France’s leftist-controlled Parliament passes bill legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption over stiff opposition from conservative detractors, sending the text to probable upper-house approval into law in March
France
The E.U. Budget: Champions of Austerity Win a Big Battle–for the Most Part
Sleep-deprived EU leaders adopt a vastly reduced 2014-2020 budget that leading European parliamentarians vow to send back.
Why the Europeans Don’t Really Want an E.U. Budget Deal
Three months after failing to reach agreements on whether to slash or bolster the E.U. budget, leaders gather in Brussels to find their positions still far apart
France’s Mali Mission: Has al-Qaeda Already Been Defeated?
Despite the French army’s rapid progress in pushing al-Qaeda-linked extremists to the nether regions of Mali, officials in Paris say full elimination of jihadi militias in the Sahel is more than unlikely
France’s Next Move: With Mali’s Islamists on the Run, Time to Talk to the Tuaregs
With France preparing to hand its anti-Islamist intervention in Mali to forces from neighboring states, Paris now encourages Malian leaders to negotiate with Tuareg rebels who teamed up with Islamists to dominate the north.
Mali’s War: After Surging Into the Islamist-Held North, Will France Retreat?
Franco-Malian offensive frees Timbuktu as the last major Mali town held by jihadi militias, but French moves handing over campaign against al-Qaeda allies in Mali to African forces raise doubts about future success.
France Celebrates Return of Convicted Kidnapper From Mexican Prison
Mexico’s Supreme Court frees Florence Cassez after seven years in prison for a 2007 kidnapping conviction that justices ruled was flawed by rights violations. Could that be the start of deep judicial reform in Mexico?
50 Years After Landmark Treaty, Can France and Germany Save Europe?
Ceremonies marking the 1963 Franco-German partnership pale in comparison to U.S. presidential inaugurations, but they mark an alliance credited with driving the E.U. — and the euro — toward greater stability and prosperity
The Malian Front: France Wins First Round of the War, but Now What?
Algeria’s Hostage Crisis: Did the Jihadists Have Inside Help?
As death toll in Algerian hostage attack grows, security officials examine Europe’s exposure to terror by al Qaeda-lined groups vowing revenge against France and the West for military intervention in Mali’s jihad.
In Mali’s Shadow: A Short History of French Military Mishaps in Africa
The French are not cheese-eating surrender monkeys. That’s an old canard—you know, a French word—sealed by unfortunate performances in the World Wars. But, as France’s robust recent intervention into Mali shows, …
Algeria’s Hostage Crisis: What Was Behind a Shadowy Militant Leader’s Plot?
As the Algerian hostage drama neared day four confusion remained high, information tight, and speculation about multiple motives behind the terror strike emerge
Westerners Kidnapped in North Africa — but Is France the Real Target?
Less than a week into France’s military intervention against Islamist militias in Mali, evidence builds confirming French concerns that their country has become the main focus of jihadi terrorist activity