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Fashion United
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion United
Hermès heir calls for enquiry into missing shares after wealth manager's death
Nicolas Puech, heir to the prestigious French luxury leather goods house Hermès, has formally called for an enquiry into the mysterious disappearance of his substantial Hermès shares. This urgent demand comes in the wake of the tragic death of his former wealth manager, Eric Freymond, whose passing was reported last week by the Tribune de Genève and Le Point as a suicide. In a statement released to AFP via his lawyer on Monday, Puech expressed his sorrow: "It is with sadness that I learned of the death of Eric Freymond, in such tragic circumstances." He added, "I sincerely hope that the circumstances of his death will be quickly clarified by the Swiss authorities." Despite past public and legal disputes, Puech extended his "most sincere condolences to his family." Puech described Freymond as "a friend and advisor with whom collaboration was always based on complete trust" for twenty-five years. However, this relationship "unfortunately broke down following extremely serious events related to my six million shares in Hermès International, on which full light has yet to be shed," Puech's statement continued. The 82-year-old Puech, a great-grandson of the Hermès founder, inherited six million shares, constituting 5.76 percent of Hermès' capital. At current share prices, these holdings are valued at nearly 14.5 billion euros. A central, unresolved question in this complex affair is whether these shares were sold during the period when Bernard Arnault, head of rival luxury conglomerate LVMH, discreetly acquired a stake in Hermès. The case took a dramatic turn in 2023 when Puech, often described as estranged from his family, claimed to be financially ruined. He subsequently filed a complaint against Freymond, alleging that his former wealth manager had employed subtle arrangements to make his shares vanish. While Geneva courts cleared Freymond, Puech, who resides in Switzerland, also lodged a similar complaint in France. "The search for the truth must prevail and be established by the courts, with serenity and rigour," Puech's statement concluded. Last week, Freymond's lawyers responded to their client's death, stating that the former wealth manager had been "broken by the violence of suspicion." This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
The Star
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Notre Dame in Paris to be mapped digitally by Microsoft
A woman snaps a photo on her smartphone as visitors queue outside Paris's newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral last December. Photo: Reuters Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is to be digitally mapped by US tech giant Microsoft, with every detail of its Gothic sculptures captured. The project is expected to take at least a year and cost several million dollars, Microsoft President Brad Smith told magazine Le Point on Monday. The Parisian landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral reopened in December after a devastating 2019 fire and years of restoration. Photo: Reuters Following the example of previous digitalisation projects, such as St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the cathedral will be captured using high-precision technology to ensure it is digitally preserved for future generations. The Parisian landmark reopened its doors in December after a devastating fire in April 2019 and years of renovation work. Smith, who is in the French capital, also announced that around 1,500 historical stage set models from the Paris Opera are to be digitised in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture. - dpa
Qatar Tribune
21-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Notre Dame in Paris to be mapped digitally by Microsoft
DPA Paris Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is to be digitally mapped by US tech giant Microsoft, with every detail of its Gothic sculptures captured. The project is expected to take at least a year and cost several million dollars, Microsoft President Brad Smith told magazine Le Point on Monday. Following the example of previous digitalization projects, such as St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the cathedral will be captured using high-precision technology to ensure it is digitally preserved for future generations. The Parisian landmark reopened its doors in December after a devastating fire in April 2019 and years of renovation work. Smith, who is in the French capital, also announced that around 1,500 historical stage set models from the Paris Opera are to be digitized in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture.
