Sarko Uses Footstool to Measure Up to Obama

Presidents will make their appeal today

(AP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama plan to heap pressure on their Palestinian counterpart today in a concerted push to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body. The presidents will make their pitches during speeches at the opening session of the UN General Assembly, and Obama will make the same argument in private when he meets with Abbas today. Abbas was expected to deliver a formal request for statehood recognition Friday. More»

Sarkozy has 4,000 troops there

(NEWSER) - A mere 12 hours after President Obama spoke on his Afghanistan drawdown, France offered its support for the plan. It will also begin a pullout of its 4,000 troops next month, “in a proportional manner and in a timeframe similar to the pullback of the American reinforcements,” the Élysée Palace said. The decision came after a phone conversation between Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, the New York Times reports. More»

Junrey Balawing stopped growing when he was 2 months old

(NEWSER) - Junrey Balawing stopped growing 17 years and 10 months ago, and today, on his 18th birthday, was named the world's shortest man for his trouble. Guinness World Records swooped into his Philippine hometown, measured Balawing up at a whopping 23.5" inches, and gave him a certificate that stands nearly as tall as he is, reports the AP. "Although he's short, he takes that in stride," a Guinness rep says. "He has this cheeky smile." More»

French, American presidents meet at White House

(NEWSER) - President Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy discussed ways to stabilize the world economy and prevent another global financial crisis today at the White House ahead of the G8 and G20 meetings, Bloomberg reports. While the two countries would seem to be at odds on world finance—many French officials believe that the US dollar should be used less often as an international reserve currency—Sarkozy acknowledged that the dollar has a "key role." More»

Yet she looks like an Amazon next to most others

(NEWSER) - Tom Cruise may wear the pants in his relationship with Katie Holmes, but he also likely wears the heels, reports the New York Daily News in tackling what is surely one of the most important questions of our time: How is it that Holmes, who towered over Daniel Radcliffe at the Tony Awards, always seems to be at eye level with her much-shorter hubby? A few possibilities:

• Shoe lifts: Cruise—who is 5-foot-7 to his wife’s 5-foot-9—has been rumored to wear lifts ever since he was married to 5-foot-11 Nicole Kidman.