اهداف جامعه ایرانی چیست؟ « ما چگونه فکر می کنیم» و آنچه که در ایران مهم انگاشته می شود.

۱۳۸۶ اردیبهشت ۱۷, دوشنبه

World's Most Expensive Trousers

This is a story about the world's most expensive pair of trousers. Five years ago a man took a pair into his local dry cleaners in Washington DC to get them altered for ten dollars. But the cleaners lost them. And now that man, Roy Pearson, who happens to be a judge, is suing.

The South Korean owners, Ki and Jin Man Chung, offered him a thousand dollars to settle, later raising that to twelve-thousand dollars. But Mr Pearson wasn't satisfied. He claims he is owed sixty-seven million dollars. The Chungs' lawyer, Chris Manning, says his clients can't believe they're in this situation.

Much of this case rests on two signs which were on the dry cleaners' walls which said "satisfaction guaranteed" and "same day service." Mr Pearson says he didn't get either, so the signs amount to fraud.

But why sixty-seven-million dollars? He's claiming this is the sum of fines compounded daily, emotional damage, legal fees and car hire to get to another cleaners since the case began. This lawsuit might seem hard to believe and some Washington lawyers have described it as absurd, saying the case should be thrown out of court and Mr Pearson removed from office. But for the Chungs it is very real. After years of legal battles, they are heading to court in June for what may be the end of the story of the world's most expensive pair of trousers.

لايحه اصل 44 به تصويب نهايي دولت رسيد


به گزارش خبرنگار اقتصادي خبرگزاري فارس، لايحه قانوني اجراي سياست هاي ابلاغي اصل 44 قانون اساسي و واگذاري فعاليتها و بنگاه هاي دولتي به بخش‌هاي غيردولتي در هشت فصل و 74 ماده در سازمان خصوصي سازي تدوين شده بود كه ديماه سال گذشته براي تصويب نهايي به هيات دولت فرستاده شده بود.

در پي تاخير دولت در نهايي كردن اين لايحه مجلس هفته گذشته طرح اصل 44 را آماده كرده بود و قرار بود هفته جاري در مجلس مطرح شود كه احتمالا" با نهايي شدن اين لايحه در دولت و ارسال آن به مجلس طرح اصل 44 فعلا" مسكوت بماند.

برخي نمايندگان مجلس نيز اعلام كرده بودند كه تا روز چهارشنبه هفته جاري براي ارسال لايحه اصل 44 به مجلس صبر مي كنند و در صورتي كه لايحه دولت در موعد مقرر ارسال نشود، طرح مجلس را در دستور كار قرار خواهند داد.

كرد زنگنه رئيس سازمان خصوصي سازي نيز پيشتر اعلام كرده بود، لايحه اصل 44 در دولت مراحل نهايي را طي مي كند.
به گزارش خبرنگار اقتصادي خبرگزاري فارس، فصل اول اين لايحه به ارائه تعاريف پرداخته است و در فصل دوم اهداف و قلمروهاي فعاليت هاي هر يك از بخش هاي دولتي، تعاوني و خصوصي بيان شده است.

بر اساس اهداف اين لايحه، در اجراي سياست هاي ابلاغي مقام معظم رهبري به استناد اصل بند 1 اصل 110 قانوني اساسي درمورد سياست هاي كلي اصل 44 قانون اساسي جمهوري اسلامي ايران در تاريخ هاي اول خردادماه سال 84 و دوازدهم تيرماه سال 85 ضوابط و قلمروهاي فعاليت هاي اقتصادي هر يك از بخش هاي دولتي، تعاوني و خصوصي تعيين و همچنين فعاليت هاي دولتي مذكور در صدر اصل 44 قانون اساسي به بخش هاي غيردولتي به جز موارد مستثني مطابق اين قانون واگذار مي شود.

گروه بندي فعاليت هاي اقتصادي، نقش توسعه اي اقتصادي دولت، نقش دولت در توسعه ملي فناوري ، نقش دولت در حمايت از مصرف كننده و حفظ محيط زيست، نقش دولت در كنترل انحصارات و تسهيل رقابت، ضوابط و قلمرو فعاليت‌هاي اقتصادي دولت، قلمرو فعاليت‌‌هاي اقتصادي بخش‌هاي خصوصي و تعاوني، شرايط سرمايه گذاري موسسات مالي، شهرداريها و نهادهاي عمومي غيردولتي در بنگاه هاي اقتصادي، سياست هاي حمايتي از شكل گيري بنگاه هاي بزرگ، سياست هاي حمايتي از گسترش بخش تعاون و نحوه تأسيس و فعاليت تعاوني هاي نوع دوم از عناوين موادي از اين لايحه است كه در فصل دوم به آن پرداخته شده است.

