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The former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, has offered a harrowing account of his 20 days spent incarcerated, describing the experience as the most difficult time of his life. In his new book, *A Prisoner’s Diary*, Sarkozy chronicles his stay at Paris’s La Santé Prison, calling the time spent behind bars “a life of hell.”
Sarkozy notes that while overlooking the heavy iron gate, his cell resembled nothing more than a “cheap hotel.” He further elaborated on the poor living conditions, including a hard mattress and a plastic-like pillow provided for sleeping, alongside a washroom shower that emitted only a “few drops” of water.
The 70-year-old former president was sentenced in Paris for criminal conspiracy related to a scheme to secure funding from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential campaign. His practical imprisonment marked an unprecedented moment in the nation’s political history, making him the first former President of the French Fifth Republic to be actively incarcerated.
### International Briefing and Global Flashpoints
**Humanitarian and Conflict Updates:**
The volatile situation in Gaza was exacerbated by Storm Byron, which caused significant devastation. At least 14 Palestinians, including several children, were killed due to heavy rains, high winds, and the collapse of weak structures. Amidst the crisis, the UN Special Representative for Palestine appealed to the countries supplying weaponry to Israel—specifically the US, Germany, the UK, and Italy—to now bear the financial burden of Gaza’s reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel officially legalized 19 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
**Geopolitical Security and Diplomacy:**
The ongoing tensions between major powers saw US Special Forces seize defensive equipment last month during a raid on a vessel traveling from China to Iran in the Indian Ocean. In Ukraine, Russia launched attacks on two port cities, resulting in one reported injury. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan. Former Iraqi President Barham Salih was appointed as the new head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
**US Policy and Legal Challenges:**
President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a substantial $100,000 fee on the highly sought-after H-1B visa has faced immediate legal backlash, with 20 US states filing a lawsuit against the administration in federal court. Separately, President Trump claimed that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to halt all border hostilities, effective immediately. Furthermore, the US ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for eligible Ethiopian migrants.
**Crime and Justice Abroad:**
Iran confirmed the arrest of Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In a violent incident in Brampton, Canada, three Indian-origin truck drivers were arrested following a shootout between two rival trucking groups, with one suspect still at large. In Texas, USA, a 15-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend’s mother and her siblings.
**Miscellaneous Global Headlines:**
Scientific concern has escalated following the discovery of hundreds of ice quakes around Antarctica’s prominent ‘Doomsday Glacier.’ In sports, Argentine football star Lionel Messi, currently in India for a ‘Goat Tour,’ unveiled a 70-foot-tall statue of himself in Kolkata. Separately, the daughter of notorious Mumbai underworld don Haji Mastan, Husain Mastan Mirza, issued an appeal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to secure recognition of her identity.
