WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee, veteran diplomat Antony Blinken, to serve as secretary of state.
The 100-member Senate backed Blinken 78-22, meaning he could be sworn in as the nation’s top diplomat later in the day. A simple majority was needed in the Democratic-controlled chamber for his confirmation.
Blinken is a longtime Biden confidant who has been confirmed by the US Senate before, most recently to serve as No. 2 at the State Department during former Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration, when Biden was vice president.
At his confirmation before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee lats week, Blinken pledged to work more closely with allies after former President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign affairs. Blinken said he would work to revitalize damaged American diplomacy and build a united front to counter the challenges posed by Russia, China and Iran.
The 100-member Senate is divided 50-50 but controlled by Biden’s fellow Democrats because Vice President Kamala Harris can break any tie.
All of the votes against Blinken’s confirmation came from Republicans.
Blinken’s confirmation hearing went smoothly, with both Democrats and Republicans offering praise. Blinken was a committee staff director — when Biden, who spent decades in the Senate, was chairman — before he joined the Obama administration.
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US Senate confirms Biden nominee Blinken as secretary of state
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US Senate confirms Biden nominee Blinken as secretary of state
French police raid Arab World Institute in Paris as Epstein fallout widens
PARIS: French police searched the Arab World Institute in Paris on Monday as part of a probe into its former head, ex-culture minister Jack Lang, and his links to late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said.
France’s National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) said in a statement that the Arab World Institute was among several locations being raided.
Prosecutors this month opened a preliminary investigation of Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of tax fraud following the release of documents on Epstein in the US
Lang, who was culture minister under late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand, resigned this month from the Arab World Institute, which he had led since 2013.
He has said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes despite corresponding with him between 2012 and 2019, 11 years after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Epstein died in prison by suicide in 2019.
The Institute, which is overseen by France’s foreign ministry, said it could not immediately comment on the police action.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and receiving financial benefits from Epstein. Their lawyer Laurent Merlet told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that “there was no movement of funds.”
Fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has rippled through Europe.
On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a dedicated team to review the files, coordinating with the financial prosecutor and national police.
The office said it was analizing several potential cases stemming from the Epstein files.
One concerns French diplomat Fabrice Aidan, alleged to have transferred United Nations documents to Epstein.
Aidan, who worked at the UN from July 2006 to April 2013, has rejected the accusations through his lawyer.
France’s National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) said in a statement that the Arab World Institute was among several locations being raided.
Prosecutors this month opened a preliminary investigation of Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of tax fraud following the release of documents on Epstein in the US
Lang, who was culture minister under late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand, resigned this month from the Arab World Institute, which he had led since 2013.
He has said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes despite corresponding with him between 2012 and 2019, 11 years after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Epstein died in prison by suicide in 2019.
The Institute, which is overseen by France’s foreign ministry, said it could not immediately comment on the police action.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and receiving financial benefits from Epstein. Their lawyer Laurent Merlet told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that “there was no movement of funds.”
Fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has rippled through Europe.
On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a dedicated team to review the files, coordinating with the financial prosecutor and national police.
The office said it was analizing several potential cases stemming from the Epstein files.
One concerns French diplomat Fabrice Aidan, alleged to have transferred United Nations documents to Epstein.
Aidan, who worked at the UN from July 2006 to April 2013, has rejected the accusations through his lawyer.
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