به گزارش فارس،فصل سوم اين لايحه مقررات ناظر بر جلوگيري از شكل گيري انحصارات غيرقانوني و تسهيل رقابت را بررسي كرده و به كنترل انحصارات غيرقانوني، دامنه شمول كنترل انحصارات، منع رويه هاي محدودكننده، منع اعطاي امتياز مخل رقابت به بنگاه ها، رويه‌هاي بازرگاني غير منصفانه،منع تصدي همزمان سمت‌هاي تفاوت در بنگاه‌هاي رقيب، منع تملك سهام و يا حقوق مالكيت بنگاه‌هاي رقيب توسط يك شخص،محدوديت ادغام بنگاه‌ها، حقوق مالكيت معنوي و رفتارهاي ضد رقابتي،شوراي رقابت،دبير خانه شوراي رقابت، موقعيت شغلي اعضاي شوراي رقابت و استقلال آنها در تصميم‌گيري،حيطه صلاحيت شورا، اختيارات شوراي رقابت در انجام بازرسي و تحقيق، اختيارات تصميم‌گيري شوراي رقابت،انحصار رسيدگي به رويه‌هاي ضد رقابتي به شوراي رقابت،روال تجديد نظر در احكام محكوميت اشخاص توسط شوراي رقابت ،تركيب هيات تجديد نظر، اجراي احكام شوراي رقابت و هزينه‌هاي رسيدگي شورا پرداخته است.

هيات تجديد نظر،جبران خسارت اشخاص در نتيجه اعمال رويه‌هاي ضد رقابتي، حق شوراي رقابت در ارسال دادخواست به دادگاه صلاحيت دار به منظور حفظ حقوق عمومي،تكاليف و محدوديت‌هاي اعضاي شوراي رقابت، هيات تجديد نظر و اعضاي دبيرخانه‌هاي شورا و تجديد نظر، مجازات نقض مصوبات شوراي رقابت و هيات تجديد نظر،مجازات استنكاف از ارائه اطلاعات و يا گواهي خلاف به شوراي رقابت،نحوه رسيدگي به تخلفات شوراي رقابت و هيات تجديد نظر، رسيدگي به تخلفات انتظامي شوراي رقابت، هيات تجديد نظر و اعضاي دبيرخانه‌هاي آنها،رسيدگي خارج از نوبت دادسراها به جرايم پيش‌بيني شده در اين قانون و همكاري ضابطان قضايي از ديگر عناويني است كه در فصل سوم تشريح شده است.

بنابراين گزارش، فصل چهارم به بررسي تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازارهاي گروه سه پرداخته و تاسيس شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازارهاي گروه سه ،نحوه مديريت شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازارهاي انحصاري طبيعي،دبيرخانه شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازارهاي مشمول گروه سه فعاليت‌هاي اقتصادي،تامين بودجه شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازار،حيطه صلاحيت شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازارهاي انحصاري طبيعي، نحوه تعيين حقوق و مزاياي اعضاي شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازار،تسري شرايط حاكم بر شورا و اعضاي شوراي رقابت به شوراهاي تخصصي و روال تجديد‌نظر در احكام شوراهاي تخصصي مستقل تنظيم مقررات و كنترل بازار را بررسي كرده است.

در فصل پنجم اين لايحه مقررات كلي ناظر بر ساماندهي شركت‌هاي دولتي و واگذاري فعاليت‌ها و بنگاه‌هاي دولتي به بخش‌هاي غيردولتي بررسي شده و ساماندهي شركت‌هاي دولتي،دامنه شمول واگذاري‌ها، ادامه دامنه شمول واگذاري‌ها وحداكثر سهام قابل واگذاري به موسسه‌ها و نهادهاي مشمول ماده 10 اين قانون مورد اشاره قرار گرفته است.

به گزارش فارس، در فصل ششم اين لايحه فرآيند ساماندهي بازارها،طبقه‌بني بازارهاي فعاليت‌هاي اقتصادي،اولويت انتخاب بازارها براي اجراي سياست واگذاري‌ بنگاه‌هاي دولتي به بخش‌هاي خصوصي و تعاوني،سامان‌دهي بازارهاي با اولويت واگذاري و سياست‌هاي گسترش سطح اشتغال و حمايت از نيروي انساني مورد بررسي قرار گرفته است.

