François Hollande joins a long tradition of French Fifth republic Presidents who have had affairs. Widespread attachment to France’s privacy laws, and a press corps that generally agrees with them, combined…
Political commentators are beginning to tire of saying that things can’t get any worse for French Socialist president François Hollande and his government. And yet, catastrophe after catastrophe, things…
While Barack Obama was getting the cold shoulder from Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg late last week, the mood was a great deal more cordial at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris as US secretary of state, John…
For opponents of same-sex unions, gay marriage and gay parenting are one and the same issue.
EPA/Etienne Laurent
The French love a good street protest, to the point where it could be thought of as a national sport. And there has been no shortage of people on French streets making their views felt recently. But there…
Legalise love: New Zealand approved same-sex legislation in a midst of celebrations.
NZN David Williams
The issue of same-sex marriage in Australia is again part of the national debate, after Independent MP Tony Windsor announced he was in support of a referendum on the question to be held in parallel with…
Will history look kindly on the French intervention in Mali?
EPA/Arnaud Roine
Why the French intervention in Mali? Last week, French daily Le Monde asked this question of André Bourgeot, specialist on Sub-Saharan Africa with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS…
French soldiers gather on the tarmac of the military airbase in Bamako, Mali.
EPA/Arnaud Roine/ECPAD
The French government has announced it will triple its troop deployment to the conflict-plagued state of Mali. On Monday, France’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gerard Araud, explained that France…
A screen grab from Generation Identitaire’s, a growing far-right French movement’s, “Declaration of War” video.
YouTube
Last month, about 70 activists of Generation Identitaire (GI) occupied the site of the unfinished Poitiers Grand Mosque. They unfurled a banner that read, “732 Generation Identitaire”, and asked for a…
Tackling France’s mounting sovereign debt will prove challenging for French President François Hollande.
AAP
Pressure is mounting for the recently elected French Socialist president, François Hollande and his government to address France’s sovereign debt, which is currently at a post-war record of 91%. France…
Will super Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, come to the Eurozone’s rescue?
AAP
Today Eurozone leaders will meet in Brussels. On the agenda is nothing less than the survival of the euro. Officially, it is about Spain: Spain’s economic and financial woes show the urgency. Moody’s drastically…
Despite a purported commitment to renewables, France’s new President will likely be outmaneuvered by the country’s nuclear industry.
AAP
The recent meeting of European Energy Ministers has exposed a Germany-France rift on the role of nuclear power. Post-Fukushima, Germany is investing heavily in solar power; so is Italy. But a French spokesperson…
German chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s new President Francois Hollande meet to discuss Europe’s economic woes.
EPA/Rainer Jensen
Europe is in economic dire straits and the two most powerful economies on the continent are, at least on paper, led by individuals with considerable differences. The previous French President Nicolas Sarkozy…
With Greek leaders still unable to form government more than five days after the election, the prospect of Greeks returning to the polls is strengthening.
The democratic executions of Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Lucas Papademos in Greece means the body count of European leaders guillotined by angry electorates has risen to 12. Sarkozy and Papademos join…
Francois Hollande has a tough challenge ahead, having won the French presidency.
EPA/Guillaume Horcajuelo
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande has won the French presidential election with 52% of the vote, ousting sitting president Nicolas Sarkozy. In hindsight, there have been few surprises in this campaign…
Greek citizens took their frustration out on the ballot box this weekend.
EPA/Orestis Panagiotou
The answer, even though they see over and over again that austerity leads to collapse of the economy, the answer over and over [from politicians] is more austerity. – Joseph Stiglitz, Asian Financial Forum…
At the Senat Coutumier in Noumea both the tricolour and the Kanak flags are still floating.
Photo: Marie M'Balla-Ndi
There’s no doubt that French President Nicolas Sarkozy needs the votes of the far right in the second round run off of the French elections this weekend. In the first round, right wing Front National candidate…
Marine Le Pen’s ideology cannot be defined simply as “right wing”.
EPA/Ian Langsdon
Marine Le Pen’s ability to attract nearly a fifth of the vote in the first round of the French presidential election was a resounding victory for her party. While Le Pen’s Front National (FN) did not secure…
Francois Hollande will struggle to consolidate his left-wing base and tackle Europe’s economic woes.
AAP/Ian Langsdon
France went to sleep last weekend knowing that almost a fifth of those who felt compelled to vote in the first round of the presidential election chose a party formed on an openly neo-fascist platform…
Nicolas Sarkozy will seek another term as President of France this Sunday.
EPA/Christophe Karaba
The first round of the French Presidential election is set to take place this Sunday. The latest polls show that right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy and his centre-left contender François Hollande are…
Carla Bruni’s daughter Giulia will never officially be known as a mademoiselle after the French government changed its policy.
EPA/Thibault Camus
Alongside sketchy rationales like postponing the whole rat race thing, a pivotal reason that I got my PhD was to avoid the Miss/Ms conundrum. As first world a problem as is imaginable, but it plagued me…
Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa and Assistant Professor in the History of International Relations, Utrecht University
Professeure de management stratégique, directrice des programmes du MSc Arts & Creative Industries Management à Paris et de la partie française de l'Institut Franco-Chinois de Management des Arts et du Design à Shanghai, Kedge Business School