Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged with multiple crimes in France
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been charged with crimes related to illegal activity on his messaging app. French authorities detained Durov on Saturday, Aug. 24, when the Russian-born tech executive’s plane touched down near Paris.
They held and questioned him for four days and officially charged him with complicity in distributing child abuse material, drug trafficking, fraud and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Prosecutors said Durov did not respond to requests for materials related to investigations involving child sex crimes, drug trafficking, and hate crimes committed by others on Telegram.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the court ordered Durov to pay bail of nearly $5.5 million, prohibited him from leaving France, and required him to report to a police station twice a week.
French media quoted a lawyer for Durov who said, “It’s totally absurd to think that the person in charge of a social network could be implicated in criminal acts that don’t concern him, directly or indirectly.”
I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so. In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
Paris busing out thousands of homeless people ahead of Olympic Games
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised the 2024 Olympic Games will showcase the splendor of Paris. However, to fulfill that promise, the French government reportedly wants to keep Paris’ homeless problem out of view. The government is allegedly considering bussing thousands of homeless migrants out of the city and into other towns ahead of the Olympic Games on July 26.
The New York Times reported that around 5,000 people have been evicted under the program over the past year.
Macron’s administration said that the program is voluntary and has denied that the effort is connected to the Olympics. Paris is currently dealing with an emergency housing shortage and the city’s homeless population sits at 100,000 people, which is around half of the homeless population in France.
However, a Paris government official seemed to contradict Macron’s assertion that the evictions are not related to the upcoming 2024 Games. In an email to a French newspaper, the official said the goal is to “identify people on the street in sites near Olympic venues and remove them before the Games.”
Beginning last year, police raids on homeless encampments and abandoned building increased.
The city maintains that it relocates the homeless and provides them with housing in other cities. However, many migrants told The New York Times that they were lured into the program with the promise of housing and social services only to discover that the process could lead to deportation.
Others interviewed by the Times said that they never knew the program was voluntary given that they were surrounded by police with the offer to relocate.
After arriving in their new cities, relocated individuals live in shelters temporarily and are screened for asylum. Several, however, have instead received deportation orders. Those eligible can receive long-term housing but around 60% of people are denied.
The chance of deportation has lawyers advising people not to get on the buses and instead to take their chances on the streets.
France faces potential political shift after right-wing party gains in snap election
Initial results from France’s snap parliamentary elections indicate a potential significant change in the country’s political trajectory. Conservative leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party secured 34% of the votes in the first round on Sunday, June 30. While seen as a victory for the far-right movement, Le Pen’s party has not yet reached a majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve the parliament and call for these snap elections followed a substantial defeat for his centrist alliance in the European Parliament elections. Analysts suggest Macron hoped to redirect voter sentiment amidst concerns over issues such as migration and economic stability.
The electoral process involves two rounds of voting: candidates who did not secure an absolute majority in the first round will face a runoff on July 7. The outcome of these elections will determine control of the parliament and influence the appointment of the next prime minister. Macron’s presidency remains secure until 2027.
Looking ahead, potential areas of contention between Macron’s administration and an opposition-led parliament may emerge over budget priorities and foreign policy decisions, particularly concerning support for Ukraine.
The final political landscape of France will become clearer after the results of Sunday’s second round of voting are tallied.
Macron calls for snap election after EU ‘drubbing.’ What does it mean?
Over the last several days, hundreds of thousands of people across the European Union’s 27 nations voted in the European Parliament elections. While centrists remain in the majority, far-right parties from throughout the bloc made inroads picking up a record number of seats.
The European Parliament is the legislative body for the 27 member states of the EU. The governing body works with the European Commission.
“The commission responds to the Parliament just like any democracy,” Dan Hamilton, a senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University and former deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe, told Straight Arrow News. “The commission is like the executive branch, and the Parliament is the legislative branch.”
The European Parliament consists of 720 seats in total and roughly 150 of those went to what are characterized as far-right parties.
“There were some far right or hard right gains in a few countries, and that got the headlines,” Hamilton said. “The center, kind of held yesterday. Conservative mainstream got the largest amount of votes. The Social Democrats, the kind of center-left, lost a few votes, but not too much. And then the liberals, in the European sense of liberal, not the U.S. sense, liberals in Europe are more like Wall Street Republicans. They did badly, but not everywhere.”
