Latin American Herald Tribune: Appeals Trial Opens for Frenchman Jailed over Swedish Academy Sex Scandal

November 12, 2018

PRN-Latino News Latin American Herald Tribune: Appeals Trial Opens for Frenchman Jailed over Swedish Academy Sex Scandal Latin American Herald Tribune: One Year after Iran Quake, Thousands Still Living in Precarious Housing, Tents Latin American Herald Tribune: UAE, Saudi Arabia Sign Gas-Exploration Collaboration Agreement Latin American Herald Tribune: ECB’s Guindos: Italy’s Debt Sustainability Raising Largest Cause for Concern Latin American Herald Tribune: US Vice-President Arrives in Japan as He Begins Asia Tour Latin American Herald Tribune: Appeals Trial Opens for Frenchman Jailed over Swedish Academy Sex Scandal PRN-Latino News from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites) Appeals Trial Opens for Frenchman Jailed over Swedish Academy Sex Scandal COPENHAGEN – A court in Stockholm opened an appeals trial Monday for a Frenchman who was jailed last month for rape in a scandal that rocked the prestigious Swedish Academy that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature.Jean-Claude Arnault was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 115,000 Swedish krona ($12,590) after he was found guilty on one of two charges of rape against the same woman back in 2011.The plaintiff alleged that Arnault had made her perform oral sex and have sex against her will on two occasions.Although there was no physical proof of the crime, the court found the evidence presented, which had included statements made by the complainant and seven witnesses, including a psychologist, was sufficient enough to lead to sentencing.At the appeals trial, which is set to go on until Wednesday, Arnault’s defense would be presenting new evidence and calling on two new witnesses, including his wife, a Swedish poet and former member of the academy, Katarina Frostenson.In light of the scandal, the Swedish Academy cut ties with Arnault and commissioned an audit that found while he had not influenced decisions on awards and grants, financial support his literary club received from the academy broke impartiality rules, as his wife was a co-owner.The case sparked an internal conflict within the academy and led to the resignations of eight academics in recent months.The Swedish Academy has embarked on several reforms and postponed this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature for the first time in seven decades.Arnault, 72, has been in preventative prison since the end of Sept. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: One Year after Iran Quake, Thousands Still Living in Precarious Housing, Tents PRN-Latino News from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites) One Year after Iran Quake, Thousands Still Living in Precarious Housing, Tents SARPOL-E ZAHAB, Iran – The one-year anniversary on Monday of the deadly magnitude-7.5 earthquake that struck northwestern Iran saw thousands of people still dealing with precarious housing conditions, including prefabricated houses and flimsy tents.The town of Sarpol-e Zahab, located in the province of Kermanshah in the Zagros mountains near the border with Iraq, was one of the hardest hit locations, accounting for 559 of a total 620 deaths, and has yet to recover from the devastation.“We have covered the tent with plastic because when it rains, a lot of water comes in. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: UAE, Saudi Arabia Sign Gas-Exploration Collaboration Agreement PRN-Latino News from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites) UAE, Saudi Arabia Sign Gas-Exploration Collaboration Agreement ABU DHABI – The state-run oil giants of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed a framework agreement to jointly collaborate on natural-gas and liquefied-natural-gas exploration.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: ECB’s Guindos: Italy’s Debt Sustainability Raising Largest Cause for Concern PRN-Latino News from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites) ECB’s Guindos: Italy’s Debt Sustainability Raising Largest Cause for Concern FRANKFURT, Germany – The vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB) spoke on Monday at the opening conference of the 21st Euro Finance Week in Frankfurt and warned about Europe’s increasing concern about debt sustainability, in both public and private sectors, pinpointing Italy as the most prominent case.Vice-president of the ECB Luis de Guindos expressed his concern towards Italy’s overall debt level and the political tensions surrounding the Italian government’s budget plans.“The strong market reactions to political events have triggered renewed concerns about the sovereign-bank nexus in parts of Europe,” Guindos said in his ECB speech.“Although contagion has been limited so far, it remains a possibility,” the ECB vice-president warned.In light of the outlined risks, the ECB vice-president urged European leaders to apply appropriate fiscal strategies and rules across the bloc.While robust growth rates were projected across Europe over the next two years, Guindos maintained that some risks in the financial system were mounting and pointed out the ECB was keeping a close eye on developments that could prompt economic stability concerns globally.“The current expansion of the US is now significantly longer than historical norms and the second longest in US modern history,” Guindos said.“Looking ahead, a downturn in the US macro-financial cycle could trigger a reassessment of riskier asset classes,” the statement added.De Guindos also warned that on a global level pressure had increased in emerging market economies due to a strong dollar and the uncertainty generated by global trade tensions.“These developments may undermine global growth prospects and ultimately lead to abrupt increases in risk premia. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: US Vice-President Arrives in Japan as He Begins Asia Tour PRN-Latino News from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites) US Vice-President Arrives in Japan as He Begins Asia Tour TOKYO – The vice-president of the United States arrived Monday in Japan where he is expected to meet with the country’s prime minister to discuss issues related to security and trade.Mike Pence arrived at the US’ Yokota Air Base west of Tokyo on the first stop of his eight-day Asia tour, during which he will also visit Singapore, Australia and Papua New Guinea, US sources in Japan confirmed on their social network sites.Pence will meet with Shinzo Abe on Tuesday to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program and a bilateral trade agreement, state news agency NHK reported.After his Tokyo visit, Pence will attend the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea, according to the White House.Pence, accompanied by National Security Advisor John Bolton, is also expected to meet with the prime ministers of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong; India, Narendra Modi; Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill; and Australia, Scott Morrison.This is the US vice-president’s third trip to Asia since he assumed his position. Read More

Feeling mobile? Get the Feedly app and read on the go