French billionaire Olivier Dassault, a politician and scion of the family behind aircraft maker Dassault Aviation, was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. He was 69.
Dassault, a father of three, died when his helicopter crashed near the upmarket coastal resort of Deauville in north-western France, according to parliamentary and security officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron led the tributes.
“Olivier Dassault loved France. Captain of industry, local MP, reserve commander in the air force; throughout his life he never stopped serving our country,” said Mr Macron in a tweet.
Mr Macron called his death “a great loss” and sent his condolences to the Dassault family, one of the most influential in France with interests in aeronautics, defence, auctioneering and the media.
The Dassault Aviation group has been a leading French plane manufacturer over the past 70 years and is behind the Falcon private jet, the Mirage warplane and, most recently, the state-of-the art Rafale fighter jet.
Forbes magazine estimated that Dassault was No 361 on the list of the world's richest people last year, with a fortune of about €5 billion ($6bn) – about the same as his three siblings.
The BEA, France’s national air crash investigation agency, said in a tweet that the crash occurred shortly after take-off from “private grounds”. The weather in Deauville was sunny with low wind on Sunday.
Officials indicated that the pilot of the helicopter was also killed and that no one else was on board.
An involuntary manslaughter investigation was opened by prosecutors.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex hailed Dassault as “a humanist MP, a visionary entrepreneur, a man deeply committed to his country”.
Richard Ferrand, president of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament in which Dassault served as a representative for the Oise area of northern France, said he was thinking of Dassault’s family and friends “who must feel terrible pain”.
Dassault was the grandson of Marcel Bloch, a famed aeronautical engineer who changed his name to “Dassault”, which means to be “on the attack” in French.
After helping to develop an innovative propeller used on French aircraft in the First World War, Marcel was jailed during the Second World War and sent to a Nazi concentration camp after refusing to collaborate with Germany’s aviation industry.
Control of Dassault Aviation passed to his son Serge who died in 2018 after suffering heart failure at his Paris office. He had not named an heir to succeed him.
Dassault once declared himself “the most qualified” of Serge’s four children, earning a stern public rebuke from his father.
He appeared to be on track to take the reins but resigned as chairman of the group’s supervisory board shortly before his father’s death because he said the role was incompatible with his parliamentary duties.
Many of Dassault’s colleagues on the political right paid tribute to a man who was also a passionate photographer, a pilot and composer of music.
As well as a majority stake in the family's aviation group, the Dassaults own their own vineyard in Bordeaux and the right-wing newspaper Le Figaro.
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Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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