The former French leader was given a suspended jail sentence, becoming France’s first ex-president to be found guilty of graft and corruption.

According to the judges ruling the case, Chirac had cost Paris taxpayers money equivalent to US$ 1.8 million (1.4 million euros).

“Jacques Chirac breached the duty of trust that weighs on public officials charged with caring for public funds or property, in contempt of the general interest of Parisians,” the ruling said.

He was tried alongside nine alleged accomplices. Two were cleared, but the rest were convicted of helping Chirac run a system at Paris city hall under which political allies were paid municipal salaries for fake jobs.

He was convicted of hiring members of his political party for non-existent municipal jobs, using the civic payroll to employ his own campaign staff.

Chirac’s lawyer, Jean Veil said the former leader had received the judgement ‘with serenity’ and added: “He’s satisfied that at least the court has accepted that he did not personally profit from this.”

Chirac was president of France between 1995 and 2007 and enjoyed legal immunity while in office. He denied all the charges, but the case is only one of many corruption scandals to have dogged him in a long public career.

The sentencing was a surprise. Even state prosecutors had called for Chirac, who still polls as one of France’s most popular figures to be cleared, and France has largely forgiven his long history of corruption.

“I hope this judgement won’t change the profound affection that the French people still rightly have for Jacques Chirac,” defense counsel Georges Kiejman said, adding that Chirac would decide later in the day whether to appeal.

The 79-year-old statesman, was unable to attend the trial and excused from court appearance on medical grounds.

Doctors say he has ‘severe and irreversible’ neurological problems including memory loss and dementia linked to his advanced age.

She is the first Filipino and Asian from a developing country to serve as ICC judge, thus earning a place of honor for the Philippines in the judicial body’s history.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that “one other country from Asia is competing for that seat,” but was not among those that the independent panel found as qualified.

According to Santiago, there are 18 judges on the ICC, six of whom are scheduled to be replaced this year.

Santiago, who will have a nine-year term as judge in the ICC, said that her oath-taking would not take place until March next year.

“Perhaps I could spend one more year here,” the senator added.
According to her, once she leaves the Senate, her post will remain vacant until the next polls.

Earlier prior to her election to the international court, an independent civil society panel found Santiago ‘qualified’ to be an ICC judge.

A former trial court judge and an expert in international law, Santiago was among 19 candidates seeking six vacant seats on the ICC, the DFA said earlier, adding that the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) listed her as one of several candidates qualified for the job.

The CICC established the Independent Panel on International Criminal Court Judicial Elections in December last year to urge state parties to nominate the most qualified candidates for ICC judge.

CICC includes 2,500 civil society organizations in 150 countries working in partnership to strengthen international cooperation with the ICC which is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Based on geographic representation, one of the six is reserved for Asia.

The Colombian singer was named a member of the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics earlier this week and she was officially handed the position during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, 06 Oct. 2011.

Shakira is humbled to have been appointed to the education committee to share her advice on how to provide the best education for Hispanics living in America.

She admits that she is flattered to have been approached for the role and insists the position is a ‘great honor’ for her.

Speaking at the event, the singer told the audience, “I hope that through my appointment to this commission, I will be able to share what I’ve learned through the 15 years I have been involved in the education of Latino children. I am sure you will agree with me that race and ethnicity shouldn’t be factors in the success of any child.”

“I am extremely passionate about working with the White House to plan an early childhood education summit in the coming year,” she said.

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He has been hailed as one of the greatest innovators of our time who unselfishly wants to change the world to be a better place to live through the advancement of technology.

Jobs’s family also issued a statement, saying that “In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family,” it said.

He had lost in his long battle with pancreatic cancer surrounded by his relatives.

Tributes flowed in from around the world for Jobs, while Apple fans flooded social networking sites to voice their sorrow over the passing of the man who helped put mini computers in the shape of phones in millions of pockets.

In President Obama’s words, “Steve was among the greatest of American innovators, brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. … By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun.”

Tim Cook, who had been handling Apple’s day-to-day operations since Jobs went on medical leave in January, and was made chief executive officer in August after his resignation, led the praise for the Silicon Valley legend.

“Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple,” he said in a statement.

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The book authors, Richard Courtney and George Cassidy embark on the idea treating successes and failures of the Beatles as an inspiration not only for aspiring bands and rock stars but for every business people as well.

As self starter, the Beatles only mode of transportation was a van missing its windshield. That meant that in the dead winter, band members who were not driving huddled on top of one another for warmth, the authors write, adding: “Take a page out of their book. Although frostbite is generally a bad idea, avoid relying heavily on debt to finance your daily operations or growth.”

