The euro jumped to a five-month high after the first round of voting in the French presidential election on Sunday. Centrist Emmanuel Macron topped the voting, going through to the final round with far-right Marine Le Pen. Investors had worried that far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon would beat Mr Macron, giving voters a choice between two Eurosceptic … Read more
The euro jumped to a five-month high after the first round of voting in the French presidential election on Sunday. Centrist Emmanuel Macron topped the voting, going through to the final round with far-right Marine Le Pen. Investors had worried that far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon would beat Mr Macron, giving voters a choice between two Eurosceptic … Read more
A diplomatic spat between Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish. The attacks, using the hashtags #Nazialmanya (NaziGermany) or #Nazihollanda (NaziHolland), took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some ordinary Twitter users. … Read more
Beleaguered French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has urged supporters to fight on, in a speech to a mass rally in Paris. He told tens of thousands of supporters, many waving tricolour flags, that he would be cleared over allegations he paid his wife and children for work they did not do. The rally is seen … Read more
French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has suffered another blow as his campaign manager quit late on Friday. Patrick Stefanini said his resignation will take effect on Sunday night. Earlier, the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) called on Mr Fillon’s Republican Party to choose another candidate in the wake of a scandal over payments. It … Read more
Far-Right leader Marine Le Pen could become French president in May, riding the same wave of anti-establishment resentment which led to Donald Trump’s victory, according to several former prime ministers. Former conservative prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said: ‘Madame Le Pen could be elected.’ Another former premier, the Socialist Manuel Valls, has also warned of the ‘danger’ … Read more
French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon will launch a fightback on Monday against the fake-job scandal that threatens his campaign, a source close to him said. “Counter-attack,” the source said in a text message. Fillon “plans to tell the truth to the French people”, when he speaks at his campaign headquarters at 4 pm (1500 … Read more
Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year’s French presidential election after his rival Alain Juppe admitted defeat. With virtually all the results counted, Mr Fillon won Sunday’s run-off with nearly 67% of the vote. Mr Fillon promised to build a fairer society, saying France wants “truth and it wants action”. He … Read more
Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year’s French presidential election after his rival Alain Juppe admitted defeat. With virtually all the results counted, Mr Fillon won Sunday’s run-off with nearly 67% of the vote. Mr Fillon promised to build a fairer society, saying France wants “truth and it wants action”. He … Read more
Voters in France are choosing between Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe to be their centre-right presidential candidate in next year’s election. Mr Fillon is now seen as the favourite to win Sunday’s run-off, after securing 44.1% of votes in the first round a week ago. Mr Juppe had 28.5%. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was knocked … Read more
Former French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has announced he is running for president, vowing a “democratic revolution” if elected. The political system was paralysed, he said. “I want to free the energy of the able while protecting the weakest.” After serving under Socialist President Francois Hollande, he is now running as an independent. His move … Read more
Nicolas Sarkozy’s links with Muammar Gaddafi have come under fresh scrutiny after a businessman admitted delivering three cash-stuffed suitcases from the late Libyan leader towards the Frenchman’s first presidential bid. In an interview with the Mediapart investigative news site, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine has said he made three trips from Tripoli to Paris in late … Read more
France’s former Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron looks set to unveil his bid for the presidency. He is not expected to join the race to be the Socialist candidate, but as head of the centrist En Marche movement he created in April. The move has unsettled Republican rivals vying to be selected in new US-style primaries … Read more
US election: What does the rest of the world think? As the voting day in the US approaches, the world’s attention is focused on perhaps one of the most polarised elections in US history. Not only will the winner seal the fate of Americans for the next four years, but the result will also have … Read more