Still a lot of work to do following New Cal's 'historic' deal
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RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
French president sues Candace Owens over claims his wife is a man
By Joseph Ataman and Saskya Vandoorne , CNN French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. Photo: Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto / Getty Images via CNN Newsource French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over the claim that Brigitte could be a man. The lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court alleges Owens has broadcast "a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons" according to a statement from Tom Clare, the Macrons' lawyer. In March, conservative commentator Candace Owens revived an absurd conspiracy theory with a YouTube video titled "Is France's First Lady a Man?" according to the complaint. Promoted widely on X, Owens said the conspiracy theory was, "likely the biggest scandal in political history." Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called "Becoming Brigitte." The lawsuit further claims she has also sold merchandise promoting the claim. Candace Owens. Photo: AFP/ Getty Images - Jason Davies The Macrons' attorney Tom Clare told CNN Wednesday that they had asked Owens to stop making the claim for about a year and filed the lawsuit as a "last resort" after she refused. The complaint alleges Owens was the first person to bring these baseless claims to the US media and an international audience. The couple are suing for punitive damages and allege that they have suffered "substantial economic damages" including loss of future business opportunities. On Instagram, Owens posted a screenshot Wednesday of an article referencing the Macrons' lawsuit and a picture of the couple with the caption: "I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned." She later posted a video on YouTube saying the lawsuit was "an obvious and desperate public relations strategy." CNN has reached out to Owens for comment. Separately, Brigitte Macron sued two French women for spreading similar claims in 2022. After winning the initial case, this year the women won an appeal and the lawsuit will go to a higher court, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. According to the statement, these retraction demands to Owens were accompanied by, "incontrovertible evidence disproving her allegations and proving, among other things, that Mrs. Macron was born a woman named Brigitte Trogneux, that she is not a blood relative of President Macron," and that the Macrons are not being controlled or blackmailed by unknown forces by a CIA-linked program. "Owens has used this false statement to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money," the official complaint said. The claims caused, "tremendous damage" to the Macrons, the complaint added. "Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust," the complaint continued. Clare said, "What people forget is these are human beings, these are a married couple. They have a social life, they have a private life together, they have the same feelings and the same hurt from these sorts of defamatory statements as anybody would. And it does have a material impact on them." The Macrons are seeking punitive damages against Owens and her business entities for 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, the statement said. Clare declined to say the amount of money the Macrons would seek but warned that if Owens continues to double-down on the claim, "it'll be a substantial award." At a Paris event in March 2024, Macron addressed the rumor around his wife saying that the worst part of being a president was having to deal with "the false information and fabricated stories." "People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments," Macron said. France's Elysee Palace said the lawsuit was a "private affair" and would not comment on the matter. - CNN
Scoop
18 hours ago
- Scoop
International Ruling Will Ratchet Up Accountability For Climate Action
The Environmental Law Initiative says the International Court of Justice's landmark ruling will usher in a new era of accountability for states, including Aotearoa New Zealand, to deliver on their climate change commitments. In it's advisory opinion, the world's highest court ruled that states are legally obligated to halt the production and use of fossil fuels, and those that fail to prevent climate harm could be held liable for reparations. The Court also underscored that states must meet their obligations under human rights law, customary international law and other treaties, beyond just the Paris agreement and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 'This ruling is an incredibly significant development, which will open new avenues for accountability, including climate litigation through domestic, regional and international courts," says ELI's Director, Research and Legal, Dr Matt Hall. 'It will inevitably have bearing on both New Zealand policy making and global negotiations. 'It dispels the argument that small states like New Zealand are too small to matter. It's clear, we have obligations, and we need to deliver on them.' The ruling, made early Thursday morning in the Hague, followed a request spearheaded by Vanuatu, other Pacific Island nations, climate-vulnerable countries, and youth campaigners worldwide. The Court's ruling has been heralded for bringing clarity to the obligations of states in regard to fossil fuels: Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'Failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from GHG emissions — including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies — may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State.' The Court's advisory opinion is extensive, covering areas including climate mitigation, adaptation, remedies for climate damage, and human rights. It highlights the responsibility of states to put in place regulatory and legislative measures to limit corporate emissions. The ruling also says that the adverse effects of climate change may impair the enjoyment of the right to life which is enshrined in human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Advisory opinions are authoritative interpretations of binding international law and hold significant legal influence.
