Topic: Francois Hollande

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Hollande's victory: The world ponders a major shift

François Hollande's victory may represent change for not just France, but Europe as a whole.

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Gay marriage: Britain, France in surprise contrast

Queen Elizabeth II signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in England and Wales on Wednesday. France has also legalized gay marriages, but after massive public protests.
After slapping US, France finds itself in spotlight for spying

Reports says that several EU nations are engaged in surveillance programs similar to PRISM.
EU leaders win breakthrough on budget deal

The new, unanimous, multi-year European Union budget, which includes the first cuts to EU spending in its history, determines what the bloc can spend on common infrastructure like railway or road projects, farming subsidies, and aid to poor countries.
Hollande says debt crisis is 'over.' But is France really out of the woods?

Experts say that, despite Hollande's comments this past weekend, France could join Southern Europe's economic crisis if it does not introduce urgent reforms.
Mais non! French in uproar over English in the classroom.

The French Parliament is considering a new bill that would allow university science classes to be taught in English. Politicians and academics across the spectrum are upset.
Stefan Karlsson Could UK claim title of Europe's biggest economy?

Speculation that the UK could become Europe's biggest economy is wishful thinking, Karlsson writes. Germany is far more competitive than both Britain and France and will outperform both, as it has done in recent years.
Francois Hollande signs France's same-sex marriage bill into law (+video)

On Friday, France became the fourteenth country to legalize same-sex marriage. A campaign promise by French President Francois Hollande, the bill was hotly contested by conservatives in France.
As Europe struggles, the Franco-German alliance turns testy

The relationship between France and Germany undergirds postwar Europe – and some worry the countries' increased sniping over economic woes is threatening the EU's foundation.
Hollande's popularity hits new lows after a year at France's helm

President François Hollande was expected to bring about reform and fight austerity when he took office a year ago. But his term so far has been mired in protest and scandal.
Unhappy with your life? You might be French.

French people consistently rank among Europe's most dissatisfied in surveys, despite having a higher quality of life. Researchers are trying to figure out why.
French embassy bombing hits embassy and innocent neighbors

The French embassy bombing this morning in Tripoli, Libya, started fires in the embassy itself and several nearby buildings, including homes outside the French compound. Two embassy guards were wounded in the bombing, as was a Libyan girl eating breakfast.
France approves gay marriage after surprisingly violent debate

The French parliament voted to legalize gay marriage today, becoming the 14th country to do so. But France's road to marriage equality has been surprisingly divisive, bitter, and even bloody.
Explosion at French Embassy in Libya highlights security challenges (+video)

The explosion wounded two French guards in what appeared to be the first major terrorist attack on a diplomatic compound in Tripoli since the ouster of Col. Muammar Qaddafi.
Hasty, last-ditch gay marriage protest held in Paris

Opponents of France's same-sex union and adoption law, expected to pass next week, marched in Paris on Sunday, arguing the government should hold a referendum on such a fundamental issue.
In radical move, Hollande puts a bit more sunshine into French government

Beset by criticism after a cabinet member confessed to tax evasion, French President Hollande told his ministers to reveal their assets – a rare disclosure in a country that talks little about wealth.
Stefan Karlsson Euro countries take deficit limits with grain of salt

When governments pledge to meet certain deficit limits, it is worth nothing if the people who enforce the rules are the politicians themselves, Karlsson writes.
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy album targets French president

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy album: The singer-songwriter's new album features a song critical of French President Hollande. Clara Bruni-Sarkozy is the former 'first lady' of France.
France's president wants to extend paternity participation

French President Francis Hollande is proposing legislation to put more fathers on paternity leave, and wants to increase aid to single parents whose partners fall behind on child support.
No more big banker bonuses? Europe set to crack down.

Europe's financial ministers are expected to approve new rules today that would cap bankers' bonuses at two years' salary – a move unthinkable in the years before the Lehman collapse.
Abou Zeid killed? Local Malians say it happened, but French not so sure

Abou Zeid killed: Sources in Mali that Al Qaeda commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed four days ago as French and Malian forces continued their pursuit of Islamist militants in the northern part of the country.
Moscow says US aid for Syria helps 'extremists'

The Kremlin has urged the US to move cautiously. Moscow claims it is doing all it can to promote a settlement in Syria that avoids an Afghanistan-style militant blowback.
The Monitor's View In sequester's austerity, will US echo Europe's politics of fear?

The enforced austerity of the eurozone crisis has roused surprising public anger. European governments are falling. The US need not follow this path if Washington finds a consensus over fiscal issues like 'the sequester.'
Backchannels Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it?

The US has promised to do a lot more to help Syria's rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad, but is stopping well short of the kind of aid that might prove decisive.
Family of 7 kidnapped in Cameroon, including four children

Family of 7 kidnapped: Cameroon officials say a Nigerian Islamist sect kidnapped the French family of 7 vacationing in the country. Is the kidnapping connected to France's Mali military operations?
British PM David Cameron begins India trade trip as graft scandal erupts (+video)

Cameron's trip underlines how Europe's debt-stricken states are competing to tap into one of the world's fastest-growing economies. But Friday India said it wanted to cancel a $750 million deal for a dozen helicopters made by an Anglo-Italian company due to bribery claims.