Two a penny

.Arsene Wenger has become the longest-serving manager in Arsenal’s history but neither that milestone nor the fact that he turns 60 next month have triggered any thoughts of retirement.
Wenger, whose arrival at Highbury in the autumn of 1996 was famously greeted with an “Arsene Who?” headline, eclipsed the reign of George Allison in the 1930s and 1940s by spending 4,749 days at the helm.
The Frenchman can look back with pride on 13 years which have transformed the ‘boring, boring Arsenal’ of old into a club synonymous with his own unique brand of pass-and-move football. .
Along the way, Wenger has delivered three Premier League titles, including the unbeaten campaign of his 2003/2004 Invincibles, four FA Cups and a place in the 2006 Champions League final.
But he readily admits that setbacks such as the defeat by Barcelona in Paris three years ago and lasts season’s Champions League semi-final loss to Manchester United still rankle and provide him with all the motivation he needs to carry on.
The Frenchman takes pride in those achievements, as he does in the fostering of young talents such as Cesc Fabregas and in the astute transfer market judgement that have helped put the club on such a sound financial footing.
“Losing the semi-final of the Champions League to Manchester United last year was the lowest point, because we did not play at our level,” he recalled.
“I have never had a day when I think I could live without football,” he said.
Asked if thoughts of retirement had entered his head, Wenger responded with a dismissive snort.
“You will know if you are not hungry enough any more, but other people will tell you if you are not good enough any more.
“I know one day it will happen, but you should not live every day knowing you are going to die – you live knowing that you want to live.
But none of them will dispute that he has earned the right to have a bronze statue of himself standing outside the Emirates, alongside one of Herbert Chapman, one of his legendary predecessors.”
Wenger is not without his critics among Arsenal fans, many of whom see his apparent reluctance to spend more freely as the reason why the club have not claimed any significant silverware since the 2005 FA Cup.
For Wenger himself, the achievement that gives the most satisfaction is the 2003/04 season, when Arsenal went through the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten.
For Wenger himself, the achievement that gives the most satisfaction is the 2003/04 season, when Arsenal went through the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten.
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&raquo Special Report on France&#039s trial of the decade
&raquo Who&#039s who in the trial
&raquo How a finance trial turned into a major political scandal
&raquo A glossary of terms in the Clearstream saga
&raquo From Ben Barka to Elf, justice turns a blind eye to political elites
A key defendant in the Clearstream affair trial, Imad Lahoud, will take the stand in the Paris criminal court this Tuesday after he was granted a one-day leave to attend the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. .

In last week hearing, the two defendants traded accusations about the list falsification.

Although the list appears to have transited on Lahoud computer, it remains unclear whether he forged it on his own initiative or at the request of Gergorin. Lahoud said he was only acting on behalf of his former employer, while Jean-Louis Gergorin claimed he was misled by the computer expert.

Dubbed France trial of the decade, the Clearstream affair has been cast as a showdown between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Dominique de Villepin, a former prime minister, who stands accused of plotting to discredit Sarkozy in the build-up to the 2007 presidential election.

After examining the origins of the list, the criminal court is set to hear the libellous accusation case.

On Monday, de Villepin fired the latest volley in an increasingly acrimonious dispute by filing a lawsuit against the French president for allegedly violating his right to the presumption of innocence.

Clearstream trial – Nicolas Sarkozy

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mso-para-margin-bottom:. Having just come back from the United States, where he attended the UN General Assembly and the G20 gathering in Pittsburgh, President Nicolas Sarkozy returns to a subject he would rather avoid: social reform.0pt
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There will be no talks on climate change or nuclear Iran on the French president menu in Avignon on Tuesday.

In the old papal city, Nicolas Sarkozy will unveil a series of measures aimed at 16 to 25 year-olds, a segment of the population that has been particularly affected by the economic crisis.

The left-leaning National Union of Students (UNEF) says the situation is alarming: over the last year, unemployment among young people [ed: already almost three times that of the 25 - 49 year-old age group] has increased by 28%. These include steps to help with housing, training and employment.

At a recent press conference in 2001, the UNEF also denounced a continued increase in student expenses since 2001. For France’s largest student union, the young have been largely forgotten in the government anti-crisis measures.

Take them by the hand

Nicolas Sarkozy is widely expected to build on a Green Paper drawn up by Martin Hirsch, France secretary for youth. . The booklet, published in July, includes 57 proposals resulting from four months of intense committee discussions. The booklet, published in July, includes 57 proposals resulting from four months of intense committee discussions.

But he faces a tough task, as UNEF warned in a statement: Students are not stupid: the time for rhetoric and communication is over. In the second rounf of the 2007 presidential election, his Socialist rival S&eacutegol&egravene Royal had scooped 63% of votes among the under 25 year-olds.

