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.

.
The meeting will continue today

.French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand has won the backing of fellow politicians amid calls for his resignation for having written about having sex with young male prostitutes in Thailand.
Government spokesperson Luc Chatel, immigration minister Eric Besson and Left Party founder Jean-Luc Melenchon spoke out in support of the nephew of former president Francois Mitterrand, who has threatened legal action to protect his reputation..
“Enough of this man-hunt. The private life of Frederic Mitterrand is none of my business,” Mr Chatel told BFM TV..
Mr Mitterrand was compelled to defend himself on television last week, saying he had only been with consenting adults and had committed no crime.
Revelations that Mr Mitterrand made in a 2005 book re-surfaced when he strongly defended Roman Polanski, who was arrested in Switzerland the previous month and faces extradition to the United States for having had sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
The row was further stoked on Friday when the Quotidien de la Reunion newspaper published a letter sent by Mr Mitterrand, when he was director of the French Academy in Rome, in support of the family of two boys accused, and later convicted, of rape. He added that he condemned both sex tourism and paedophilia. It’s vile.
“I no longer tolerate these attacks.
“I bore witness to the morality of a family, that of my former make-up artist on France 2 [TV]. It’s a simple thing that I can very easily explain,” Mr Mitterrand told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper in response.”
Mr Melenchon told Europe 1 that the continuing attacks on Mr Mitterrand were “unacceptable” and criticised those who would “cast stones” at the minister. .
“In no way is it an apology of sex tourism.
In the television interview, Mr Mitterrand described the book as “not totally autobiographical” and was evasive about the precise nature of his experiences in Thailand…
Throughout the TF1 interview, he referred to his partners as ‘boys’. even if one of the chapters is a journey through that hell, with the fascination that hell can provoke,” said Mr Mitterrand.
–

.
The affair appears to have provoked a split in the government, with Labour Minister Xavier Darcos saying Mr Mitterrand needed to explain his behaviour, and Mr Sarkozy’s adviser Henri Guaino defending him

.Adelaide 18-year-old Sam Willoughby has been crowned this year’s overall season winner in BMX Supercross racing.
Willoughby became the youngest ever person, and the first Australian, to win a BMX Supercross World Cup series overnight in France.
“I don’t know what to say, I’m over the moon,” he said.
He said the win left him speechless.”
He lauded his competition and said it was a tough ride for the finish.
“It was a bit of a rough start to the day but I dug deep and I learnt a lot about myself today, to come back and get that.
“I learnt a lot today.
“The pressure was on but I managed to pull my head back in and refocus on the job at hand,” he said.
“For the final I wanted the inside lane and used that to my advantage. Our approach for this year was to focus on the World Cup events and the World Championships and that worked out.
“It is a privilege to race against such formidable competition. I fought it out on the first straight and it was a drag race to the finish.”
Willoughby’s father Colin says his son fought valiantly for the title. [It was] great to win here and to be the 2009 overall season winner.
“To the point that it’s determination that if something goes wrong, he just grits his teeth and fights back to make sure he atones for it.
“He’s just got that bit of attitude but it’s a good attitude,” he said. .”
Fellow Australian Khalen Young finished seventh.

.
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.

Normal
0
21

false
false
false

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }

/* Style Definitions */
table.0pt”Times New Roman”}

Jean Sarkozy, a law student married to the heiress of a retail empire, is currently a local councillor in the wealthy suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine where his father had been mayor.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Tableau Normal”
mso-style-parent:”"
font-size:10.

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

.Britain’s The Independent newspaper says Gulf Arab states are in secret talks with Russia, China, Japan and France to replace the US dollar with a basket of currencies in the trading of oil.
The US dollar eased after the report, written by veteran Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk and posted on The Independent’s website. It cited unidentified sources in Gulf Arab states and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong.
“Secret meetings have already been held by finance ministers and central bank governors in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil to work on the scheme, which will mean that oil will no longer be priced in dollars,” said the report. .
The article said the plans may help to explain the sudden rise in the price of gold, which is commonly seen as a safe haven in troubled economic times. It added that France had also been involved in the talks.
The Independent said US authorities were aware that the meetings had taken place but had not discovered the details and were “sure to fight this international cabal”.
“I don’t think we will see much concrete actions coming out of such discussions because even when the dollar is weak, it doesn’t mean that commodities are undervalued,” said David Moore, commodities analyst at the Commonwealth Bank.
The issue of shifting oil trade away from the US dollar has been raised occasionally in recent years, but analysts and experts say it is unlikely to occur any time soon.”
Iran began settling most of its crude oil exports in non-dollar currencies – primarily the euro – several years ago, but the actual price for its oil is still set in dollar terms.
“In fact, when the dollar weakens, commodities prices tend to increase by a higher ratio.
-

.

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.

.

&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

.

Normal
0
21

false
false
false

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Tableau Normal”
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0
mso-style-noshow:yes
mso-style-parent:”"
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.0001pt
mso-pagination:widow-orphan
font-size:10.4pt
mso-para-margin:0cm
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
font-family:”Times New Roman”
mso-ansi-language:#0400
mso-fareast-language:#0400
mso-bidi-language:#0400}

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.”
-