TheRepublic.com - Nicolas Sarkozy News

Beckham walks off in tears after last home game

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:50:19 -0400

PARIS - David Beckham hugged his teammates with tears in his eyes, then walked off the pitch to a standing ovation - for the last time in front of a home crowd at a football game.

French president signs gay marriage into law

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:17:50 -0400

PARIS - France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate.

Blatter: Not rational to play WCup in Qatar summer

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:29:33 -0400

LONDON - Playing the 2022 World Cup in the searing summer heat of Qatar is "not rational and reasonable," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in a newspaper interview.

Poll shows favorable views of EU in sharp decline

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:09:51 -0400

BRUSSELS - Positive views of the European Union by its citizens are near all-time lows. And no EU country is plunging faster into the abyss of gloom than France. Germans are broadly perceived as being the most trustworthy Europeans - but also the least compassionate. Britons, often seen as deeply skeptical of the benefits of EU membership, are in fact split right down the middle - 46 percent to 46 percent - over whether to leave the union or stay in it.

Editorial: French socialists fall out of love with their...

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:19:19 -0400

An editorial / By Dale McFeatters - French President Francois Hollande, deliriously welcomed into office last May 6 by the Socialists, who had been out of power for nearly 20 years, is setting a postwar record for a plunge in popularity, from 60 percent to 44 percent.

Thousands of leftists protest Hollande's 1st year

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:20:23 -0400

PARIS - Tens of thousands of supporters of leftist parties marched through central Paris on Sunday to express disappointment with President Francois Hollande's first year in power, criticizing the leader for reneging on his promises to rein in the world of finance and enact economic stimulus.

Cyr: In Afghanistan, corruption is just 1st challenge

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:17:36 -0400

When it comes to Afghanistan's independence and stability, "the first challenge is corruption," Bernard Bajolet, France's outgoing ambassador to that country, said Monday as he prepared to return to Paris for another post. - Diplomats are generally paid to be discreet, polished and smooth -- in short, diplomatic. Bajolet, in contrast, is blunt, saying that most of those governing Afghanistan do not believe in their own country's future. As if on cue, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the end of April confirmed reports that cash has been received directly from the CIA.

Lonely year for French president at time of crisis

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:11:53 -0400

PARIS - The sounds of raucous protest echo in the Presidential Palace, unemployment is rising to levels not seen in over a decade, and his country's economy has been called a potential time bomb at the heart of Europe.

French protest against gay marriage turns violent

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:00:00 -0400

PARIS - France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that exposed deep conservatism in the nation's heartland and triggered huge demonstrations that tapped into intense discontent with the Socialist government. Within hours, fiery clashes broke out between protesters and riot police.

Blackstone founder creates $300M China scholarship

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:43:55 -0400

BEIJING - A U.S. private equity tycoon announced Sunday the establishment of a $300 million endowed scholarship program in China for students from around the world, and billed it as a rival to the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Probe opens of alleged Libyan funding for Sarkozy

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:07:23 -0400

PARIS - Paris prosecutors on Friday began investigating whether the winning presidential campaign of former President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 may have received illegal funding from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime.