'C'est l'élite finale'

Nicolas Sarkozy has thrown himself into the campaign fray this weekend with his first big rally - an unashamedly populist and nationalistic appeal to France's working classes.

IN THE PAPERS

By Elena CASAS

Le Figaro say Sarkozy was evoking the spirit of de Gaulle - showing that only he can fill the president's shoes - while for Le Parisien the speech was a populist and nationalistic appeal to ordinary people.

Liberation says it's beyond satire that a man so associated with tax breaks for the rich should now be trying to paint himslf as the people's president - and L'Humanité says it's a swing to the extreme right.

La Croix points out that if it's Marine Le Pen he's targeting, then he seems to be winning - she's going down in the polls as he goes up.

24/05/2013 - IN THE WORLD PAPERS

Olive oil U-turn: virgin on the ridiculous?

WORLD PAPERS, Friday 24 May: British papers continue their coverage of the brutal murder of a soldier in London; the New York Times looks at opposition to a new ruling that will allow openly gay youths to join the US Boy Scouts; and it's a big news day for "Olive Oil Times", with new olive oil rules on the EU agenda.

24/05/2013 - IN THE FRENCH PAPERS

'I've only got €100 million left!'

IN THE FRENCH PAPERS, Friday 24 May; Libération questions how security forces can guard against "lone wolf" terrorists; Le Figaro criticises the French president for "waxing lyrical" at a Social Democratic Party convention in Germany; and Aujourd'hui en France has an exclusive interview with businessman Bernard Tapie, who claims "I only have 100 million euros left!"

23/05/2013 - IN THE WORLD PAPERS

'It was better they aimed their weapons just at me, rather than everybody else'

IN THE WORLD PAPERS, Thursday 23 May: British papers are dominated by the brutal murder of a man in south-east London. The Telegraph interviews one passer-by who tried to get the suspects to put down their weapons. Also, The New York Times looks at declining drone strikes over the past 3 years and The Guardian looks at why French TV programmes are a gamble for UK broadcasters.

23/05/2013 - IN THE FRENCH PAPERS

French kids don’t know their onions... or many other veggies!

FRENCH PAPERS, Thurs. 23 May: One lady graces the front pages of most papers this Thursday: IMF chief Christine Lagarde. Libération carries a profile of her on the day she answers questions on alleged involvement in fraud; The Huffington Post has all the details of the case itself. Meanwhile, Aujourd’hui en France looks at the role of French jihadi fighters in Syria; and could your child identify an artichoke? According to the same paper, not enough French kids can!

22/05/2013 - IN THE WORLD PAPERS

Calling from the top of the world

International papers are speculating on the upcoming elections in Iran, after former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is excluded from the vote. Columnists in the US are still up in arms over attacks on press freedoms, in the wake of a wiretapping scandal involving the Department of Justice and the Associated Press. And a high-altitude phone call lands one mountaineer in big trouble in Nepal.