Topic: Charles de Gaulle

François Hollande – no more 'Mr. Pudding'?

Style – more than policy differences on austerity – separated Socialist winner François Hollande from Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential elections. France may have simply preferred Hollande, dubbed 'Mr. Pudding,' over bombastic Sarkozy. But Hollande may not be so soft.

In increasingly urban France, farmers still wield political clout

France's rural community is shrinking, but candidates in next week's presidential election are careful to woo farmers, who turn out in higher rates than other voters.

France's far-right presidential hopeful Le Pen clears crucial election hurdle

Ms. Le Pen – who has attacked the rise of Islam in France – garnered the required signatures to get on the April 2012 presidential ballot.

Is France's Armenian Genocide law merely a domestic ploy for votes?

The diplomatic repercussions of the vote in France to criminalize denying the Armenian Genocide have been substantial, but so are the domestic benefits.

French court convicts ex-Pres Jacques Chirac of corruption

Jacques Chirac, a savvy world diplomat and icon of France's ruling establishment for decades, will not go behind bars but was handed a two-year suspended sentence that goes on his criminal record. Anti-corruption crusaders, long frustrated by dirty dealings in the French political machine, rejoiced at the conviction.

Jackie Kennedy had her own thoughts about US and world leaders

Jackie Kennedy was interviewed by historian Arthur Schlesinger in the year after her husband's assassination. A book due out Wednesday details Jackie Kennedy's impressions about important people of the era.

Jackie Kennedy interviews are full of surprises

Before 9/11: The tale of an Afghan 'lion'

Journalist Ed Giradet met the remarkable Ahmed Shah Massoud during the Afghan insurgency against the Red Army. Twenty years later, on the eve of 9/11, he tried to see him one last time.

Libya rebels prepare for push on Tripoli: reports

Libya rebel leaders said this weekend that will try to recapture territory on the road to Tripoli, which could put them within striking distance of the capital.

Obama's speech to British Parliament praised for strength, humility

Obama is only the fourth foreign dignitary to address Parliament at Westminster Hall since World War II. He received a standing ovation for his speech on the US-Europe alliance.

Aircraft carriers gain naval clout

Aircraft carriers: The floating fortresses became the backbone of U.S. sea power after WWII, projecting military might around the world in crises and in conflicts such as Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Gbagbo plays 'ugly colonialist' card as France intervenes in Ivory Coast

French-speaking Ivory Coast has long had close ties to its former colonial power. But relations have deteriorated under strongman Laurent Gbagbo.

Renault apology to execs: You're not spies!

Renault apology to three executives for false charges of industrial espionage is followed by arrest of the man who made the allegations.

People-powered democratic revolts - do they last?

Analyzing a selection of political revolutions - successful and not - around the globe since World War II

France finds a hero in former Nazi prisoner turned bestselling author

Former Nazi prisoner Stéphane Hessel argues that figures like Martin Luther King Jr. prove that hope mixed with an 'unwillingness to compromise on human rights' can defeat oppression.

Paris airport traffic latest to be snarled by Europe snow

Strikes at a French deicing fluid factory led to a shortage that grounded planes at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport as the rest of Europe's transportation system slowly dug out of snow drifts.

Trains, British Airways planes, and automobiles all yield to Europe's snow

British Airways flights were canceled and delayed today due to snow and ice, with forecasters predicting bad weather through Wednesday. Travelers' frustrations mounted at airports over poor snow removal.

Concorde crash verdict vindicates 'James Bond' of planes

Concorde crash verdict came down Monday, with a French court ruling that Continental Airlines was responsible for the 2000 disaster that killed 113 people and hastened the end of supersonic commercial flights.

Europe snow storm death toll reaches 39

Europe snow: In many parts of Europe, train services continued to see heavy disruptions, but air traffic was returning to normal in many places.

France riots continue, protesters block airports

France riots: Riot officers in the Paris suburb of Nanterre and the southeastern city of Lyon sprayed tear gas but appeared unable to stop the violence. Outside the capital, hooded youths smashed store windows amid clouds of tear gas.