French President Nicolas Sarkozy was recovering in the hospital today, a day after he collapsed while jogging in hot weather, his office said.

France’s human rights minister tonight denied a report that quoted her as saying President Nicolas Sarkozy would boycott the Olympic opening ceremony unless China releases political prisoners and starts talks with the Dalai Lama.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown today insisted he would attend the Beijing Olympics, despite a warning by the French that President Nicolas Sarkozy will boycott the Games unless China opens talks with the Dalai Lama.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy could boycott the Olympics opening ceremony unless China releases political prisoners and opens a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, a French government minister was today quoted as saying.

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gadaffi raised his fist triumphantly in the air upon arrival at the French presidential palace today for an official visit meant to confer new respect on the one-time international outcast.

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is in Paris today for an official visit that marks the Libyan leader’s return to grace.

Nicolas Sarkozy made a minor gaffe on his first US visit as France’s president by wrongly suggesting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recent immigrant roots.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned an attempt by a French group to spirit more than 100 children out of Chad on the grounds that they were orphans from Darfur in danger of being killed.

Authorities in Chad said today they were holding seven crew members of a plane contracted to fly more than 100 children out of the impoverished African country, as President Idriss Deby called an attempt by nine French citizens to take the children away to Europe “shocking” and promised punishment for anyone found to have been involved.

France’s new government was holding its first Cabinet meeting today, taking up a first batch of planned reforms, as President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to move fast on changes now that a new government is in place.

Former lawyer Christine Lagarde was named finance minister and Jean-Louis Borloo, her predecessor, took over as the environment and energy minister in a reshuffle today of France’s month-old government.