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Liliane Bettencourt is among those offering up some of her wealth Some of France's wealthiest people have called on the government to tackle its deficit by raising taxes - on the rich. Sixteen executives, including Europe's richest woman, the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, offered in an open letter to pay a "special contribution" in a spirit of "solidarity". Later the government is due to announce tighter fiscal measures as it seeks to reassure markets and curb the deficit. They are expected to include a special tax on the super-rich. Before the announcement, expected on Wednesday evening, a letter appeared on the website of the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur. It was signed by some of France's most high-profile chief executives, including Christophe de Margerie of oil firm Total, Frederic Oudea of bank Societe Generale, and Air France's Jean-Cyril Spinetta. They said: "We, the presidents and leaders of in

Jack Layton is survived by his wife Olivia Chow (left) and two children Canadian opposition leader Jack Layton has died after a second bout of cancer, aged 61. Layton passed away at his home in Toronto early on Monday surrounded by his wife and children, his family said in a statement. His left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) surged to become the official opposition for the first time in May's federal elections. He stepped down only last month as party leader to fight his illness. In a letter released by the NDP after his death was announced, Mr Layton said he remained optimistic about Canada's future and its political system. 'Cherish every moment' "Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped," he said. "So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue." Layton urged readers to "to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of

What happened that night in Abbottabad. by Nicholas Schmidle August 8, 2011 . Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Inside the aircraft were twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team Six, which is officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. A Pakistani-American translator, whom I will call Ahmed, and a dog named Cairo—a Belgian Malinois—were also aboard. It was a moonless evening, and the helicopters’ pilots, wearing night-vision goggles, flew without lights over mountains that straddle the border with Pakistan. Radio communications were kept to a minimum, and an eerie calm settled inside the aircraft. Fifteen minutes later, the helicopters ducked into an alpine valley and slipped, undetected, into Pakistani airspace. For more than sixty years, Pakistan’s military has mainta