Nicolas Sarkozy

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Company Fined for Nude Bruni Handbags

Bag maker must pay $58K

(Newser) - A company has been fined more than $58,000 for using the naked image of France's first lady without her permission, the BBC reports. A court on Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, says canvas bags made by Pardon! violated Carla Bruni's rights to her own image. The...

Sarkozy Makes an Un-French Call for Diversity

President vows to end 'equality' policy that ignores race, ethnicity

(Newser) - France has a long tradition of official blindness to race, ethnicity, and religion; all citizens, in theory, are equally French. But in practice, French companies are reluctant to hire employees with non-French names or addresses in ethnic neighborhoods, and France's 555-member parliament has only 1 MP of color. In a...

Guards Thwart 'Assassin' at Sarkozy Home

Armed man tackled by security as he tries to enter palace grounds

(Newser) - French authorities foiled a suspected assassin trying to storm the presidential palace yesterday, the Daily Mail reports. The man, armed with a knife and an electric stun-gun type of weapon, tried to slip past guards at President Nicolas Sarkozy's residence. He was stopped at gunpoint after a violent struggle and...

Biggest Jerks of 2008
 Biggest Jerks
 of 2008 

Biggest Jerks of 2008

Nickelback, Sarko, and a TV character all incur the Guardian's wrath

(Newser) - As a tumultuous year winds down, the Guardian asks the question on everybody’s mind: who are 2008’s biggest douchebags? A selection:
  • Nicolas Sarkozy: “Good God, man, will you put her away just for a second?”
  • Sarah Palin's advisors: "What you need to do, Sarah, to communicate
...

French-German Relations Cool Ahead of EU Summit

France, Germany, UK clash over handling recession

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy began his six-month European Union presidency by quibbling with Germany, and he appears to be ending his term the same way, Bloomberg reports. Half a year after clashing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over a Mediterranean alliance, Sarkozy shrugged off the traditional France-Germany pre-summit chat and...

Sarkozy Is France's Bush
 Sarkozy Is France's Bush 
OPINION

Sarkozy Is France's Bush

Seeking to leave stamp on everything, Sarko polarizes and weakens French democracy

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy had what seemed like the vitality to jolt a languid France, writes Ullrich Fichtner in Der Spiegel; it turns out to be an invasive need to be the “Omni-President.” Sarko has inserted himself into every issue, from Alzheimer’s to Tibet, giving speeches, addressing the UN,...

China Warns of Sanctions for Sarkozy-Dalai Lama Meeting

Dalai Lama criticism of China's lack of 'moral authority' sparks Beijing fury

(Newser) - China is making noises about possible trade sanctions against France to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to meet tomorrow with the Dalai Lama in Poland, reports the Times of London. Such a meeting threatens the "long-term development of ties" with France, warned a Chinese official. China has already pulled...

Court Sticks It to Sarko Over Voodoo Dolls

Stab-able president a cult success in France

(Newser) - An appeals court in France essentially told the nation's president to lighten up today. The court rejected a bid by Nicolas Sarkozy to ban voodoo dolls made in his likeness, the International Herald Tribune reports. It ruled that the dolls can continue to be sold, only now they must have...

Aubry Will Lead French Socialist Party After Vote

Rival Royal refuses to accept outcome of contentious recount

(Newser) - Martine Aubry has edged out rival Ségolène Royal to become the leader of France’s Socialist Party, the BBC reports. A recount of last week’s vote, requested by Royal, actually widened Aubry’s winning margin. Royal, the party’s presidential candidate last year, said she would not...

Former French PM Accused In Sarko Scandal

De Villepin will stand trial on false money- laundering accusation

(Newser) - Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin will face trial for his role in an alleged smear campaign against Nicolas Sarkozy, who outmaneuvered him for the presidency. The "Clearstream Affair" scandal dates to 2004, when an anonymous source sent a judge a list of politicians, including Sarkozy, said...

Emerging Economies Gain Clout in G-20

(Newser) - The plans outlined by global leaders at the meeting to deal with the financial crisis reflect a shifting balance of power, with emerging economies such as Brazil, India, and China gaining influence, the Washington Post reports. And the Europeans largely got what they wanted from the summit, French President Nicolas...

France's Finance Chief to Play Key Summit Role

French finance minister takes center stage at G20 summit

(Newser) - This weekend's emergency G20 summit will bring together world leaders with very different ideas of how to fix the global economy. But while heads of state and government talk in front of the cameras, one woman will be key in building a consensus: Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister....

Putin Wanted to Hang Georgian President 'by the Balls'

Sarkozy's team leaks transcript pre-summit

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin would’ve had the Russian army destroy the Georgian government and hang President Mikhail Saakashvili “by the balls” if Nicolas Sarkozy hadn’t intervened, the Times of London reports. In a transcript of August’s cease-fire negotiations leaked by the French president’s office, Putin says he...

In Paris, President Envy: 'There Is No French Obama'

Country's egalitarian tradition takes a hit

(Newser) - Sacre bleu! With Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential race, the French, who’ve long prided themselves on a tradition of egalitarianism, are being forced to take a closer look at themselves—and they’re not happy with what they see, the Wall Street Journal reports. “This...

Canadian DJ Chalks Palin Prank Up to Perseverance

'A lot of journalists would love to have a word' with press-shy candidate

(Newser) - The French-Canadian radio host who fooled Sarah Palin into thinking he was French president Nicolas Sarkozy chalks up his coup to simple hard work. “Call it luck, call it perseverance, call it what you want,” Marc-Antoine Audette tells ABC about Saturday’s 7-minute interview. He says his staff...

Hackers Get Bank Accounts of Sarko's Dad, Ex-Wife

Investigators now believe thieves may have been politically motivated

(Newser) - The same hackers who stole small amounts of money from Nicolas Sarkozy’s bank account appear to have gotten into the accounts of his father and first wife as well, the Times of London reports. They didn't steal money but rather set up phony cell-phone accounts. Police initially thought the...

Sarko Loses Bid to Block Voodoo Doll

French court rules presidential pincushion falls within the limits of humor

(Newser) - A French judge apparently finds Nicolas Sarkozy voodoo dolls funnier than the president does. The court threw out Sarkozy's Iawsuit against the maker of the dolls, the BBC reports, deciding it hadn't breached limits of "free expression and the right to humor." Sales of the presidential pincushion, which...

Asia, Europe Want Financial Reform Now

Beijing steps up as leaders craft plans to manage economies

(Newser) - Asian and European world leaders joined forces today to call for stricter regulation of world financial markets and a shakeup of the monetary system, the Washington Post reports. The declarations marked the close of a 2-day summit in Beijing attended by more than 40 heads of state. Bailouts in the...

EU Honors Chinese Dissident, Enraging Beijing

Hu Jia is serving a prison sentence for 'subversion'

(Newser) - A move by the European Parliament to award a major human-rights prize to a Chinese dissident has Beijing outraged on the eve of a summit on the economic crisis, the Telegraph reports. The government denounced as “gross interference in China's domestic affairs” news that the jailed Hu Jia had...

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse
 Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse 

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse

French prez vows to sue if makers don't take doll off the shelves

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is demanding that a voodoo doll in his image be withdrawn from bookstores, the Daily Telegraph reports. The fuming Sarko has threatened a lawsuit if the French distributor does not comply. Some 20,000 of the dolls, which comes with pins and a voodoo guide, have...

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