Charg d affaires

New Delhi: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in jail for corruption and influence-peddling on Monday (March 1). A French court found him guilty of trying to bribe a Magistrate by offering him a prestigious job in return for information about a criminal case against him. Sarkozy, however, will not go to prison as the court suspended two years of the sentence and allowed him to serve a year at home with an electronic tag. The 66-year-old is the first former French president to receive a custodial sentence, reported BBC. Along with Sarkozy, his former lawyer and the Magistrate involved in the bribery also received similar sentences. The three re expected to appeal against the order. The judge observed that Sarkozy knew what he was doing was wrong and that his actions and those of his lawyer had given the public "a very bad image of justice". The crimes were specified as influence-peddling and violation of professional … [Read more...] about Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to three years jail on corruption charges

A mainland spokeswoman has urged Taiwan to stay out of Hong Kong affairs after the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party made remarks about activists in the city who were recently charged with violating its national security law. Hong Kong police on Sunday charged 47 people with one count each of conspiracy to commit subversion for allegedly plotting, organizing and participating in last year's so-called primary election aimed at paralyzing the special administrative region's government. The DPP on Sunday said in a statement that the move by the police ran counter to democracy and the rule of law. The party also made remarks attacking the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong. Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said:"It is natural for the Hong Kong SAR government to hold lawbreakers accountable in accordance with the law, and there is no room for interference." Zhu urged the DPP to stop meddling in Hong Kong … [Read more...] about Mainland tells Taiwan to stay out of HK affairs

The Hanoitimes - The centrally-run cities are major cities being in charge of driving the development of the whole country. The Government has decided to upgrade three provinces into cities affiliated to the government, also known as centrally-run cities, by 2025. Vietnam is expected to upgrade three provincial level cities into national level municipalities. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn These provinces are the northern province of Bac Ninh, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and the southern province of Khanh Hoa, which will be added to the list of major cities including Hanoi, Danang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho. The centrally-run cities are major cities having a developed economy with a political, cultural, economic and social hub. These cities have developed infrastructure and science and technology, many higher education institutions and convenient transportation. They will be in charge of driving the development of the whole country. … [Read more...] about Vietnam to upgrade three provinces into centrally-run cities

WASHINGTON: U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich, an architect of the sweeping 2017 Republican tax cut, is under consideration to oversee a newly created US$500 billion coronavirus rescue loan program for large companies, cities and states, two sources familiar with the agency's plans said. The move is part of a range of staffing shifts within the Treasury Department to implement an unprecedented US$2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue plan passed by Congress last week. Muzinich, 42, a former Morgan Stanley mergers and acquisitions banker, also served as president of Muzinich & Co, a family investment firm, and was a tax policy adviser for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign. A graduate of Harvard as well as Yale Law School, Muzinich joined the Treasury Department in 2017 as a senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He played a key role in creating the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that passed Congress and was signed by President Donald … [Read more...] about Architect of Trump tax cut may run US$500 billion coronavirus loan program

New Delhi : Close to 40 lakh people have registered themselves to receive the Covid vaccines shot on the CoWIN portal till Tuesday morning, the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan told reporters on Tuesday. "It includes 34 lakh of those who were registered on Monday while the last I checked in the morning, more than 5 lakh people had registered themselves on the portal," he informed. However, the minister said that the actual number of registration could be higher. "As you know that from a single number, a person can register as many as four beneficiaries. Even if we reduce it to two, the number of actual registration may have gone beyond 70 lakh," he guessed. The couple chose the private hospital where they paid Rs 250 each for the doses received. By choosing a private facility over a public, Vardhan sent out a clear message which he reiterated that a person having the capacity to afford the costs of the vaccine, must get inoculated in a private facility. … [Read more...] about Close to 40 Lakh signed up on CoWIN till Tue morning: Harsh Vardhan