The retrial of Harvey Weinstein, whose prosecution and conviction for rape and sex assault ignited the “MeToo” movement, kicks off in New York on Tuesday.The disgraced movie mogul’s 2017 conviction by a jury was overturned seven years later by an appeals court that ruled the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful.The voiding of the jury’s verdict by the New York Court of Appeals was a setback to the movement against sexual violence and the promotion of justice for survivors.Former Miramax studio boss Weinstein will be in the dock for the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006, the rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and a new count for an alleged sexual assault in 2006 at a hotel in Manhattan.The trial, expected to last up to six weeks in a Manhattan criminal court, begins Tuesday with jury selection, which could take five days, according to Judge Curtis Farber.Weinstein, 73, hopes the case will be judged with “fresh eyes,” more than seven years after investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker led to his spectacular downfall and a global backlash against predatory abusers.Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on separate rape charges in California in 2023 for raping and assaulting a European actor a decade prior.- ‘Seeking justice’ -The producer of a string of box office hits like “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” Weinstein has appeared frail and gaunt at recent courtroom hearings ahead of the trial.”It’ll be very, very different because of the attitude of New York City, New York State and, I think, the overall country,” said his lawyer Arthur Aidala.”Five years ago, when you guys were here, there were protests. There were people chanting: ‘Fry Harvey, he’s a rapist’… I think that, overall, has died down,” he said, adding that he hoped jurors would try the case on its merits.Weinstein has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and has always maintained that the encounters were consensual.Accusers describe the movie mogul as a predator who used his perch atop the cinema industry to pressure actresses and assistants for sexual favors, often in hotel rooms.Since his downfall, Weinstein has been accused of harassment, sexual assault or rape by more than 80 women, including actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.In 2020, a jury of New Yorkers found Weinstein guilty of two out of five charges — the sexual assault of Mimi Haleyi and the rape of Jessica Mann.But the conviction and the 23-year prison sentence were overturned in April 2024.In a hotly debated four-to-three decision, New York’s appeals court ruled that jurors should not have heard testimonies of victims about sexual assaults for which Harvey Weinstein was not indicted.”It really reflects the challenges that survivors face in seeking justice for sexual assault,” said Laura Palumbo of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The three survivors of Weinstein’s alleged crimes are expected to testify once again.

Kneecap, the hip hop trio whose irreverent Irish-language raps are a beating anti-colonialist cry with a growing worldwide fanbase, had heard Coachella crowds were full of dilettantes who didn’t dance.But the group debuted at the top music festival over the weekend to a packed, exuberant audience, some of whom sported Irish tricolor balaclavas as they headbanged, screamed and moshed along — whether they understood the Irish lyrics or not.Kneecap has enjoyed a blockbuster year following the release of their album “Fine Art” and their acclaimed semi-fictional eponymous biopic.Playing Coachella was yet another “milestone,” said DJ Provai, whose signature look includes the aforementioned balaclavas — even if it was ill-suited for California’s searing desert sun.”Our poor little pasty Irish skin, we’re not built for this,” Mo Chara said.While sipping aperol spritzes backstage the members of Kneecap joked to AFP they’re mere “small city boys.”But their electrifying set a couple hours later was living proof of the global chord they have struck.”We didn’t think that the movie would resonate with anybody outside of Ireland,” said Moglai Bap. “But actually, in reality, it was about an international story.””It’s an international story of languages being oppressed, because obviously the first protocol for colonialism is to eradicate the language and the culture,” echoed Chara.- ‘Voice to voiceless people’ -For Kneecap, rapping in Irish is an act of resistance: the language was long suppressed, and only became officially recognized in Northern Ireland in 2022.”The best thing you can do for your child in Ireland is to send them to an Irish school,” said Chara. “When you lose our language, you lose understanding of where you’re from.””We had 32 words for fields. It depends on where the sun rises, or if it was a deep field… you lose all that whenever we have these new monolingual societies.”The bandmates have said fans tell them their music — hip hop in the vein of Rage Against The Machine, infused with rock and electronic influences — has inspired newfound interest in learning or improving their Irish.That’s “a process of decolonization,” Bap said, replacing “shame” in language and identity with “confidence.””Everybody longs I think, deep down, for that sense of being grounded — of having an identity and being connected to something,” he added.For Kneecap, hip hop — the Black American art form that grew out of experiences of injustice and inequality — is a natural vehicle.”Storytelling is such a massive part of Irish culture,” Chara said. “It’s always passed down orally, same as any Indigenous language.”History, he continued, “is always written by the winner. That’s where hip hop stems from — it’s the story of the people who never got to tell their story.””It gives a voice to voiceless people,” added DJ Provai.