France: IMF Chief's Presidential Election Chances Called Into Question

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images(PARIS) -- The weekend arrest of International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for alleged sex assault in New York City has his right-wing political opponents calling for blood in France where he was -- until his arrest -- the likely presidential frontrunner. The arrest has not only tarnished Strauss-Kahn's home country's image abroad, but potentially destroyed his own political viability.

The Frenchman has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of attempted rape, sexual abuse in the first degree, unlawful imprisonment, sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touching.

Strauss-Kahn is a leading member of the Socialist Party of France, the main left-wing political opposition to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right UMP party. The length of the United States justice process might preclude Strauss-Kahn from starting a political campaign in time for the Socialist Party primaries.

"He was at the head of the 2012 presidential field," Pascal Virot, the head of domestic political news for the French newspaper Libération, told ABC News, translated from French. "He was currently the clear winner in a Socialist Party primary campaign, and the only Socialist who had a chance to beat Sarkozy, according to recent polls."

Although he has yet to commit to run in the next French presidential elections in November 2012, an April poll of likely French voters by Paris Match-Europe 1 had him leading current president Nicolas Sarkozy by 7 percentage points in a run-off election.

That the alleged assault happened in the United States, a constant punching bag in the French media, has magnified the feeling of embarrassment for many French people.

"No one here thinks he can run for the French presidency anymore," Paris resident Virginie Hammel, 32, told ABC News, translated from French.

Strauss-Kahn told Liberation a few weeks ago that he could see himself being set up for a "honey trap" to tarnish his reputation ahead of the election in 2012. He said his opponents would attack his "money, women and Jewishness," in that order. He said at the time that his biggest challenge was fighting the public perception that he is a womanizer.

Strauss-Kahn is a father of four and is married to his third wife, American-born French television journalist Anne Sinclair.

A New York City judge denied bail to Strauss-Kahn on Monday before sending him to jail until Friday, calling him a flight risk despite arguments to the contrary by his high-powered defense team.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Fur Flies in South Korea Fendi Flap

Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Thinkstock(SEOUL, South Korea) -- Fendi's largest 2011 fashion show in Asia is on the verge of being scrapped after the hosting Seoul City government demanded the designer remove fur from the catwalk.

The Seoul City Government had distributed a press release last week indicating that the runway will include fur.  But after threats of protest and criticism from Korea's animal rights activist groups, the city is backing down -- and possibly getting ready to cancel the show altogether.

Fendi planned the grand event on Seoul's new ambitious Floating Island, a man-made 2.5 acre island facility on Han River, to be held on June 2.  Preparation has been ongoing for many months, including specially designed pieces exclusively for the show.

The city of Seoul has been campaigning to improve its image as a design city, and the Floating Island containing entertainment and international conference facilities is part of a landmark project to upgrade itself as a global destination.

But the sudden notice left Fendi, known worldwide for its fur craftsmanship, puzzled and disconcerted by the message of "no show if fur show."

"I met with Seoul City Government officials last March and at this meeting there was agreed mutual excitement and cooperation for the execution of this premier event," Fendi CEO Michael Burke said. "I'm surprised to learn of Seoul City's decision to possibly cancel the event."

More than 1,200 guests including foreign celebrities, global media, and fashion leaders are expected to participate in the event.  As part of a digital campaign, 200 influential bloggers were also selectively invited to broadcast live digitally at the show.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

IMF Chief Picked Out of Lineup by Maid; Arraignment Postponed

Brian Harkin/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The hotel maid who accused the head of the International Monetary Fund of trying to rape her in his hotel suite picked him out of a lineup Sunday, police sources told ABC News.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a man considered a likely French presidential candidate, was taken into custody at a New York airport Saturday after the hotel maid told police he tried to sexually assault her.

Police say at 1 p.m., a hotel housekeeper entered room 2806 at Sofitel in Manhattan -- a luxury $3,000-per-night, multi-room suite -- when Strauss-Kahn allegedly walked out of his bathroom naked and forced himself on the 32-year-old woman.

As she was in the foyer, "he came out of the bathroom, fully naked, and attempted to sexually assault her," NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne said.

According to her account, Browne said, Strauss-Kahn grabbed her "and pulls her into the bedroom and onto the bed."  He locked the door to the suite, Browne said.

