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With the lights kept on 24 hours a day, allowed outside for just 30 minutes a few times a week, a French couple held in Iran since May 2022 on Wednesday marked three years of incarceration in the Islamic republic, with no immediate prospect of an end to their ordeal.Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held on spying charges they vehemently deny, are jailed in extremely tough conditions and feeling increasingly hopeless, according to their families.They are among a number of Europeans held by Iran in what France and other countries call a deliberate hostage-taking strategy to extract concessions from the West at a time of tension over the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher from eastern France and her partner Paris, in his 70s, were arrested on May 7, 2022, on the last day of a tourist trip to Iran. They are held in section 209 at Tehran’s Evin Prison, seen as reserved for political prisoners.They are the last known French detainees in Iran after some recent releases and are regarded as “state hostages” by the French government.”It’s very, very hard. We’re tired. We never imagined it could last this long,” Cecile Kohler’s sister Noemie told AFP ahead of the anniversary.”Cecile and Jacques are increasingly desperate and are less and less optimistic,” said Noemie, who is leading the campaign for her sister’s release.Supporters held rallies across France on Wednesday, including in Paris where Noemie was joined by their parents Mireille and Pascal. Protesters held banners with slogans including “get Cecile out of 209, her life is in danger”.President Emmanuel Macron said that France was working “tirelessly” to free the couple.”I assure their families that our support is unwavering,” Macron wrote on X.In a video message, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the couple’s detention “unacceptable”.The couple are being kept “in inhumane conditions that amount to torture”, he said, describing the pair as “victims of the Iranian regime”.- ‘No foreigner is safe’ -The pair were forced to make “confessions” broadcast on Iranian state television a few months after their arrest and have received only four consular visits in three years.”Unfortunately, there aren’t really any signs of hope,” said Noemie Kohler. “Our only lever is mobilisation, making as much noise as possible in the hope that it will be heard in Iran,” she said.The couple’s lights are kept on 24 hours a day and they are permitted just 30 minutes outdoors two or three times a week. Rare and short calls to their loved ones are held under the highest surveillance, the last one on April 14.France-Iran relations have become even more strained in recent weeks, with Paris threatening new sanctions against Tehran amid growing international alarm about the Iranian nuclear programme.In February an Iranian woman, Mahdieh Esfandiari, was arrested in France on charges of promoting terrorism on social media, while a Franco-Iranian influencer is to go on trial on the same charge.France has said it will lodge a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over the fate of the two, a move welcomed by their families but unlikely to hasten the case in the short term.Barrot said around 20 Europeans are held in a similar manner in Iran including “teachers, academics, journalists, tourists”.”No foreigner is safe today,” he said, calling on French citizens not to travel to Iran.Many such cases are believed not to be made public by governments and families in the hope of solving the situation without publicity.Among Europeans known to be held in Iran is Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was arrested during a visit in April 2016 and sentenced to death in 2017 on spying charges, which his family says are false.

The European Union is accelerating free trade talks with Asia following hefty tariffs by US President Donald Trump, the bloc’s trade chief said Wednesday.Trump has slapped a series of higher tariffs on Europe since March and in his biggest move, he imposed a 20-percent tariff on a majority of EU goods last month — before …

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday met French leader Emmanuel Macron on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, despite alarm over deadly clashes that have overshadowed the new authorities’ first months in power.Ahead of the high-profile talks at the Elysee Palace, Sharaa and his foreign minister met a whistleblower who helped document horrific torture under long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.Sharaa and Assaad al-Shibani “met with Farid al-Madhan, known as ‘Caesar'”, the Syrian presidency said.Sharaa and other top Syrian officials, who took power after the fall of president Assad in December, have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network. They are under pressure from Europe to show they are serious about protecting human rights as Damascus seeks the full lifting of Assad-era sanctions after 14 years of devastating war.Madhan revealed his identity in February during an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera. He fled Syria in 2013 with some 55,000 graphic images including photographs showing emaciated bodies and people with their eyes gouged out.The photographs inspired a 2020 US law which imposed economic sanctions on Syria and judicial proceedings in Europe against Assad’s entourage.In Paris with Macron, Sharaa will discuss post-war reconstruction and economic cooperation, a Syrian government official said.”This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who aspire to peace and democracy,” the Elysee Palace said.By welcoming Sharaa, Macron hopes to help the authorities on the way to “a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society”, a French presidential official told AFP.The official said France was aware of “the past” of certain Syrian leaders and was demanding that there be “no complacency” with “terrorist movements” operating in Syria.- ‘Fight against impunity’ -“If we are inviting him (Sharaa) here, it is precisely to ask him to go further in the fight against impunity,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster TF1.Sharaa headed the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded Assad’s downfall after 14 years of civil war. The group formerly had links to Al-Qaeda.He is still subject to a UN travel ban and France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, according to a source familiar with the matter. France, a former colonial-era ruler of Syria, is eyeing an opportunity to increase its influence in the country after years of Russian presence, with French companies also seeking contracts.Last week, French logistics giant CMA CGM signed a 30-year contract to develop and operate the port of Latakia.Mehad, a French NGO which has operated in Syria since 2011, warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the country and called for “a strong response” from France.”Emmanuel Macron’s strong commitment must now be translated into action, not only by maintaining the budget allocated to humanitarian aid in Syria, but also by disbursing it quickly,” said Mehad director Mego Terzian.- ‘Serious error’ – Syria’s new Islamist authorities have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.But sectarian clashes in March, in which more than 1,700 people were killed, mostly among Assad’s Alawite minority, sparked international condemnation and doubts over Syria’s new path.More recent clashes involving fighters from the Druze community and reports of abuses from NGOs have also raised doubts about the interim government’s ability to control extremists in its ranks.Adding to pressure on the new Syrian government, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on the country since Assad’s overthrow, including one near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday.The invitation for Sharaa has caused controversy in France, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen accusing Macron of hosting talks with “a jihadist” in a “provocative and irresponsible” meeting.On the traditional right, the head of the right-wing Republicans in parliament, Laurent Wauquiez, denounced the meeting as “a serious error”.”We don’t welcome leaders who are former terrorists and members of organisations that want to attack France,” he said.Barrot, who met the Syrian leader in Damascus in January, defended the talks and said that Paris was engaging in a “demanding” dialogue with Damascus.”If Syria were to collapse today, if it were to break up, this would roll out the red carpet for Daesh,” Barrot told TF1, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State jihadists.fec-fff-sjw-lk-as/ah/jj

