Socialist Francois Hollande is elected as France’s president, defeating incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, in a vote that has wide implications for the eurozone.

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Hollande wins French presidency

François Hollande became the first Socialist president of France since 1995, but his victory over Nicolas Sarkozy will also be seen as a challenge to the policy of austerity in the euro zone.

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Hollande Defeats Sarkozy in France

ATHENS — Greeks went to the polls Sunday to cast away a decades-old political order, dealing a major defeat to backers of an international bailout that has brought crushing austerity to the country. A cacophony of new voices will have their say in Parliament after a majority of Greeks rejected the two pro-bailout political parties that have dominated the country’s government since the fall of the dictatorship almost 40 years ago, according to an exit poll released after voting stations closed. A weak coalition government between the remnants of those major parties may be the result, analysts say, but its flexibility — and legitimacy — to push further painful austerity measures on the Greek people is likely to be tightly constrained. Read full article > >

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In Greek elections, voters reject pro-bailout parties

French President Nicolas Sarkozy spends the day with his family and his challenger Francois Hollande visits a market a day before the crucial second round.

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French ponder Sunday poll choice

French President Nicolas Sarkozy believes Sunday’s presidential election run-off against Francois Hollande will be decided by the tightest margin.

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French vote ‘too close to call’

Nicolas Sarkozy faces his last chance to swing the French election when he meets Socialist favourite Francois Hollande in their only debate.

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French rivals to face off at last

French President Nicolas Sarkozy rules out doing any election deal with the far-right National Front but says its voters should not be demonised.

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Sarkozy rules out far right deal

PARIS — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund and once a leading candidate to become president of France, learned Monday night that he would face a formal investigation on allegations that he helped procure prostitutes for sex parties he attended in Washington, Paris and elsewhere. Read full article > >

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Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces formal investigation in French prostitution case

Nicolas Sarkozy plans to clamp down on militant Muslim preachers entering France, as the country’s presidential election looms.

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Sarkozy bars militant preachers

PARIS — The brother of the gunman who killed seven people last week was taken to Paris on Saturday for further questioning, and a police source disclosed that the man had said he was “proud” of his brother’s killing spree. Read full article > >

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French gunman’s ‘proud’ brother questioned

The murder of four at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, the worst act of anti-Semitic violence since 1982, was a tragedy. And yet, there was also an aspect of this killing which, up to now, has been largely overlooked. As the New York Times reported , French President Nicolas Sarkozy “has sent gendarmes and riot police officers to guard all Jewish and Muslim schools and places of worship until the killer is stopped.” Other media, pointing to the same gun being used in other murders over the past week or so, have speculated that the killer may be a serial killer – one whose victims also include French Muslim soldiers headed to Afghanistan. So here is the puzzle. French Jews and Muslims have made common cause against this extremist, even as Middle Eastern Jews and Muslims are at each others’ throats. So whether Jews and Muslims are allies or enemies seemingly depends on the quirks of geography. The same Muslim with whom I, a Jew, am allied in France becomes my fearsome enemy in the Middle East. This makes sense?

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Ending the Muslim-Jewish Blame Game

The recent downgrade of French debt, though not unexpected, adds to the challenges facing the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, as he seeks re-election.

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France’s Gloomy Economic Outlook Haunts Presidential Race

A reworking of the cult German New Year sketch Dinner For One, featuring Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, is a hit on YouTube.

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Merkel and Sarkozy in YouTube hit

Prime Minister David Cameron is due to discuss the eurozone debt crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during talks in Paris later.

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PM and Sarkozy in eurozone talks

French President Nicolas Sarkozy begins a weekend of talks on the eurozone debt crisis by meeting IMF chief Christine Lagarde in Paris.

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Sarkozy meeting IMF chief on debt