Nicolas Sarkozy

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Sarkozy, Unions in Showdown
Sarkozy, Unions in Showdown

Sarkozy, Unions in Showdown

Strikes starting tonight will test French president's reform resolve, shape tenure

(Newser) - French railway workers will walk off the job again tonight, this time in an open-ended strike with some backup from subway, bus, electrical, and gas workers, all angry over Nicolas Sarkozy's proposal to end their special pension rights. The strike is expected to test the president's will for reforms aimed...

Sarko Vows a Friendlier France
Sarko Vows a Friendlier France

Sarko Vows a Friendlier France

He expresses love of America before joint session of Congress

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed his love for America before a joint session of Congress today and pledged that France will be a "friend of the United States." Sarkozy was greeted warmly with standing ovations in a wide-ranging speech that touched on the American dream, the dangers posed...

White House Cozy for Sarkozy
White House Cozy for Sarkozy

White House Cozy for Sarkozy

French president wooing 'heart of America'

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday demonstrated why he is dubbed “Sarko l’Américain,” bursting onto the Washington scene hugging and backslapping, reports the New York Times. He clearly enjoyed his first official visit to the US despite lingering pain over his pending divorce from wayward wife, Cé...

Mr. Sarkozy Goes to Washington
Mr. Sarkozy Goes to Washington

Mr. Sarkozy Goes to Washington

French prez sets aside economic differences for D.C. lovefest

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Washington today for his first visit to the capital since his election, and the red carpet has been rolled out big time. President Bush will host a state dinner tonight for the newly eligible near-divorcé. The US and France have serious disagreements, especially on...

7 Freed in Chad Kidnap Case
 7 Freed in Chad Kidnap Case

7 Freed in Chad Kidnap Case

Reporters, flight staff released after Sarko jets in to mediate

(Newser) - Three French journalists and four Spanish flight attendants have been released in a bizarre alleged kidnapping case in Chad shortly after French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived to mediate. Still detained are members of French charity organization Zoe's Ark that attempted to airlift to France 103 African children they claimed were...

MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise
MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise

MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise

One part of the public sector that won't be trimmed: president now makes $346K

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy got a 140% pay raise yesterday, thanks to his party, which enjoys an absolute majority in France's National Assembly. The president's salary—which previous heads of state have bolstered by commandeering operating cash—went up to $346,000, the same as the prime minister's. Opposition politicians called the...

Sarko in Snit Walks Out on '60 Minutes' Interview

Lashes out at 'stupid' questions on divorce

(Newser) - In a "60 Minutes" interview aired last night, surly French President Nicolas Sarkozy called his press secretary an "imbecile," dismissed the interview as "stupid," and abruptly ended the conversation when asked about his estranged wife, Cécilia, Reuters reports. "If I had something to...

Sarko: France to Go Green
Sarko: France to Go Green

Sarko: France to Go Green

French leader is optimistic about a cleaner future

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy called for a greener France today, including higher taxes on polluters, a 50% reduction of pesticide use, and the eradication of genetically modified crops. The French president spoke at the close of a national environment summit that counted Al Gore in attendance. But the conference failed to generate...

France Will Offer Free Museums
France Will Offer Free Museums

France Will Offer Free Museums

Culture ministry scraps entry fees in pilot program

(Newser) - Wandering leisurely through one French museum after another—priceless, right? Exactly, as of January 1, when the French culture ministry opens 14 of the country's museums to visitors free of charge. The pilot program, a campaign plank for Nicolas Sarkozy, is being greeted skeptically as columnists debate whether the policy...

France Passes Controversial DNA Immigration Bill

DNA testing has citizens up in arms

(Newser) - France's hotly contested immigration bill that includes provisions for DNA testing passed the legislature yesterday. The bill tightens restrictions on would-be immigrants applying for entry to reunite with family members already in the country, and could include DNA testing to prove they're related to people living in France.

Cecilia Who? Sarko Plays Field
Cecilia Who? Sarko Plays Field

Cecilia Who? Sarko Plays Field

Newly separated French prez unlikely to stay lonely

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy's new bachelor status has the French abuzz about how swingin' their prez will be. The freshly divorced head of state has been spotted lunching with an ex-Bond girl, flirting with a well-known playwright, and carrying a letter reading “I haven’t seen you for an eternity and...

Cecilia Chats About the End of Her Marriage

French first lady admits affair, says she wanted out of public eye

(Newser) - Cecilia Sarkozy told L'Est Republicain today that although she had "tried everything" to avoid divorce, her relationship with the French president wouldn't work. "France elected a man, not a couple," she said. Mme. Sarkozy confessed for the first time publicly that she fell in love with another...

French Support for Strike Wanes on Day 2

Gov't won't budge; unions vow to return to normal tomorrow

(Newser) - French union leaders hailed yesterday's transit strike as a major success, with 75% participation, AFP reports, and many smaller unions were still holding out today. But the government won't budge on proposed pension reform, and public support waned as commuters faced a second day of the job action and tomorrow's...

Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split
Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split

Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split

First couple confirms split as transit strike grinds France to halt

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy's office confirmed that he and his indomitable wife Cecilia are separating even as transit strikers railing against his economic reforms have idled France—handing the bombastic French president a bad day, indeed. The 1-2 punch ends months of speculation about the collapse of the 11-year marriage, and provides...

Bush: Iran Risks 'World War III'
 Bush: Iran Risks 'World War III'

Bush: Iran Risks 'World War III'

Outspoken response to a warning from Russia

(Newser) - In a cantankerous press conference today, President Bush warned that Iran risks starting World War III if it develops nuclear weapons. His remarks came as reporters sought his reaction to Vladimir Putin's comments, after meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday, that the West should not only rule out military action against...

Critics of Blunt, Scattered Sarkozy Pile On

Crucial strike looms as discontent with the hyperpresident mounts

(Newser) - Railing against Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reform, France is bracing for a punishing transit strike tomorrow as hordes of foreigners descend for the Rugby World Cup finals. It's only the latest setback for the new president and his broad-sweeping modernizing campaign, leading the New York Times to ask if the Sarkozy...

French Prez &amp; First Lady to Split
French Prez & First Lady to Split

French Prez & First Lady to Split

Cécilia Sarkozy reported living in Switzerland

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his controversial first lady are on the brink of divorce, according to French media. Cécilia Sarkozy will not accompany her husband on a state visit to Morocco, and some reports say the fiercely independent 49-year-old former model is already living in Switzerland. She hasn't...

DNA Testing Immigrants Stirs Outrage

French proposal brings back nasty Vichy memories

(Newser) - A proposal to test the DNA of prospective immigrants to France has provoked outrage and raised painful memories of Nazi collaboration. The tests would verify that would-be immigrants have blood relatives in France, but politicians and thinkers from across the political spectrum have rushed to condemn the initiative. “I...

Sarko Hints of Putin Change on Iranian Nukes

Prez may have convinced Russian chief to help stop program

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Vladimir Putin's dacha last night, where his tough talk apparently persuaded the Russian leader to back efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program. An ebullient Sarko talked of "an extremely positive change on the Russian side" to the Moscow press, reports the London Times....

Is Cécilia Breaking His Heart—Encore?

Sarko's mercurial wife skips out on visit to freed Bulgarian nurses

(Newser) - The Bulgarian government honored French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Cécilia, for their recent efforts in helping to free five Bulgarian nurses held in Libya. But the president attended the ceremony alone. Despite weeks of planning, the first lady backed out. She hasn't made an official appearance since...

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