French president to wed

Recently divorced French President Nicolas Sarkozy will marry his girlfriend, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni, next month, a French newspaper reported Sunday. Sarkozy gave Bruni a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring in December, and the two are expected to wed on Feb. 8 or 9, the weekly Le Journal Du Dimanche reported. The presidential palace declined to comment. Sarkozy, who divorced his wife Cecilia in October, has flaunted his relationship with Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan. It will be Sarkozy's third marriage. Bruni has previously been linked to various celebrities, including Mick Jagger and Donald Trump.

Passages

Charles McKenzie "Mack" Taylor, 78, a real-estate mogul who helped shape Atlanta's ritzy Buckhead neighborhood, died Saturday in Atlanta after battling Alzheimer's disease for more than a decade.

Max Rosenbaum, 85, whose son was killed in an assault that sparked violent race riots in New York in 1991, died Friday after suffering a heart attack in Melbourne, Australia, relatives said. He was 85.

Today in History

1610: Astronomer Galileo Galilei began observing three of Jupiter's moons.

1789: The first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.

1927: Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.

1998: Convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols escaped the death penalty when a jury deadlocked over his punishment.

Today's Birthdays

Pop musician Paul Revere, 70. Singer Kenny Loggins, 60. Actor David Caruso, 52. "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, 51. Actor David Marciano, 48. Actor Nicolas Cage, 44. Actor Dustin Diamond, 31. Actor Robert Ri'chard, 25. Actor Liam Aiken, 18. Actress Camryn Grimes, 18.

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