فصل هفتم لايحه قانوني اجراي سياست هاي ابلاغي اصل 44، فرآيند واگذاري شركت‌هاي دولتي به بخش‌هاي خصوصي و تعاوني، شاخص‌هاي با اهميت در اولويت‌گذاري واگذاري شركت‌ها، آماده‌سازي حقوقي بنگاه‌ها براي واگذاري،مديريت بنگاه‌ها در دوره انتقال،مرجع و فرآيند بازسازي ساختاري شركتها پيش از واگذاري، اجازه تعهد پذيره‌نويسي سهام به بانكها، موسسات اعتباري و بانكهاي سرمايه‌گذاري، تشويق ايجاد شركت‌هاي مشاور مالي مديريتي و بانكهاي سرمايه‌گذاري و لزوم شفافيت در واگذاري و مطلع ساختن افكار عمومي را تشريح كرده است.

درفصل هشتم نيز عناوين سازمان دهي اجراي قانون، استقرار دايمي سازمان خصوصي‌سازي و وظايف آن،نحوه تبعيت سازمان خصوصي سازي از قوانين و مقررات، تنفيذ مواد مرتبط در قانون‌هاي برنامه‌هاي سوم و چهارم، مصرف درآمد‌هاي حاصل از واگذاري، آئين‌نامه‌هاي اين قانون،گزارش دولت به مجلس شوراي اسلامي و فسخ قوانين و مقررات مغاير با اين قانون مورد بررسي قرار گرفته است.

US bound to keep relations with Iran

Tue, 08 May 2007

“Washington has no choice other than resuming relations with Iran,” Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday.


“The US policy of boycotting Iran has not been successful. The US has failed to boycott Iran,” he said.

Under pressure to follow the line of the United States, certain countries of the Arab world and the rest of the international community have tried to boycott Syria, but this policy has reached a dead end because Syria will assume the leadership of the Arab League next year, he added.

On the possibility of US military action against Iran, Nasrallah said that psychological warfare against the country is the only thing currently on the US agenda.

He noted that US President George W. Bush is facing financial difficulties in waging his war in Iraq and can not start a new war with Iran, especially since there are serious disagreements in the US and the majority of US citizens do not want a new war, but rather are calling for withdrawal from Iraq.

Bush has no choice other than taking the advice of the Baker-Hamilton committee, and the US must resume its relations with Iran and Syria and pull its troops out of Iraq, he stated.

The Hezbollah leader also warned that the US seeks to create ethnic conflict in Iraq and elsewhere to divert attention from its own political failures.

Saudi to Grant Citizenship to Scholars

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 5--Saudi King Abdullah has given the green light to granting citizenship to foreign residents with scientific qualifications, the interior minister was quoted by official media as saying.

The king agreed to "granting Saudi citizenship to a number of applicants who have scientific qualifications ... and who will hopefully contribute to the country's development," Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said.

Authorities in oil-rich Saudi Arabia began receiving applications for citizenship in May 2005, a few months after the cabinet approved an amended naturalization law that made it tougher for permanent residents to acquire Saudi citizenship.

Unofficial estimates put at one million the number of residents potentially eligible for citizenship of the kingdom, where there are more than six million expatriates, mostly Asian, out of a population of 22.6 million.

The country does not allow dual nationality.

Expatriates seeking citizenship look to breaking free of the "sponsorship" rules, whereby they can only work if they have a local sponsor, or "kafeel."

The amendments to the nearly 50-year-old legislation approved by the cabinet in 2004 require a resident to have lived permanently in Saudi Arabia for 10 years before qualifying to apply for citizenship under certain conditions.

This doubled the previous requirement of five years.

The interior ministry also set up a system of points, based on criteria such as academic qualification and length of residence, to grant citizenship.

In addition, applicants must present a certificate from the preacher of their local mosque that they regularly attend the Muslim place of worship.

Finally! A 100-kg Canadian gold coin

From alalam.ir

OTTAWA, Canada, May 6--Got change for a million? Canada does: the world's biggest pure gold coin at 200 pounds. Already, three buyers have shelled out for one of the 1 million Canadian dollar coins introduced last week.

The Royal Canadian mint made the coins--20 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick--mostly to seize the bragging rights from Austria, which had the record with a 70-pound, 15-inch wide coin.

"They're not doing this because there is huge demand for 100-kilo gold coins," Bret Evans, editor of Canadian Coin News said Saturday. "They're doing it because it gives them some bragging rights in having the largest purest gold coin in the world."

"They'll kick the Austrians out of the Guinness World Book of Records," he said.

Listed as 99.999 percent pure gold bullion, the coin features Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Canada's national symbol -- the maple leaf -- on the other.

It takes about six weeks to make and has a face value of 1 million Canadian dollars ($903,628), though it sells for approximately $2.7 million depending on the market value of gold.

The coins will give the mint a higher international profile.

"We wanted to raise the bar so that we could say the government of Canada, or the Royal Canadian Mint, produced the purest gold coins in the world," said David Madge, the mint's director of bullion and refinery services.

Austria's 100,000 Euro coin ($138,155) was 70 pounds and 15 inches in diameters.

Evans said the Canadian mint recently lost some market share as mints in Australia, Austria, China and the United States pushed their own high-quality gold coins.

What does one do with a 220-pound gold coin?

Evans said bullion dealers use it as a promotional tool. A Japanese dealer, he said, puts one of the Austrian coins in public venues to draw people's attention.

"And while they're looking at that, they are being exposed to the idea of buying one ounce or half-ounce gold coins," he said.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From CBC news

he Royal Canadian Mint has produced the world's first 100-kilogram gold coin with a face value of $1 million. And they're for sale.

Why did it do this? "Because we can," the mint said on its website.

The coin is the size of a "very thick pizza" — 50 centimetres wide and three centimetres thick — and is .99999 pure.

It was originally meant to be a one-off novelty item to help promote the other gold coin the mint unveiled Thursday — a new line of one-ounce Maple Leaf bullion coins that will have a face value of $200.

But after several interested buyers came forward, the mint decided to produce "a very limited quantity" of the $1-million coins on a made-to-order basis for public sale.

Even though the big coin has a face value of $1 million, it won't sell for that. At current prices, the coin's 3,215 troy ounces of gold are worth well over $2 million.

A mint spokesperson said the coins will sell for between $2.5 million and $3 million. So far, the mint has received confirmed orders for five coins.

The Royal Canadian Mint faces international competition from a variety of other countries that also make gold coins.


Bush is A commander guy, not THE commander guy



What about a good command of English for a change?



Confusion stirred over US president’s linguistic mix up on his role in Iraq causes media satire.


WASHINGTON - The White House is trying to clarify something: President George W. Bush is "a commander guy" but not "the commander guy."

Or something like that.

On Wednesday, speaking to a friendly audience, Bush talked about his troop build-up in Iraq and rejected efforts by the Democratic majority in the US Congress to force him to accept a withdrawal timetable.

Bush, whose approval ratings have dropped as the Iraq war moves into its fifth year, contended that he had the authority to send the troops.

"The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm a commander guy," Bush said.

The official stenographer of the event recorded Bush as having said he was "the commander guy" and some reporters did as well. It was not far off from his past description of himself as "the decider."

But the quote prompted chuckles around Washington that Bush had given a new nickname to his constitutional role as the commander in chief.

So the White House sprang into action to try to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino took to the podium on Friday to clarify, while acknowledging to reporters that "you might find it a little strange."

"It's been reported that the president said, 'I'm the commander guy.' He did not. What I recalled was that he said 'I'm a commander guy,' meaning that he's one of the people that listens to the commanders on the ground," Perino said.

"Does he consider himself over the other commanders?" a reporter asked.

"He is the commander in chief," Perino said. "But the context of what the president was saying is that when it comes to making decisions about Iraq or war policy, that the president listens to commanders on the ground, not politicians in Washington."

Israeli involvement in Northern Iraq

As a mentor to the Kurds, Israel has exerted itself in every domain from the economic developments of the region and the utilization of oil resources to armament activities, the armed training provided to peshmerges, and even methods to alter the demography of Kirkuk, writes Mostafa Mahmoud.


Dear Editor,

“In case the US withdraws, Turkey and Iran will fight in Northern Iraq,” asserts Israeli media. This sensitivity of Israel, which has never welcomed Turkey’s good relations with Iran and tried to drag Turkey towards an anti-Iranian line” for a long time, is so affectionate.

Is ‘the potential fight between Turkey and Iran in the north’ after the withdrawal of the US from Iraq, what makes Israel anxious? Or, is it the fact that ‘the maintenance of Israel’s presence and influence in the region will be jeopardized’, after having settled in Northern Iraq with all its capacity? Naturally, Israel has struggled a lot to bring the Kurds to their current position. As a mentor to the Kurds, among other things, Israel has exerted itself in every domain from the economic developments of the region and the utilization of oil resources to armament activities, the armed training provided to peshmerges, and even methods to alter the demography of Kirkuk.

Is such a labor an expression of the affection to the Kurds? Of course not. Kurdish habitation was an expedient area among Turkey, Iran and Syria. Besides, there was a possibility to stir the internal affairs of those three countries by means of the Kurds living on the respective territories.