While moderates remain in the majority in the European Parliament, French voters dealt a blow to President Emmanuel Macron, which could have a lasting impact. Macron-opponent Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party made significant gains, doubling the votes received by the French president’s party.
The situation resulted in Macron calling for a snap election. A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally, this is done in parliamentary systems where a prime minister is chosen from lawmakers of the ruling party or a coalition government. In that system, Parliament is dissolved and all seats are up for election again.
In the case of France, the nation’s lower chamber, the National Assembly, is dissolved. The first round of the election will be held on June 30, and the second round takes place on July 7. France’s Senate cannot be dissolved.
While terms like dissolving Parliament sound like chaos, this process is not all that uncommon. The United Kingdom will hold a snap general election on July 4 after polling showed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party had lost some favorability in the nation.
“You’re going to suddenly have two big elections in the next few weeks in France and the U.K., in which probably the hard right wins in France, but the Social Democrats, the Labor Party wins in the U.K.,” Hamilton said of the situation.
However, Hamilton said that while Macron may not have received a favorable turnout in the EU election, he is hoping for a higher turnout later this month.
“People aren’t that interested in, you know, the European Parliament,” Hamilton said. “Many of them don’t know what it does, either. So it’s a lower turnout. But European turnout is usually higher than American turnout for almost any election.”
“Most of the elections to the European Parliament turn on national issues. People are focused on their issues at home, not really on, quote, European issues,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton added that voters in the EU looked at many of the same issues that American voters will be focused on come November.
“Migration is a big issue in Europe, illegal migration, in particular, the economy, inflation,” he said. “European gas prices are about four times what they are in the United States. You think we have it bad?”
“And they have some divisions over how to support Ukraine, how far do you go? So you know, they’re kind of similar issues,” Hamilton added.
With a month to go until his sentencing in his New York criminal case, former President Donald Trump will take part in a virtual interview. And caught on camera: the moment a bull jumped a fence at an Oregon rodeo, injuring several people. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, June 10, 2024.
Trump to attend virtual pre-sentencing interview
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for a pre-sentencing probation interview on Monday, June 10. In an unprecedented move, he’ll take part in the interview virtually from his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Usually, these interviews take place in-person.
And in another unprecedented move, Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, will also be there for the virtual meeting after the judge in the case gave the OK.
The former president was convicted in May on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He has denied any wrongdoing. Sentencing is set for July 11.
Trump was back on the 2024 campaign trail on Sunday, June 9, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thousands of his supporters came out for a rally despite the record heatwave impacting the area. At least three of his supporters had to be taken away by medical personnel as temperatures reached the triple digits.
The rally came just days after President Joe Biden issued an executive order temporarily closing the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border during his rally.
“This is the worst border in the history of the world,” Trump said. “No third world country has a border like that. The first thing we’re going to do is we’re going to close that border tight as a drum, and we’re going to let people come in, but only legals.”
Reports indicate the Biden administration is considering a proposal to shield undocumented immigrants who are married to American citizens from deportation, though, it has not yet been presented to President Biden for review.
Meanwhile, the federal gun trial of the president’s son, Hunter, picks back up Monday in Delaware. The trial is expected to wrap up this week.
Benny Gantz resigns from Israel’s war cabinet
A key member of Israel’s war cabinet has resigned. Benny Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest political rival, has stepped down after Netanyahu failed to meet the deadline Gantz gave him to come up with a post-war plan to replace Hamas in Gaza by June 8.
In a speech Sunday, June 9, the retired army general said it was a “complex and painful” decision.
“Regrettably, Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory, which is the justification for the ongoing and painful cost [of war],” Gantz said. “That is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence.”
Netanyahu issued a brief statement calling on Gantz not to “abandon the campaign.”
Gantz’s resignation was delayed by a day due to Israel’s rescue of four hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli air and ground raid and hundreds more were wounded.
Macron calls for snap national elections after EU voting
After his party suffered a major setback in the European Union parliament’s four-day election, French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise announcement Sunday, June 9, dissolving the lower house of France’s parliament. He’s also calling French voters back to the polls in three weeks.
Macron’s move toward snap national elections came after his Renaissance party was defeated by the far-right National Rally party as part of the elections for the 720-seat EU parliament. The National Rally party was projected to receive around 32% of the votes — more than doubling that of Macron’s party.
