Israel's State Prosecutor's Office criticized the police regarding a recent raid on two Educational Bookshop stores in East Jerusalem and the arrest of the co-owners, Haaretz reported. In a letter to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, deputy state prosecutor for special tasks Alon Altman wrote that the police had not requested an investigation into suspected incitement be launched before the raid, as required by law.
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| Mahmound Muna (l.) and Ahmad Muna | |
Educational Bookshop co-owners Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad Muna were held in detention for two days, after which they were put under house arrest.
"As soon as the office learned the details of the incident, it held a discussion with police commanders with the goal of ensuring such incidents don't happen again," Altman wrote, adding that his office has begun fine-tuning the guidelines for cases of suspected incitement whose investigation requires approval by the State Prosecutor's Office.
Attorney Hagar Shechter of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said the case was an example of the police taking the law into their own hands: "The State Prosecutor's Office made it clear in its response to us that the police raid on the bookshop and the arrest of two booksellers... was done without permission and contrary to regulations."
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| Jonathan Perdoni and Sarah Benton | |
Sarah Benton and Jonathan Perdoni have been appointed as joint CEOs of Bonnier Books U.K. following the departure of Perminder Mann, who was recently named CEO of Simon & Schuster International, the Bookseller reported. Benton, who is currently managing director of the adult trade division, will also become an executive director of the U.K. Group, joining Bonnier's current COO/CFO Perdoni, as well as Håkan Rudels and Jim Zetterlund, on the board. Perdoni has been at the company for 15 years and was appointed COO/CFO in 2018.
"This exciting change of leadership is an important milestone for Bonnier Books UK and it brings me great pleasure to announce Sarah and Jonathan as joint CEOs," said Jim Zetterlund, chair of BBUK and COO/CFO of Bonnier Books globally. "I look forward to this dynamic new chapter in our ambitious expansion plans for the U.K. business."
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In France, La Fête de la librairie will be celebrating literature in April with an unusual book. Sortir à Paris reported that in partnership with Editions Gallimard, five books have been brought together in a single volume, Esprit es-tu là?, printed in a limited edition of 26,000 copies, and offered free to customers of independent bookshops across France taking part in the event.
Nearly 700 bookstores across the country "are hoping to pass on the history and culture of the book through the publication of a particular work, in collaboration with all the links in the publishing chain," Sortir à Paris wrote. "This edition aims to unravel the mystery of the indecipherable destiny of works tracing their way through a week or centuries."
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"Our new arrivals are giving us... Spring Fever!" That was the seasonally hopeful sidewalk chalkboard message in front of Canadian bookseller Nottawa Cottage Bookstore, Nottawa, Ont., which noted: "Spring is on the horizon, and our new releases are giving us serious spring fever! In just a few short weeks, the bookstore porch will be the perfect spot to cozy up with a book, a hot coffee, and a sweet treat from @nottawageneral. We can't wait!" --Robert Gray