G8 gives unpopular host Nicolas Sarkozy a platform to polish his image (The Christian Science Monitor)

Berlin – Leaders of the G8 countries are discussing a wide range of issues at their two-day meeting in the French beach resort of Deauville: the Arab Spring, nuclear energy, International Monetary Fund leadership, and rules and regulations for the Internet.

One item is not on the official agenda, but no less important for G8 host Nicolas Sarkozy, is the French leader's need to boost his chances for reelection next year.

“Mr. Sarkozy is under no illusions about his popularity in France – it’s low,” says Philippe Moreau Defarges of the French Institute for International Relations IFRI. “Even though the French don’t care much about the G8 summit, it’s an opportunity for him to show himself as a leader.”

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Mr. Sarkozy is probably aware that his image needs some polishing. France’s initial reaction to the uprising in Tunisia and Egypt was seen as highly embarrassing: Initially it stood by the dictators Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak; former French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie even offered the Tunisian government help in quelling the rebellion.

Now Sarkozy wants to do it right: He has invited the new leaders of Tunisia and Egypt to Deauville, and lobbied the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support the transition to democracy in a number of Arab countries with up to 3.5 billion euros per year.

Sarkozy's cyberintiativeWhile his G8 colleagues back Sarkozy on the Arab Spring, they mistrust his plans to regulate the Internet.

The Deauville meeting was preceded by a so-called "e-G8" forum in Paris earlier this week, where the French president invited top executives of the world’s largest Internet companies as well as government officials.

“The Internet revolution doesn’t have a flag, it belongs to everyone,” Sarkozy said in an address to the e-G8. Having praised the Arab rebels who used Facebook and Twitter to coordinate their actions, Sarkozy went on to insist that the Internet was not a parallel universe. “Nobody should forget that governments are the only legitimate representatives of the will of the people in our democracies.”

France is known for its tough stance on cybercrime; it’s the only European country that cuts digital pirates off from the Internet. But particularly the US looks with suspicion at any plans to impose rules on the medium.

It’s unlikely the Deauville communique will contain anything more concrete than references to protecting e-business and copyrights, says Mr. Moreau Defarges. “This is a PR event, an opportunity for Sarkozy to present himself as a modern president, have his picture taken next to all these Internet pioneers.”

The nuclear questionOn the nuclear issue, the front lines are different – it’s Germany against the rest.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government is committed to phasing out nuclear energy altogether, asked her G8 colleagues this morning to join her call for mandatory stress tests on nuclear power stations around the world.

On Wednesday, the EU agreed on such safety tests for its 143 power plants, but France, which gets almost 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors, says it is unlikely to reduce its reliance on atomic energy.

Then there's the post of the IMF managing director. After Dominique Strauss-Kahn – up until two weeks ago not just head of the IMF but also a powerful potential rival in the candidacy for French president – had to quit his job over allegations of sexual harassment and rape, the EU countries agreed on another Frenchman for the job: Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

The G8 will not decide on her candidacy, but Europe, and particularly Sarkozy, will be using the occasion to lobby for Japanese and US support. They will need it, given that the emerging market economies have made clear that it is time for one of theirs to get the prestigious post.

So, can Sarkozy profit domestically by successfully hosting the 2011 G8 summit? Moreau Defarges is skeptical: “Deauville is short and the elections are a year away. Much can happen in a year.”

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Pakistan paints dismal image of bin Laden's end

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's military paints a far different picture than the United States of Osama bin Laden's final days: not the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, but an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al-Qaida.

Supporters of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami rally to condemn the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Friday.

Three of bin Laden's wives were living with him in the compound and are being interrogated by Pakistani authorities, who took them into custody after Monday's raid, along with 13 children, eight of them bin Laden's.

Their accounts could help shed light on the U.S. military operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and reveal how he was able to avoid capture for nearly 10 years.

One of the wives, identified as Yemeni-born Amal Ahmed Abdullfattah, told interrogators she had been staying in bin Laden's hideout since 2006 and never left the upper floors of the large but sparsely furnished building, said a Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the agency's policy.

The official did not indicate whether bin Laden was with her the whole time, a period in which the Pakistani military says the al-Qaida chief's influence and financial status eroded.

Disputes over money between bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, led the group to split into two factions five or six years ago, with the larger faction controlled by al-Zawahri, according to two senior Pakistani military officials. Bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days, they said.

