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French Prosecutors Request Carlos Ghosn, French Culture Minister Stand Trial in Corruption Case

Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn attends a press conference with the President of Lebanon's University of Kaslik (USEK) launching a joint initiative to help the crisis-ridden country, in the northern city of Jounieh on September 29, 2020. (AFP)
Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn attends a press conference with the President of Lebanon's University of Kaslik (USEK) launching a joint initiative to help the crisis-ridden country, in the northern city of Jounieh on September 29, 2020. (AFP)
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French Prosecutors Request Carlos Ghosn, French Culture Minister Stand Trial in Corruption Case

Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn attends a press conference with the President of Lebanon's University of Kaslik (USEK) launching a joint initiative to help the crisis-ridden country, in the northern city of Jounieh on September 29, 2020. (AFP)
Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn attends a press conference with the President of Lebanon's University of Kaslik (USEK) launching a joint initiative to help the crisis-ridden country, in the northern city of Jounieh on September 29, 2020. (AFP)

The French prosecutor's office for financial crimes has requested former automobile executive Carlos Ghosn and French culture minister Rachida Dati stand trial following its probe into corruption, a judicial source said on Friday.

A judge must make a decision on the request.

Investigators had been probing the consulting fees French culture minister Rachida Dati once received from the Renault-Nissan auto alliance. The alliance had hired Dati as a consultant after she stepped down as justice minister to stand for the European Parliament.

Dati has denied irregularities in the fees she received during that time and Ghosn, who fled from Japan in a box aboard a private jet to Lebanon, has denied allegations of misconduct against him.

Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenships, has not left Lebanon since 2019 because of an Interpol Red Notice issued by Japan.

Representatives for the culture ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Renault and Ghosn's lawyer declined to comment.

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World

First Ukrainian Military Plant Starts Operations in Britain, Ukraine’s Ambassador Says 

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
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First Ukrainian Military Plant Starts Operations in Britain, Ukraine’s Ambassador Says 

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 

The first Ukrainian drone production plant has started its operations in Britain, Ukraine's ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Wednesday.

"Ukraine is ‌fighting a ‌war amid ‌constant ⁠missile strikes, infrastructure destruction ⁠and threats to production facilities. Therefore, the launch of production in the ⁠UK has a ‌deep strategic ‌logic," Zaluzhnyi ‌said on the ‌Telegram app.

"This is not a shift of the center ‌of gravity away from Ukraine. It ⁠is ⁠an expansion of our joint capabilities and the creation of a second line of defense that guarantees continuity of production."

World

Ukrainian Attack on Russian Fertilizer Plant Kills Seven 

Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Ukrainian Attack on Russian Fertilizer Plant Kills Seven 

Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A Ukrainian drone attack on a fertilizer plant in Russia's western Smolensk region killed seven people and wounded 10 others, Russian officials said Wednesday.

The plant, just outside the Russian town of Dorogobuzh, lies around 290 kilometers (180 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Unverified images published on social media purported to show the plant in flames early Wednesday, with columns of smoke billowing into the night sky.

"The enemy struck PJSC Dorogobuzh, a civilian plant producing nitrogen fertilizer," Smolensk region governor Vasily Anokhin said in a post on Telegram.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said later seven people were killed, updating a previous toll, in what would be one of the deadliest attacks on a Russian industrial site of the four-year war.

Ukraine fired "at least 30 drones equipped with explosive devices," causing "significant damage" it said in a statement.

Rescuers had on Wednesday morning contained the fires, while authorities were considering evacuating residents from the neighboring village for their safety, governor Anokhin added.

The plant was also attacked in December last year, according to Russian media reports.

Ukraine, which denies targeting civilians, did not immediately comment.

Ukraine has fired thousands of drones over the Russian border since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, some of which have landed hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

The strikes often target Russia's oil and gas industry and other industrial sites and have caused billions of dollars of damage.

Kyiv says the attacks are fair retaliation for Russian strikes on its own civilians that have killed hundreds and crippled Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

World

Pope Leo to Tour Four African Countries in First Major Overseas Trip of 2026 

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
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Pope Leo to Tour Four African Countries in First Major Overseas Trip of 2026 

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)

Pope Leo will visit four countries across Africa from April 13-23, the Vatican announced on Wednesday, with the pontiff making his first major overseas trip in 2026. 

The pope will also make a one-day visit on March 28 to Monaco, the microstate on the French Riviera, and will visit Spain from ‌June 6-12, ‌the Vatican said. 

In Africa, Leo ‌will ⁠visit Algeria, Angola, ⁠Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. He is expected to draw large crowds, urge world leaders to support development on the continent, and highlight efforts at Catholic-Muslim dialogue. 

Leo, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the 1.4-billion-member Church, has made ⁠only one overseas trip so far, visiting ‌Türkiye and Lebanon in ‌November and December on a visit originally organized for ‌Francis. 

Vatican officials and African Church leaders say the upcoming ‌papal tour in Africa is a sign of the priority the Church places on the continent. 

About 20% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics live on the continent, according to Vatican statistics. 

Wednesday's Vatican announcement did not give full programs for the pope's upcoming trips, only naming the countries he will be visiting. 

As part of the trip to Spain, Leo is expected to visit the Canary Islands, which has become a major point of entry for migrants trying to get to Europe.