Two a penny

.The French government has dropped its public support for Roman Polanski, saying the Oscar-winning director held in Switzerland over a three-decade-old child sex case is not “above the law.”
“Roman Polanski is neither above nor beneath the law,” government spokesperson Luc Chatel said.
“We have a judicial procedure under way for a serious affair – the rape of a minor – on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job,” he said, adding: “One can understand the emotion that this belated arrest, more than 30 years after the incident, and the method of the arrest have caused.
He was arrested at the weekend as he arrived in Zurich to collect a film festival award. .
Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand called the arrest of the Franco-Polish filmmaker, who lives in Paris, “absolutely horrifying” and said it showed “a side of America which is frightening.
The French government had earlier this week expressed outrage over the arrest, with Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner calling on US authorities to allow Polanski to be freed.”
Mr Chatel, asked by reporters to comment on the Culture Minister’s reaction, said: “Frederic Mitterrand was speaking from the heart.
Polanski can launch several appeals, so a final extradition decision could take weeks or months.”
Switzerland says Polanski is being held under an international alert issued by the United States in 2005.
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.Former world surfing champion Mick Fanning won the Quiksilver Pro France to almost claim the lead in this year’s WCT race.
With three events to go Fanning, the 2007 champion, is just 146 points behind his mate Joel Parkinson who bowed out in the third round in France.
Fanning won the final 16.87 against fellow Aussie Bede Durbidge who climbed to fourth in the standings.66 points to 12.
With a win worth 1,200 points, Parkinson leads on 5896 points, Fanning has 5750,
Hobgood 4872, Durbidge 4792, Slater 4638, Brazil’s Adriano de Souza 4573 and Australian Taj Burrow 4417.
Nine times world champion Kelly Slater was beaten in the quarter-finals and sits fifth in the standings while fellow American CJ Hobgood is third. The next stop is Mundaka in Spain where the waiting period begins October 5.
– AAP

.The French parliament has approved a piracy bill that has drawn attention from around the world with its provision to cut illegal downloaders off from the internet.
The bill, which was opposed by consumer groups but had the backing of the music and film industry, is one of the toughest ever drafted in the global fight against the illegal downloading of films, music and computer games.
“The penalties will probably be quite rare, for I believe in the effectiveness of this deterrent,” said culture minister Frederic Mitterrand.
The bill was approved by 258 votes to 131.
Championed by Mr Sarkozy and singer-turned-first lady Carla Bruni, the original anti-piracy law was adopted in May after a stormy parliament battle, but was blocked in June by France’s top legal authority.
An official of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP party, Franck Riester, said the first warnings to users falling foul of the new law would be sent at the beginning of next year.
Opponents said it failed to give alleged pirates enough recourse to challenge accusations and argued that web innovations would make it possible for illegal downloaders to avoid detection.
The Constitutional Council objected to a key provision which gave a new state agency the power to shut down web access for up to a year for those who download music and films illegally.
On the third strike, a judge would hand down an internet ban or, as was possible under existing but rarely applied legislation, impose a fine of up to 300,000 euros ($507,000) or a two-year jail sentence.
The new bill shifts the final decision on cutting off web users away from the state agency to the courts.
In Sweden, a similar law, which was closely monitored by France, has led to a sharp drop in illegal downloading although critics predict the effects will be short-lived and argue it is an excessive breach of personal privacy.
Account holders found guilty of “negligence” for allowing a third party to pirate music or films using their web connection would risk a 1,500-euro fine and a month-long suspension.

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French postal unions called on Monday for indefinite strike action at Paris post offices ahead of a nationwide protest against proposed reforms to the country’s state-owned postal service.

The strike action, affecting 185 branches of La Poste in Paris, is a reaction to cost-saving measures that have involved shedding 140 jobs in the last six months.

Why change its status if the aim is not to prepare for a change in its ownership structure? Olivier Besancenot, a postal worker and spokesman of the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA), told France Inter radio.

Bythem Postal reform in France, Face off aired on 22 September 2009
Unions are fearful that a government plan to change La Poste into a public-limited company may eventually lead to the company’s privatisation. There’s no question of a privatisation, the service will remain 100 percent public, no private funds will enter its capital, he told France Info radio.

French Labour Minister Xavier Darcos denied that any such plans were afoot. .

I perfectly understand the concern of La Poste employees, he added.

La Poste says it needs the government cash injection of 2.

The French government approved the proposals earlier this year, saying the change in status was necessary to prepare for the sector’s liberalisation in 2011 under EU rules. The government plans to inject the funds directly and via state-owned bank Caisse des Depots (CDC).7 billion euros to be in a competitive postion. In the first six months of 2009, profits fell 19% while revenues slipped 2%.