The Lennon-MCartney decision to always share credit on song provided another lesson, the authors suggest: Don’t waste time arguing over crumbs when that energy could be better used building a bakery, or in this case, the Beatles songbook.

Another story from the Beatles’ early years highlights the importance of heeding feedback. Executives at Capitol Records, the American affiliate of EMI, passed on, ‘Love Me Do.’

The Beatles could have kept arguing about the album’s merits or simply giving up on conquering America. Instead, they kept recording new material and sending it to Capitol for one solid year. Finally, in 1964, Capitol released ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand,’ which became the Beatles’ first No. 1 hit in the United States.

“The most important lesson here is not simple perseverance, though that is important,’ the book says. The approach was key. They did not continue to pitch Capitol the same product that they had already rejected.” Instead, George Martin, the Beatles’ producer, got in touch only “when he had something new and improved.”

The Beatles is composed of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The controversial “baddest man on the planet,” during his on and off ring career that span from 1985 to 2005 marked by glory and notoriety ended with his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Along those inducted with him were the Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez, Russian-born Australian Kostya Tszyu, Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, boxing referee Joe Cortez and actor Sylvester Stallone who was honored by the hall for his “Rocky” movies.

Tyson’s trainer was the late Cus D’Amato, the person who guided him in his early boxing career and became his legal guardian after his mother died.

D’Amato died in 1985, the year before Tyson knocked out World Boxing Council champion Trevor Berbick in 1986 to become the youngest at 20, the heavyweight world champion in boxing history.

Tyson finished his career with a record of 50 wins, 6 losses with 44 knockouts.

They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.
The identical twin priests were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor.

Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.

After attending St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.

Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956.

After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.

They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.

Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg.

Afterward, the brothers’ bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.

The case of Julian and Adrian Riester can be long remembered as a tale of identical twin priests with identical fate.

• twin priests
• the twin priests

Almost half a century after her death, people are still talking about her.

No wonder, that she is considered as the most charismatic actresses of all time.

Reminiscently, the white halterneck dress she wore in ‘The Seven Year Itch’ movie, is for grabs at a Profiles in History auction where it’s expected to fetch US$ 2 million dollars.

“The Subway Dress” earned its name from a scene in the film where Marilyn stands above a New York City subway grate, causing her pleated full skirt to fly up and billow around her shoulders.

Although it no longer holds its bright-white color, the Travilla-designed halterneck features a hand-sewn, built-in bra and will be on display at the Paley Center in California.

• white dress flying up marilyn monroe

Similarities between the gypsy language and Indian Sanskrit are obviously good indicators. Speculations are rife that elderly gypsies can understand Indian films without translation.

Today, scientists believe that modern gypsies are descendants of the Dom, an Indian caste, the activities of which are identical to the traditional occupations of the gypsies which are smithcraft, singing and dancing.

In India, the Doms are categorized as the lowest level of the Indian society. In modern-day India, many of them still migrate for some reasons.

Another speculation is that the gypsies are the descendants of many Indian nationalities of lowest caste.

Obviously, the caste system predetermined the asociality of the socio-cultural system of the gypsies and established their lifestyle, language and traditions.

Their traditions and language differed greatly from other peoples’ cultures.
Other probability is that, their alienation and persecution were triggered during their migration to the west.

The beliefs of the gypsies did not help them during their integration in the world of Christianity and Islam.

The King of Hungary and Croatia, Sigismund I in 1432, relieved the gypsies of taxes owing to their role in the defense of the region.

The gypsies were very good smiths which they are known could make fine swords, armory and cannon balls.

The Russian Roma people are one of the ethnic groups of gypsies who had been living on the territory of the Russian empire since the beginning of the 18th century.

Other gypsies belong to the east-European branch of the gypsy nation.

• russian gypsies
• indian gypsies
• indian gypsy

The former “Baywatch” star and animal activist Pamela Anderson has called on China to join other countries in banning imports of seal meat and oil from Canada, calling seal-hunting inhumane.

Canada and China reached an agreement earlier this year on Chinese imports of seal meat and oil after the European Union banned seal products following an activist outcry over commercial seal-hunting.

The Canadian government maintains that the 350-year-old commercial seal hunt is humane and crucial for some 6,000 North Atlantic fishermen who rely on it for up to 35 percent of their total annual income.

China is the third-largest importer of Canadian fish and seafood, behind the United States and European Union.

By authorizing seal meat and oil imports, it joined Japan and South Korea as new markets for Canadian seal products.

Earlier this year, Anderson appealed through PETA, to India’s top medical institute to retire old monkeys used in scientific research, and last year called on Israel’s ultra-orthodox Jews to abandon their traditional fur hats.

• tubegalor pamela anderson