In France, right-wing politician barred from office for 5 years
A Paris court found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling European Union funds and banned her from running for political appointment, prohibiting her candidacy in France’s 2027 presidential election.
After a nine-week trial, the court concluded with “no doubt” that she channeled almost $5 million from European parliament funds to her affiliates in the National Rally, where she served as party leader from 2011 to 2022. Le Pen will serve a four-year prison term with two years served outside jail with an electronic bracelet and pay a fine of around $108,000.
The verdict has been subject of extensive criticism from far-right politicians across France and Europe, who have called it “an attack on democracy” and “declaration of war.” With populist proposals that prioritize French nationals and are heavily anti-immigration, Le Pen — who said she has not committed “the slightest illegal act” and that the decision was a “nuclear bomb” to blow up her presidential aspirations — had been considered a frontrunner for the country’s next election cycle.
“There are millions of French people who believe in me, millions of French people who trust me,” Le Pen said in an interview with TF1. “For 30 years I’ve been fighting for you, and for 30 years I’ve been fighting against injustice, so I’m going to continue fighting.”
Among the evidence that the court examined, judges discovered an email sent in June 2014 from the party treasurer to Le Pen saying the party will only survive their financial troubles “if we make big savings thanks to the European parliament.” The Paris appeals court said on Tuesday they will rule in three appeals filed against the decision in the summer of 2026.
In Spain, five coal mine workers die in methane explosion
On Monday, at least five people were killed and four more were injured in Spain’s deadliest coal mine explosion in three decades, according to a regional emergency services authority.
Officials suspect that the blast, which took place at the Cerredo mine in northern Spain, was caused by methane in the mine forming an “explosive mixture” around the area. Three helicopters and two ambulances were immediately sent to search the area and take the injured workers to a nearby hospital. Two additional workers were discovered unharmed, and no workers were missing.
The five deceased victims were between the ages of 32 to 54 years old and were from the nearby Leon region. Adrián Barbón, president of the autonomous community of Asturias, declared a two-day long mourning period “as a sign of respect for the deceased” and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent his “sincere condolences” to the victims on X.
“It’s scandalous,” Jose Antonio Alvarez, a relative of one of the miners who died, told regional newspaper El Comercio. “Companies used to guarantee safety, but they are doing it less and less.”
The mining industry dominates the economy of Asturias. According to a local daily newspaper, the Cerredo mine is owned by a local company Blue Solving, which was redesigning the site for “high-performance minerals” extraction for industrial purposes. Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz promised that the “weight of the law will fall” on anyone responsible for the incident.
In the UK, gov’t investigates national labor data
The UK government launched an investigation Tuesday into the Office for National Statistics, which has been accused of providing unreliable labor market data that often informs economic policies.
Financial institutions and agencies have cited a substantial decrease in the number of people responding to ONS surveys related to “employment, unemployment and economic inactivity,” which could affect the quality and accuracy of the labor market estimates.
“It leaves one in a difficult situation right now — particularly on these judgments about how much slack is there in the economy, what is the level of productivity, how many people are actually working,” David Miles, a senior official at the Office for Budget Responsibility, told lawmakers on Parliament’s Treasury Committee. “People should have much less confidence in the employment statistics than they used to.”
Robert Devereux, a former top civil servant at the department for Work and Pensions, will lead the investigation, which is expected to finish up by the end of summer. The Bank of England also criticized the data, claiming that it will affect its ability to set the correct interest rates.
Due to the impact of the labor market data on other economic reports like GDP and prices, ONS announced that the institution will adopt a “new strategic business plan” to focus on the most critical data releases, such as labor market and population changes analysis. The institute will also slash “non-essential” examinations, including living conditions studies due to “tight financial and human resources.”
Contact Amanda Chen at achen@nyunews.com.
