France – Page 3

News

Francois Hollande Set to Become France’s First Socialist President in Decades

France has long been associated with leftist politics, but with the potential of Francois Hollande, Socialist candidate for President of France, winning the election against Nicolas Sarkozy never before have the prospects of a French return to leftist policies held so much consequence for the rest of continent. Marxism and the French Left: Studies on […]

French Embassy Staff Leave Iran.

Germany, Italy and Netherlands also withdraw diplomatic staff from their stations. After the attack on the British embassy in Tehran, France is withdrawing some of its staff as a temporary security measure. Britain has expelled all of Iran’s diplomats from its country in response to the attack on the British embassy that is believed to […]

Euro Bonds Are Rejected by Germany as a Solution to the Euro Zone Financial Crisis.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated her nation’s rejection of a common euro bond market as a solution to the financial crisis gripping the euro zone following a failed bond auction on the part of Germany to raise money for the joint effort to save the common market currency. The German focus has remained on […]

Bond Prices on the Rise in Europe as Fears of Contagion Spread Across the Euro Zone.

European Commission President Manuel Barroso says that the euro zone is facing a “systemic crisis,” while Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean Claude Junker reiterated his call for the formation of euro bonds to save the continent from economic calamity. The interest rates on bonds rose dramatically in France, Belgium, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands, demonstrating lack […]

European Pessimism and German Ambitions: Reasons for Worry?

The recent financial crises spreading throughout debt heavy European sovereigns has called into question the viability of the common currency and the whole European project. In its initial stages, the European Coal and Steel Community was proposed by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950 as a way to prevent future war from […]

New Greek Prime Minister Papademos Has Difficult Task Ahead of Him.

Recently named Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is said to be working around the clock to avert Greek default on their sovereign debt obligations. Like recently minted Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Lucas Papademos is a technocrat, heading Greece’s first coalition government in recent memory. Necessary austerity legislation is still wildly unpopular with the Greek […]

France’s Austerity Measures Strictest Since World War II.

To avoid the spread of contagion as well as deflect any potential fallout from the bubbling kettle that is the Italian economy, France has taken moves to pass austerity measures which are some of the most stringent the country has seen since the end of World War II. The new package includes cuts of 112 […]

Nicolas Sarkozy Calls Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a Liar in Conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama.

It’s never easy being a world leader particularly when one’s every move is recorded and scripted to minimize spontaneity and chaos. Given this restrained public face, the recent leak of a private conversation between President Barack Obama and President Nicolas Sarkozy proved to be a boon for those who like to know what goes on […]

Italian Bonds Nearing 7%, Calls for Berlusconi to Step Down Increase.

Italian bonds edged dangerously closer to the 7% threshold at which investors have determined Italy will have severe difficulties refinancing its debt or even paying it back in a timely fashion. The spread of panic from Greece to Italy seems to be controlled thus far but if Italian bond yields reach the 7% mark the […]

Explosion at French Marcoule nuclear plant.

One person has been killed and four others injured at a fire at a nuclear waste site in France. A security cordon has been set up around the perimeter of the reprocessing plant where plutonium used for nuclear weapons is reprocessed into fuel for nuclear reactors. Because of this there is no danger of a […]