"She fights him off, and he then drags her down the hallway to the bathroom, where he sexually assaults her a second time," Browne added.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken into custody at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday as he was sitting in the first-class section of a Paris-bound Air France jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport, just as the doors were closing for takeoff.  He was sitting quietly in his seat when police entered the plane, apparently unconcerned, police sources said.

Detectives from the New York Police Department picked up the IMF president from Port Authority police and took him to midtown for questioning.  After nearly 10 hours in police custody, during which time he didn't speak a word to detectives, police said, he was formally arrested at 2:15 a.m. Sunday on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyer denies the attempted rape and said his client would plead not guilty.

His arraignment was postponed until at least Monday morning while he underwent forensic tests to which he consented Sunday night.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Nakba Day Marked by Violent Clashes

Antenna Audio, Inc./Getty Images(TEL AVIV) -- On Sunday Palestinians marked “Nakba,” the “catastrophe” of the creation of Israel 63 years ago.

It is an annual day of mourning but tensions have been heightened because of loud calls online for a third intifada, the shooting death of a Palestinian teen in East Jerusalem on Friday allegedly by settlers or their security, general upheaval in the region and the recent unity deal between Fatah and Hamas.

At dawn prayers in Gaza, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeah said Nakba is marked "with great hope of bringing to an end the Zionist project in Palestine."

Sunday saw clashes in Issawiya, Hebron, and outside Ramallah, with demonstrations also taking place in Gaza and the West Bank. 

One person was killed and at least 15 others were injured when a truck plowed and pedestrians in Tel Aviv. The driver of the truck, who has denied that it was an intentional act, was later arrested by police.

Near the Kalandia checkpoint in the West Bank, there were scenes of tires burning and Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers. The atmosphere was completed by the smell smoke and tear gas in the air and the sounds of hundreds of protesters and sirens from ambulances driving through the crowd.

Several people were reportedly killed after Israeli forces opened fire on protestors at border crossing points in Gaza, the West Bank, Golan Heights and the frontier with Lebanon, the BBC reports.

Copyright 2011 ABC New Radio

IMF Head Accused of Sexually Assaulting Maid at NYC Hotel

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a man considered a likely French presidential candidate, was taken into custody by police on Saturday at a New York airport after a hotel maid said he sexually assaulted her.

Authorities said a maid at a midtown Manhattan hotel told police that Strauss-Kahn stepped out of the bathroom naked as she was cleaning the room and assaulted her.

Strauss-Kahn was taken into custody aboard an Air France jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport, just as the doors were closing to take off on a flight to Paris.

Detectives from the New York Police Department picked up the IMF president from Port Authority police and took him to east Harlem for questioning at the department’s Special Victims Unit.

Strauss-Kahn faces a charge of attempted rape.

NYPD officials notified Port Authority police of the allegations against Strauss-Kahn and asked that they "take him off the plane," Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told ABC News.

Port Authority detectives did so moments before the flight's departure, Browne said.

Browne said the maid notified hotel managers of the alleged assault and the hotel contacted police, who arrived at about 1:30 pm.

"She reported the attack to hotel officials who called police," Browne said.

When police arrived they found Strauss-Kahn's cell phone, Browne said.

"It appeared he left in a hurry," he said.

Authorities said the hotel maid's account "is credible."

According to senior police officials Strauss-Kahn has no diplomatic immunity, despite his position with the IMF, which makes him technically an administrative official with the United Nations.

On Sunday the IMF issued a statement saying that it had no comment on the case and that “the IMF remains fully functioning and operational.”

Copyright 2011 ABC New Radio

'Sweet Micky' Sworn in as President of Haiti

THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP/Getty Images(PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti) -- From pop star to the presidential office, that’s the journey Michel Martelly has travelled.

On Saturday, Martelly, 50, was sworn in as president of Haiti, a country still dealing with the devastation that resulted from the January, 2010 earthquake. Martelly, also known as “Sweet Micky,” was inaugurated in a ceremony held in front of the crumbled National Palace in Port-au-Prince. Among the guests at the ceremony was former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti.

During the ceremony there was a minor hiccup in the form of a power outage, however, the swearing-in was eventually able to take place with the presidential sash being placed on Martelly, and perhaps earning him the new nickname “President Micky,” which is his current Twitter moniker.

