Valérie Trierweiler stuns France — and President François Hollande — by backing a dissident leftist challenger over official Socialist candidate (and mother of Hollande’s children) Ségolène Royal in Sunday’s legislative elections
François Hollande
François Hollande’s Leftist Allies Lead French Vote
Leftist parties appear set to capture a majority in France’s parliamentary elections, leaving François Hollande with a freer hand to enact the pro-growth, socially-attentive policies he’s promised amid Europe’s debt crisis.
What Did France’s Political Elite Know About DSK’s Sex Habits?
A new book on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief disgraced by scandals, reveals to what extent his friends and rivals knew about his sexual proclivities
Despite the High Stakes, French Voters Yawn at Legislative Campaigns
No one ever expected France’s legislative elections to produce the sparks and passion that this year’s presidential contest did. But given the stakes involved for France—and Europe—in whether Socialist President François …
Must-Reads From Around the World, May 31, 2012
A Dissident Speaks – In an op-ed in The New York Times, Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who is in New York after escaping house imprisonment in China’s eastern Shandong province and fleeing to the U.S. embassy in Beijing, …
Hollande’s Justice: France’s Leftist Leaders Seek to Cut Public Sector CEO Salaries
Don’t call it the revenge of France’s 99% just yet. But some top French business moguls do look set to feel a painful pinch in their bank accounts as a result of Socialist President François Hollande’s efforts to close the …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 25, 2012
Bo Fallout – Reuters reports (exclusively) that Chinese President Hu Jintao has demanded senior Communist Party officials stifle tensions over the ousting of ambitious politician Bo Xilai and show unity as they prepare for a …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 15, 2012
Deal in Nepal – The Kathmandu Post reports that Nepal’s major political parties have agreed to a future form of governance, with executive powers split between a directly elected president and a prime minister elected by parliament. “Negotiators from across party lines said that though the mixed model had some weak points, including a …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 11, 2012
Fruit Flare-Up – China’s turned to a new weapon in its dispute with the Philippines over contested South China Sea islands. State-run People’s Daily gleefully reports that “fruit from the Philippines will receive stricter …
After Greece and France: Europe’s Revolt Against Austerity
I have a piece in the dead-tree TIME this week that looks at the election of François Hollande in France and connects it to the democratic revolt happening in Greece. What do they have in common? Both are reactions to the …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 10, 2012
Pakistani Push-back – In an interview with the Guardian, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani insists his country did not shelter Osama bin Laden and blames global intelligence shortcomings for allowing the late al-Qaeda …
Must-Reads Around the World, May 9, 2012
Warring Words – China’s state-run Global Times issues its most threatening commentary yet on the continuing standoff with the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea. Under the headline “Peace Will Be a Miracle …
Meet Valérie Trierweiler, France’s Unmarried ‘First Lady’
A brief introduction to the woman accompanying President-elect François Hollande to Élysée Palace later this month