Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was to pitch his tent in Paris yesterday for an official visit that marks the Libyan leader's return to grace, after shedding his rogue image for that of trusted statesman ready to sign off on deals worth billions.
In keeping with Qaddafi's flamboyant persona, his visit is likely to be extravagant -- featuring deals to buy a fleet of Airbus passenger jets and possibly defense equipment, too.
But most symbolic for Libya's new status is France's plan to sell a civilian nuclear reactor to the country, once ostracized as a sponsor of terrorism.
It will be Qaddafi's first trip to France since 1973, though he traveled to Brussels in 2004 to extend an olive branch in a first step toward ending years of isolation.
For French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has made bold symbolism his leadership style, the gains could be multi-fold, from securing the hefty contracts to establishing a firm foothold in what some see as a new El Dorado.
A boost in French-Libyan relations, and a reactor sale, could also send a message to countries such as Iran, in a standoff over its nuclear program, that benefits await those that abide by international rules.
French officials are uncertain of the full program of the man whose official title is "guide of the revolution."
Sarkozy and Qaddafi are to meet twice for talks that are likely to focus on terrorism, and bilateral and strategic ties.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
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