Nicolas Sarkozy, sworn in as the 23rd president of the French republic yesterday, has promised to make global warming and human rights the top international priorities of his five-year term.

He sharply criticised human rights abuses in China, Russia and Darfur during his election campaign, and said he would be outspoken in defence of the rights of man. The new president seems almost certain to appoint Bernard Kouchner, the Socialist former health minister, as foreign minister with a brief to promote France's universal values abroad.