French ex-president Sarkozy denies breaking law, denounces 'political interference'

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Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday denied he had broken the law after being charged with corruption-related offences and denounced what he said was political interference in the case. In extracts of an interview released by LCI television and Europe 1 radio, Sarkozy said: "I have never committed any act contrary to the values of the republic or the rule of law. I have never betrayed the confidence" of the French.

Hollande tells Obama of 'deep disapproval' of US spying on French citizens -Full Update

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French President Francois Hollande condemned US spying on French citizens in a call with President Barack Obama on Monday, as a row escalated over US eavesdropping on millions of French phone calls. Hollande's office said in a statement that he had expressed "deep disapproval of these practices, which are unacceptable between friends and allies because they infringe on the privacy of French citizens."

Hollande "asked that all explanations be provided, as well as all information that could be at the disposal of former NSA consultant Edward Snowden."

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French National Kidnapped By Ansaru Calls For “Negotiations”

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Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru (Ansar al-Muslimeen) on Friday released a video of a French national kidnapped in December, the SITE jihadi tracking website said.

In the video, posted online, the hostage identifies himself as 63-year-old Francis Collomp, an engineer with the French firm Vergnet, who was “kidnapped in Rimi in Katsina state on 19 December 2012 till today, 25 September 2013.”

The hostage appears wearing a white t-shirt, with an unidentified person holding a weapon in the background.

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Syrian children lethally injected before cameras for war propaganda videos - French journalist

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Thierry Meyssan, a French journalist and political activist, gives an account of the Syrian chemical gas attack concluding that the attack was fabricated. In his research he cites the contradictions which appeared in the reports on the attack made by the US, Britain, and France.

To begin with, Meyssan makes a list of five things claimed by the secret services which he deems illogical.

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French Soldier Stabbed in Throat outside Paris; Unclear if any Link to UK Attack

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French Soldier Stabbed in the Throat outside Paris; Unclear yet if any Link to UK Attack

Police officers stand near the cordoned off spot where a French soldier was stabbed
in the throat in the busy commercial district of La Defense, outside Paris.

The Associated Press

Paris
May 25, 2013
A French soldier was stabbed in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris on Saturday, and the government said it was trying to determine if there were any links to the brutal killing of a British soldier by suspected Islamic extremists.

French family held in Northern Nigeria return safely to France

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The French family, father, mother, their four kids and father's brother, who were abducted in Cameroon on February 19th 2013 by Islamist militants and brought to Nigeria, have returned safely to France. They were welcomed by their family members and the president of France.

The Moulin-Fournier family, who were based in Cameroon, were kidnapped while visiting a national park in the northern part of the country. A few days later, they were taken to northern Nigeria where they were held by members of Boko Haram who asked Cameroon to free detained members of their group before they free the abducted family. The French family returned to their country yesterday Saturday April 20th. No word yet on how they were released.

Boko Haram says force will not help free French hostages

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A Nigerian Islamist group warned against the use of force to free a French man and six members of his family kidnapped in Cameroon in a video aired on Thursday.

Tanguy Moulin-Fournier was kidnapped on February 19 along with his wife, four children aged between five and 12, and brother while vacationing in northern Cameroon.

"We are proud to say that we are holding the seven French hostages," said a Boko Haram member in the video aired by France's i-Tele channel with French sub-titles.

The man is shown holding an assault rifle and the family is shown to the left of the screen in the grainy images.

Nigeria combs border areas for kidnapped French family

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MAIDUGURI (AFP) – Nigerian security forces searched the country’s northeast along the border with Cameroon on Thursday in a bid to free a French family kidnapped earlier this week, officials said.

“Intelligence reports have shown that the abductors may be holding their victims … around the Dikwa area,” a security official in the region said on condition of anonymity.

“But I must tell you we haven’t got the exact location. Our men and other sister security agencies, especially our colleagues in the immigration service, are already on operation and we have the strictest instruction to carry out the operation with caution.”

Woman French kisses her own son in jail to pass him drugs (PICTURED)

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Officials in Penn Yan, NY, say Kimberly Margeson, 54, passed two Oxycodone painkiller pills to her 30-year-old, William Partridge by french kissing him during a jailhouse visit.

A mother’s love knows no bounds, but Kimberly Margeson’s love for her son may have shown no boundaries. New York State police say 54-year-old Margeson passed two Oxycodone pills to her 30-year-old son, William Partridge, by french-kissing him during a jailhouse visit, MSNnow reported.

French man kidnap: Possibly an inside job – Katsina CP

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KANO (AFP) – Police said Friday that a French citizen kidnapped in the north may have been taken by employees of his company after France’s president suggested Al-Qaeda was involved.An engineer with the French firm Vergnet was abducted late Wednesday by a group of 30 gunmen in Katsina state who stormed and opened fire on the residence where he was staying. Two Nigerians died in the attack.

Nigeria To Join Organisation Of French Speaking Countries

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One of the decisions reached at the end of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council Meeting (FEC), was the approval for Nigeria to join the International Organisation of French speaking countries; the International Organization of the Francophonie (IOF). This move agreed upon by the cabinet of Ministers is expected to further enhance the development of the nation’s education sector.