Two a penny

.The United Nations nuclear watchdog is reporting positive steps at the start of new talks about Iran’s nuclear program. .
The negotiations between Iran, Russia, France and the US build on progress already made at a meeting early this month to end the stand-off over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Western powers fear Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb, although Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Iran had tentatively agreed to ship enriched uranium to France or Russia for processing as a way of increasing international scrutiny of its enrichment activities, although state television is now reporting that Iran will not deal directly with France because it had failed to deliver nuclear materials in the past.

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The meeting will continue today

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AFP – French agents have arrested an engineer working at the CERN nuclear research lab on suspicion of being in contact with the Al-Qaeda militant network and planning attacks, officials said Friday.

Perhaps we have avoided the worst, Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux told journalists, adding that investigators were trying to establish which targets in France or elsewhere the suspect was hoping to strike. .

Security sources in Paris said the suspected Islamist, one of a pair of brothers detained on Thursday, worked at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research on the Franco-Swiss border just outside Geneva.

He had expressed a desire to carry out attacks, but had not got to the stage of carrying out material acts of preparation, one said.

According to officials, the engineer had made contact over the Internet with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s loosely organised global Islamist militant movement.

He was not a CERN employee and performed his research under a contract with an outside institute.

CERN confirmed a physicist working at the site had been arrested under suspicion of links to terrorist organisations, and said it was helping the French police with their investigation.

According to a report on the newspaper Le Figaro’s website, the suspects are a 32-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin who has been the subject of a police inquiry for a year-and-a-half and his 25-year-old brother. His work did not bring him into contact with anything that could be used for terrorism, it added in a statement.

Judicial sources told that investigators had come upon the pair while monitoring the Internet as part of a separate inquiry into the recruitment of would-be jihadists to send to Afghanistan as guerrillas.

The report, citing sources close to the inquiry, said the elder brother had had several Internet exchanges with figures considered close to Al-Qaeda and had provided a list of suggested French targets for attack. Two laptops, three hard drives and several USD memory sticks were seized from their home, they said.

Intelligence agents recorded several incriminating exchanges between the brothers and suspected Al-Qaeda contacts. We follow statements made by the leaders of certain organisations day by day.

We are in a situation of permanent alert. The danger is permanent, Hortefeux said. We never let our guard down.

Intelligence officials consider it one of the most serious threats to France, which has a large North African diaspora population.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was born in 2007 when a largely-Algerian militant group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, swore allegiance to Bin Laden and rebranded itself as his organisation’s local franchise. It operates particle accelerators to study the behaviour of atoms at high speed and learn about the basic laws of nature.

CERN is Europe’s leading laboratory for the study of the fundamentals of sub-atomic physics.

The lab said the suspect had been working on the LHCb experiment which its website says will help us to understand why we live in a universe that appears to be composed almost entirely of matter, but no antimatter.

It is a civilian organisation, backed by 20 member states, and is not connected to nuclear weapons technology.

al Qaeda – France – terrorism

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REUTERS – French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s 23 year-old son is in line to head the development agency for La Defense business district in Paris, the agency’s outgoing boss said on Thursday, sparking opposition charges of nepotism.

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Jean Sarkozy is a candidate, he will be named director, representative of the board, and he can therefore become president, Devedjian, a government minister and a close associate of President Sarkozy told radio Europe 1.

He is now also be posed to take over as president of EPAD, the public agency in charge of developing La Defense, from Patrick Devedjian, who is leaving his post as he has reached the 65-year age ceiling for the job.

La Defense, a skyscraper-filled zone of banks and corporate headquarters just outside central Paris, is one of the main business areas of the French capital and the government hopes to develop it into a rival for the City of London financial district.

In souls nobly born valour does not depend upon age, Devedjian added, quoting the 17th century play, El Cid. .

Socialist parliamentarian Michele Delaunay decried the young Sarkozy’s candidature as a form of nepotism and provocation and pointed out that he had not even finished his degree.

French magazine Le Point reported on its website on Wednesday that Jean Sarkozy was likely to secure the board’s support on Thursday, paving the way for election to the board on December 4.

Jean Sarkozy – Nicolas Sarkozy – Paris

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The father of Lower Hutt schoolgirl Karla Cardno, who was brutally raped, tortured and murdered 20 years ago, is due to go on trial today on sex crimes against an underage girl.

Gary John Duffin and his wife Sharyn Lee Hills face five sex offence charges including sexual violation, and rape, as well as 10 counts of supplying a Class C drug to a minor.The offences are alleged to have happened between May 3 and December 31, 1991.Two of the sex charges allege indecent assault on a girl aged between 12 and 16.The pair appealed to have their names suppressed as a result of the risk their case would attract strong media attention due to Duffin being Karla Cardno’s natural father.Their trial is due to begin at the High Court in Wellington earlier today.However, Court of Appeal judge Justice David Baragwanath said in his ruling released in June, there was no basis in which name suppression could be justified and “since eventual publication was unavoidable there is no purpose in deferring it”.They also argued both were suffering medical conditions and name publication would result in significant stress. .Karla Cardno was 13 when she was kidnapped by Paul Joseph Dally in 1989.Dally was sentenced to life imprisonment and was denied parole last year, with the Parole Board ruling that he was a medium- to high-risk of reoffending.