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- RNZ News
New Zealand challenges Cook Islands PM to independence vote after his comments on China
By Losirene Lacanivalu , Cook Islands A spokesperson for the Office of the Cook Islands PM said the Cook Islands government remains committed to its constitutional relationship with New Zealand. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon New Zealand has called on Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown to test the views of the Cook Islands people and hold a referendum on independence from New Zealand following his latest defence of agreements with China. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this comment in response to PM Brown's recent statement defending the nation's new strategic partnership with China, as he cited the need for diverse international partners to fund a $650 million infrastructure plan. Speaking at the opening of the Pa Enua Governance Forum on Monday local time, Brown said that if NZ cannot help fund their proposed infrastructure plan, then the country "will go somewhere else and look for that help" . A spokesperson for the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs told Cook Islands News that these comments are the latest in a long line of public statements by Brown over the past year that "have badly mischaracterised the New Zealand Government's approach to our foreign policy and our relationship with the Cook Islands". "With each mischaracterisation of the New Zealand approach, Prime Minister Brown makes it harder to restore trust in the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship." The spokesperson said that it has been clear to New Zealand for some time that Brown, "bristles at the constraints placed on him by the Cook Islands' free association relationship with New Zealand, and that he wishes for the Cook Islands to be completely free of those constraints". "If Prime Minister Brown wishes to run a foreign and defence policy without the need to consult New Zealand, and in contravention of New Zealand interests, then he ought to respect the Cook Islands people enough to test their views and call a referendum on independence from New Zealand. "New Zealand has always made clear that should the Cook Islands people wish to become independent of New Zealand, then we would support them in their wish. For its part, the New Zealand Government deeply values the free association model and its cherished relationship with the Cook Islands people." A spokesperson for the Office of the Cook Islands PM (Wednesday NZT) defended the comments PM Brown made on Monday. "The Prime Minister's remarks at the Pa Enua Governance Forum reflected a conversation with island leaders about the delivery of infrastructure and development outcomes. They were not a statement on foreign policy, and should not be read as a departure from the Cook Islands' long-standing relationship with New Zealand," the spokesperson said. "The Government remains committed to its constitutional relationship with New Zealand and to the constructive engagement currently underway between our two countries. "We have no further comment to make." On Monday (Tuesday NZT), PM Brown addressed the need for Cook Islands to have diverse international partners to fund a multi-million-dollar infrastructure plan that New Zealand alone cannot support, despite NZ's concerns and paused funding. He said that the country's national infrastructure investment plan costs $650m for infrastructural work across the country, including buildings, transportation, and so on. "New Zealand can't afford to give us that amount of money…we have to develop our partnerships with other larger countries to get the support we need to meet our infrastructure needs," Brown said. "Let me set the record straight about the reality of life, we need to build our infrastructure, we need to improve our standards in the Pa Enua, me kare rauka mai ta te Nuti Reni (if we can't get help from New Zealand), we will go somewhere else and look for that help, and that's what we've been doing." The New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said: "For 60 years, it has delivered a great deal for the development of the Cook Islands and its people. Indeed, the living standards in the Cook Islands are a testament to the free association model's success." "New Zealand looks forward to celebrating 60 years of free association on 4 August with the Cook Islands people, both in Rarotonga via the visit of Her Excellency the Governor-General and at events in New Zealand." Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party leader Teariki Heather, who disagrees with a referendum for independence, says, "We should never forget the hand that has fed us all these years." Heather said that if PM Brown were to demand independence, he would organise a rally and protest against it, adding that Brown "should resign as Prime Minister of this country". -This article was first published by Cook Islands News .
