Sex scandal: Sarkozy challenges DSK to take legal action - Hindustan Times

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has decried claims that his associates ruined the political career of Dominique Strauss-Kahn by choreographing the scandal that followed the former International Monetary Fund chief's sexual encounter with a New York hotel maid.
Speaking at an election rally in central France, Sarkozy challenged Strauss-Kahn to take legal action over his allegations that his political enemies orchestrated the downfall that cost him the Socialist party's presidential nomination.

"I say to Mr Strauss-Kahn, explain yourself with judicial authorities and spare the French people your comments," Sarkozy told supporters in the city of Clermont-Ferrand. "In the midst of an electoral campaign, Mr Strauss-Kahn starts to give morality lessons and indicate that I am the one responsible for what happened to him, it's too much!"

Strauss-Kahn said in an interview published in the Guardian last week that he believed the highly public undoing that followed his encounter with the hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo and his subsequent imprisonment on charges of attempted rape were the work of individuals linked to Sarkozy and his ruling UMP party.

He said he did not believe the incident was a setup, but the escalation of events into a criminal investigation that destroyed his chances of winning the presidency had been "shaped by those with a political agenda" and that "more was involved here than mere coincidence".

"Perhaps I was politically naive, but I did not believe that they would go that far … I didn't think they could find anything that could stop me."

Tulisa Contostavlos takes the stage at London's GAY nightclub for performance ... - The Sun

The X Factor judge, shattered when explicit footage of her being intimate with an ex emerged recently, dragged a pair of dancers in fetish gear around a stage by a chain lead.

The eye-popping performance of the songbird's latest single Young, occurred at London's GAY nightclub.

She looked a treat in a grey, black and yellow playsuit.

The 23-year-old will be celebrating after bagging a £500,000 deal to return for the next series of The X Factor.

The massive payday - a whopping £200,000 up on last year - is down to her victory with Little Mix in the last series.

While she initially feared for her job after the video leaked, show supremo Simon Cowell told her he backed her "100 per cent".

She recently spoke to Channel 4 chat show host Alan Carr about the fallout from the tape, featuring her and ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards.

She insisted Edwards was behind its release and added: "Who knows what to expect from him."

She said the tape was her "worst nightmare" and that she had a "bit of a nervous breakdown" over it.

The star added: "I'm thinking, 'Oh God, my career could be over — the whole UK thinks I'm a slapper."

But she went on: "I have been surprised by how nice everyone has been.

"I haven't done anything wrong, so any normal person would be like, 'She's human'."

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PM 'ignoring poor to protect rich' - Belfast Telegraph

Sunday, 29 April 2012

One of Britain's most senior Roman Catholics has accused David Cameron of ignoring the poor while protecting his "very rich colleagues" in the City.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the head of the Catholic church in Scotland, said it was "immoral" how the less well-off had been made to "suffer" for the failings in the financial services sector.

In an interview with BBC1's Sunday Politics in Scotland, he urged the Prime Minister to introduce a "Robin Hood tax" on financial transactions to raise money for the poor.

Mr Cameron is opposed to unilateral action on a financial transactions levy and described plans for an EU-wide scheme as "madness".

But Cardinal O'Brien said: "My message to David Cameron, as the head of our Government, is to seriously think again about this Robin Hood tax, the tax to help the poor by taking a little bit from the rich.

"The poor have suffered tremendously from the financial disasters of recent years and nothing, really, has been done by the very rich people to help them.

"And I am saying to the Prime Minister, 'look, don't just protect your very rich colleagues in the financial industry, consider the moral obligation to help the poor of our country'."

The Cardinal said he was not only concerned about people in "abject poverty" but also people who might have thought themselves "reasonably well-off".

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Government inherited enormous debt but the Prime Minister is determined to help people who are struggling with the consequences of that.

"That's why the last Budget took two million people on the lowest incomes out of tax altogether and from April 2012 pensioners will see the largest ever cash rise in the basic state pension."

Mittal retains the top slot in UK rich list - The Hindu

Despite the double-dip recession and the lengthening dole queue, Britain's rich got richer over the past year with the Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal leading the pack as the country's wealthiest man, according to The Sunday Times' annual Rich List.

Mr Mittal and his family top the list of Britain's 1,000 richest people for the eighth consecutive year with a total wealth £12.7bn while Sri and Gopichand Hinduja are at number four with £8.6bn.

Industrialist and peer Lord Swraj Paul is the 87th richest man with a family fortune of £850 million in a list littered with business families of Indian origin. Others include Ajay Kalsi of Indus Gas with a family fortune of £1,500 million; textile magnate Sri Prakash Lohia with £1,274 million; and food giant Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan with £750 milllion.