Against criticisms that it has been intensively supporting the Kurds, Israel always said that “this has never been an official policy, and that official organizations have never been involved in such activities”. Naturally, this situation cannot be explained as an official policy and official institutions could not be involved. Furthermore, visibility could not be attained to these activities. As a matter of fact, the conditions in Iraq required that. The strength of Islamic tendencies in Iraq and the continuing mistrust Arabs have of Israel have rendered it difficult even for the Kurdish leaders “that had surrendered to Israel” to make overt statements on this issue. “The relationship between the Kurds and Israel is not an offense, but should Israel decides to open an embassy in Baghdad, it can open a consulate in Kurdistan, as well,” said Masoud Barzani, having denied the presence of Israel in Northern Iraq against criticisms.

It would be of use to ask Israel and Masoud Barzani “how long these covert activities have been carried out through official governmental institutions”. Nowadays, almost everybody knows that such activities are perpetrated through commercial companies and non-governmental organizations like foundations and associations. Other than these, one should also mention Turkish authorities and diplomats. Is this ignorance an expression of a genuine innocence? Or, does it stem from the inability to appear otherwise? Anyways, there is no use further stirring this side of the subject. The important thing is the extent of the nightmare that the withdrawal of the US from Iraq would create for which country or group. Apparently, Israel is the most concerned country on this issue, having the most horrifying nightmare. However, we have no doubt that the US, always keeping Israel’s words, will never leave the region. Thus, we can “welcome” huge American bases in Northern Iraq from now.

Regards,

Mostafa Mahmoud

World reacts to Sarkozy's win

World leaders have congratulated France's president-elect, Nicolas Sarkozy, on his victory in Sunday's vote. Many hope he will help end deadlock over the EU constitution and boost international efforts on climate change, while the United States is hoping for improved relations. But not everyone was pleased with the result.

UNITED STATES

Nicolas Sarkozy
Mr Sarkozy has pledged to reform a deadlocked European Union

Mr Sarkozy, seen as a strong ally of Washington, is often described as "Sarko the American" by opponents in France, who criticise his open admiration for American values.

Despite opposing the war in Iraq, Mr Sarkozy has pledged to repair relations between the two nations that were damaged after President Jacques Chirac defied the US over the war. In his victory speech Mr Sarkozy said the US could "count on our friendship".

US President George W Bush called Mr Sarkozy after his victory to congratulate him.

"The United States and France are historic allies and partners. President Bush looks forward to working with President-elect Sarkozy as we continue our strong alliance," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

GERMANY

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Mr Sarkozy on his "convincing election victory," spokesman Thomas Steg said.

Ms Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency and is France's traditional partner in the union, also acknowledged Mr Sarkozy's plans to shake up EU processes after French and Dutch voters rejected the proposed constitution in 2005.

"In what is one of the crucial phases for Europe, it is important to continue the close, trusting and intensive co-operation between Germany and France," Mr Steg said.

EUROPEAN UNION

Diplomats in Brussels favoured Mr Sarkozy's calls for domestic economic reform and his proposal for an EU "mini-treaty" instead of a full constitution to streamline decision making in the 27-nation body.

"I know Nicolas Sarkozy well, and I know his determination to ensure France takes its full place on the European scene," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

"I have every confidence that Nicolas Sarkozy, whose convictions I know and whose strong beliefs are known to all, will play a driving role in resolving the institutional question and in consolidating a political Europe," he said.

But he called on Mr Sarkozy not to block talks on Turkey's entry into the union, which Mr Sarkozy has vowed to oppose.

TURKEY

In Turkey, newspapers reacted with dismay to Mr Sarkozy's victory.

"Alas! It is Sarko," Aksam daily said on its front page.

Milliyet newspaper outlined the fears of many Turks with the headline: "Sarkozy the new obstacle on the path towards EU", saying that the victory would "increase the potential of already chilly Turkish-French ties to worsen".

Mr Sarkozy has said Turkey's entry to the EU would mean the "death of political Europe".

Instead he called for a new "Mediterranean Union" stretching from Turkey to Morocco.

TUNISIA

Tunisia welcomed Mr Sarkozy's victory, offering an enthusiastic endorsement for his planned Mediterranean Union.

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali said the win would help strengthen dialogue between both sides of the Mediterranean in the hope of building a strategic and united partnership.

ISRAEL

During his victory speech Mr Sarkozy called warring parties in the Middle East to "overcome hate".

Israeli Vice-Prime Minister Shimon Peres welcomed this appeal, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed hope that French-Israeli relations would improve.

"I am sure that co-operation between us will be fruitful, and together we can push forward diplomacy and peace in our region," Mr Olmert said.

