struggled to contain the forces and pressures that came with fame. He slid into addiction. He missed concerts. His musical output, once bankable, became erratic.The music, though, proved extraordinarily influential, laying the groundwork for Prince, Miles Davis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and OutKast.By 1973, the band imploded.Asked why by talk show host David Letterman a decade later, the elusive star was cryptic: “I couldn’t make all the gigs, is what happened.” Multiple drug-related arrests followed. By 2011, he was homeless and living in a van.In his 2023 memoir, Stone acknowledged he was lost in a deluge of cocaine and PCP, but that he finally went clean in 2019.Drugs gave him “confidence” and energy, he wrote.But he regretted “the way I let drugs run my life,” he added.”I thought I could control them but then at some point they were controlling me.”- Family affair – Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart on March 15, 1943 in Denton, Texas. His parents moved the family to San Francisco’s suburbs, and built ties with the Church of God in Christ.He was a musical prodigy; by age seven, Stone was proficient at keyboards, and by 11, he played guitar, bass and drums. He sang gospel in church with his sisters and joined high school bands.Stone studied music at California’s Solano Community College, worked as a disc jockey and became a songwriter and record producer. He played keyboards for Marvin Gaye.By 1966 Sly and the Family Stone had emerged, with brother Freddie on guitar and vocals, and sisters Rose on keyboards and Vaetta on background vocals.White musicians Greg Errico on drums and saxophonist Jerry Martini joined them, at a time when such integration was rare.Their first album fell flat. But when influential music executive Clive Davis urged Stone to make a more commercial record, the band stormed up the charts in 1968, with “Everyday People” reaching number one.”We got to live together,” Stone belted out.It was a period of tumult in America, with civil rights showdowns, Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination and anti-war riots.”I was scared. At the time it was almost too much all at once,” Stone, who is survived by a son and two daughters, once told an interviewer.In 1969, Stone and his band released the album “Stand!” It was a commercial triumph including the summer smash of the same name that became a touchstone for Black empowerment.That year, they played a frenetic post-midnight set before half a million people at Woodstock.More than a generation later, the 2025 documentary “SLY LIVES: AKA, the Burden of Black Genius” shed light on one of soul music’s groundbreaking figures.”Sly opened the floodgates for all musicians of color,” music producer Terry Lewis said in the film, “to just do whatever they felt like.”