Latest news with #court
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Court orders Le Pen family to give EU €300k
The EU General Court in Luxembourg has ordered Marine Le Pen and her two sisters to repay more than €300,000 (over $350,000) to the EU. The funds were 'considered to have been wrongly received' by their father, the late opposition leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, during his time as a member of the European Parliament, the court said in a statement on Wednesday. The legislative body claimed in 2024 that Le Pen 'had improperly invoiced personal expenses' and demanded repayment. The latter, however, sought to appeal. Following Le Pen's death in January, his daughters pursued the proceedings as his legal heirs. Jean-Marie Le Pen was founder of the right-wing National Front and a longtime critic of EU integration. He served as an MEP from 1984 to 2019. His outspoken positions on national sovereignty and immigration challenged the French political establishment for decades. What were once dismissed as fringe positions have since become major issues in European politics. The ruling comes just months after his daughter, Marine Le Pen, former leader of the right-wing National Rally (RN) and three-time presidential candidate, was convicted of embezzling EU funds. Although she denied any wrongdoing, she received a prison sentence, was fined €100,000 ($116,000), and barred from holding public office for five years, a decision widely seen as eliminating a leading contender from the 2027 presidential race. Le Pen has appealed the conviction. A verdict is expected in the summer of 2026 and will prove decisive in her bid for the presidency. The previous election in 2022 resulted in a run-off between Le Pen, who won over 42% of votes, and Emmanuel Macron, who secured 58%. Le Pen's conviction triggered a wave of protests, with her supporters condemning the ruling as politically motivated and aimed at silencing dissent. US President Donald Trump accused the French political establishment of employing lawfare against the right-wing figure, urging Paris to 'free' her.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Female state senator's shocking CAT BURGLAR sideline emerges after clash with stepmother
Police bodycam footage of a female Minnesota senator allegedly burglarizing her stepmother's home was played in court this week. The video – taken the night of the incident on April 22, 2024 – captures the dramatic moment police officers discovered Senator Nicole Mitchell in the basement of her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home. Mitchell was found in an all–black outfit, carrying a flashlight. Her black garb and matching black hat has comically been compared to that of a cat burglar on social media. 'Apparently, Senator @NicoleMitchell watched a cartoon as to how to dress up as a cat burglar,' someone on X wrote. Mitchell's felony burglary trial kicked off on July 15 and, during jury selection, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald called into question the state senator's cartoon–like outfit, asking the 23 potential jurors, 'Would you agree that how the person was dressed is relevant to their intentions?' Many of the potential jurors nodded. The bodycam footage revealed in court on Tuesday shows the moments leading up to officers' discovery of Mitchell in the basement. Police entered the home of the stepmother – Carol Mitchell – after she made a 911 call reporting, 'Somebody's broken into my house.' Upon arrival at the house, a seemingly terrified Carol directed them to the location of the intruder in the basement – where her stepdaughter was then discovered and handcuffed. Following Mitchell's arrest upon discovery, the senator called out to her stepmom, 'It's Nicole. I was just trying to get some of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore.' When the police officer asked Carol how she knew the intruder, she replied, 'She's my stepdaughter. She's also a Minnesota senator.' Mitchell's father Roderick died without a will in 2023, and a probate court awarded Carol Mitchell 100 percent of Roderick Mitchell's estate. This decision led to a familial dispute over the finances, with Carol accusing Mitchell of 'trying to get money.' The police reportedly found a crowbar and a backpack containing two laptops on the scene and Mitchell was charged with felony first–degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. Testimony for Mitchell's trial began on Tuesday, with Carol testifying that she felt 'extremely violated' when her home was broken into. 'It was frightening,' she said. 'I didn't dare to stay there. I moved out.' Mitchell's defense attorney, meanwhile, is arguing that the senator broke into her house because she was concerned over her stepmother's declining health. Mitchell also told police on the scene that her stepmother has Alzheimer's and is 'paranoid'. In court on Tuesday, Mitchell's defense attorney said, 'Losing a parent is always hard. For Nicole, her father Rod's death seemed to come too early, and it also came at a time when Carol was in decline.' The attorney continued, 'By the time Nicole drove to Carol's in April of 2024, Nicole's dad had been dead for more than a year. A year of Carol throwing out, giving away, and donating Rod's things. For all Nicole knew, there may not have been any of Rod's personal belongings even left in the house. Nicole knew that Carol was declining and eventually Carol wouldn't be able to take care of herself.' However, when Carol was asked if her stepdaughter cared about her safety or well–being, she told the court 'I don't believe so. Nicole never let me get close to her.' Mitchell has pleaded not guilty to first–degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. If convicted, she will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If found guilty of possession of burglary tools, she will face a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Emma Watson: Harry Potter actress banned from driving for six months for speeding