In an address to the nation, Macron told French voters that by dissolving the National Assembly, he has decided to give back to them “the choice for the future” of their country’s parliament “with a vote.”
“This decision is serious, a hard one, but it is above all an act of confidence,“ Macron said. “Confidence in you, my fellow citizens, in the capacity of the French people to make the fairest choice for themselves and for future generations. Confidence in our democracy, so that the voice can be given to sovereign people. Nothing can be more republican.”
The legislative elections will take place in two rounds. The first will be held on June 30 and the second July 7.
Bull hops fence at Oregon rodeo, 4 injured
A rodeo bull escaped from an arena in Oregon on Saturday, June 8, injuring at least four people before wranglers captured it. The incident unfolded during the Sisters Rodeo in front of a sold-out crowd.
After hopping a fence, the bull charged through a concession area. The local sheriff’s office reported several ambulances responded to the scene.
Four individuals were hospitalized; however, all have since been released. The rodeo continued on Sunday, June 9, with its final performance as planned.
Reports: Apple to unveil AI upgrades at conference
One of Apple’s biggest events of the year kicks off Monday, June 10, in California. According to reports, the Worldwide Developers Conference will see Apple showcasing its advancements in artificial intelligence — which the tech company has reportedly dubbed “Apple Intelligence.”
Specifically, Apple is expected to highlight AI upgrades to its Siri talking assistant. Reports have said Apple has held talks with OpenAI and Google to license its AI software.
Apple is also slated to debut its latest operating systems for its devices.
CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz wins French Open
History was made on the tennis court when Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open on Sunday, June 9. With his victory on clay, the 21-year-old Spaniard became the youngest male player to win Grand Slam titles on all three different surfaces — and the sixth man overall to achieve that feat.
He is also the first male player to win his first three grand slam titles on three different surfaces. Alcaraz won on grass at Wimbledon in 2023 and on the hard court at the U.S. Open in 2022.
Biden joins world leaders, veterans for 80th anniversary of D-Day
President Joe Biden joined other world leaders and World War II veterans in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. And Israel strikes a school in Gaza it says was the location of a Hamas compound as local officials say dozens have been killed. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, June 6, 2024.
Biden joins world leaders, veterans for 80th anniversary of D-Day
President Joe Biden is among the dozens of world leaders who are commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France Thursday, June 6. They are joined by the remaining World War II veterans from the U.S., Britain and Canada who took part in the Allied forces’ surprise attack eight decades ago.
The president and the first lady, landed in Normandy early Thursday, after arriving in Paris on Wednesday, June 5, to begin his five-day trip in France.
President Biden will be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prince William, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to mark the anniversary. The commemoration comes as the war between Ukraine and Russia rages on.
Around 200 World War II veterans — many of whom are at least 100 years old — are set to take part in the events.
It was on June 6, 1944, when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany.
Two of Hunter Biden’s exes testify in federal gun trial
Three more witnesses took the stand in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial on Wednesday, June 5, including two of his exes. A gun store clerk also testified about the day he sold the president’s son a gun.
Hunter Biden’s former girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, testified about his history of crack cocaine use at upscale hotels in the months before he bought a gun in 2018. Prosecutors in the case are trying to prove the president’s son purposely lied about his addiction to illegally buy the gun.
Kestan testified she witnessed Hunter Biden smoking crack in late September 2018, just weeks before the purchase.
His ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, also took the stand, describing how Hunter Biden’s drug use impacted their family. He and Buhle divorced in 2017.
The store clerk who sold Hunter Biden told the jury he watched Hunter Biden fill out the form to purchase the firearm.
Testimony will continue on Thursday, June 6. Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter Biden’s late brother, Beau, is set to be among six witnesses to take the stand.
Prosecutors have indicated they could be ready to rest their case as soon as Thursday afternoon.
Senate vote on right to contraception bill falls short
A Democrat-led effort to move forward with legislation that would codify the right to access contraception nationwide failed in the U.S. Senate Wednesday, June 5. The final vote came down to 51 in favor of the measure and 39 against it, with just two Republicans siding with the Democrats.
It needed 60 votes to move forward.
The legislation was first introduced in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, striking down the federal right to abortion.
Senate Republicans argue the Right to Contraception Act is too broad in its scope and that it’s unnecessary, as contraception is available in every state.
“Make one thing clear,” Schumer said. “Today was not a show vote. This was a show-us-who-you-are vote, and Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are. They showed that they’re not willing to stand up and protect something that 92% of Americans support.”
