French culture minister under fire over autobiographical account of paying ‘boys’ for sex

October 13th, 2009 French soldiers fire on Indian Ocean piratesPARIS — French soldiers in the Indian Ocean opened fire Tuesday on pirates, warding off an attack on two French tuna fishing vessels off the Seychelles Islands, a military official said. French military spokesman Rear Adm.

October 10th, 2009 Swiss writer Chessex, 75, diesYVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland — Jacques Chessex, one of French-speaking Switzerland's leading novelists and the first non-Frenchman to receive the prestigious Prix Goncourt, has died, officials said Saturday. He was 75. Chessex collapsed Friday evening while participating in a public discussion about a play that had been adapted from one of his novels, said Daniel von Siebenthal, mayor of the western Swiss city of Yverdon.

October 9th, 2009 PARIS - The French Ministry of Culture said Friday that five ancient wall fragments would be returned to Egypt to end a row that had suspended the country's ties with the Louvre Museum. The National Scientific Commission of French Museums voted unanimously to take the step, and Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand then signed a memorandum in favour of returning the antiquities, the ministry said in a press statement.

October 9th, 2009 Sarkozy popularity dips amid minister sex scandalPARIS — The sex scandal surrounding France's culture minister has come at a bad time for President Nicolas Sarkozy whose popularity among voters took another dip, according to a poll published Friday. The survey was conducted this week, when Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand had to defend his honor over a book he wrote describing paying young men for sex.

October 9th, 2009 PARIS - French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand has denied paying for sex with underage Thai boys and rejected accusations that he wrote a book justifying sex tourism. The Independent quoted the openly gay politician as rejecting calls from opposition parties for his resignation, saying his partners at Thai brothels were consenting adults.

October 8th, 2009 PARIS - A French police union said Thursday it will ask the Paris public prosecutor to open an investigation of Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand on possible charges of soliciting a minor. "We feel it is our duty to protect society against sexual predators, even if they are ministers," the France Police trade union said in a statement.

October 8th, 2009 PARIS - French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand has admitted to paying "young boys" for sexual acts while on holiday in Thailand. Frédéric Mitterrand wrote about paying "young boys" for sex during trips abroad, reports The Telegraph.

October 8th, 2009 French culture minister denies paying boys for sexPARIS — France's culture minister denied Thursday paying boys for sex, in an impassioned response to critics on the right and left demanding that he resign over a candid book recounting encounters with male prostitutes in Thailand. "I condemn sexual tourism, which is a disgrace.

October 8th, 2009 French culture minister targeted over sex tourismPARIS — France's culture minister is struggling to keep his job amid an uproar about a 2005 book in which he details Bangkok's brothels and the pleasure and freedom of paying "boys" for sex. Frederic Mitterrand's candid tale came back to haunt him after he jumped to the defense of filmmaker Roman Polanski, currently in a Swiss prison on U.S.

October 8th, 2009 French culture minister denies sex with boysPARIS — French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand has denied paying underage boys for sex and defended a book he wrote describing frequenting brothels in Thailand. Calls for Mitterrand's resignation have erupted this week over passages from a 2005 book, "La mauvaise vie" or "The Bad Life" where he writes about paying for sex with "boys" in Thailand.

May 8th, 2009 Emma overtakes Emily as top baby name for girlsWASHINGTON — Move over, baby Emily. Emma is the new top name among baby girls, ending Emily's 12-year reign.

April 30th, 2009 French lawmakers reconsider Internet piracy billPARIS — French legislators reconsidered a bill Wednesday that would punish people who illegally download music and films by cutting off their Internet connections. The bill was rejected in a surprise move earlier this month.

February 11th, 2009 GHAZIABAD - A marriage party turned into mayhem as three people were shot dead when Dalits and Brahmins clashed over rights of passage in a Ghaziabad locality Thursday evening. The incident occurred in Nayphal locality of Ghaziabad.

January 31st, 2009 JAIPUR - Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot may have backtracked on his statement criticising 'pub and mall culture', but youth in the state are not satisfied and say his views on 'moral policing' make him similar to Maharashtra's rabble rousing politician Raj Thackeray. Gehlot had clarified that while he condemned the attack on girls at a pub in Mangalore, he was against the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government encouraging 'girls and boys walking hand-in-hand in malls and cinema houses'.

January 28th, 2009 JAIPUR - Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has backtracked on his statement criticising 'pub and mall culture', issuing a clarification late Wednesday night after the remark created controversy in the state. The chief minister, while talking to media on Wednesday, said he was 'against boys and girls walking hand-in-hand in pubs and malls.' However, later on Wednesday, Gehlot issued a written statement, claiming that he was 'misquoted' in the media, and his move to end the pub culture in the state had nothing to do with the Mangalore incident.