- ‘Investing in a community’ -Kneecap has made a point of drawing parallels between their own experiences under a colonizing force to those elsewhere in the world, notably the plight of Palestinians.They have become one of music’s most strident voices on the war in Gaza.”We are from Belfast and Derry, Ireland which are still under British rule,” they told their Coachella audience, “but there’s a worse occupation happening now.””Free Palestine!” they said to roaring cheers.Speaking to AFP, the artists said they’ve watched the recent suppression of pro-Palestinian activism under Donald Trump’s White House with concern: “It’s obviously a pretty scary time for people here,” Chara said.And “it’s quite ironic for America, a place that preaches free speech,” Bap added.The members of Kneecap have been at the center of controversies including over their provocative, satirical lyrics as well as an arts grant that evolved into court proceedings revolving around allegations of anti-British sentiment.Kneecap won the case late last year — and of course, such high-profile wrangling has the ultimate effect of drawing attention to their cause. Part of their mission includes showing how language can have intrinsic worth beyond economic value, Bap said, adding that no one was learning Irish to widen their job prospects.Rapping in Irish “is not a good business, not on paper,” Chara laughed — although the raucous, raging crowds at Coachella might indicate otherwise.

US President Donald Trump will host his El Salvador counterpart Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday, highlighting the central American leader’s role as a top ally in Washington’s crackdown on undocumented immigration.Bukele has agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States, locking up more than 250 in a notorious Salvadoran prison.The vast majority are Venezuelans, accused by Trump’s administration of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, though rights organizations have decried what they called “forced disappearances and arbitrary detention.”Relatives of some deportees deny their loved ones are gang members.Political scientist Napoleon Campos said the meeting between Bukele and Trump had become oversimplified to “the issue of a heavy-handed security approach.””There are other topics that could be discussed, such as investments and trade, but it all comes down to talking about a prison,” he said.Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday that the US and El Salvador are “working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity.”He added that future of the deported migrants in Salvadoran custody “is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!”White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump and Bukele “will discuss El Salvador’s partnership on using their supermax prison for Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members and how El Salvador’s cooperation with the United States has become a model for others to work with this administration.”Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even visited the 40,000-inmate CECOT prison last month, posing in front of a cell overflowing with seemingly dead-eyed and heavily tattooed men.Aside from political benefits for both Bukele and Trump in sending deportees to El Salvador, there is a potential security and economic boon for Bukele.His government received $6 million for taking deportees, which Bukele described as “a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.” Despite the partnership, El Salvador was among the dozens of US trade partners that the Trump administration slapped with 10 percent tariffs.The United States is the main destination for Salvadoran exports. Of the nearly $6.5 billion in goods exported from El Salvador in 2024, $2.1 billion went to the United States, including clothing, sugar and coffee, according to the central bank.”Trade needs to take off, to be fluid,” economist Cesar Villalona told AFP, predicting a fall in exports under the new tariff.For this reason, the president of the Salvadoran Industrial Association, Jorge Arriaza, hopes Bukele’s visit to the White House will provide “a little more clarity” about the tariff’s implementation.The United States is home to 2.5 million Salvadorans who are a mainstay of their native country’s economy.El Salvador received $8.5 billion in family remittances in 2024, 23 percent of the country’s GDP. In January and February, remittances grew 14 percent compared to the same period in 2024, due to fears over deportation, according to economists.Some analysts say Bukele should urge Trump to soften policies toward Salvadoran migrants.”His priority should be the immigration situation of Salvadorans in the United States,” academic Carlos Carcach told AFP.