.Irish champion Sea The Stars won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp overnight to complete a unique treble of the English 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and the Arc.
Ridden by Mick Kinane and trained by John Oxx – owned by Hong Kong club owner Christopher Tsui – he beat home Youmzain, ridden by Kieren Fallon while seven-time Arc winning trainer Andre Fabre’s Cavalryman, under Frankie Dettori, was third.
Youmzain created his own piece of history in becoming the first horse to finish second in three successive Arcs.
Seamus Levey’s Set Sail headed for home with a 15 length advantage entering the final straight but the wind was taken out of his sails as the more fancied runners swamped him.
Sea The Stars, who had been applauded into the ring prior to the race which is a rare occurrence in French racing, had come here as the 4/6 favourite but early on he had several problems settling down as the Aidan O’Brien-trained pacemakers Set Sail and Grand Ducal set a searing gallop.
Kinane found the gap he needed and once it was seized Sea The Stars seamlessly sauntered to the lead and although the gallant Youmzain and Calvaryman along with Breeders Cup Turf champion Conduit reduced the gap in the final furlong, there was to be no stopping the Irish horse from his moment of destiny.
Unbeaten French filly Stacelita hit the front but all eyes were trained on 50-year-old Kinane and Sea The Stars, and the old stager and his superstar horse did not fail.

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AFP – Japan clothes giant Uniqlo, which opens a flagship store in the heart of Paris on Thursday, is aiming for up to 10 more in the world’s fashion capital as it takes on competitors such as Gap, H &amp M and Zara.

Tadashi Yanai, the billionaire president of Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo, told he aimed to open five to 10 big shops in Paris, where he had originally planned to launch as far back as 2007 or 2008 but it takes a long time to get authorisation. .

The cheap chic brand popular with designer-conscious Japanese youth currently has a store in an office district on the fringes of the capital, and Yanai set no date for the opening of new stores. The next high-profile launch is Moscow in spring 2010.

Similar stores have already opened in New York and London.

No cost seemed to be spared in the run-up to the Paris launch, with ads on city buses and the underground and even Paris bakers selling the traditional baguette in paper bags announcing the Tokyo to Paris launch. There are currently 875 Uniqlo stores worldwide, 761 of them in Japan.

H &amp M and Zara just sell fashion.

Referring to its European competitors H &amp M from Sweden and and Zara from Spain, whose lines sell like hot cakes and whose stores too are close to the new 2,000-square-metre (-yard) shop, Yanai said I think there is a lot of room for Uniqlo to muscle into the market.

Our philosophy, he said, is that a shirt, jacket or sweater are just spare parts which an individual combines to express their personality. We are different, we are offering high quality clothing, added Yanai, who according to Forbes magazine is Japan’s richest man.

He added: It is up to us to offer products that are sufficiently attractive to seduce customers, citing high-tech items such as clothes made of a fine fabric that gives off heat or a feather-light coat weighing 270 grams (about 10 ounces). That is why we seek to sell very basic but very high quality clothes.

For the Paris launch, customers are being offered cashmeres at less than 40 euros and men’s jeans under 10 euros.

Uniqlo, known for high-quality basics such as affordable cashmeres with quintessentially Japanese craftsmanship, manufactures its clothes mostly in Asia, in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

consumers – fashion – France – Paris
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We are the only company in the world able to offer products of this quality at low cost, Yanai said

.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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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

.World surfing championship leader Joel Parkinson has been upset by a wildcard in round three of The Quiksilver Pro France.
Local entrant Patrick Beven grabbed a 6.87 to 13.87-point ride in the closing seconds to oust Parkinson 14.
Fellow Queenslander Mick Fanning, the current world number two, won his heat against Julian Wilson to threaten Parkinson’s points lead.07.
“I don’t really smell blood yet,” the American said, “I think I’m still in the forest trying to find him (Parkinson).
Reigning nine-time world champion and current number six Kelly Slater also moved into the fourth round of what is event seven in the ten-round WCT.
The best performer on a day of small waves was American Dane Reynolds with a score of 18.”
Other Australians progressing were Bede Durbidge, Ben Dunn, Dean Morrison, Taj Burrow and Kieren Perrow. .27 points to eliminate Hawaiian Roy Powers (11.
Reynolds will face Durbidge in the opening heat of round four when competition recommences, probably on Sunday.
– AAP

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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