Latest news with #Sarkozy
Economic Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Love me Tinder, the long and short of it
Tinder has introduced a 'height filter' for its two highest subscription tiers in 'limited' parts of the world including India. The feature will allow women to filter out men below their preferred height. This has led to much debate about 'superficiality' on social media, arguably the most superficial medium. If you're the type who wants to have it all, there's Tinder Platinum, where 'preferences show you people who match your vibe but won't limit who you see - you'll still be able to match with people outside of your selection.'Critics have pointed out the slippery slope: why not then add a weight preference? Or a preference to do with bust size, or other body measurements? To be fair, we have built-in filters. There's a reflexive and instinctive element to who catches one's eye in the dating jungle. Tinder will claim it's only trying to fine-tune a pre-existing list of real-world filters is never-ending: race, money, authority, power, physique, ambition/lack of ambition, hair/lack of hair, brains/lack of brains, EQ, style, charm, swag, cars, bikes, bicycles, bum, nerd, jock, smoker/non-smoker, drinker/non-drinker, LDL, LFT, hobbies, tastes in cinema, music, sports, literature, politics, dietary preference... In India, one can throw in the state you belong to, caste, language, skin happened to the phrase 'sex appeal'? It was a subjective catch-all term, which seems to have gone out of works in mysterious ways. Someone who falls for tall men will fall for them, regardless of Tinder's policy. When it comes to sex, there's a live-and-let-live principle at work - if you're not causing harm to anyone and the dealings are consensual and above board. The June issue of Baffler magazine, for instance, features a story on female wrestlers and schmoes - men who are turned on by them. The relationship is mutually beneficial.I knew someone who didn't like women who had long nails. He made his then-girlfriend chop off her nails. He married someone who keeps her nails short. After stick-on nails became popular, he had to go into reverse this height apartheid. How about shorter men dating taller women? It's considered a little odd. Unless you are French. Better still - a French president, like Sarkozy or Hollande. I had a relationship with a girl much taller than me, and it was one of the best. People stared, for sure. Their problem, right? It's also somewhat true that tall women don't have an issue with men shorter than they are. It's more like men get intimidated and don't approach them. That's half the battle men come in different varieties. 'Tall and skinny' is different from 'tall and buff'. I don't know about the bedroom, but in real/reel life, tall buff men are relegated to being the security detail, or banished to being action heroes. They'll never get to play Bob Dylan in a other day, I went to catch a gig at a venue called 21 Bodyguard. The place was crawling with burly men in uniform, who were hired by the management to stand around and stick out in the crowd. They looked sad and bored.I would be of average Indian height. When standing in a crowd at the theka, I'm slightly taller than the rest. Height is such a relative thing. It's easier to be taller than average in India, the land of short men, but not so in I noticed about my tall ex-girlfriend was that she was at ease walking into fast-moving traffic and crossing the road. I'd be left standing on the other side for a good 20 minutes. It holds true for tall men. They can cross the road at a time and place of their choosing - a valuable skill to have in Indian traffic. Here's hoping it helps them at the busy Tinder crossroads, too.
Roya News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
France strips Sarkozy of Legion of Honour after corruption conviction
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been officially removed from the Legion of Honour, France's most prestigious award, following a corruption conviction, according to a decree published Sunday. The 70-year-old conservative leader, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, had been under electronic surveillance until last month after his conviction for attempting to obtain confidential information from a judge in exchange for favors, a ruling upheld by France's highest court in December. Under the rules governing the Legion of Honour, any recipient sentenced to a prison term of one year or more is automatically disqualified from the order. However, President Emmanuel Macron had previously expressed reservations about revoking Sarkozy's honor, arguing in April that, despite the scandal, 'it is very important that former presidents are respected.' Despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy continues to wield influence in French right-wing circles and maintains a personal relationship with Macron. Sarkozy is the second former French head of state to lose the honor, following Philippe Pétain, the Nazi collaborator convicted of treason in 1945. Others who have been stripped of the title include former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Sarkozy's legal team has taken the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), hoping to overturn the conviction. His lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, said the former president had 'taken note' of the decision, but emphasized that the ECHR petition is 'still pending.' 'A ruling against France would imply reviewing the criminal conviction against [Sarkozy] as well as his exclusion from the order of the Legion of Honour,' Spinosi added. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot echoed that the legal matter 'has not been completely closed,' while government spokeswoman Sophie Primas criticized comparisons between Sarkozy and Pétain as 'shameful.' Meanwhile, Sarkozy is also standing trial in a separate high-profile case involving allegations of accepting illicit campaign funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. A verdict in that case is expected in September, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison sentence. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing. General François Lecointre, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, defended the move, stating in March that 'the honour of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ex-president Sarkozy Stripped of France's Top Honor after Conviction
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor -- the country's highest distinction -- following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-winger has been beset by legal problems since he was defeated in the 2012 presidential election after serving one five-year term. Sarkozy, 70, had been wearing an electronic ankle tag until last month after France's highest appeals court upheld his conviction last December of trying to illegally secure favors from a judge. According to the code of the Legion of Honor, France's top state award, any person definitively sentenced to a term in prison equal to or greater than one year is excluded from the order. But French President Emmanuel Macron had argued against such a move in April, saying that scandal-plagued Sarkozy had been elected and it was "very important that former presidents are respected". Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly socialize with the president. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy. Others to have been stripped of the honor include former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, drug cheat cyclist Lance Armstrong and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein whose conduct with women sparked the #MeToo movement against sexual violence. Sarkozy is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction. 'Shameful' comparison Sarkozy's lawyer Patrice Spinosi said the former president had "taken note" of the decision to strip him of the Legion of Honor, but stressed that the petition lodged with the ECHR was "still pending". Any ECHR ruling against France would "imply reviewing the criminal conviction against (Sarkozy) as well as his exclusion from the order of the Legion of Honor", Spinosi said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the "case has not been completely closed" in view of the appeal at European level. Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas added that comparisons between Sarkozy and Petain were "shameful". Sarkozy is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. The court is to issue a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges. The Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor, General Francois Lecointre, has stressed the importance of disciplinary measures to uphold the order's integrity. Lecointre told reporters in March that "the honor of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned."
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honor medal over graft
File photo: Nicolas Sarkozy (AP) PARIS: France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the govt's major legal information. It comes in line with the rules of the Legion of Honor. The conservative politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been at the heart of a series of legal cases since leaving office. He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a verdict upheld by France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in December. Earlier this year, Sarkozy stood trial over allegations he received millions of dollars from Libya for his successful presidential campaign in 2007. He denies the claims. Prosecutors requested a 7-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected in September. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the Legion of Honor - France's highest distinction - after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in 1945 for treason. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honor award in the wake of misconduct allegations against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong also had his award revoked.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
French Ex-President Sarkozy Stripped of Legion of Honor Medal over Corruption Scandal
AP file photo Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy attends a meeting in Asnieres, outside Paris, March 24 2015. PARIS (AP) — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It comes in line with the rules of the Legion of Honor. The conservative politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been at the heart of a series of legal cases since leaving office. He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a verdict upheld by France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in December. Earlier this year, Sarkozy stood trial over allegations he received millions of dollars from Libya for his successful presidential campaign in 2007. He denies the claims. Prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected in September. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the Legion of Honor — France's highest distinction — after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in 1945 for treason and conspiring with the enemy for his actions as leader of Vichy France from 1940-1944. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honor award in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also had his French Legion of Honor award revoked. Sarkozy retired from public life in 2017 though still plays an influential role in French conservative politics.
