World Press on the aftermath of sanctions in Iran and the role of Francois Hollande in Syrian crisis (August 10, 2012)

"French president under attack over leadership on Syria" is an article
published by the Washington Post on Friday. "President Francois
Hollande has come under a withering political attack from his
conservative opponents over what they charge is lack of French
leadership in dealing with the Syrian civil war," the article reads.
"The clear implication was that Hollande should be taking the lead in
organizing a Western response to the Syrian conflict just as Sarkozy
took the lead in pulling together the successful NATO military
intervention in Libya. Sarkozy’s prominent leadership during the Libya
crisis was widely applauded in France, which is traditionally eager to
show its influence on the international stage."

The British newspaper the Guardian published an article today headlined "Sanctions on Iran: 'ordinary people are the target'". Speaking about
the sanctions introduced against Iran by the world powers, the
newspaper notes that "while the sanctions' focus may currently be on
big institutions, in the eyes of ordinary Iranians, it is they who
bear the brunt." "With the latest embargo placed on the importing of
Iranian oil, sanctions are now tighter than ever. Western officials
argue that sanctions are aimed at punishing the Iranian regime in the
hope of forcing it to comply with international rules over its
disputed nuclear programme, but many Iranians see things differently,"
the author of the article adds. The newspaper enumerates various
effects of the sanctions on ordinary people, including the lack of
medicines, the growth of prices and the decrease of the Iranian currency.
"Activists say that, unlike ordinary people, the regime can find a way
out of banking difficulties with help from its proxies," the article
concludes.