Schumer said he intends to bring a package introduced earlier this week to protect access to IVF treatments up for a vote in the coming days.
Israel targets Hamas compound at Gaza school, officials say dozens killed
Israel said its military struck a school that contained a Hamas compound on Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of using critical civilian facilities, like schools and children’s hospitals, as hideouts and places to store their weapons.
Israeli officials said the early morning airstrike killed fighters who were involved in Hamas’ terror attack on Oct. 7.
The Hamas-run media rejected those claims, saying the strike by Israeli fighter jets killed at least 30 people — including women and children —who were seeking shelter inside the United Nations school in central Gaza.
The Israeli military said it took steps to reduce the risk of harming civilians before launching the attack.
The strike comes a day after the Israeli military announced a new ground and air offensive in central Gaza, where it says Hamas militants have regrouped.
Despite the reports from local officials, Israel said it was not aware of any civilians deaths at the school.
This comes after Straight Arrow News recently reported the United Nations had revised its estimates on the number of Palestinian women and children killed in the war. The world agency said the actual death toll was half of what had been reported by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The U.N. also suggested the numbers could further decrease as they continue to investigate the death count.
Tornadoes sweep across US, toddler killed and others injured
Extreme weather across the U.S. on Wednesday, June 5, saw tornadoes touch down in multiple states. One tornado, which struck just outside Detroit, Michigan, left a toddler dead and his mother critically injured.
Officials said the tornado sent a tree into the family’s home where the mother and child were sleeping.
It was a similar scene in Montgomery County, Maryland, northwest of Washington, D.C., where a tornado toppled a tree into a home, trapping those inside.
Authorities said at least five people were injured, with one suffering traumatic injuries.
Meanwhile, states in the South and West are experiencing the hottest days so far this year. In California, for example, a heat wave is raising temperatures 20 degrees above average in some parts. Record highs are expected to continue into Friday, June 7.
Boeing’s Starliner launches successfully, face new helium leaks
The third time was the charm as Boeing’s Starliner Atlas V rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, June 5, carrying two NASA astronauts. This followed two previously failed attempts.
The capsule reached orbit about 12 minutes after liftoff. Now, the Starliner mission is facing new issues en route to the International Space Station.
NASA reported two helium leaks were detected on the spacecraft, adding to a previously known leak. The new leaks were discovered after the spacecraft arrived in orbit.
Mission Control informed astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams to shut down two valves to stop the leakage. The astronauts were guided through the process during a NASA broadcast.
However, Boeing reports that the crew is safe, and the spacecraft remains stable. They are expected to successfully dock at the International Space Station on Thursday.
Russian propagandists targeting 2024 Paris Olympics to undermine Games
As punishment for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian athletes cannot compete under their country’s flag in the summer Olympics in Paris. Now, Russian propagandists are reportedly looking for retribution by stoking fears to undermine the upcoming 2024 Paris games in July, according to an analysis by Microsoft and the United States government released on Sunday, June 2.
The propagandists reportedly created false warnings from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and French intelligence authorities. Additionally, the groups created false reports from the BBC and Al Jazeera on terror threats.
Microsoft and U.S. government believe a group known as Storm-1679 is behind the misinformation campaign. Storm-1679’s disinformation campaign is working to scare people out of attending the Games. However, researchers are unsure if the group is backed by the Russian government or act independently.
The disinformation campaign also attacked French President Emmanuel Macron and the Paris Olympics after Macron publicly considered sending French troops to Ukrainian soil. Previously, Storm-1679 focused on videos disparaging Ukrainian refugees.
Analysts said that Storm-1679 seems to thrive on attention from fact-checking organizations. The group predominantly posts its content on Telegram. However, researchers said that when content is fact-checked with large followings it gets far more views and reaches a broader audience.
This is not the first time the Olympics faced interference from Russian groups. In 2018, during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in South Korea, Russian hackers reportedly caused an internet outage. French authorities are aware of that incident and maintain they are looking to prevent any similar sabotage attempts in 2024.
Amid these rising tensions, Russia has reiterated its warning that Ukraine’s newly acquired F-16 fighter jets will be viewed as a “nuclear-capable” threat. The Russian Foreign Ministry has described the deployment of F-16s as a “purposeful provocation” by the U.S. and NATO, cautioning that any aggression towards Crimea could lead to severe retaliation.
