The European Union cannot amend agreed rules on tighter fiscal discipline despite voters' rejection of austerity policies in several countries, and France's new leader must understand this, Germany's finance minister said.
Dilma Rousseff is interested in having French elected-president Francois Holland make an official visit to Brasilia to talk about the current world situation since the Brazilian leader believes they both share positions regarding the global crisis and austerity policies.
A victorious Francois Hollande faces a short honeymoon after his election as France's first Socialist president in 17 years, with financial markets eager for clear signals on his policies and how hard he plans to push back against German-led austerity.
Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy made an impassioned final appeal to voters on Friday, saying that a Socialist victory could send France spiraling the way of Greece, as polls showed him narrowing his challenger’s lead two days before the vote.
Five days before French voters pick their new president, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen announced she would cast a blank ballot in the second round poll of the election. Faced with a choice between conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party challenger François Hollande, the National Front (FN) leader said the two candidates were the same.
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande has claimed his campaign for the French presidency has forced German chancellor Angela Merkel to shift her thinking and accept the need for new measures to boost economic growth.
Wine enthusiasts across the globe gathered to celebrate World Malbec Day, a great opportunity for novices and connoisseurs alike to sample some of Argentina’s flagship varietal.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has emerged as a kingmaker in France's presidential race, sought to wrest concessions from President Nicolas Sarkozy by challenging him not to bar her party's way in parliamentary elections.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed directly to far right voters on Monday with pledges to get tough on immigration and security, after a record showing in a first round election by the National Front made them potential kingmakers.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote. He won only 27.1% of the vote, while his socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6%, the first time a sitting president has lost in first round. Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won with 18.1%.