. 

CONFIDENTIEL
François de Combret, l'homme de l'ombre qui a propulsé Bernard Arnault vers l'empire LVMH

Collaborateur de Valéry Giscard d'Estaing et associé de Lazard, François de
Combret s'est éteint le 8 octobre à 84 ans. Son rôle dans l'acquisition de Boussac
par Bernard Arnault en 1984, ainsi que ses conseils à des leaders africains aux côtés
de George Soros, montre un homme trouble. Enquête.
 

OCTOBRE 16 2025 • 1:05 PM
5 MIN DE LECTURE PARTAGER

Les puissants disparaissent souvent dans l’ombre, la mort de François Polge de
Combret, survenue le 8 octobre 2025 à Londres, passe presque inaperçue. Pourtant,
ce banquier d’affaires, figure discrète des coulisses de la finance internationale,
n’était pas un anonyme. Ami et collaborateur de George Soros, il est surtout l’homme qui a
ouvert à Bernard Arnault les portes de la fortune colossale de LVMH.

Une fortune bâtie sur un coup d’État financier : le rachat à prix d’ami du groupe Boussac,
propriétaire de Christian Dior, qui a permis à Arnault d’escroquer l’État français, de licencier
des milliers de salariés et de s’emparer d’un joyau du luxe français. Mais au-delà de ces
magouilles industrielles, de Combret nourrissait une passion étrange, presque
obsessionnelle, pour les petits orphelins roumains – une "aide" humanitaire qui masquait
des lobbys d’adoption controversés, flirtant avec les accusations de trafic d’enfants.

Rio Tinto’s Simandou lobbyist dies waiting for AFP corruption probe

Peter KerResources reporter

Oct 15, 2025 – 5.00am

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We hereby inform you that we represent the legal interests of Iris Stalzer/Herdecke.

Ms. Stalzer was elected mayor of Herdecke in the last local elections and was seriously injured by her adopted daughter.

This incident has been and continues to be extensively reported in the media.

We have found that the reporting on this incident partially exceeds the limits of what is permissible under press law by reporting details from inviolable areas of privacy, asserting false facts, apparently passing on unfiltered information from security circles to the public, or even mentioning the real names of the minor children.

We expect you to adhere to the fundamental principles of press law in your reporting. This means, in particular, respecting the absolutely protected privacy and personal sphere of our client's family and complying with journalistic standards of due diligence.

Mothers affected by historical forced adoption practices will be eligible for financial payments and counselling support under a new redress scheme the Tasmanian government says will be the best of its kind in Australia.

The scheme will cover practices that took place between 1950 and 1988, when unmarried mothers were forced into giving up their babies because of the social stigma surrounding pregnancy outside marriage.

It is estimated more than 11,000 forced adoptions occurred in Tasmania during this time, part of around 150,000 adoptions across Australia between 1951 and 1975.

Many women were sent to maternity homes and had their babies taken immediately after birth.

We are a non-profit organization (registered under the French law of 1901, number W381015733), a recognized
public interest organization founded by dedicated volunteers. Our quest is simple: to understand our origins.

Von der Leyen's chief of staff is the man to call to get things done in Brussels. But for a growing number of critics, he has too much control.

By NICHOLAS VINOCUR,
MAX GRIERA
and NETTE NÖSTLINGER

He’s known as the man to call to get things done in Brussels. He leans on party bosses to exert his sway over the European Parliament. And he manages the European Commission, an institution of 32,000 employees, like an extension of his brain, watching over everything from social media posts to mid-level staff appointments.

According to team.recherche, the Argentinian public prosecutor's office is investigating 48 cases of surrogacy. The charge: human trafficking. The investigation was triggered by a baby intended for a German couple. The research provides insight into a multi-billion-dollar business.

By Lea Busch, Marie Blöcher, Annette Kammerer, NDR

In November 2023, the German couple Heike and Claude traveled to Buenos Aires to welcome their baby. Ruby* was born in Argentina to a surrogate mother. Heike and Claude were already in their late 50s at this time. They had previously arranged for the baby through an agency and paid almost 50,000 euros for the service.

Back in Germany, Ruby catches a cold. Heike takes the approximately six-week-old baby to the hospital because of breathing difficulties. The staff are puzzled: Ruby only has Argentinian documents. Heike's advanced age also seems to be noticed. Furthermore, she appears unsure of herself in handling the child. The hospital contacts the youth welfare office. They fear the child's welfare is at risk and take Ruby into care.

"New dimension"

By Vivian J. Salles Vieira Pinto

Introduction

On 9 April 2025, the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region issued a landmark ruling in Maria Concebida Marques and others versus the Union and Minas Gerais State (Lawsuit 1000920-39.2017.4.01.3801/MG), recognising illegal intercountry adoptions from the 1980s as enforced disappearances and awarding compensation to the victims. This blog post summarises the case and analyses the Court’s legal reasoning.

Context: Irregularities in Adoptions during the 80s

Three families – three mothers and two biological siblings – appear as plaintiffs in this case. A judge had ruled the children to be in an “irregular situation” due to poverty, declaring the mothers unfit to care for them; some were even subjected to mental assessments that resulted in interdiction. The children were later adopted abroad, to France and Italy. The families claim to be victims of crimes against humanity, including the enforced disappearance of children, arguing that removals served hidden interests behind abusive adoption practices rather than the children’s best interests.

Welcome

This website is a place for supporters of adoption legislative reform in
New Zealand

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This year, 2025, marks 70 years of the Adoption Act 1955 being used to permanently and legally sever people from their whānau and family.

Adoption Action 2025 event marking 70 years of the Adoption Act 1955