Why do people go off when they change their status in life, acting like they are going to control the consciousness of those who see them ? that is some typically bloody stupid thinking – which seems to happen alot on Fridays.

Lawyers for Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have filed a lawsuit against a company for selling a bag featuring a nude image of her.

They are claiming $160,000 (£104,000) in damages from the firm, Pardon, based in the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

Her lawyers said neither Ms Bruni nor the photographer had given permission for use of the image, which was shot for a campaign against Aids in 1993.

The company says it has withdrawn the bags and will destroy them.

They have already been on sale in Reunion at a cost of three euros (£2.60), and were due to go on sale in France this week.

The white canvas bag features a black-and-white image of former model Ms Bruni, taken from a well-known 1993 photo of her standing upright in the nude.

Legal team

“Neither Carla Bruni nor the photographer has given consent for the use of the photo,” said lawyer Gesche Le Fur at the court hearing in Saint-Denis, capital of the French Indian Ocean island.

Ms Bruni’s legal team argue that the first lady did not want the image’s original goal of raising Aids awareness to be “hijacked” and used for commercial purposes.

An original print of the picture – taken by Swiss-born fashion photographer Michel Comte – fetched $91,000 (£59,000) at a New York auction in April.

The bags show the naked Ms Bruni with a speech bubble that reads: “My boyfriend should have bought me Pardon.”

Pardon boss Peter Mertes told the court that the 10,000 bags had been pulled from the shelves, and that the company planned to burn them.

Mr Mertes’ lawyer argued that the sum sought by Ms Bruni was excessive.

The court is expected to give its decision on Thursday.

Protective president

Correspondents say President Sarkozy has used the civil courts more than any other French president in a bid to protect his family.

He went to court in October demanding a ban on sales of a voodoo doll representing him.

An appeals court said the doll was an “offence against the personal dignity” of Mr Sarkozy, but it would be disproportionate to ban it.

In January, the Sarkozys also sued Irish budget airline Ryanair over an advert featuring Ms Bruni musing that, thanks to cheap flights, her Italian relatives would be able to attend their wedding.

A French court ordered Ryanair to pay symbolic damages of one euro to Sarkozy and 60,000 euros to his wife.

A French appeals court has said “voodoo dolls” of President Nicolas Sarkozy may remain on sale – but must carry a label saying they are offensive to him.

A lower court last month dismissed his demand for a ban, ruling the doll was “within the authorised limits of free expression and the right to humour”.

The appeals court judge found that “spearing the doll… constitutes an offence to the dignity of Mr Sarkozy”.

But, he said, banning its sale would be “disproportionate and inadequate”.

The judge ordered the makers of the kit – publishing company K&B – to pay Mr Sarkozy the symbolic sum of one euro in damages, as well as all other costs of the case.

Thierry Herzog, the president’s lawyer, said he was satisfied by the ruling, adding: “The important thing is that consistent principles and jurisprudence should be applied.”

In the course of the appeals court hearing, Mr Herzog argued that encouraging people to stick needles in Mr Sarkozy’s likeness went “far beyond” satire and was verging on “incitement to hatred”.

K&B said in a statement it had asked outlets with the dolls in stock to get in touch to arrange for the special labels to be delivered.

‘Sense of humour’

The novelty comes with a handbook and pins which users can stick into memorable quotes from the president printed on the doll, such as “Work more to earn more”.

Mr Sarkozy took K&B to court after the dolls went on sale on 9 October, but the company refused to stop selling them. His lawyer said the president had “exclusive and absolute rights” over his own image.

K&B also released a similar doll of Segolene Royal, Mr Sarkozy’s rival in the presidential elections last year, but she decided not to take legal action, saying: “I have a sense of humour.”

This is Mr Sarkozy’s sixth legal action since he was elected last year, but it is the first case the courts have rejected.

Voodoo has become associated with zombies and sticking pins into dolls to curse an enemy, but practitioners say this misrepresents their religion.

Hip-hop star Akon has pleaded guilty to harassment after he was accused of throwing a teenage fan off stage at a concert in June last year.

Injured fan Abby Rosa said she suffered concussion after Akon threw a teenage boy off the stage at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, north of New York City.

The rapper, real name Aliaune Thiam, has been fined $250 (£160) and ordered to do 65 hours community service.

His third album, Freedom, was released earlier this month.

The performer refused to comment as he left court in Fishskill.

‘Shoulder lift’

Audience members at the concert last summer told the Associated Press news agency that someone in the crowd had thrown an object at the singer.

Thiam had then asked the crowd to point out the culprit before a security guard picked out a 15-year-old boy and sent him to the stage, witnesses said.

