2 Macron allies resign from cabinet amid funding scandal Paris, June 21 (IANS): Two more ministers in French President Emmanuel Macron’s recently-assembled cabinet on Wednesday handed in their resignation amid an ongoing probe into alleged misuse of European Parliament funds in their centrist party. Justice Minister François Bayrou and Minister for European Affairs Marielle de Sarnez were the latest Democratic Movement (MoDem) cabinet members to quit, following the departure of Defence Minister Sylvie Goulard on Tuesday, EFE news reported. A close ally of Macron, Richard Ferrand, who was until Monday Minister of Territorial Cohesion, also left the cabinet but retained his role as LREM Secretary-General amid a preliminary probe into accusations of nepotism. This slew of resignations came as a blow to Macron, who ran a campaign promising to shake up old, corrupt politics. Prosecutors opened up the preliminary investigation into claims that MoDem had allocated EP money to pay for fictitious parliamentary assistants -- similar claims have hit the far-right National Front (FN). Sarnez has been an intermittent member of the European Parliament since 1999, while Goulard has held a position there since 2009. Hong Kong’s new leader vows caring, pragmatic rule HONG KONG, june 21 (Reuters): Hong Kong’s next leader said on Wednesday she would work to rebuild “social harmony” and push economic development while announcing a new cabinet with few new faces to govern the financial hub. Carrie Lam, 60, Hong Kong’s first female chief executive, faces various challenges including healing social rifts as public resentment grows over what many see as Beijing’s interference in city affairs and its denial of full democracy. “We pledge to serve the people with pragmatism and build a better Hong Kong for the next generation,” said Lam, who stood before a large sign with the words “We Care, We Listen, We Act” in announcing her new cabinet. Lam and her leadership team will be sworn in on July 1 when the former British colony of 7.3 million people marks the 20th anniversary of its return to China. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule under promises enshrined in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, that it would be granted a high degree of autonomy, with full democracy an “ultimate aim”. Russian defence minister’s plane buzzed by NATO jet - agencies MOSCOW, June 21 (Reuters): A plane carrying Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was buzzed by a NATO F-16 fighter jet as it flew over the Baltic Sea, but was seen off by a Russian Sukhoi-27 military jet, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. The F-16 had tried to approach the aircraft carrying the defence minister even though it was flying over neutral waters, agencies said. Shoigu was reported to be en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad for a meeting to discuss how well Russia’s western flank was defended. One of the Russian fighter jets escorting Shoigu’s plane had INSERT IGNOREed itself between the defence minister’s plane and the NATO fighter and tilted its wings from side to side to show the weapons it was carrying, Russian agencies said. After that, agencies said the F-16 left the area. The Baltic Sea has become an area of rising tensions between Moscow and NATO. Earlier this month, Russia scrambled a fighter jet to intercept a nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 strategic bomber it said was flying over the Baltic near its border, in an incident that had echoes of the Cold War. The Kremlin referred questions about the latest incident to the defence ministry, which did not immediately comment. It has said in the past that all Russian flights over the Baltic are conducted in strict accordance with international law.