The French postal service is taking steps to streamline its operations and stem the decline in its profits.

France – strike

.
The International Criminal Court for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has convicted French national Florence Hartmann, and a previous employee of the ICTY, for being in contempt of the Tribunal by disclosing confidential information in knowing violation of a court order.

Hartmann, who previously worked for Le Monde as a journalist, will not receive a jail term, but must pay a fine of 7,000 euros to her long-term employer.

The confidential information Hartmann disclosed was in a 2007 book she wrote about the working of the ICTY called Peace and Punishment: The Secret Wars of Politics and International Justice and several articles she wrote, notably for Paris Match magazine..

In passing judgement, presiding Judge Bakone Justice Moloto said, The chamber finds the accused guilty of [.] knowingly and wilfully interfering with the tribunal’s administration of justice&hellip.. This&hellip impacts upon the tribunal ability to exercise its jurisdiction to prosecute and punish serious violations of humanitarian law as prescribed by its mandate. He was uncertain about their next step, saying, It very likely that we will appeal, but we have not made a final decision yet.

Appeal

them spoke to Hartmann’s lawyer, Guenael Mettraux, shortly after the conviction.

When discussing the verdict, Mettraux was bullish but somewhat resigned. We have 15 days to decide according to court procedure. We were hoping and expecting an acquittal, but I have to say, we are not completely surprised. He said, We are disappointed.

Mettraux reported that Hartman herself has suffered a lot of disappointment, but she is strongly of the view that our case has merit [&hellip] and that it is for the betterment of journalists.

Mettraux reported that Hartman herself has suffered a lot of disappointment, but she is strongly of the view that our case has merit [&hellip] and that it is for the betterment of journalists.

Previous prosecutions

them also spoke to a spokesperson for the ICTY, Nerma Jeliacic, who said, This case is attracting the international media&hellip but there has been a precedent of other journalists and even lawyers being convicted for similar transgressions. The ICTY acknowledged that some information included in her work was in the public domain but said that a decision remains confidential until a Chamber explicitly decides otherwise.

However, human rights organisations, journalist groups and advocacy groups have been up in arms, arguing that Hartmann indeed did stay within the public domain. This key issue of precedent is quite clearly the crucial point for the ICTY and why it feels justified in its ruling.

The trial could not come at a worse time for the Hague or for the ICTY itself, as they attempt to assert their relevance and increase their clout.

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media advocacy group, went so far as to say before the verdict that, The right to free expression about cases handled by international courts depends on the ICTY verdict. . It could be argued that cases such as this just serve as a distraction to the true nature of the bodies&rsquo work.

ICTY – international justice

.A French couple went on trial facing a possible life sentence for allegedly murdering two children with a dish of poisoned cannelloni in their Marseilles apartment.
Marie-Helene Martinez and her husband Jean-Paul Steijns allegedly decided in 2005 to poison eight-year-old Melissa and seven-year-old Jason, believing they would be better able to pull themselves out of debt without them.
As Martinez arrived at court in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence, a brief scuffle broke out with members of her first husband’s family and police were forced to intervene.
The couple also risked losing custody of the youngsters to Martinez’s first husband, who is the children’s biological father.
He alleges his wife persuaded him to carry out the crime when the couple risked losing their apartment after several months of defaulting on rent.
Martinez denies any wrongdoing, but Steijns has admitted to the murders.
They died that night and the bodies, hidden in a car boot, were discovered a month later when Steijns confessed to police.
On the night of September 18, 2005, Melissa and Jason complained that the meat-stuffed cannelloni served by their parents tasted bitter and they went to bed that night without finishing their plates, Le Parisien newspaper reported. A verdict is expected probably on Friday.
The couple are accused of premeditated murder by administrating lethal substances and face a life sentence if convicted.
Investigators have been unable to establish the circumstances of the death, given the advanced stage of the body’s decomposition.
Police also found the decomposed body of a newborn baby lying on the balcony of their Marseilles apartment but the couple is not on trial in that case.
But lawyers for Martinez say Steijns was behind the plot to kill the children and that he had a reputation as a con artist. .
-

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Presidential holidays have often turned into poisoned gifts for world leaders whose summer activities are scrutinised by press and pundits. Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is the latest to attract media attention for his costly holidays in the fashionable French sea resort of La Baule. And that not including restaurants, shopping sprees and luxury spas. .

Biya holidays has attracted much media attention because France announced in July it would grant Cameroon 537 million euros over five years to battle debt and poverty.