The rapper is then said to have lifted the boy on his shoulders before throwing him into the crowd.

Abby Rosa said she had been hit by the boy and later told a newspaper she had been diagnosed with concussion.

A month earlier, Thiam apologised after footage of him dancing provocatively on stage with a teenage girl was posted on the internet.

The incident took place in Trinidad where he was performing at a nightclub. It was later reported that the girl was just 14.

Thiam said in a statement that he did not know the girl was underage.

It has a long, white sandy beach and several miles of beautiful, unspoiled coastline, but Prora, on Germany’s Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, does not feature in tourist brochures.

Perhaps it’s something to do with its history – as a Nazi holiday camp.

But the local authorities in Ruegen think it is time to turn a new page, and have approved plans to turn Prora into a modern tourist resort.

Strolling along the beach, you catch a glimpse of the imposing, concrete buildings which are partly obscured by a pine forest.

When you walk over the sand dunes, you are struck by the sheer scale of Prora, an eerie relic of Germany’s Nazi past.

The sprawling 5km-long resort now consists of five identical, six-storey buildings (originally there were eight buildings, but three now lie in ruins).

Mass tourism

The Nazis planned mass murder and they also planned mass tourism, as part of their attempt to indoctrinate the entire German population.

The vast complex, designed to accommodate 20,000 visitors, was part of the Nazis’ “Strength through Joy” (“Kraft durch Freude,” KdF) programme.

The aim was to provide leisure activities for German workers and spread Nazi propaganda.

The plans included a cinema, a festival hall, swimming pools and a jetty where Strength Through Joy cruise ships would dock.

The Nazis started building Prora in 1936.

But, at the same time, Hitler was making preparations for war. That took priority, and the massive building project was never finished.

During the Allied bombing campaign, many refugees took shelter here.

After the war, Prora was used as a military outpost for the East German army. But since German reunification in 1990, the buildings have stood empty.

Ambitious plans

Today, the whole place is still pretty deserted, except for a small museum and disco.

Locals call Prora the Colossus, and you can see why – it is a gigantic monumental structure.

There are hundreds of empty rooms, with many windows smashed by vandals.

After years of debate, the plan now is to turn Prora into a modern holiday resort.

Four of the five blocks have been sold to private investors and the district council of Ruegen.

The council wants to build a 500-bed youth hostel in one block, which will cost around 15m euros (£13m).

“Prora has one of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Ruegen. With its fine, white sand, Prora is like a Caribbean beach,” says Kerstin Kassner, a local councillor.

“It isn’t nice to have such a large, empty property on the beach, so we have to bring life back to this area,” she adds.

Developers have a new vision. They want to build hundreds of holiday apartments, with cafes, discos, hotels, sports halls and swimming pools in order to attract thousands of visitors.

“We want to revamp Prora as quickly as possible,” says Horst Schaumann, the mayor of Binz.

“We’ll be able to house 3,000 people here in the future. We want lots of young people and tourists to come here and enjoy their holiday in this peaceful resort,” he adds.

Mixed feelings

Construction of the new resort is due to start next year.

But the idea of turning Prora into a tourist attraction is proving controversial.

In the nearby seaside town of Binz, locals have mixed feelings about the new project.

“We’ve got enough tourists here already and we don’t need any more visitors,” one man says.

“Prora should be left as a reminder of the past and it shouldn’t become a package holiday resort. We must not forget our history,” Kathrin, a shopkeeper says.

“I don’t think that it is right to build a new resort here, because of what Prora stands for,” says Heike Tagsold, a historian at the Documentation Centre in Prora.

“This is where the Nazis wanted to feed and entertain people, as well as indoctrinate them. It’s not really a holiday destination. I can’t imagine coming here on holiday, and I don’t think people should enjoy themselves at this place,” she says.

It is not clear whether the museum will remain in Prora once the building work gets under way – but Ms Tagsgold insists it should.

“Far-right groups are powerful in Germany. We have to make sure that people understand what happened in Prora, so we need to keep this museum,” she says.

The plans for the new resort are still up in the air and the local authorities and developers have still not decided the museum’s fate.

“We won’t ignore the history of Prora. It’s a listed property so the building’s facades will be preserved,” said Guedrun Reimer, from Binz council.

But whether Prora can be transformed into a popular holiday destination remains to be seen.

American fast food chain Burger King is marketing a men’s fragrance with the scent of meat.

Called Flame, the company says the spray is “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat”.

The scent is on sale in New York for $3.99 (£2.65) and through a website that features a variety of romantic images – but no actual burgers.

Tags: akon, bag, bk, burger scent, carla, doll, Flame, france, nazi resort, nicholas, sarkozy