TheRepublic.com - Francois Hollande News

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.

Merkel, Hollande at odds over Europe's way forward

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:55:52 -0400

BERLIN - Germany and France recognize that their cooperation is key to overcoming Europe's persistent economic crisis, but comments Thursday by the leaders of the continent's No. 1 and 2 economies suggested they still have diverging priorities.

Eurozone recession is now longest in currency bloc

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:23:14 -0400

PARIS - The eurozone is now in its longest ever recession - a stubborn slump that has surpassed even the calamity that hit the region in the financial crisis of 2008-2009.

Nations pledge billions to rebuild Mali

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:27:57 -0400

BRUSSELS - A plan to turn Mali into a stable democracy rather than a terrorist haven drew massive support Wednesday as various nations and international organizations pledged 3.25 billion euros ($4.22 billion) to help reconstruct the conflict-ridden West African nation.

French economy falls back into recession

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:07:05 -0400

PARIS - France's economy is in recession again - and that could spell more trouble for Europe.

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.

French minister to discuss shaky Libya on US trip

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:24:37 -0400

PARIS - Terror groups ousted from Mali appear to be trying to set up a new haven in Libya, France's defense minister said Monday, vowing to discuss ways of helping Tripoli improve its shaky security with U.S. officials later this week.

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.

France: jihadist convert arrested in Mali

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:00:50 -0400

PARIS - French troops in Mali have arrested a French citizen who converted to Islam, took on the jihadist cause and threatened his native country in a video last fall, the military spokesman said Tuesday.

New Italian premier urges EU to focus on growth

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:15:35 -0400

BERLIN - Italy's new prime minister called Tuesday for European countries to prioritize economic growth over debt reduction, adding his government believes Europe needs to integrate further to overcome its current crisis.

New Italian gov't confirmed by Senate

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:19:11 -0400

ROME - Italian Premier Enrico Letta's cross-party government won a final vote of confidence vote in Parliament on Tuesday, giving life to a grand coalition that aims to put aside decades of animosity to return the eurozone's third-largest economy to growth.

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.

Limping al-Qaida offshoot rearms with Twitter

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:41:34 -0400

Battered by a French-led military campaign in Mali, al-Qaida's North African arm is trying something new to stay relevant: Twitter. The PR campaign by the terror network seeks to tap into social grievances and champion mainstream causes such as unemployment, all in bid to reverse decline and win new followers.

French family of 7 taken hostage in Cameroon freed

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:35:41 -0400

YAOUNDE, Cameroon - A French family with four young children kidnapped at gunpoint by Islamic extremists in northern Cameroon was freed after two months of captivity in what the father described as especially harsh conditions following the group's return Friday to safety in the Cameroonian capital.