The officers spoke to a small group of Pakistani reporters late Thursday, and their comments were confirmed for The Associated Press by another top military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues. The officer didn't provide details or say how his agency knew about bin Laden's financial situation or the split with his deputy.

The image coming out of Washington based on information seized from bin Laden's compound was far different. The confiscated materials revealed al-Qaida plans for derailing an American train on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. counterterrorism officials say.

They believe the plot, which seemed to be formulated in February 2010, was only in the initial planning stages, and there was no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack. The FBI and Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin with details of the plan to law enforcement around the country. The bulletin, marked "for official use only," was obtained by the AP.

Already tense military and intelligence relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have been further strained by the raid that killed bin Laden.

Both countries have an interest in their version of bin Laden's hidden life.

A weak bin Laden would make Pakistan's failure to unearth his hiding place in Abbottabad, a military town just two-and-a-half hours' drive from the capital, seem less of a glaring embarrassment, while a menacing bin Laden would make the U.S. Navy SEAL raid that killed him a greater triumph.

The proximity of the al-Qaida chief's hideout to an elite military academy and the Pakistani capital has raised suspicions in Washington that bin Laden may have been protected by Pakistani security forces while on the run.

Pakistani officials have denied sheltering him and have criticized the U.S. operation as a violation of their country's sovereignty. Pakistan's army, a key U.S. ally in the Afghan war, threatened on Thursday to review cooperation with Washington if it stages any more attacks like the one that killed bin Laden. The army is considered the strongest institution in Pakistan, but its reputation has taken a beating in the wake of the raid.

Risking more tensions, a U.S. drone strike on Friday killed 15 people, including foreign militants, in North Waziristan, an al-Qaida and Taliban sanctuary close to Afghanistan, said Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Such attacks were routine last year, but their frequency has dropped this year amid opposition by the Pakistani security establishment and people on the street.

Hundreds of members of radical Islamic parties protested in several Pakistani cities Friday against the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden.

"America is celebrating Osama bin Laden's killing, but it will be a temporary celebration," said Abdullah Sittar Chishti, a member of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party who attended a rally in Khuchlak, a town in southwestern Baluchistan province.

"After the martyrdom of Osama, billions, trillions of Osamas will be born," Chishti said.

Some of the protesters expressed doubt that bin Laden was actually killed since the U.S. has refused to release pictures of his body.

Al-Qaida confirmed bin Laden's death in an Internet statement Friday and warned that it would seek revenge by attacking the United States. And the Afghan Taliban issued a statement saying the al-Qaida leader's death would boost morale among insurgents battling the U.S. and NATO in Afghanistan.

Bin Laden and his associates did not offer significant resistance when the American commandos entered the compound, in part because "stun bombs" thrown by the U.S. forces had disoriented them, two Pakistani officials said late Thursday, citing accounts by bin Laden's wives and children.

Pakistani authorities found an AK-47 and a pistol in the house, with evidence that one bullet had been fired from the rifle, said one of the officials.

"That was the level of resistance" they put up, he said.

His account is roughly consistent with the most recent one given by U.S. officials, who now say only one of the five people killed in the raid was armed and fired any shots, a striking departure from the intense and prolonged firefight described earlier by the White House and others in the administration.

U.S. officials say three men and a woman were killed alongside bin Laden, including one of his sons.

Bin Laden's wife, Abdullfattah, was shot in the leg and did not witness her husband being killed, a Pakistani military official said. One of the al-Qaida leader's daughters did see the Americans kill her father, he said.

CIA officers have not been given access to the women or children in custody, the official said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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Pakistan paints dismal image of bin Laden's end

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's military paints a far different picture than the United States of Osama bin Laden's final days: not the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, but an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al-Qaida.

Supporters of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami rally to condemn the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Friday.

Three of bin Laden's wives were living with him in the compound and are being interrogated by Pakistani authorities, who took them into custody after Monday's raid, along with 13 children, eight of them bin Laden's.

Their accounts could help shed light on the U.S. military operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and reveal how he was able to avoid capture for nearly 10 years.

One of the wives, identified as Yemeni-born Amal Ahmed Abdullfattah, told interrogators she had been staying in bin Laden's hideout since 2006 and never left the upper floors of the large but sparsely furnished building, said a Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the agency's policy.

The official did not indicate whether bin Laden was with her the whole time, a period in which the Pakistani military says the al-Qaida chief's influence and financial status eroded.