Staff at five-star hotel L&rsquoHermitage confirmed that the Cameroonian leader was staying at the hotel for three weeks but refused to comment on the number of rooms he had booked.

According to French website Rue89 , the added costs of summer holidays for US President Barack Obama, former US president George W. According to the CIA factbook , almost half of the Cameroonian population lives below the poverty line.

The Obama family relaxed for a week on the US island Martha Vineyard, renting a house for an estimated 24,000 to 35,000 euros at their own expense. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all been dwarfed by Biya expenses during his visit to La Baule.

We are receiving a friend, said the mayor, who refrained from commenting on Cameroonian politics and the country poor human rights record . The question begs to be answered, who will foot the bill for Biya slinky French vacations?

Honoured in La Baule

While the press have been picking at Biya expenses, La Baule’s mayor Yves Metaireau chose to honour the African leader and grant him the town medal of honour during a ceremony at the town hall on Friday. We are very attached to this town and we are sure to come back, said Biya in an interview with French daily Ouest France.

This is the third time we have visited La Baule.

Paris-based NGO CCFD , whose enquiries into properties owned by African leaders led to a legal probe in May, has accused Biya of using public funds to buy a villa in France and to fund an esoteric organisation, known as l&rsquoOsti.

Meanwhile, French anti-corruption NGOs regularly accuse Biya of embezzlement and organisation Transparency International rates the country as one of the world most corrupt states.

aid – Cameroon – development – Mediterranean Union – Paul Biya – scandal

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President Nicolas Sarkozy has set as a top priority the release of Clotilde Reiss, a young French lecturer on trial in Iran on charges related to post-election protests, his office said on Monday.

An Iranian court has charged Reiss, 24, along with dozens of other detainees, with spying and helping a Western plot to overthrow the government.

The president of the republic is following Clotilde Reiss case very carefully, an official in Sarkozy office said. That is the main priority in this case, he added.

He is increasing his contacts with people who have the influence to bring this affair to a rapid conclusion and secure her release.

Meanwhile, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner confirmed on Monday that the French embassy in Tehran had been ready to shelter Iranian protesters fleeing the police during the post-election unrest.

France has denied that Reiss was a spy.

If protestors being chased had sought refuge in the French embassy the instruction was to open the door. This is in our democratic tradition, said Kouchner in an interview with the French daily newspaper Le Parisien. This is a European order.

According to Iran official IRNA news agency, Afshar confessed that French embassy employees had been instructed to give refuge to protesters in case of a clash with police in front of the mission compound, fuelling Tehran suspicion that foreign powers were behind the post-election unrest.

The admission came after a dual nationality employee from the embassy cultural section, Nazak Afshar, was accused of acting against Iran national security at a revolutionary court in Tehran on Saturday.

French lecturer Clotilde Reiss was arrested on July 1 as she was about to catch a flight to Beirut.

Foreigners charged with spying

Iran has put around 110 people in the dock, including prominent Iranian reformists and two employees of foreign embassies, as well as one French national. She was later charged with spying and inciting riots after admitting that she took part in the protests at Isfahan, emailed photos to friends, and sent a report to the French embassy. She was later charged with spying and inciting riots after admitting that she took part in the protests at Isfahan, emailed photos to friends, and sent a report to the French embassy. She didn&rsquot instigate protests (&hellip) she merely walked along with hundreds of thousands of Iranians, and that not an offence, said Kouchner.

Saying a 23 year-old French woman incited millions of people to demonstrate is not serious.

Some senior officials told me that .

Rape allegations in Tehran jail

On the Iranian side, allegations of sexual abuse of detainees emerged after defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi asked for an investigation by Iran powerful Council of Expediency…. really shameful issues . Some young male detainees were raped …. also some young female detainees were raped in a way that has caused serious injuries said Karoubi in a letter he wrote to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and current head of the Expediency Council.

About 2,000 people were arrested in the wake of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad contested re-election on June 12. Iranian authorities have said that now only about 200 protesters remain in custody after being transferred to Tehran notorious Evin prison.

Iranian authorities acknowledged on Thursday that serious violations took place in the Kahrizak detention centre in southern Tehran – where the death of three protesters was earlier reported by moderate websites.

The dead included Mohsen Ruholamini who is the son of top advisor to former Revolutionary Guard commander and defeated presidential candidate, Mohsen Rezaie.

The head of the centre has been sacked and jailed. Three policemen who beat detainees have been jailed as well, reported IRNA, quoting Iran’s police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam.

Iran’s top judge, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, ordered his envoys to visit all prisons and detention centres to check on conditions.
Rape is punishable by death in Iran.

