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19 May 2011 00:35

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World: Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigns from IMF amid scandal

  • I want to protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially —especially — I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence.
  • Dominique Strauss-Kahn • In a letter revealing his resignation as the International Monetary Fund’s head. “I think at this time first of my wife—whom I love more than anything—of my children, of my family, of my friends,” he also stated in the note. “I think also of my colleagues at the Fund; together we have accomplished such great things over the last three years and more.” Strauss-Kahn’s arrest on sexual assault charges has thrown French politics in a tizzy in the past week, due to his prominent status, and this letter will only continue to drive the conspiracy theories around the case in France. (h/t ProducerMatthew, Samuel Rubenfeld) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 17:06

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World: No bail for accused IMF chief Strauss-Kahn

  • IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn denied bail: Strauss-Kahn, 62, accused of attempting to rape a hotel maid and forcing her to perform oral sex on him, will continue to sit in a jail cell in New York. Prosecutors said that they are investigating reports that this was not the first such incident involving Strauss-Kahn, who many once considered a major challenger to Nicolas Sarkozy in France’s next Presidential election. Yeah, that’s pretty much over. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2011 16:10

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World: More on France’s veil ban: Who does this help, really?

  • Protests over French veil ban: As we mentioned earlier today, France has banned the full-faced Islamic veil (imposing a fine of 150 euros for violators), which is provoking some understandable dissent. A question for France: For a Muslim who wears the veil, how is this anything but crass discrimination? And for somebody without religious faith, how is this anything but the government fining people for their fashion choices? Any way you slice it, it comes out awful. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2011 10:36

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World: French Prime Minister: Ivory Coast presidential crisis nearing end

  • As we speak we are speaking to two generals to negotiate President Gbagbo’s surrender.
  • French Prime Minister Francois Fillon • Explaining what’s currently happening in the Ivory Coast, after days of increasingly violent fighting between forces loyal to presidential stickler Laurent Gbagbo and forces who favored Alassane Ouattara, the man who won November’s election but was held from office by Gbagbo. Months later, the fighting got extremely violent, and the UN and France eventually got involved. Now, it appears, Gbagbo is close to surrendering the leadership he long fought to keep. “We are in a situation where everything could be resolved in the next few hours,” said French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2011 15:53

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World: France may not wait for IAEA on nuclear safety

  • France may preempt IAEA summit: President Nicolas Sarkozy wants G20 nuclear industry officials to come to Paris in May to discuss safety issues. This might rankle the United Nations, as such an event would preempt the IAEA’s summit in Vienna, planned for June. The IAEA lacks the power to force action on its recommendations, which is why nations like France may not want to wait for the U.N. body. “I suspect that this will not be appreciated on the 28th floor,” said a diplomat, referring to the office of IAEA Director General Yukiyo Amano. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Mar 2011 10:41

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World: More Fukushima drama: Plutonium found in the ground nearby

  • Plutonium is a substance that’s emitted when the temperature is high, and it’s also heavy and so does not leak out easily. So if plutonium has emerged from the reactor, that tells us something about the damage to the fuel. And if it has breached the original containment system, it underlines the gravity and seriousness of this accident.
  • Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency deputy director Hidehiko Nishiyama • Discussing what the finding of plutonium in the ground near the Fukushima reactors means. No, that doesn’t sound very good at all. In other news, France sent over some of their most knowledgable nuclear experts to help out the Japanese. The surrender-prone European nation is also the one most dependent on nuclear energy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 13:19

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World: Tough times for Sarkozy in wake of French elections

  • 35.7% the vote, in yesterday’s French elections, for the Socialist Party under Martine Aubry
  • 11.6% the vote for the far-right National Front Party, headed by Marine LePen, a strong showing
  • 20.3% the vote for Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Majority Party, a weak outcome source
  • » Sarkozy may be sweating right now: The election had a low turnout at just 45% of the nation’s voters (still, turnout like that trounces the U.S. average for non-Presidential elections). While the threat to President Sarkozy posed by the Socialists is well known, as polls show him trailing their yet unknown candidate in his reelection effort, the big takeaway concern may be the rising power of the National Front Party under Marine Le Pen. The far-right nationalist party took 2 seats in the 102-seat general council, and have effectively flexed more political muscle much quicker than most thought they could.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

14 Mar 2011 13:12

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World: Will Libya’s rebels hold out long enough to see international support?

  • YES France wants a no-fly zone over Libya ASAP source
  • » With expected urgency: Reports out of Libya have suggested that rebel forces are significantly over-matched against the military forces still loyal to dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and this article suggests that by the time the international community makes its move, he may already have reasserted control. It’s hard to topple a strongman who, for all his incoherence, viciousness and bombast, still has enough military willing to shoot and bomb their fellow countrymen. France has lauded the Arab League’s request of the U.N Security Council in support of a no-fly zone, and hopes it will lead to expedient action.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 13:53

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World: Libyan opposition continues to gain international legitimacy

  • YES Hillary Clinton will meet with Libya’s opposition source
  • » On France’s heels, the U.S. bolsters legitimacy: The Secretary of State plans on meeting with the head of the opposition council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, a former justice minister who resigned when Muammar Gaddafi’s violent reaction began tearing throughout Libya in February.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 10:57

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World: France: Gaddafi isn’t Libya’s leader anymore. These guys are!

  • France recognizes the National Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. There will be an exchange of ambassadors between Paris and Benghazi.
  • A spokesperson for French President Nicolas Sarkozy • Revealing that France now considers the opposition government, the Libyan National Council, the right one in Libya. This is a big step, considering that France is a major player on the political stage. It hurts Gaddafi further. So, who’s next? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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