On April 4, it was announced that Martelly had defeated Mirlande Manigat in the race for president.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Fighting Cholera and Dirty Water in Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti

Thinkstock/Getty Images(PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti) -- On Saturday, former carnival singer Michel Martelly takes over the presidency of Haiti as that country continues to struggle with water-borne diseases like cholera following the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country in 2010.

Five thousand people have died in Haiti from cholera since the outbreak began in October 2010, according to United Nations officials.

World Water Relief, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, is a small group of dedicated humanitarians trying to fix the problem of dirty water in Haiti by installing clean water systems, but even more effectively by teaching kids how to wash their hands. So far, World Water Relief's cholera prevention program has taught basic hygiene classes in 100 schools and has reached 30,000 students in Haiti.

Although millions of dollars were donated in the terrifying aftermath of the earthquake, the country has still not significantly recovered.

"When I started going to down to the [region] doing medical mission work, I quickly realized that you can treat all these problems with medicine, but the real problem is that people don't have access to clean water," Dr. Kevin Fussell, vice chairman of the board for World Water Relief told ABC News.

Globally, more than 3.5 million people die each year from waterborne illnesses like cholera, according to World Water Relief. More than 80 percent of those who die from those diseases are children.

A deadly outbreak of cholera struck Haiti in October 2010, stemming from the unsanitary conditions that continue to plague Haitians.

"We were in Haiti [in fall 2010] when the cholera epidemic broke out, so it was really important to teach kids really basic hygiene," Tim Douglas, an education coordinator for World Water Relief, told ABC News. That involved teaching "when to wash your hands, how to wash your food, use a latrine, clean the latrine -- really basic stuff. But you realize it's difficult to do there, because you want to wash your hands but there's no clean water."

World Water Relief buys water filtration systems from a company called PURAUV, which sells ultraviolet water filtration systems. It installs large, 300-gallon tanks so that even if electricity cuts out, the purified water will flow out through the force of gravity.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Shanghai Implements 'One Household, One Dog' Policy

Chris Amaral/Thinkstock(SHANGHAI) -- China’s most-populated city is seeking to cut down on its dog population, by implementing a new rule which calls for a maximum of one dog per family.

The “one household, one dog” policy is scheduled to take effect in Shanghai on Sunday and applies to local city residents, as well as to foreign residents. According to Shanghai Municipal Government officials, the only people exempted from the rule are families who already have licenses for more than one dog.

City officials say approximately 140,000 of the city’s dogs are licensed, while at least 600,000 dogs are not licensed.

New city regulations will see licensing fees cut by 75 percent, dropping down to 500 yuan ($77), which officials hope will encourage dog owners to have their pets licensed.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

6.0 Earthquake Strikes Costa Rica

Jason Reid/Thinkstock(SAN JOSE, Costa Rica) -- A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Costa Rica Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quake hit the Central American country at 4:47 local time near the country's capital city, San Jose.

USGS has not immediately reported injuries, casualties or damage as a result of the quake.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Syrians Demand Change in Face of Military Crackdown

KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images(JABIR, Jordan) -- Syrians calling for democracy once again defied a brutal military crackdown to take to the streets by the thousands across the country. However, the death toll was far lower than it has been on past Fridays, when demonstrators have been protesting following midday prayers.

Despite reported orders from President Bashar al-Assad to his forces to not fire on demonstrators, a human rights activist said at least three people were killed and warned the number may tick higher as reports emerge.

This Friday was called the "Friday of Free Syrian Women," coming days after one of Assad's closest aides claimed the regime had the upper hand in the two-month uprising, adding that she believe the worst was over.

Friday's protests proved the opposite, a leading activist said, pointing to the fact that the masses came out despite the omnipresence of army tanks and soldiers.

"I think it's amazing what happened today," Wissam Tarif, director of the human rights group Insan, told ABC News in a telephone interview. "We're talking about the army everywhere, security apparatus suppressing people for eight weeks, 11,000 people arbitrarily detained, schools being turned into detention camps. And they still went. I think the regime got shocked today."

The United Nations said Friday it believes the civilian death count to be between 700 and 850. Activists said 10,000 or more have been rounded up, specifically men between 15 and 50, who make up the bulk of the protesters.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio