France ex-PM Fillon awaits verdict over corruption case

Judgement day for Francois Fillon, as the former French prime minister faces possible jail time for corruption.

A verdict is expected in the corruption trial of former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

He faces up to five years in jail but says the scandal is a political smear campaign.

Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler reports from Paris.

Caxton’s Travel Tracker helps holidaymakers keep up with new rules overseas

Providing the very latest key data on travel destinations across the globe, the tracker gives would-be travellers essential information on more than 25 countries, including the latest social distancing rules, expected quarantine period for arrivals and the current stance on foreign tourism.

It is also intended to help customers to decide if and where to travel to and as an innovative small step to help the travel industry start to get back on its feet after months of near shutdown.

Chief operating officer at Caxton FX Alana Parsons explained: “We’ve been improving the availability of key travel information as we look for new ways to support our customers during this difficult period for the travel sector, and the wider economy.

“This will enable them to shape their holiday plans for the months ahead.”

Malawi names former insurance firm director as finance minister

BLANTYRE, June 29 (Reuters) – Former insurance company director Felix Mlusu was named Malawi’s new finance minister on Monday, a government statement said, a day after President Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in following last week’s re-run election in which he unseated Peter Mutharika.

The statement also named five other ministerial positions and three senior civil servants. (Reporting by Frank Phiri; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Edmund Blair)

Malawi names former insurance firm director as finance minister

BLANTYRE (Reuters) – Former insurance company director Felix Mlusu was named Malawi’s new finance minister on Monday, a government statement said, a day after President Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in following last week’s re-run election in which he unseated Peter Mutharika.

The statement also named five other ministerial positions and three senior civil servants.

Visitors have been using the Queen’s Balmoral Estate as an outdoor toilet

Rangers at the Balmoral Estate have found human waste and wipes near trails as people have been using the grounds as an outdoor toilet.

Staff at the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire posted pictures of fouling next to paths over the weekend.

Rangers tweeted: “Disappointed to see so many wipes discarded on the Estate today. Next to paths and monuments. Please remember there are no public toilets open for miles around at the moment.”

Iranian military prosecutor says human error led to shooting down of Ukrainian airliner: Tasnim

(Reuters) – The shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran in January was due to human error and not an order from senior military authorities, the military prosecutor for Tehran province, Gholam Abbas Torki, said on Monday, Tasnim news agency reported.

There was no indication that the downing of the airliner, which killed all 176 people aboard, was due to a cyber attack on Iran’s missile or air defence systems, Torki said, adding that three people were under arrest related to the accident.

Veterans Group Rips ‘Traitor’ Trump Over Russian Bounties To Kill U.S. Soldiers

A group of veterans opposed to President Donald Trump released a new video calling him out over reports that the U.S. government knew the Russian military paid bounties to Afghan militants for killing American soldiers. 

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Trump was briefed on the situation in March, but took no action against Russia. To the contrary, Trump said he would like to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the next G-7 meeting in September.

Trump said on Twitter that he was not briefed about the alleged bounties, called the Times “fake news” and claimed “nobody’s been tougher on Russia” than his administration. 

VoteVets ripped into him. 

“Putin owns Donald Trump,” the organization wrote on Twitter, along with the #TRE45SON hashtag that went viral over the weekend. The group also released a new video:

“Intelligence reports on his desk. He says nothing to his master. Takes no action to protect us,” the voiceover stated. “If you’re going to act like a traitor, you don’t get to thank us for our service.”

EARNINGS SUMMARY: Details of ChinaNet Online Holdings Inc. Q1 Earnings Report

Below are the earnings highlights for ChinaNet Online Holdings Inc. (CNET):

-Earnings: -$2.31 million in Q1 vs. -$1.14 million in the same period last year.
-EPS: -$0.11 in Q1 vs. -$0.07 in the same period last year.
-Revenue: $4.38 million in Q1 vs. $8.57 million in the same period last year.

ChinaNet Online Q1 Loss Widens – Quick Facts

ChinaNet Online Holdings Inc. (CNET) reported that its first-quarter net loss attributable to the company widened to $2.31 million or $0.11 per share from $1.14 million or $0.07 per share in the first fiscal quarter of 2019.

Operating loss was $2.3 million compared to operating loss of $0.7 million in the previous year.

Quarterly, total revenues declined $4.4 million from $8.6 million in the previous year.

Revenues generated from internet advertising and related services decreased to $3.2 million from $8.6 million in the previous year. This decrease was mainly attributable to the epidemic control measures imposed by local governments in China as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak during the first fiscal quarter of 2020.