Confessions of husband-beaters: Women admit hitting their partners - as the world reels from Macron slap video
The shocking incident, which occurred on the plane just as the aircraft door opened, saw Brigitte put her hand in her husband's face as she appeared to push him backwards.
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BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Kim Keon Hee: South Korea's ex-first lady arrested in bribery probe
South Korea's former first lady has been arrested over a string of charges including stock manipulation and Keon Hee, 52, denied all charges against her during a court hearing on Tuesday that lasted four hours. The Seoul court issued a warrant to detain her late in the day, citing risks that she may destroy evidence is the first time in South Korea's history that a former president and his spouse are in jail at the same husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained earlier to face trial over a failed martial law bid last year that plunged the country into political turmoil and eventually led to his ouster. Prosecutors say Kim, 52, made over 800 million won ($577,940; £428,000) by participating in a price-rigging scheme involving the stocks of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea. While this allegedly happened before her husband was elected the country's leader, it continued to cast a shadow throughout his allegedly also accepted two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace as bribes from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for business favours. Among other charges, Kim is also accused of meddling in candidate nominations during the parliamentary by-elections in 2022 and the general elections last appeared solemn as she attended Tuesday's hearing wearing a black suit and a black skirt. "I sincerely apologise for causing trouble despite being a person of no importance," she told he was president, Yoon vetoed three opposition-led bills that sought a special counsel investigation into allegations against Kim. He issued the last veto in November, a week before he declared martial law.A special counsel was set up in June this year after Yoon's rival Lee Jae Myung became president.
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
China's crackdown on lavish civil servant perks will ‘harm' the economy, experts warn
Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty. The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment. In May, China released updated regulations aimed at Communist party members and civil servants, banning them from lavish banquets and other visible trappings of extravagance. But with more than 40 million people employed in the public sector, some analysts predict the new rules will probably hamper economic growth. The policy is 'undermining the impact of other policies aimed at boosting domestic spending,' said Guo Shan, an economist at Hutong Research, an independent advisory firm based in Beijing and Shanghai. Guo predicts the drive could cause China's retail sales growth to slow by around one percentage point in the second half of the year. The original guidelines were introduced in November 2013, a year after China's leader, Xi Jinping, came into power, with the goal of cracking down on corruption one of his signature policies. The renewed regulations outline more specific guidelines on official travel – both domestic and international – as well as protocols for hosting receptions and rules governing the use of official vehicles. In June, local governments began figuring out how to implement the new guidance. Some civil servants in Shandong province have been reportedly ordered not to dine out in groups of more than three. Cadres in Anhui provinces have been instructed to be wary of social gatherings and to refrain from treating bosses or underlings to meals. The renewed push hints that previous anti-corruption drives were not completely effective, while the latest effort could cast a shadow over the Chinese economy, say analysts. 'The latest anti-corruption drive will definitely harm the economy,' said Alfred Wu, a public policy expert at the National University of Singapore. There have already been reports of penalties for civil servants who overindulge. In June, two bank employees in Anhui province had their 3,000 yuan (£310) bonuses docked for attending a lunch paid for by a client. The lunch in question was a bowl of noodles that typically costs around six yuan in the local town. Baijiu – China's national liquor with an alcohol content comparable to vodka – has long been a popular choice among Chinese officials. But the spirit has come under renewed scrutiny after the recent deaths of three local officials in separate provinces, who died of alcohol poisoning. Among the hardest-hit in the liquor industry is Kweichow Moutai– one of China's most iconic and valuable brands. Known for its distinctive soy sauce-aroma style of baijiu, the brand has long been associated with official banquets. Since the revised regulations were introduced in May, the company's share price has dropped nearly 9%, wiping out more than 170 billion yuan in market value by the end of July. The intensifying restrictions reflect a broader campaign to regulate the daily lives of civil servants. As the government grows increasingly concerned about national security, controls that previously only applied to senior bureaucrats who might have access to sensitive information, such as restrictions on international travel, now seem to be spreading lower down the ranks. An online notice circulating on Chinese social media platform Weibo – reportedly from Guangdong Province – outlines new requirements for teachers' overseas travel, even if they are travelling for their own holidays. It states that even junior personnel must now apply for permission for trips abroad, specifying that 'foreign visits are exclusively for family-related purposes; personal leisure travel is not permitted.' In other regions, public sector workers must hand in their passports. 'I really don't understand why our county won't allow ordinary teachers to travel abroad. My parents were already at the immigration office, but they weren't allowed to apply for passports,' wrote one Weibo user, who said that their parents were teachers. Guo, the Hutong Research economist, said that Beijing was likely willing to bear the economic pain caused by the austerity policy. 'Since this is a political drive, economic concerns are secondary. And there are still many other tools to boost the economy should Beijing decide to do so,' Guo said.
The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
South Korea's former first lady arrested after court issues warrant on corruption charges
South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, the wife of the impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, has been arrested on corruption charges, a special prosecutor leading a wide-reaching probe said. The arrest, which came after a Seoul central district court ruling, creates an unprecedented situation in which both members of a former presidential couple are simultaneously in custody. The court granted the warrant citing the risk of tampering with evidence, according to Yonhap news agency. 'The arrest warrant against Kim has been issued,' the prosecutors said in a brief statement. The charges against Kim include violations of capital market and financial investment laws, as well as political funds laws. She denies the charges. Yoon Suk Yeol was sent back into detention in July as prosecutors investigate his failed attempt to impose martial law in December last year. A special counsel was established after Lee Jae Myung was elected president in June to investigate 16 criminal allegations against Kim. However, Wednesday's arrest warrant covered only three charges. Prosecutors allege she made over 800 million won (£428,000) through manipulating the stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a local BMW dealership, between 2009 and 2012, by conspiring with others to artificially inflate shares. She is also accused of receiving over 270 million won worth of illegal political funding through free opinion polling services, and using this to influence candidate selections for the conservative People Power party in the country's 2022 byelections. The third charge involves accepting luxury gifts including Chanel handbags and expensive jewellery from the Unification Church through a shaman intermediary, in exchange for favourable treatment of development projects in Cambodia. Kim was questioned for over seven hours by investigators last week before the arrest warrant was sought. On issuing the warrant, judge Jeong Jae-wook cited 'concerns about evidence destruction' as the primary reason for detention, according to Yonhap News. Kim had spent four and a half hours in court, where she denied all charges against her. During the hearing, Kim reportedly expressed frustration about her personal affairs being scrutinised, telling the judge she was 'upset that even issues from before my marriage keep being brought up'. She will be held at Nambu detention centre in south-western Seoul, separate from her husband, who has been in custody at Seoul detention centre since July. Once considered to wield enormous influence behind the scenes during her husband's presidency, the former arts exhibition company executive was embroiled in a series of issues throughout his term, including the infamous Dior bag scandal, which prosecutors are now also reinvestigating. In recent weeks, her master's and doctoral degrees were both revoked over thesis plagiarism.
