- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
- Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief
- Bangladesh Islamist chief backs crimes against humanity trial for ex-PM
- Everest climber's remains believed found after 100 years
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack
- Clashes on South China Sea, Ukraine dominate Asia summit
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Zelensky meets Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- Hello Hallyu: why is South Korean culture sweeping the globe?
- UK economy rebounds in August in boost to new govt
- Voice of Japan's beloved robot cat 'Doraemon' dies
RIO | 0.67% | 67.293 | $ | |
BTI | 0.21% | 35.185 | $ | |
BP | -0.48% | 32.185 | $ | |
GSK | -1.15% | 38.765 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.32% | 24.67 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.03% | 59.49 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.6% | 24.919 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.71% | 7 | $ | |
AZN | 0.43% | 77.205 | $ | |
NGG | 0.88% | 66.26 | $ | |
SCS | 2.06% | 12.865 | $ | |
RELX | 1.04% | 46.845 | $ | |
VOD | -1.03% | 9.641 | $ | |
JRI | 0.3% | 13.26 | $ | |
BCC | 1.77% | 141.459 | $ | |
BCE | 0.56% | 33.045 | $ |
Prosecutors demand trial for French director over alleged abuse of actor
French prosecutors have requested a trial for film director Christophe Ruggia, who has been charged with sexually assaulting an actor when she was a minor, sources told AFP on Thursday.
The prosecutors' request came as fresh revelations of harassment have prompted new questions about instances of sexual violence in French society, particularly in the art world.
Contacted by AFP, the director's lawyers declined to comment.
In 2020, Ruggia, now 59, was charged over accusations that he sexually assaulted actress Adele Haenel when she was a minor.
Haenel, now 34, lodged a complaint against Ruggia after accusing him of subjecting her to "constant sexual harassment" from the age of 12 to 15, including "forced kisses on the neck" and touching.
Ruggia directed her in the 2002 movie "The Devils", her first film role.
Her accusations at the time stunned the French film industry, which has been slower than Hollywood to react to the #MeToo movement turning the spotlight on sexual abuse in the arts.
In a statement to Mediapart, an investigative online media outlet, which broke the story of the affair, Haenel praised the move.
"It is a stage of the judicial process but, obviously, it is important," she said.
Haenel said she was satisfied that her statements had been found to be "consistent, precise and unvarnished."
She also said she was "upset" by the case of fellow actor Judith Godreche who this week accused two French directors of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager.
French prosecutors opened a probe this week after Godreche, now 51, accused filmmaker Benoit Jacquot of raping her during a six-year-long relationship that started when she was 14 and he was 25 years her senior. She also accused another director, Jacques Doillon, of sexually abusing her when she was 15.
According to sources close to Haenel's case, her young age at the time of the alleged facts and Ruggia's position of authority are considered aggravating circumstances.
Ruggia at first strongly denied he had done anything wrong, but after being expelled from the French directors' guild he once led, he admitted to having made "errors".
Newly released footage of film star Gerard Depardieu making obscene comments sparked an outcry in the country in December. The uproar intensified after President Emmanuel Macron said the actor had become the target of a "manhunt".
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN