tagged w/ Nicolas Sarkozy
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Nicolas Sarkozy has been named by an investigation into an alleged party funding corruption scandal said to have led to the deaths of 11 French engineers in a Pakistan bomb attack.
It is claimed Mr Sarkozy must have been aware of the establishment of a shell company suspected of diverting cash from arms sales commissions to fund the 1995 presidential campaign of then prime minister Edouard Balladur.
The commissions, paid as part of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, were not illegal under French law at the time, but channelling the money back to France was, and remains so.
Magistrates also allege the subsequent freezing of the payments by President Jacques Chirac led indirectly to a bomb attack on a bus in Pakistan which killed 11 French engineers.
The explosive accusations are a major embarrassment to Mr Sarkozy, the current French president, who is gearing up to for a re-election campaign in just four months time.
French newspaper Libération yesterday published the leaked transcript of a witness statement linking Mr Sarkozy, then budget minister, to the alleged scandal.
It quotes testimony from a former civil servant who claims Mr Sarkozy in 1994 must have 'agreed' to the setting up of a Luxembourg-based company, Heine, to handle the arms sales commissions.
Gerard-Philippe Menayas, former head of the DCNI Defence Ministry agency in charge of naval exports, was quoted as saying: 'Clearly the budget minister necessarily gave his agreement for the creation of Heine.
'Given the importance of the matter, this decision could only have been taken at the level of the minister’s personal staff.'
The investigation focuses on the sale of submarines to Pakistan and frigates to Saudi Arabia.
The equivalent of £18million was paid by the Direction des Constructions Navales to Heine in 1994-95 as commission on the two large arms sales.
However, it is suspected that cash kickbacks were paid on the contracts which went to fund Mr Balladur's failed 1995 presidential bid.
Several people including, it is claimed, aides to Mr Sarkozy, are accused of going to Switzerland to collect cases of cash channelled through Heine to fund the campaign.
Mr Sarkozy was the spokesman and de facto manager of Mr Balludur's campaign. No direct evidence has emerged, however, to link him to any illegal campaign funding.
Nevertheless, the scandal has crept ever closer to the president, with two of his longstanding friends - including Nicolas Bazaire, the best man at his 2008 wedding to Carla Bruni - being accused of 'receiving embezzled funds' as part of the same investigation.
The investigating magistrates, Renaud van Ruymbeke and Roger Le Loire, are also expected to extend their investigation to Mr Balladur, who has denied the allegations, in coming weeks.
The case has been linked by two other magistrates to a May 8, 2002, terror attack in the Pakistani city of Karachi which left 11 French submarine technicians dead.
After Mr Chirac won the 1995 election, he froze commission payments to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, allegedly to punish Mr Balladur for running against him.
It is thought by many that the 'terrorist' attack was in reality in revenge for the halting of payments.
The so-called Karachi scandal prompted Mr Chirac, the then president, to order an inquiry into the awarding of arms contracts. He now himself under investigation for alleged misuse of funds.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081679/Sarkozy-named-arms-deal-corruption-scandal-ahead-presidential-elections.html#ixzz1iTamRlcVNicolas Sarkozy has been named by an investigation into an alleged party funding... more
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(In German, English subtitles are available)
This was a reworking of a 1963 sketch titled "Dinner for One" (which is a one take, black & white, 18 minute film, repeated airings in several countries towards the New Year), only this was a stint on the Eurozone crisis and heads of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel replacing the original. Don't ask why Sarkozy is the butler in this...
Video from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC6f2RB9iO8(In German, English subtitles are available)
This was a reworking of a 1963 sketch... more
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Clothing company Benetton is under fire this morning for its latest controversial promotion campaign "UnHate" featuring digitally altered photos of world political and religious leaders embraced in a kiss. The ads feature President Obama kissing on Chinese President Hu Jintao and Hugo Chavez as well as French President Nicolas Sarkozy embraced in a passionate kiss with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But it was a photo of Pope Benedict kissing an Egyptian Imam that caused the Vatican to call the stunt "absolutely unacceptable" and a "grave lack of respect for the pope."
http://veracitystew.com/2011/11/17/benetton-pulls-pope-imam-kissing-ad-after-vatican-protest-photos/Clothing company Benetton is under fire this morning for its latest controversial... more
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France's President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Wednesday that Iran's alleged attempts to build long-range missiles and nuclear weapons could lead unnamed countries to launch a pre-emptive attack.
"Its military nuclear and ballistic ambitions constitute a growing threat that may lead to a preventive attack against Iranian sites that would provoke a major crisis that France wants to avoid at all costs," he said.
Sarkozy did not say which country might launch such a strike, but it has been reported that Israel -- perhaps with US support -- has considered bombing Iranian nuclear sites if it believes Tehran is close to building a weapon.
The French leader placed the blame for the crisis on Iran, which insists it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, and is merely enriching nuclear fuel for medicial research and a domestic atomic energy programme.
"Iran refuses to negotiate seriously," he told an annual meeting of French diplomats. "Iran is carrying out new provocations in response to the challenge from the international community for it to provide a credible response."
Sarkozy said France would work with its allies to build support for tougher international sanctions against Tehran's Islamist regime, in a bid to force it to back down over its enrichment programme.
Tehran currently does its uranium enrichment, the most sensitive part of its programme, at the Natanz facility in central Iran, with plans to divert the 20-percent purification process to a new site near the holy city of Qom.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly ordered Tehran to halt all uranium enrichment until its agency the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is satisfied by of the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.
But, despite being targeted by four sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to suspend enrichment, Iran remains adamant that it will push ahead and denies Western claims that it seeks to build a nuclear bomb.
This week Iran upped the ante once again, announcing that it had abandoned talks with the international community to negotiate a nuclear fuel swap that would see it forego its own enrichment in return for civilian-level fuel.
Western powers fear that if Iran perfects enrichment technology it could rapidly convert uranium into weapons grade material and thus be considered a "threshold" nuclear power capable of rapidly constructing a bomb.
http://my.news.yahoo.com/iranian-nuclear-bid-could-provoke-attack-sarkozy-170748066.htmlFrance's President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Wednesday that Iran's alleged... more
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The expectant granddad has spilled the beans: Nicolas Sarkozy's father told Germany's top-selling newspaper that France's model-turned-singer first lady is pregnant.The expectant granddad has spilled the beans: Nicolas Sarkozy's father told... more
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His first South American to be little doubt that many of them went. Obama lost five-day Brazil, and during a visit to El Salvador, both nuclearHis first South American to be little doubt that many of them went. Obama lost... more
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Yesterday evening, a hacker seized control of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook account, and posted a message that many disgruntled Frenchmen have been dying to hear: "Dear compatriots, given the exceptional circumstances our country is experiencing, I have decided in my spirit and conscience not to run for office again at the end of my mandate in 2012." The fake post then extended an invitation to have drinks at a cafe on the Champs-Élysées.
For what it's worth, Sarkozy hasn't officially announced that he'll seek re-election in 2012, but he made clear in a follow-up post that he definitely doesn't "subscribe to the rather hasty conclusions of the message" posted by the hacker. Sarkozy went on to speculate that the prankster may have hacked his account in order "to remind me that no system is infallible" -- and not, of course, to remind him that he totally sucks.
http://www.switched.com/2011/01/24/nicolas-sarkozy-facebook-account-hacked/Yesterday evening, a hacker seized control of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's... more
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Last night a hacker took over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook account and posted a fake status message announcing that he was abandoning plans to run for re-election. "Dear compatriots, given the exceptional circumstances our country is experiencing, I have decided in my spirit and conscience not to run for office again at the end of my mandate in 2012," said the spoof message.It linked to a separate page with an invitation to "leaving drinks" for Sarkozy - set for election day on May 6 next year at Le Fouquet's cafe on the Champs Elysees, where he celebrated winning the presidency in 2007.The fake announcement was posted on Sunday evening on the president's official page on the popular social networking site, and contained several spelling mistakes. It was soon taken down."My Facebook account was hacked into this evening, perhaps to remind me that no system is infallible," said a message on the page after it was reclaimed by the legitimate account holder.
Last night a hacker took over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook... more
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The U.S. and Washington hold grave fears about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and Arab leaders are privately urging an attack on Iran, according to reports based on classified U.S. embassy cables leaked to major media news organizations by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.
The first tranche of more than 250,000 classified cables also says American officials were also told to spy on the United Nations’ leadership and get biometric information on its secretary general Ban Ki-moon.
These revelations alone would be likely to reverberate around the world. But the secret dispatches, which were obtained by WikiLeaks also reveal Washington’s evaluation of many other highly sensitive international issues.
These include a shift in relations between China and North Korea, high-level concerns over Pakistan’s growing instability, and details of clandestine U.S. efforts to combat al-Qaida in Yemen.
The UK’s The Guardian also reports U.S. diplomats had been ordered by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to spy on allies, including the UN. Top secret cables revealed that Mrs Clinton even ordered diplomats to obtain DNA data – including iris scans and fingerprints – as well as credit card and frequent flier numbers.
All permanent members of the security council – including Russia, China, France and the UK – were targeted by the secret spying mission, as well as the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon.
Work schedules, email addresses, fax numbers, website identifiers and mobile numbers were also demanded by Washington. The US also wanted ‘biographic and biometric information on UN Security Council permanent representatives.’
The request could break international law and threatens to derail any trust between the U.S. and other powerful nations.
More: http://www.theblogismine.com/2010/11/29/wikileaks-saudi-arabia-asked-the-united-states-to-bomb-iran/The U.S. and Washington hold grave fears about the security of Pakistan’s... more
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The French parliament approved a law imposing the ban on wearing burqa in all public places. Not only schools or public offices but roads, public transportations and shops, too. Only in mid October the Constitutional Court will say if this law is correct or not. But now many other European countries are thinking to do the same.
http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/world/franciadivietoburqa150910.htmlThe French parliament approved a law imposing the ban on wearing burqa in all public... more
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Iran agrees to send uranium to Turkey, report says
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 17, 2010 2:04 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Iran has agreed to ship its low-enriched uranium to Turkey, state media said Monday.
Western nations had been asking Iran to send the low-level uranium out of the country to be enriched elsewhere, but the country had resisted until now.
On Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced he was heading to Iran to join nuclear talks in Tehran involving Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The meeting in Tehran sought to reach a breakthrough in the showdown over Iran's nuclear program, according to Erdogan.
The last-minute trip followed a "signal" from the talks, which are intended to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear energy program, Erdogan told reporters before departing. Erdogan indicated the signal involved Iran's agreement to swap its low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, CNN Turk reported.
Erdogan said he hoped an agreement in Tehran would stop the U.N. Security Council from its negotiations on tougher sanctions on Iran.
"The Security Council was contemplating a step in the direction of sanctions as of yesterday," Erdogan said. "As a part of our talks, this has been postponed. Now with this step we are going to take, I hope that we will have the opportunity to overcome these problems."
Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency made no mention of the nuclear issue in reporting earlier that Lula was sitting down with Ahmadinejad. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia both have said they back Lula's efforts to resolve the long-running, high-stakes stalemate.
"This could be the last chance before the U.N. Security Council makes the already known decisions," Medvedev said, referring to the U.N. decision on imposing sanctions against Iran.
Sarkozy said earlier that he had spoken with Lula by phone to assure him that Paris supports his efforts to resolve the impasse.
The United States and many other countries believe that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu left for Tehran to join the Iran-Brazil talks. Erdogan said Sunday the anticipated signal from Iran was received and he was changing his schedule to travel to Tehran, postponing a planned visit to Azerbaijan.
Erdogan's statement indicated an agreement in which Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium to be turned into fuel rods suitable for Turkey's nuclear power reactor that makes medical isotopes.
"After our high-level meeting in Tehran, I believe we will have the opportunity to start the process regarding the swap," Erdogan said. "We said that we will go to Tehran if the swap takes place in Turkey, and we received news that the text includes a reference to this. That's why we are going. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone."
Turkey and Brazil have been working on a joint offer based on the nuclear swap deal offered previously to Tehran. Both countries are temporary members of the U.N. Security Council and have been working toward a diplomatic solution that does not involve sanctions.
Lula is in Iran ahead of the Group of 15 developing nations meeting in Tehran. The group actually has 17 members -- Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
Lula also met separately with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on his trip, according to Iranian media reports. State-run Press TV reported Khameini emphasized to Lula the need for relations between independent states such as Brazil and Iran in order to reduce the influence of superpowers such as the United States.
"The only way to change the oppressive relations in the world today is through the formation of closer ties between independent states," Khameini said, according to Press TV. "Superpowers have defined vertical relations in the world which places a superpower at the top. These relations must be changed and their change is possible."
PHOTO CAPTION: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva review an honor guard in Tehran.Iran agrees to send uranium to Turkey, report says
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 17,... more
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Normally, if two countries with powerful nuclear arsenals were openly musing about attacking a third country over mere suspicions that it might want to join the nuclear club, we’d tend to sympathize with the non-nuclear underdog as the victim of bullying and possible aggression.
You might think that – unless you were told that the two nuclear-armed countries are Israel and the United States and the non-nuclear country is Iran. Then, different rules apply, especially it seems in leading American news outlets like the New York Times.
In what reads like a replay of the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Times and other major U.S. news media appear onboard for war, again happy to make the likely aggressors the “victims,” and to turn the prospect of a bloody conflict in a Muslim country into a parlor game.
Indeed, the New York Times on March 28 presented the idea of “imagining a strike on Iran” as “Washington’s grimmest but most urgent parlor game,” assessing how a military strike by Israel, “acting on its fears that Iran threatens its existence,” would play out.
That same day, the Times also led its front page with an alarmist story about Iranian atomic energy official Ali Akbar Salehi saying Iran might soon begin work on two new nuclear enrichment sites built into mountains to protect against bombings.
The article by reporters David E. Sanger and William J. Broad repeated a recurring falsehood in the Times, that it was President Barack Obama who “publicly revealed the evidence of a [previous] hidden site,” a hardened facility near Qum.
The actual chronology was that Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency about the non-operational Qum site on Sept. 21, four days before Obama joined with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in highlighting its existence.
At the time, the Obama administration spun Iran’s earlier disclosure of the Qum facility as having been prompted by Tehran’s awareness that the United States was onto the plant’s existence, but there was no independent evidence of that and the undisputed fact is that Iran disclosed the facility’s existence before Obama’s revelation.
Yet, the Times has now altered the chronology to put Obama’s announcement first, and thus cast Iran into a more sinister light.
Who’s the Victim?Normally, if two countries with powerful nuclear arsenals were openly musing about... more
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Despite how closely you followed the balloon boy, all those attacks in Pakistan and the boobs of Meghan McCain - there was plenty of news you missed this week. Here's seven of those stories:
The French twitter-sphere has been going nuts this week over the promotion of Nicolas Sarkozy's son, Jean Sarkozy to a top job, heading up the organization that oversees the Parisian business district La Defense. Jean is 23 and hasn't yet finished his college degree. Nonetheless, his papa the President says he's qualified. Critics on Twitter have accused the government of becoming a #bananarepublique. From the NYTimes: Sarkozy defends son's nomination for plum job
A story out of history - documents released this week show that Benito Mussolini, best remembered for allying Italy with the Nazis in World War II, was actually a spy for the British during World War I. Il Duce was a journalist and was paid 100 pounds a week to persuade his countrymen not to abandon the British in their fight against Germany. From the Guardian: Recruited by MI5: the name's Mussolini. Benito Mussolini
Did Italy pay off the Taliban? The Times in Britain alleges that while Italian troops were stationed in Afghanistan they were paying bribes to the local Taliban to keep the peace. Last year the Italians were replaced by the French, who knew nothing of the hush money and thought they'd gotten a quiet posting. Then came a deadly ambush that killed ten troops and shocked the French public. Berlusconi's government has denied the bribes allegation. From The Times: French troops were killed after Italy hushed up 'bribes' to the Taleban
