Nicolas Sarkozy

July 2008

Obama and Sarkozy Rendezvous in Paris

newser | AFP | 9 hours, 4 minutes ago

Barack Obama received an enthusiastic Paris reception today from President Nicolas Sarkozy, who said, “The French have been following him with passion”—and that the Democrat’s “adventure … rings true in the hearts in minds” of his country. The two men discussed cooperation on climate change, Iran and Afghanistan, AFP reports, before holding a jovial joint press conference. More »
Obama Hits Paris

newser | Associated Press | 18 hours, 2 minutes ago

Barack Obama has arrived in Paris, where the candidate is holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy before a joint news conference. Sarkozy rushed back from a summit in the southwest of France to meet Obama at the presidential palace, reports AP. The two first met in 2006 when Sarkozy was running for president and visited Washington. More »
France Bids Adieu to 35-Hour Work Week

newser | Reuters | Jul 24, 08 4:55 AM CDT

The French parliament has passed landmark legislation eliminating the 35-hour cap on the work week, Reuters reports. President Nicolas Sarkozy has long blamed the short week for France's economic struggles. Most employees work longer, but accumulate overtime pay or vacation days for the extra hours. Tens of thousands of French workers demonstrated against the reform last month. More »
Sarkozy 's Reform Bill Passes By a Hair

newser | BBC | Jul 22, 08 9:25 AM CDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the passing yesterday of a constitutional reform, fulfilling a key campaign pledge. The overhaul of parliamentary and executive powers passed in the assembly and senate by a single vote, capturing 539 votes when it needed 538, the BBC reports. The opposition says the change will solidify France as a "monocracy" for Sarkozy. More »
Sarkozy Puts France on Speed

newser | New York Times | Jul 17, 08 8:05 AM CDT

His love life may be distracting and his poll ratings may be low, but Nicolas Sarkozy is "a tonic to his country and the most important European leader of his time," writes New York Times columnist Roger Cohen. In just 14 months the French president has led a sea change in foreign policy with the US, Israel, NATO, and North Africa. And on the domestic front, the former bedrock of Old Europe is now "on amphetamines." More »
New Mediterranean Union Eyes Mideast Peace

newser | AFP | Jul 14, 08 7:15 AM CDT

The inaugural meeting yesterday of the Union of the Mediterranean, which brought together the 27 EU countries and their neighbors to the south, kicked off discussions about a number of mutual projects. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy used it as an opportunity to flex some diplomatic muscle by bringing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of isolation and by hosting a sit-down between Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. More »
Oh Napoleon: Tiny Leaders Rule G8

newser | ABC News | Jul 6, 08 1:47 PM CDT

The leaders at this week's G8 summit are all political big shots, but they're pretty diminutive face-to-face—five don't even make it past 5'6''. Russia's Dmitry Medvedev brings up the short end of the stick at 5'2'', and Canada's Stephen Harper is the only one to pass the 6' mark. But luckily for the G8, reports ABC News, the Napoleon complex is just a myth. More »
Tape of Sarkozy Snapping at 'Ill-Mannered' TV Tech a Hit

newser | The Australian | Jul 2, 08 9:43 AM CDT

A leaked film of French President Nicolas Sarkozy telling off a TV technician has become an Internet hit, the Australian reports. Sarko, unaware he's being filmed, snaps at the man after the worker fails to respond to a greeting, and even suggests the technician shouldn't be working for state television. The video, the latest embarrassment for Sarkozy, has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. More »
France Takes EU Reins With Call for Change

newser | AFP | Jul 1, 08 6:54 AM CDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that “profound” changes are needed in Europe's strategy for growth as his nation takes over the helm of the EU, reports AFP. “There have been errors in the way that Europe has been built,” Sarkozy noted in the wake of Ireland’s vote against a major EU treaty. Many Europeans fear unification will worsen the negative effects of globalization, he says. "Something isn't right." More »