The Walt Disney Company announced plans Wednesday for a new theme park in the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the country’s growing prominence as a global financial and entertainment hub.The waterfront resort will be located on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island and developed in partnership with local firm Miral. Disney stated that it aims to attract tourists from “the Middle East and Africa, India, Asia, Europe, and beyond.”The announcement comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week.”Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati,” said Disney CEO Robert Iger in a statement, promising “an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world.”The company stated that the new resort will blend Disney’s “iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture.”Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be the seventh Disney resort since the original Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. Other Disney destinations are located in Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai.Iger told analysts that the location was chosen to bring the Disney experience closer to hundreds of millions of customers for whom visiting its other six locations “was pretty lengthy in nature and expensive.”He also noted the success of existing attractions in Abu Dhabi, including the Louvre museum and the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim, which is currently under construction.Miral group operates numerous hotels, resorts, and amusement parks in Abu Dhabi including Warner Brothers World, Ferrari World and Sea World.In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro described the new park and resort as the company’s most “modern” and “tech-forward” destination. He added that in an unusual arrangement for Disney, the park would be funded, built, and ultimately operated by the Miral group “with oversight of course from us.””But we’re very confident in this part of the world, with this partner, that this is the appropriate business arrangement,” he added.The new park announcement coincided with Disney reporting a robust increase in quarterly revenues, which sent its shares skyrocketing.The company said overall sales increased seven percent to $23.6 billion in the January to March period. Crucially, subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service grew to 126 million, adding 1.4 million new subscriptions, contrary to analysts’ expectations of a decline. The Experiences segment, which includes theme parks, saw revenue increase to $8.9 billion.

A US warplane plummeted into the Red Sea when trying to land on the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, a defense official said Wednesday, the second jet lost from the ship in just over a week.The F/A-18F Super Hornet — which cost about $67 million — went overboard Tuesday due to a failure in the procedure for aircraft to catch a wire with a hook to help them stop after landing.”The arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard,” the defense official said.”Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued,” the official said, adding that they had minor injuries.It is the second F/A-18 operating off the Truman to be lost in recent days.On April 28, a similar F/A-18E fell off the carrier when the crew that was towing it in the hanger lost control of the plane.One sailor sustained a minor injury in that incident, which also saw a tow tractor lost overboard.Late last year, another F/A-18 operating off the Truman was lost after it was mistakenly shot down by the USS Gettysburg guided missile cruiser. Both pilots survived that incident.And in February, the Truman itself suffered damage when it collided with a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt’s Port Said.- Yemen ceasefire -In addition to the lost warplanes and damage, a US official said last week that seven MQ-9 Reaper drones — which cost around $30 million apiece — had been lost in the Yemen area since March 15.The Truman is one of two US aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East, where US forces have been hammering Yemen’s Huthi rebels with strikes since mid-March.The Iran-backed Huthis began attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israeli military following a shock Hamas attack in October of that year.The United States started targeting the Huthis in 2024 under Joe Biden, and President Donald Trump’s administration on March 15 launched a new wave of near-daily strikes.On Tuesday, Trump said that the Huthis had agreed to stop their attacks and that Washington would in turn halt strikes on the rebels, which have left 300 people dead, according to an AFP tally of Huthi figures.”They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” the US president said, before mediator Oman said the two sides had agreed a ceasefire.