El Chorouk
08-07-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Demonising Algeria With the Scarecrow of 'Iran's Strategic Ally'
There have been many political readings and media interpretations regarding Algeria's position on the conflict between Iran and the Zionist entity. These interpretations have even reached the point of placing Algeria in the position of siding with Tehran, considering it a strategic ally. This is promoted by the French, Zionist, and Moroccan media. These media outlets have published a series of articles, such as the French newspaper Le Point and the Zionist Jerusalem Post. France 24 has also opened platforms on what has been described as Algeria's public 'support' for Iran. These articles and analyses are not based on factual data or real information. Quite the contrary, they all rely on a superficial, untrue reading of Algeria's positions on the Iranian-Zionist conflict. Algeria's position on the US strikes on Iran was no more strident than the statements issued by the foreign ministries of many Arab countries. Algerian foreign ministry statements emphasise the need to respect international law, rather than glorifying Iranian strikes. In the same context, Algeria's position is consistent with the principles of international law, particularly regarding the so-called 'preventive war,' which is internationally prohibited and rejected by the United Nations. Algeria's actions are merely a call to uphold international law and the need to apply the same principle regarding the non-subjection of Israeli nuclear facilities to international oversight, unlike Tehran, which cooperates closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), before its recent suspension. Therefore, this classification campaign is not based on any political, economic, or even security data. Rather, it falls within a media scheme woven by Zionist-Makhzen intelligence agencies, aimed at 'demonising Algeria.' This is just as the same forces and mouthpieces sought to spread the slander claiming that 'Algerian soldiers' were among those killed in the Zionist bombing of Iran. This scenario is completely similar to the disgraceful story produced by Moroccan intelligence agencies—with Zionist planning—regarding the dispatch of Algerians to fight in Syria alongside Bashar al-Assad's forces. This was followed by the same mouthpieces releasing a new story about the presence of Algerians alongside the M23 movement in the Congo. This is essentially the same propaganda, misinformation and lobbying used in a project targeting Algeria. The publisher of the story about the presence of 'Algerian soldiers' in Iran simply ignores the fact that Algeria and Iran have no military agreements or treaties, neither with training nor with military exercises, nor the exchange of official visits between military leaders. Thus, Iran is the only country with which Algeria has formal relations, and with which Algeria has not concluded any military agreements. Politically, Algeria's international positions differ from Iran's on some issues, as do the relations that bind Algeria to many countries. This is based on the principle of taking into account each country's interests. This is not limited to a specific country. For example, Iran, to clarify this point, has never officially declared its support for Western Sahara in its struggle for independence. Iran has adopted an ambiguous position on this issue in official diplomatic forums, particularly within the United Nations' decolonisation commissions. Understanding Algerian-Iranian relations requires examining the reality of the bilateral partnership in all areas. In the economic field, Algeria has not concluded any agreements with Iran, nor has the joint commission held any meetings to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries. Trade exchanges are nonexistent. In light of this, observers believe that Algerian-Iranian relations do not rise to the level of an ally and that Algeria's positions on events in the region are in line with its positions, principles, and doctrine in foreign policy.
Euronews
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal's 5-year prison sentence
A court in Algeria has upheld Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink. The Académie Française prize-winning author of "2084: la fin du monde" ('2084: The End of the World'), a dystopian novel set in an Islamist totalitarian society following nuclear war, was charged in March under Algeria's anti-terrorism laws and convicted of 'undermining national unity." Sansal's appeal was closely watched in both France and Algeria. The novelist's case has united European lawmakers, who have demanded his release. However, Algerian lawmakers have condemned the European Parliament for a resolution criticizing the arrest of Sansal. Lawmakers from both chambers of the North African nation's parliament signed a statement in January rebuking the European Parliament's resolution for 'misleading allegations with the sole aim of launching a blatant attack against Algeria.' They accused the European Parliament of political inference and cast doubt on whether their motivations had to do with Sansal's well-being or 'harming the image of Algeria.' Sansal has gained mass public support in France. Last year, French news magazine Le Point released a letter written by Prix Goncourt winner Kamel Daoud and signed by multiple famous authors, demanding Sansal's immediate release. Signatories of the letter include the Nobel Prize winners Annie Ernaux, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie, Peter Sloterdjik, Roberto Saviano and Wole Soyinka. The letter reads: 'This tragic news reflects an alarming reality in Algeria, where freedom of expression is nothing more than a memory in the face of repression, imprisonment, and the surveillance of the entire society.' Sansal was arrested in November last year at Algiers airport after he said that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria in an interview with right-wing French media outlet Frontières. Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence for the novelist, who has been convicted under article 87 of the Algerian penal code for undermining national unity, insulting an official body, undermining the national economy and possessing videos and publications that threaten national security and stability. Sansal defended his comments to the media, telling the court that 'my comments or writings were simply a personal opinion, and I have the right to do so like any Algerian citizen'. The case has unfolded at a historic low point in Algeria's relations with France, which were strained further over the disputed Western Sahara. The territorial dispute has long helped shape Algeria's foreign policy, with its backing of the Polisario Front, a pro-independence group that operates out of refugee camps in southwestern Algeria. Last year, France shifted its longstanding position to back Morocco's sovereignty plan. Analysts say that Sansal has become collateral damage in the broader diplomatic fallout and describe the charges as a political lever Algiers is deploying against Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously called on Algeria to release Sansal. 'I hope there can be humanitarian decisions by the highest Algerian authorities to give him back his freedom and allow him to be treated for the disease he is fighting,' he said in a news conference earlier on this year. It was not the first time that Macron spoke up for Sansal, as he accused Algeria of 'disgracing itself' through the imprisonment. 'Algeria, which we love so much and with which we share so many children and so many stories, is dishonoring itself by preventing a seriously ill man from receiving treatment,' he said during a speech to French ambassadors at the Elysée Palace. 'And we who love the people of Algeria and its history urge its government to release Boualem Sansal.' Sansal's supporters now hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day and traditionally frees selected prisoners as part of a national amnesty. Additionally, the timing is dire, supporters warn, as Sansal battles prostate cancer and has spent part of his detention in a prison hospital.