Mr Sarkozy says he favours the creation of a Palestinian state but has reproached the Palestinian Authority for not preventing violence against Israel.

The new face of France under Sarkozy

By Caroline Wyatt BBC News, Paris

Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal
Royal worked hard to beat the energetic Sarkozy
On Sunday night, it was a jubilant Nicolas Sarkozy who performed France's traditional presidential victory parade - around the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees, to popping champagne corks and the raucous cheers of his staunch supporters.

There is a feeling in Paris tonight that France, as Mr Sarkozy said in his victory speech, has turned "a new page of our history".

"In the republic that I want to serve," he said, "there cannot be rights without obligations. All must have their opportunity, but they must earn it by work, by personal commitment, by belief."

No-one is quite sure what will come next, but there is a sense of relief at a decision finally made, even if it is mingled with a fear of the future under its new leader, who has promised change and reform.

France's new president is a man best known for his energy and his will to power: a human dynamo, who left his opponents trailing and exhausted in his wake.

The Socialist Segolene Royal worked hard to beat him, but without the real backing of her own party and without a clear manifesto for France, she failed.

The 52-year-old Nicolas Sarkozy scandalised the Paris elite a few years ago when he admitted to constantly thinking about becoming French president, "not only when I am shaving in the morning".

'American neo-con'

Yet he was never part of that elite. He is the son of a Hungarian immigrant, who abandoned the young Sarkozy and his two brothers when they were young. According to several biographers, this left him with a burning desire to prove himself through sheer hard work and merit.

Nicolas Sarkozy
Sarkozy is a deeply divisive figure for the French
Nor did Mr Sarkozy attend the traditional elite school, ENA, but studied instead as a lawyer.

He went almost immediately into politics at the age of 22, becoming mayor of the upmarket Paris suburb of Neuilly at just 28 with the aid of the UMP's predecessor, the RPR - the party of President Jacques Chirac, who took the young Nicolas under his wing.

Today, Mr Sarkozy's enemies on the left mockingly call him an American neo-con, who just happens to have a French passport, or deride him as a short, power-hungry man with a Napoleon complex.

His supporters, however, claim with fervour that he is the only man who can save France from its economic and social ills.

What is clear is that the former interior minister - known for his tough stance on crime and illegal immigration - is a deeply divisive figure for the French, thanks partly to his un-ministerial language in 2005.

At the time, he re-assured a woman on one housing estate that he would hose the "scum" or "racaille" from the streets, and helped set France alight during the riots.

'Danger to democracy'

But French voters have decided that his brand of tough leadership is exactly what France needs to reform this ailing nation after 12 long years under Jacques Chirac, who later became Mr Sarkozy's implacable enemy.

Riots in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois
In 2005, Sarkozy's un-ministerial language helped set France alight
In the long battle between the two, Mr Sarkozy finally won his gamble, taking both Mr Chirac's UMP party and now the presidency from his former backer.

During the campaign, the Socialists tried to scare the French planning to vote for Mr Sarkozy, by warning that he was a danger to democracy and an aggressive politician who could not be trusted to keep his cool as president.

It was a tactic that clearly backfired.

Christine Lagarde, France's imperturbable and elegant trade minister, insists that image is a political fabrication.

"He's a man of action, who wants to get things done, who is driven," she says.

"France has many politicians with a lot of good ideas, but very few with the passion to act on them. He has real passion. It's what some people refer to as brutality, but he's a very passionate individual who is engaged in finding better solutions for this country."

Mr Sarkozy's former campaign manager, Franck Tapiro has known him for 22 years and says the new president's talents will change the face of France.

"He's a courageous man who has the guts to act and fulfil his promises. He believes that politics can change lives," he enthuses. "He is very dynamic, and for him life is about movement. He's the locomotive and always one step ahead - you just have to follow him."

However, Mr Tapiro acknowledges: "You either love him or you hate him. There is nothing in between."

Merit

In his recent head-to-head debate against Ms Royal, Mr Sarkozy very clearly set out his priorities and vision for France.

"France's moral crisis has a name. It is a crisis of work," he told the 20 million French voters watching.

Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac leaves behind him a stagnating economy
"I want the workers to be respected. I want to protect the French from seeing their jobs going abroad. I don't believe in living on social welfare. I don't believe everyone is the same. I believe in merit, I believe in effort and reward for that effort and I believe in social mobility. But above all, I believe in hard work."

With that almost Thatcherite rhetoric, Mr Sarkozy has made putting France back to work top of his agenda.

