Briefly

FRANCE

Ex-leader Sarkozy to stand trial for corruption

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to go on trial on Monday on charges of corruption and influence peddling in a phone-tapping scandal, a first for the 65-year-old politician who has faced several other judicial investigations since leaving office in 2012. Sarkozy is being accused of having tried to illegally obtain information from a magistrate about an investigation involving him in 2014. He stands trial in a Paris court along with his lawyer Thierry Herzog, 65, and a magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, 73. They face a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of 1 million euros ($1.2 million). They deny any wrongdoing.

UNITED STATES

Biden to start naming cabinet picks on Tuesday

Democrat Joe Biden will name his first cabinet picks on Tuesday, his chief of staff said, even as President Donald Trump clung to claims of fraud despite growing dissent from within his own party. Biden has pushed ahead with preparations to assume the presidency on Jan 20, regardless of Trump's bid to undo the results of the Nov 3 vote. "You are going to see the first of the president-elect's cabinet picks on Tuesday," Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, told ABC's This Week on Sunday. Several US news organizations reported that Biden will nominate seasoned diplomat Antony Blinken as secretary of state.

Agencies via Xinhua