Ukraine’s military, which has been training with the F-16s since November of last year, plans to deploy them soon. Despite the Fighting Falcon’s capability to be outfitted with nuclear weapons, Ukraine does not possess a nuclear arsenal. Currently, there is no indication that nuclear-armed nations plan to arm Ukraine with such weapons.
However, former U.S. military pilots are skeptical about the impact of F-16 jets on the conflict, noting that Russia has deployed advanced air-defense systems like the S-400, which pose a significant challenge to the F-16s, beyond those encountered in past conflicts.
According to the open-source intelligence site Oryx, which verifies losses with visual evidence, Ukraine has lost at least 85 combat aircraft since the invasion began.
French charity raises alarm over Seine River pollution before Olympics
A French water charity is sounding the alarm over pollution of the Seine River, which is set to be the backdrop for the Olympic Games‘ opening ceremonies and used by athletes as an open-water swimming venue. Paris authorities are racing to clean up the famed waterway before the Games kick off on July 26.
In an open letter, the Surfrider Foundation said it performed tests on the river in the last six months and found “alarming” levels of bacteria — including E. coli and enterococci, which are both known to come from human fecal matter and pose dangers to swimmers.
“It is therefore clear that the athletes who will be taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic events planned for the Seine will be swimming in polluted water and taking significant risks to their health,” the foundation stated in a news release.
Officials from the Île-de-France precinct have responded to the foundation’s findings, calling them “flawed.” They argue that the samples were collected between September 2023 and March of this year, a period during which officials were not actively treating the water during the winter.
French officials have spent more than a billion dollars in the last decade working to improve the quality of the river.
Currently, rainwater and wastewater get funneled through Paris’ sewer system and both get released into the Seine River.
Authorities promised to clean up the water before the Olympics and they are set to spend another $1.5 billion dollars on a plan to make good on that promise. The new plan includes a new stormwater facility along with new sewage connections for boats along the river.
France President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have both said they will take a dip in the Seine before the Olympics.
City officials are also hopeful the Seine River water will be used for public bathing by 2025.
French farmers block major roadways over gov’t climate change policies
Protests outside Paris continued on Monday, Jan. 29, as farmers demanding lower fuel prices, higher wages, and fewer regulations brought in heavy farm equipment to block major roadways. Combines, tractors, and other large vehicles could be seen rolling into position in protest of government policies farmers say threaten their livelihoods.
European leaders contend that the policies put in place are needed to combat climate change.
According to Radio France Internationale, a French news outlet, one of the main points of contention for farmers is a requirement under the European Union’s Nature Restoration Law for 4% of farmland to remain unused, which farmers said cuts into their production capacity and hurts their income.
The EU law went into effect in 2023. The goal of the law is to preserve and restore habitats harmed by agriculture.
European leaders claim the law is necessary to limit the harm done by pesticides and fertilizer, and cite a significant drop in insect and bird populations in the European countryside tied to current farming practices, according to the Washington Post.
However, demonstrators claim the regulations are too costly as farmers are pushed into bankruptcy. Protesters are demanding the government address soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer, crops and feed for livestock — all things farmers say are necessary to keep the agricultural industry afloat.
One protester said the massive convoy that disrupted traffic around Paris and other areas was not designed to “ruin French people’s lives.” Farmers maintain they simply want lawmakers to find solutions to the crisis which has been worsened by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Demonstrators pointed out that France imports food from countries with fewer regulations and lower costs, which local farmers cannot compete with.
Arnoud Rousseau, the president of the FNSEA agricultural union, claimed Ukrainian sugar producers saw soaring exports to Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine. He said it has created an “untenable” situation for European counterparts.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 30, French President Emmanuel Macron said the European Union needs to act to protect farmers against cheap agricultural imports and distribution platforms.
“This is why I will see the EU Commission president on Thursday because we’ve asked for very concrete measures for our farmers,” Macron said. “First, to have clear rules set up around imports from Ukraine because we have today, in terms of volume and quality, something that’s destabilizing the European market, be it poultry or cereals.”
So far, there are no reports of violence other than demonstrators burning some hay bales and tires. Some farmers reportedly played cards as they continued to wait for concessions from the French government.
The farmers’ protests are not just limited to France. In recent weeks, similar protests have been playing out in Germany and across Europe.