The 74-year-old President Chirac leaves behind him a stagnating economy, unemployment at 9%, and even higher among the young, with some 25% of the under-24s out of work.

So Mr Sarkozy has promised to make the 35-hour working week a minimum rather than a maximum, calling it one of France's most poisonous legacies. He also wants to encourage wealth creation and bring down the number of French bureaucrats.

Foreign policy

He is a clear admirer of the Anglo-Saxon work ethic and of the US. On Europe, Mr Sarkozy is in favour of a mini-Constitutional Treaty to be ratified by the French Parliament, rather than risk another referendum. And like most French, he doesn't want Turkey in the EU.

He's a very good politician on TV - part of a new generation of media leaders, like Tony Blair was 10 years ago
Political analyst Gerard Grunberg of Sciences-Po University
As for key alliances, he said in an interview with Paris Match that his first visit would be to Berlin, then Brussels, America and Africa. He didn't mention Britain.

Mr Sarkozy was, though, the only candidate to campaign for the French vote in London, seeking to woo the young back to France, and winning 40% of the vote there in the first round.

So would his foreign policy differ all that much from Jacques Chirac's? Government spokesman and minister Jean-Francois Cope believes not.

"There will be a large continuity on many questions, such as Iraq," he says. "And that is true for other big issues where France is involved. Then I would say it's a question of generation, of sensibility. Of course they will be different - Mr Sarkozy is 52, part of a younger generation of politicians."

Change

Yet, as leader of one of Europe's most stubborn and unpredictable nations, will Mr Sarkozy really be able to institute the reforms he has promised if the trade unions and others take to the streets in protest?

Political analyst Gerard Grunberg of Sciences-Po University in Paris wonders if he will be able to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign.

A young supporter in Paris Sunday
Sarkozy wants to harness the talent France lost during years of stagnation
"He's a very good politician on TV - part of a new generation of media leaders, like Tony Blair was 10 years ago," he says. "He was able to convince the French that he incarnated movement and change. At the same time, he promised he would protect people, so they felt secure.

"The French people are contradictory about that - we don't want change because we are really frightened by the future. But another part of us acknowledges that maybe we will have to change."

Nicolas Sarkozy will certainly need to try to unite this fractious, divided and uncertain nation, which fears it has lost its dominant role on the world stage.

However, the new French president remains a divisive figure. As interior minister, he took a hard line on uncontrolled immigration and talked frequently during the campaign of the need to instil French values via a Ministry of National Identity.

This made some in the multi-ethnic French suburbs feel uncomfortable and excluded - although many of immigrant origin agree vehemently with his idea of advancement on merit, rather than family ties or the elite background demanded by many leading French employers.

Unlike many French politicians, Mr Sarkozy has long been a straight-talker, even if it did get him into trouble during the riots - and may again in the future.

However, as president, he is well aware that his job is to unite the nation and act as the almost regal head of state the French expect from their leadership in the Elysee Palace, as well as kick-starting the reforms he has long promised.

Above all, Mr Sarkozy is determined to lead a nation that is able to entice back and put to use all the talent and the energy that France has lost over the past 12 years of stagnation.

Iran orders all TV drama to feature prayer

TEHRAN (AFP) - The conservative head of Iran's state-run television has said all homegrown drama programmes should feature scenes showing characters praying or they will be denied airtime, the ILNA news agency reported on Monday.

"In the current year, television productions that do not have prayer scenes will not be allowed to air," said Ezatollah Zarghami, who is appointed by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The new directive appears to apply to drama series and television films but it is not clear whether it also includes programmes such as game shows and sitcoms.

Citing a scene in a popular Iranian series where a murder suspect is shown praying, Zarghami said: "Prayer scenes should not be confined to positive and leading characters, the elderly and the clean-living types."

He said children's programmes should also seek to teach the young about praying, which mature Muslims are required to perform five times a day as one of the five pillars of Islam. All television and radio broadcast in Iran is state-controlled and the six national TV channels air a wide range of homegrown programmes as well as foreign documentaries, series and films.

Though conservative in its overall policy, Iranian television has experienced some relaxation since Zarghami took over two years ago, showing recent Hollywood films and controversial talk shows putting politicians and celebrities in the hot seat.

Religion also plays a conspicuous role. Programming is interrupted for the broadcast of the daily prayers, newsreaders invoke God before each bulletin and there are frequent readings from the Koran.

Officials have sought to make domestic television programmes more appealing in the past years to compete with satellite television channels which are banned in Iran but watched by many Iranians.

Israeli receives VIP treatment in Iran

LONDON, May 7 (IranMania) - An Israeli man reported VIP treatment after his Turkish Airlines flight was forced to land in Iran, UPI reported.

