Nicolas Sarkozy

"Even if Nicolas Sarkozy gets on the phone and tells [Mr] Barnier to close down the City of London, it's not possible for one commissioner to do that," said one British official.

Read more: Boost for France in banks shake-up | In this article: Michel Barnier, Jose Manuel Barroso, France, City of London, London, and Gordon Brown

"I'm not at all an actress. Maybe I'll be absolutely terrible," she added. "I'd like to - you know - when I'm a grandmother, to have done a Woody Allen film," said Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a son from a relationship before Sarkozy. "I cannot in my life miss an opportunity like this."

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"It seems like French president (Nicolas Sarkozy) really wants the French to win and this is becoming extraordinarily difficult for them (the French government) to do, as the others are ahead on all (counts)," the source said. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said claims of bias were not justified. "The government is not leaning towards any particular solution,"

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"Putin is meeting Sarkozy today and the signing of a MoU is envisaged, paving the way for the entry of EDF into the South Stream project," Scaroni said, speaking to journalists. Scaroni said the MoU also depended on the go ahead from Eni. "We are in principle in favor of expanding the shareholding to EDF since it should strengthen the project,"

Read more: MoU for EDF entry into South Stream on Thursday | In this article: Paolo Scaroni, Eni, Gazprom, Vladimir Putin, European Union, and Ukraine

"Sarkozy cites Jean Jaures here to better apply National Front [a far-right French party] ideas there, and his choice of Camus for the Pantheon is also clearly rooted in a purely political logic rather than an intellectual one," says Francois Cusset, a historian and philosophy expert who teaches American studies at the University of Paris-Nanterre. However, despite Camus' early years as a communist and long dedication to fighting imperialism, his later rejection of totalitarianism of all kinds and denunciation of Soviet oppression that ran him afoul of contemporaries like Jean-Paul Sartre don't exactly make him a perfect icon of the left, says Cusset. "Though he was courageous in refusing to be shut away into any political or philosophical category, Camus never really said what camp he belonged to, meaning his legacy is open to lots of interpretation,"

Read more: Reburying Albert Camus: A Political Ploy by Sarkozy? | In this article: Albert Camus, Pantheon, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Guy Moquet, Jean Jaures, Bernard Kouchner, Paris, and Jean-Paul Sartre

"French victory". He said that Britain was against Mr Barnier's appointment to the financial post, but that he got it through after persuading Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, to back the idea. Mr Sarkozy said: "It's the first time in 50 years that France has had this role. The English are the big losers in this business. "

Read more: Nicolas Sarkozy hails EU shake-up a victory for France | In this article: European Union, Michel Barnier, Le Monde, Baroness Ashton, France, Jose Manuel Barroso, Tony Blair, and Britain

"The latest statements by Barack Obama and China's leaders are extremely encouraging in making Copenhagen a success," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Nov. 26.

Read more: China's Pledge on Carbon Emissions: Is It Enough? | In this article: Carbon, China, Climate change, Beijing, Copenhagen, Wen Jiabao, U.S., U.N., Barack Obama, and Hindustan Times

"We have to be together at some time," Mr Sarkozy said. "If no decision is taken at Copenhagen, it will be a historic failure. "

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