Disputes over money between bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, led the group to split into two factions five or six years ago, with the larger faction controlled by al-Zawahri, according to two senior Pakistani military officials. Bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days, they said.

The officers spoke to a small group of Pakistani reporters late Thursday, and their comments were confirmed for The Associated Press by another top military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues. The officer didn't provide details or say how his agency knew about bin Laden's financial situation or the split with his deputy.

The image coming out of Washington based on information seized from bin Laden's compound was far different. The confiscated materials revealed al-Qaida plans for derailing an American train on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. counterterrorism officials say.

They believe the plot, which seemed to be formulated in February 2010, was only in the initial planning stages, and there was no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack. The FBI and Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin with details of the plan to law enforcement around the country. The bulletin, marked "for official use only," was obtained by the AP.

Already tense military and intelligence relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have been further strained by the raid that killed bin Laden.

Both countries have an interest in their version of bin Laden's hidden life.

A weak bin Laden would make Pakistan's failure to unearth his hiding place in Abbottabad, a military town just two-and-a-half hours' drive from the capital, seem less of a glaring embarrassment, while a menacing bin Laden would make the U.S. Navy SEAL raid that killed him a greater triumph.

The proximity of the al-Qaida chief's hideout to an elite military academy and the Pakistani capital has raised suspicions in Washington that bin Laden may have been protected by Pakistani security forces while on the run.

Pakistani officials have denied sheltering him and have criticized the U.S. operation as a violation of their country's sovereignty. Pakistan's army, a key U.S. ally in the Afghan war, threatened on Thursday to review cooperation with Washington if it stages any more attacks like the one that killed bin Laden. The army is considered the strongest institution in Pakistan, but its reputation has taken a beating in the wake of the raid.

Risking more tensions, a U.S. drone strike on Friday killed 15 people, including foreign militants, in North Waziristan, an al-Qaida and Taliban sanctuary close to Afghanistan, said Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Such attacks were routine last year, but their frequency has dropped this year amid opposition by the Pakistani security establishment and people on the street.

Hundreds of members of radical Islamic parties protested in several Pakistani cities Friday against the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden.

"America is celebrating Osama bin Laden's killing, but it will be a temporary celebration," said Abdullah Sittar Chishti, a member of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party who attended a rally in Khuchlak, a town in southwestern Baluchistan province.

"After the martyrdom of Osama, billions, trillions of Osamas will be born," Chishti said.

Some of the protesters expressed doubt that bin Laden was actually killed since the U.S. has refused to release pictures of his body.

Al-Qaida confirmed bin Laden's death in an Internet statement Friday and warned that it would seek revenge by attacking the United States. And the Afghan Taliban issued a statement saying the al-Qaida leader's death would boost morale among insurgents battling the U.S. and NATO in Afghanistan.

Bin Laden and his associates did not offer significant resistance when the American commandos entered the compound, in part because "stun bombs" thrown by the U.S. forces had disoriented them, two Pakistani officials said late Thursday, citing accounts by bin Laden's wives and children.

Pakistani authorities found an AK-47 and a pistol in the house, with evidence that one bullet had been fired from the rifle, said one of the officials.

"That was the level of resistance" they put up, he said.

His account is roughly consistent with the most recent one given by U.S. officials, who now say only one of the five people killed in the raid was armed and fired any shots, a striking departure from the intense and prolonged firefight described earlier by the White House and others in the administration.

U.S. officials say three men and a woman were killed alongside bin Laden, including one of his sons.

Bin Laden's wife, Abdullfattah, was shot in the leg and did not witness her husband being killed, a Pakistani military official said. One of the al-Qaida leader's daughters did see the Americans kill her father, he said.

CIA officers have not been given access to the women or children in custody, the official said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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Egyptian court orders Mubarak's name, image removed from public places

A Cairo court today ordered the removal of all pictures of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his wife from Egypt's streets, squares and public institutions.

Judge Mohammed Hassan Omar said the images would be taken down from "public squares, streets, libraries and other public institutions around the country," the official MENA agency reports.

According to the court ruling, Al Ahram online says, the Egyptian people "are now aware of Mubarak's corruption, making it important to rid the country of the image of control of his 30-year rule."

Mubarak, 82, stepped down from office in February amid a popular uprising and mass demonstrations.

He was recently hospitalized in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, where he is being held under house arrest. He suffered heart problems while being questioned about corruption allegations and his role in violence against protesters during the popular protests.

His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are also in prison pending investigations into similar allegations, Al-Arabiya reports.

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