Benny Medvediev, 32, of Rehovot, was aboard a Turkish Airlines flight en route from Istanbul to Mumbai, India, Friday when it developed mechanical problems and was forced to land in Tehran.

Medvediev told the pilot he was an Israeli and feared he might be at risk because of tensions between Iran and Israel. The pilot refused his request to be secured in the cockpit while the plane made its several hour stop-over in Tehran, YNet News reported Sunday.

"At first ... I was scared to death," Medvediev said. "But they were very nice to me and even invited me to visit Tehran again. I told them, 'Let's make peace, I invite you to come to Jerusalem'."

Medvediev said the Iranian security personnel even gave him a wooden box as a souvenir from his visit.

Are Iran's missiles a threat to Europe?

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Monday, May 7, 2007

The Bush administration's plan to station interceptor missiles in Poland and a corresponding X-band radar system in the Czech Republic has triggered a major controversy. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has warned that Moscow may pull out of an arms agreement with Europe if the United States doesn't scrap this plan.

The U.S. government has justified this move primarily as a response to an Iranian missile threat to Europe, claiming, in the words of Robert Joseph, the U.S. Special Envoy For Nuclear Non-Proliferation, that Iran is capable of developing long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles by 2015.

Certainly, Iran has an active missile program and its military leaders have been publicly boasting of steady progress in the range, precision and sophistication of their missiles. Iran's missile arsenal consists of artillery rockets and short-and medium-range missiles with a range of up to 1,300 kilometers, too short to reach middle Europe.

This does not mean, however, as the United States claims, that Europe is at risk of a missile attack from Iran. Here is why:

First, Iran's missile program began during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in response to the horrific onslaught of Saddam Hussein's missiles raining down on Tehran and other cities; a U.N. study indicates that Iraq fired some 516 Scud-B missiles against Iran, which had a limited inventory and retaliated with 88 to 100 missiles during the course of the war. Since then, in light of a regional arms race, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states' acquisition of sophisticated jet fighters from the United States and Europe, Iran has relied on the relatively cheap alternative of missiles. These missiles offer an important deterrent in the event of a showdown with Uncle Sam because they are capable of hitting the nearby U.S. targets in Iraq and other parts of the Persian Gulf.

Second, Iran's medium-range Shahab-3 missiles are modeled after the North Korean Nodong missiles which are, in turn, based on an early Soviet model. Most experts agree that the Iranian missile system has reached its maximum potential and cannot be stretched into developing longer range missiles. Iran would need to master the extremely complex "multistage" missile technology in order to build them. So far, only a few countries have been able to reach this advanced stage of missile development and some of them, i.e., India and Israel, reportedly have had significant difficulty manufacturing reliable long-range missiles.

Third, Iran's other option of importing the long-range missiles from abroad, e.g., North Korea, is limited and unlikely in light of the U.N. sanctions against Iran and North Korea, which prohibit the export of missile technology to Iran. There is no evidence of missile cooperation between Iran and India or Pakistan, either.

Fourth, Iranian missiles are not serious threats until they carry nuclear warheads. But, so far there is no "smoking gun" to confirm the United States' allegations that Iran is working toward deployable nuclear weapons. In the words of the IAEA chief, Mohammad El Baradei, the "jury is still out" on this question. The United States' move to install the anti-missile system in parts of Europe is seemingly predicated, rather prematurely, on the failure of European-led efforts to steer Iran away from the proliferation path by means of sanctions and carrots. Iran may, after all, follow the "Japan model," that is, mastering the nuclear fuel cycle and thus become potentially nuclear-ready, i.e., turning into a quasi-nuclear weapon state without actually proliferating the weapons (due to their regional destabilization).

Fifth, assuming that Iran manages to defy the sanctions and assemble a few nuclear bombs, that does not mean that it would have the advanced capability to develop nuclear warheads. Simple nuclear explosives are generally far too heavy and large for such purposes.

Sixth, the net of economic, trade and energy relations that bind together Iran and Europe, reflected in the multibillion dollar gas deal Austria signed with Tehran last month, undermines the United States' projection of a Europe-unfriendly Iran.

Finally, in addition to alternative countermeasures, such as strengthening the global export control measures, the United States must consider Europe's own deterrent capability, e.g., France and England's nuclear arsenal, that would likely exact a heavy toll on Iran if it ever attacked any part of the European Union. Together, these make Iran's missile threat to Europe a remote possibility and the Bush administration's defense shield in Eastern Europe an unnecessary overreaction.

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi is a political scientist and the author of books on Iran's foreign and nuclear policies.