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months, after she was caught who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford on the evening of 31 July last already had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred, the court 35-year-old, now a student, was made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. She did not attend the five-minute shot to fame in 2001 with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, alongside fellow child stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert starred in eight Potter films in total, before going on to appear in movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring and The Perks of Being a last film role was in the 2019 remake of Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
China hands 3-1/2-year prison sentence to Astellas' Japanese employee, Nikkei says
TOKYO (Reuters) -A Beijing court on Wednesday sentenced a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma to 3-1/2 years in prison, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing the Japanese ambassador to China. The man had been detained since March 2023 on suspicion of spying and had been indicted about a year ago. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday that the country's judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law, when asked a question about a Beijing court sentencing an employee of a Japanese pharmaceutical company to prison for espionage. The question did not name the company. China has always supported China-Japan economic and trade cooperation, and provides a good environment for the lawful operations of Japanese enterprises and personnel in China, Lin told a regular press briefing.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Spineless creeps': ICE lawyers are hiding their names in court
People working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aren't just hiding their faces on the streets of American cities. They're also remaining anonymous in court. According to a new report from The Intercept, judges are declining to identify attorneys working for ICE during deportation proceedings spurred on by the agency. At one hearing, the oulet noted that the judge stated her own name, the name of the immigrants facing deportation, and the name of their attorneys, but failed to identify the ICE attorney. 'We're not really doing names publicly,' an immigration judge in New York City, ShaSha Xu, said during a hearing in June. Xu cited 'privacy' as a justification, adding that 'things lately have changed.' Attorneys and legal experts are baffled by the move. Attorney Kenneth White said he'd worked as a prosecutor in cases against 'white supremacists [and] street gang members' and never felt the need to hide who he was.. 'This is not the act of a legitimate government,' White wrote on BlueSky. 'What's with these spineless creeps?' Elissa Steglich, a law professor and co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin, told The Intercept that concealing identities in the courtroom is an oddity. 'I've never heard of someone in open court not being identified,' Steglich said. 'Part of the court's ethical obligation is transparency, including clear identification of the parties. Not identifying an attorney for the government means if there are unethical or professional concerns regarding [the Department of Homeland Security], the individual cannot be held accountable. And it makes the judge appear partial to the government.'Identity concealment might be odd in court, but it's becoming commonplace throughout ICE. Across the country, ICE agents have been masking up during raids and at immigration court. ICE has justified agents wearing masks because of safety risks, claiming assaults against its agents are up almost 700%. DHS' data showed 79 assaults in a six month period this year, compared to 10 assaults in the same period in 2024. That number isn't adjusted to account for the increased number of ICE arrests this year. ICE arrests have increased in every state since President Donald Trump took office and have more than doubled in 38 states, according to the New York Times. This agency has been in the spotlight thanks to Trump's mass deportation plan, and Amerians aren't liking what they see. ICE agents have refused lawmakers entry to agency facilities, detained tourists, and carried out raids that sparked days of protests in Los Angeles. The agency is set to have its efforts supercharged by a massive funding increase in Trump's 'big, beautiful' spending package. The post 'Spineless creeps': ICE lawyers are hiding their names in court appeared first on