June 2008

Cop's Suicide Interrupts Sarkozy's Israel Send-Off

newser | Jerusalem Post (Israel) | Jun 24, 08 12:33 PM CDT

An elite Israeli border policeman shot himself in the head today in the middle of a departure ceremony for Nicolas Sarkozy. Security officers, worried about a possible assassination attempt, rushed Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni onto their plane, while others spirited away Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres, who were there to see the French president off. More »
40 Years Later, France Returns to NATO

newser | New York Times | Jun 17, 08 6:19 AM CDT

More than four decades after France withdrew from NATO military command, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today that his nation's military will once again integrate itself with American and European forces. France's first new national defense policy in 14 years constitutes a major shift away from earlier Gaullist ideals of self-sufficiency, the New York Times reports. More »
Bush Gushes About Carla

newser | BBC | Jun 15, 08 7:25 AM CDT

President Bush today complimented Nicolas Sarkozy on his wife, calling her “a really smart, capable woman,” the BBC reports. “I can see why you married her,” he added. In Paris as part of his European tour, Bush called the French president by his first name and noted that “America’s first friend was France” in a press conference that focused on warm relations between the countries. More »
Bush, Sarkozy Warn Iran Over Spurned Nuke Offer

newser | Associated Press | Jun 14, 08 8:09 PM CDT

Iran said no to an incentive offer today to stop making uranium, sparking a warning from President Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy not to build nuclear weapons, the AP reports. "Our allies understand that a nuclear-armed Iran is incredibly destabilizing," Bush said. Even before an EU official delivered the six-nation offer of economic, educational, and other rewards, Tehran had rejected it. More »
Carla Seduced by Sarko's '6 Brains'

newser | Times (UK) | Jun 5, 08 8:00 AM CDT

France's first lady spills the beans in a new book about her whirlwind romance with Nicolas Sarkozy when she fell for his brains and his bod, the Times of London reports. Carla Bruni discusses her recording career, her past lovers—including Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton—and how love blossomed after she was invited to a dinner party as a blind date for the French president. More »

May 2008

French Go on Strike for a Day

newser | BBC | May 22, 08 9:01 AM CDT

France's five largest unions have launched a coordinated strike that has crippled bus, train, and airport links across the country. The BBC reports that postal services have been reduced and public radio stations are playing music instead of regular programming. The unions are protesting an effort by Nicolas Sarkozy's administration to make them work one extra year—41 instead of 40—before receiving a full pension. More »

April 2008

Sarkozy: 'I Made Some Mistakes'

newser | BBC | Apr 25, 08 7:22 AM CDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended his first year in office in a TV interview but admitted he made mistakes, reports the BBC. It's been a rough debut. His controversial policies—met by fierce opposition in certain sectors— have failed to reverse an economic downturn, and his flashy courtship of model Carla Bruni sparked complaints that he wasn't focusing on work. His private life is now "back under control," he assured listeners. More »
Sarko Too Nice to China: Critics

newser | Der Spiegel | Apr 23, 08 9:01 PM CDT

Paris seems to have reversed a tide of anti-French sentiment in China, but critics wonder if President Nicolas Sarkozy’s charm offensive has undermined his country’s commitment to human rights, Der Spiegel reports. Since Sarkozy’s messages of conciliation have gone out, China’s Foreign Ministry has praised the French president and state media has reversed its criticism of recently boycotted supermarket chain Carrefour. More »
Sarkozy Acts as Chinese Mount Anti-French Protests

newser | Independent (UK) | Apr 22, 08 9:18 AM CDT

Two weeks after the Olympic torch relay in Paris, anti-French backlash in China is gaining steam. Rare demonstrations on the streets of Chinese cities, seemingly with the government's tacit approval, have seen French flags burned and defaced with swastikas. As the nations' relationship deteriorates, Nicolas Sarkozy has been forced to step in, reports the Independent . More »
Somali Pirates Free French Yacht Hostages

newser | AFP | Apr 11, 08 11:03 AM CDT

Somali pirates have freed the crew members of the French yacht they commandeered last week, AFP reports. All 30 hostages, including 22 French nationals, were handed over “without incident” in a deal negotiated by the military, Nicolas Sarkozy said. More »
France Bails on Hostage Rescue Mission

newser | BBC | Apr 9, 08 5:35 AM CDT

A French humanitarian team is leaving Colombia after being frustrated in its mission to aid failing hostage Ingrid Betancourt, reports the BBC. The leadership of the FARC rebels, who have held the French-Colombian presidential candidate hostage for six years, refused to allow the team to provide Betancourt with emergency medical aid. French President Nicolas Sarkozy had sent the aid workers after reports that Betancourt was seriously ill. More »