Even as unemployment reached unprecedented levels with prospects of mass poverty staring the country in the face, Britain's affluent class increased its total wealth to £414bn, up 4.7 per cent on last year's total of £395.8 billion and surpassing the previous high of £412.8 billion recorded before the 2008 financial crash.

There are 77 British-based billionaires in this year's list, exceeding the previous peak of 75 in 2008.

``At a time when the economy has slipped back into a double-dip recession, the figures will raise concerns about the growing gap between the most affluent in society and the `squeezed middle','' the paper said.

Philip Beresford, who compiled the list, said: "Obviously it's very difficult in this age of austerity...and the rich seem to be getting richer and richer. However, I would caution against bashing the rich because a lot of the people on this rich list are based here, they're investing in companies here, and if they get richer hopefully the rest of us will get a bit more prosperous on the rising tide of wealth."

Keywords: Britain's richest people

Torres bags hat trick as Chelsea hammers QPR - Fox News

London, England –  Fernando Torres scored his first Chelsea hat trick on Sunday at Stamford Bridge to lead the club to a comfortable 6-1 win over relegation-battling QPR.

With Chelsea having reached the final of the Champions League in midweek the Blues continued their good run of form on Sunday to move to within one point of fourth place, which is currently occupied by Newcastle and Tottenham.

The home side got out of the blocks in the opening minute with a nice curling effort from Daniel Sturridge that beat goalkeeper Paddy Kenny.

John Terry made it 2-0 in the 13th minute before Torres netted the first of his three goals six minutes later when he rounded Kenny and rolled the ball into the empty net after a good pass from Salomon Kalou.

Torres was handed his second tally in the 25th minute after some confusion between Nedum Onuoha and Kenny, while the QPR net continued to come under siege for the rest of the half as the score remained 4-0.

Juan Mata set up the third goal for Torres midway through the second half and Florent Malouda added a sixth 10 minutes from time before QPR's Djibril Cisse scored a consolation goal in the 84th.

The defeat leaves QPR in 17th place on goal difference, but 18th-place Bolton has a game in hand.

Tottenham 2, Blackburn 0

London, England - Tottenham climbed into fourth place on Sunday after securing a 2-0 win over Blackburn at White Hart Lane.

With just one win in its last nine league games, Harry Redknapp's side was very much in need of a good result. And it got one on Sunday as Rafael Van der Vaart's first-half goal got the club off to a good start before a stunning free kick in the 75th minute from Kyle Walker wrapped up the points.

Tottenham moves level with Newcastle on 62 points but owns the edge in goal difference, although Spurs sit four behind Arsenal in third place, which might be required to reach the Champions League if Chelsea wins the competition later this month.

At the other end of the table Blackburn's relegation fears have deepened as the club sits three points from safety with two games to go having lost six of its last seven matches.

PM condemns aid worker's killing - The Press Association

(UKPA) – 43 minutes ago 

The murder of a British aid worker whose body was found dumped in an orchard in Pakistan has been condemned by the Prime Minister as a "shocking and merciless act".

Khalil Dale, 60, was kidnapped at gunpoint in January while working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baluchistan province.

David Cameron said: "I was deeply saddened to hear today about the brutal murder of Khalil Dale - a man who was killed whilst providing humanitarian support to others.

"This was a shocking and merciless act, carried out by people with no respect for human life and the rule of law. Khalil Dale has dedicated many years of his life to helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world and my thoughts today are with his friends and family."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said he learned of the death "with great sadness", adding that "tireless efforts" had been made over the past months to secure Mr Dale's release.

Mr Hague said: "I utterly condemn the kidnapping and killing of Mr Dale, and send my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones as they come to terms with their tragic and distressing loss. This was a senseless and cruel act, targeting someone whose role was to help the people of Pakistan, and causing immeasurable pain to those who knew Mr Dale.

"My thoughts are with them, and with all those who have dedicated their lives to assisting the world's most vulnerable people through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement."

The health programme manager from Dumfries, Scotland, who changed his name from Ken after becoming a Muslim, had been working in Pakistan for nearly a year. Mr Dale was travelling home from a local school, in a clearly-marked ICRC vehicle, when kidnappers bundled him into a car in the city of Quetta on January 5.

Yves Daccord, director general of the ICRC, said: "The ICRC condemns in the strongest possible terms this barbaric act. All of us at the ICRC and at the British Red Cross share the grief and outrage of Khalil's family and friends.

"We are devastated. Khalil was a trusted and very experienced Red Cross staff member who significantly contributed to the humanitarian cause."

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.