Bernard Kouchner – Clotilde Reiss trial – Iranian elections – Nicolas Sarkozy – protests

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Val-de-Grace military hospital on Monday morning where he was hospitalised overnight after suffering a mild nerve attack on Sunday while jogging at his weekend retreat at La Lanterne.

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them health correspondent Eve Irvine said Sarkozy walked out of the hospital around 11 am Paris time (GMT+2) to meet his car at the entrance gate, but was not expected to return to work immediately.MsoNormalTable
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font-size:10. After Wednesday’s final cabinet meeting before the summer holidays, Sarkozy will have three weeks to fully recuperate on the French Riviera, Irvine added.

His appointments for today have been cancelled, and also for tomorrow, Irvine said from outside the Val-de-Grace hospital after Sarkozy’s motorcade left the scene.

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Sarkozy was seen immediately by a doctor and underwent medical tests, a statement from the Elys&eacutee Palace said.

Shortly afterwards, First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy rushed to the scene on a motor scooter, the witness said. Close presidential aides say the attack was related to his vagus nerve, which helps the body regulate its heart rate, and doctors consider it minor.

The 54-year-old French leader was admitted to the Val de Grace military hospital in southern Paris. .

‘Speedy Sarkozy’

Sarkozy won the 2007 presidential election on a promise to kick-start the county sluggish economy. He never takes time for a break, and doesn&rsquot make things easy for himself, Algalarrondo added.

He is not just president he is also prime minister, de-facto leader of the ruling UMP party and, depending on the issue, finance minister, education minister, et cetera, said Herve Algalarrondo, deputy editor-in-chief of French news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur, in an interview with them. But the hectic schedule he keeps up is inevitably going to take a toll on the president, Crossan said, citing the head of state’s nickname, Speedy Sarkozy.

A fitness enthusiast, Sarkozy is, on the face of it at least, the healthiest president France has ever had, French politics analyst David Crossan told them. During his campaign, Sarkozy had promised to publish regular and transparent health bulletins, in contrast with former socialist president Fran&ccedilois Mitterrand, who hid his battle with prostate cancer from the public.

Just over three weeks ago, the Elys&eacutee released the results of Sarkozy’s latest annual health check-up, describing the results of recent blood and heart tests as normal.

According to Crossan, People will begin to ask if it time for Speedy Sarkozy to slow down.

Critics were therefore angered when it was revealed in January 2008 that Sarkozy was briefly hospitalised in 2007 for minor throat surgery without publicizing the fact.

French politics – health – Nicolas Sarkozy

.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was hospitalised after suffering a mild nerve attack while jogging at his weekend retreat La Lanterne, near the Palace of Versailles.

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According to his chief of staff, the French head of state is is doing well and talking normally with medical staff.0pt”Times New Roman”}

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A witness, speaking on condition of anonymity, told she had seen a jogger surrounded by bodyguards suddenly stumble and collapse in the wooded grounds of La Lanterne.

After collapsing, Sarkozy was seen immediately by a doctor and underwent medical tests, a statement from the Elys&eacutee Palace said.

Shortly afterwards, French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy rushed to the scene on a motor scooter, the witness said. Close presidential aides say the attack was related to his vagus nerve, which helps the body regulate its heart rate, and doctors consider it minor.

The 54-year-old French leader was admitted to the Val de Grace military hospital in southern Paris. .

Speedy Sarkozy

Sarkozy won the 2007 presidential election on a promise to kick-start the county sluggish economy.

He is not just president he is also Prime Minister, de-facto leader of the ruling UMP party and, depending on the issue, Finance minister, Education minister, etc.

He is not just president he is also Prime Minister, de-facto leader of the ruling UMP party and, depending on the issue, Finance minister, Education minister, etc. But the hectic schedule he keeps up is inevitably going to take a toll, he added, citing the president nickname, Speedy Sarkozy.

A fitness enthusiast, Sarkozy is, on the face of it at least, the healthiest president France has ever had, French politics specialist David Crossan told them. During his campaign, Sarkozy had promised to publish regular and transparent health bulletins, in contrast with former socialist president Fran&ccedilois Mitterrand who had hidden his prostate cancer condition from the public.

Just over three weeks ago, the Elysee released the results of Sarkozy’s latest annual health check-up, describing the results of recent blood and heart tests as normal.

According to David Crossan, People will begin to ask if it time for Speedy Sarkozy to slow down.

Critics were therefore angered when it was revealed in January 2008 that Sarkozy was briefly hospitalised in 2007 for minor throat surgery without publicizing the fact.

French politics – Nicolas Sarkozy