Aurore Berg&eacute, a spokesperson for the UMP’s youth movement, remains optimistic: Maybe decisions in favour of students have been diluted, giving an impression that Nicolas Sarkozy was not interested in the young, she acknowledged. If the government does not have another perspective to offer the young apart from lack of qualifications, job insecurity and unemployment, it lays the foundations for a long-term rupture with the country’s youth. We are today the biggest youth movement in France, proving that the president image in France is changing. But the preconceived notion that young people are more inclined to the left, because we tend to see more of the minority unions on television, is being undermined.

Economic crisis – France – Nicolas Sarkozy – reforms – UMP – unemployment – Youth

.France centre Mathieu Bastareaud received a three-month suspension, commuted to community service, for having lied about an assault on himself while on tour in New Zealand.
The French Rugby Federation’s (FFR) disciplinary committee ruled that Bastareaud’s actions had harmed the wider interests of the sport.
The federation said the Stade Francais back would have to complete 18 activities related to amateur rugby before June 30, 2010, or face having the suspension enforced.
Federation chairman Pierre Camou referred the affair to the committee after Prime Minister Francois Fillon ended up apologising to New Zealand for the player’s claims.
Bastareaud, 21, admitted making up a story about being attacked in the street in Wellington following France’s 14-10 defeat by the All Blacks on June 20.
Wellington police found video evidence that the player had entered the team hotel on the Sunday morning uninjured and had gone to his room 25 minutes later. .
Bastareaud finally admitted he had not been assaulted but received a cut and bruised face after a drunken fall in his room.
France coach Marc Lievremont said Bastareaud would certainly not be part of the France team that plays three Test matches this November but that he would not be out of the equation in future.
He said he had invented the assault story to avoid being sent home by the French team management and upsetting his family. “With this sanction, he again becomes a player like any other, even if it seems complicated to pick him for the November Tests, as I have told him.
“He is available for selection,” Lievremont said.
“There’s a lot to say about Mathieu’s case, on the story and also how the media dealt with it.
“But I never envisaged that we’d be without him for the 2011 Rugby World Cup (in New Zealand).
“We always gave the truth as it was given to us by Mathieu,” he said, insisting that he did not consider the affair a ‘diplomatic’ incident.
“We always gave the truth as it was given to us by Mathieu,” he said, insisting that he did not consider the affair a ‘diplomatic’ incident.”
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&raquo Special Report on France&#039s trial of the decade
&raquo Who&#039s who in the trial
&raquo How a finance trial turned into a major political scandal
&raquo A glossary of terms in the Clearstream saga
&raquo From Ben Barka to Elf, justice turns a blind eye to political elites
AFP – Former prime minister Dominique de Villepin filed suit Monday against Nicolas Sarkozy after the French president called him and other defendants in a smear trial guilty, a judicial official said. .

Under French law, the head of state enjoys immunity from legal action and the suit would in theory only be heard once Sarkozy is out of office.

Clearstream trial – Dominique de Villepin – France – Nicolas Sarkozy
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Villepin’s lawyers had on Thursday branded Sarkozy’s remarks as scandalous and immediately announced plans to launch legal action against the president

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AFP – A French court trying former prime minister Dominique de Villepin heard a defendant admit Wednesday that he added President Nicolas Sarkozy’s name to a fake list of people taking bribes.

Imad Lahoud, a computer expert who is also facing charges in the smear scandal, told the Paris criminal court that he added the names Stephane Bosca and Paul de Nagy — Sarkozy’s Hungarian patronymic names — to the bogus list.

I did it and today I bitterly regret this and ask for forgiveness, said Lahoud, who took the stand on the third day of the trial.

&raquo Special Report on France&#039s trial of the decade
&raquo Who&#039s who in the trial
&raquo How a finance trial turned into a major political scandal
&raquo A glossary of terms in the Clearstream saga

Villepin and Sarkozy were at the time locked in a fierce battle for the nomination of their right-wing party to succeed president Jacques Chirac.

Villepin, Lahoud and three others are on trial for allegedly taking part in a plot to slander Sarkozy in 2004 and derail his bid for the presidency.

But Gergorin took the stand and accused Lahoud of lying.

Lahoud said he added Sarkozy’s name at the request of Jean-Louis Gergorin, a former vice president at aerospace giant EADS and close Villepin associate who is also on trial.

Everything that Lahoud is saying is false, everything is fabricated, he said. .

The case centres on the list — later found to have been fabricated — of account holders at the Clearstream financial clearing house in Luxembourg who allegedly took bribes from the sale of French warships to Taiwan.

But the month-long hearings could also cast light on the murky dealings of French intelligence and at top aerospace company EADS.

The Clearstream trial has become a new clash between Villepin and Sarkozy, whose mutual hatred is legendary in French political circles.

Villepin faces up to five years in jail and a 45,000-euro (66,000-dollar) fine if convicted.

The 55-year-old Villepin denies any wrongdoing and launched a verbal attack against Sarkozy on the opening day of the trial, accusing him of subverting French justice.

The trial is scheduled to run until October 23 and judges are expected to take several months to reach a verdict.

The trial is scheduled to run until October 23 and judges are expected to take several months to reach a verdict