No surprise - The Bush administration didn't want the EPA to talk about climate change. But this week, the agency quietly released an actual 2007 document in which they recommended that the government take action on greenhouse gases. From the LA Times: Bush-era EPA document on climate change released
China began sentencing Xinjiang protestors this week for their involvement in the July ethnic riots. A few of those convicted were Han Chinese, but mostly they were Uighurs, the ethnic minority dominant in the province. The convictions were condemned by Uighurs living in exile abroad. From the NYTimes: Six More Sentenced to Death Over Riots in China - NYTimes.com
Background: Laura Ling on the Uighurs in Xinjiang Province: China's Wild West (Video)
It might end up being a setback for the government's efforts to punish former leaders of energy company Enron - the Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from former CEO Jeff Skilling. His defense maintains that he didn't lie to shareholders and that he couldn't have had a fair trial in Houston (where people were understandably a little pissed at Enron). From the WSJ: Supreme Court to Hear Appeal of Enron's Skilling
The International Criminal Court announced this week that it would investigate recent military violence in Guinea. Meanwhile though, China signed a massive energy and mining deal with Guinea's military junta. As Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller reported in Chinatown, Africa (Video), China has been quietly making in-roads into Africa for years, not shying away from signing deals with dictators or military regimes. From the BBC: Guinea and China agree big deal
Background: Chinatown, Africa (Video)
Lastly, a suggestion from Twitter. User @aerogare wondered why a French nuclear plant had several kilograms has extra plutonium they weren't reporting. As the fight against nuclear proliferation tends to focus on former Soviet states, it's unnerving to see these sorts of problems in a developed country like France. From Deutsche Welle: French nuclear plant reveals plutonium level discrepancies
Was there a story out there this week we missed? Let us know.
This week on the Current News Blog:
- What does Karzai’s fraud mean for Afghanistan?
- Is Cuba ready for a revolution?
- Is the Large Hadron Collider being sabotaged from the future?
- Sarkozy to Gordon Brown: No Homo
- Health care reform: Is it over yet? (No, it’s not)
- Sri Lankan government to try to ride civil war victory to re-election
- California to release about 20K prisonersDespite how closely you followed the balloon boy, all those attacks in Pakistan and... more
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A great moment in international diplomacy, courtesy of the fine folks over at FP Passport who found this little gem in the Guardian:
Tom Fletcher, Mr Brown's private secretary, recalls Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, telling the prime minister at the height of the crisis: "You know, Gordon, I should not like you. You are Scottish, we have nothing in common and you are an economist. But somehow, Gordon, I love you." Mr Sarkozy hastily added: "But not in a sexual way."
Infomania's Bryan Safi is actually a renowned expert in the use of the phrase 'no homo' and would likely recommend it's use here.
That's Gay: No Homo(Video)
Related links:
- Check out more That's Gay from Bryan Safi
- Watch more Infomania
- Visit the Current Comedy blogA great moment in international diplomacy, courtesy of the fine folks over at FP... more
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Do we need more Nuclear project world wide to lessen the use of fossil fuels? or are the negatives of Nuclear to strong for it to be a solution for the energy crisis?
President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing to set up more financial backing for Nuclear development after a Paris conference " hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development."
Sarkozy hopes to set up institutes that will boost the international development of Nuclear power for energy. While also urging a number of world banks to help finance nuclear projects for developing countries.
""I have decided to shift up a gear by creating an International Institute of Nuclear Energy that will include an international nuclear school,"
The article points out some criticism into the plans, which accuse the French Governments move as being connected to French Nuclear contractors losing out on new deals.
"Analysts believe that the two-day conference is just a trade show for the French nuclear contractors, who lost a massive $20 billion deal to South Korea, after the United Arab Emirates asked the Asian country to supply four reactors with a lower offer. "Do we need more Nuclear project world wide to lessen the use of fossil fuels? or are... more
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