- FRANCE 24

25/05/2012 - MEDIA WATCH FRANCE

Power struggles in the UMP

Trouble in the UMP? After François Fillon said the opposition had no "natural leaders" right-wing politicians come out in favour of the former prime minister or Jean-François Copé, likely contenders for the party leadership. And holidays courtesy of the state: one MP took his family away on his parliamentary expenses. Finally we weigh up the online campaign of the National Front's parliamentary candidates.

25/05/2012 - IN THE FRENCH PAPERS

Air France: over-staffing and a jackpot bonus

The French press looks at the latest bad news for the economy. Air France is restructuring and layoffs are certain. Libération asks: what can the new left-wing government do? This as Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui-en-France reports on union anger that a former Air France CEO could, despite the economic crisis, get a "jackpot" bonus. That's the focus for this Friday, 25th May 2012.

24/05/2012 - FRANCE

Cracks emerge in France's conservative UMP party

Rifts have emerged in former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party after ex-prime minister François Fillon took aim at UMP boss Jean-François Copé for a second time Thursday, less than a month ahead of legislative elections.

10/05/2012 - IN THE FRENCH PAPERS

Greece - the first thorn in Hollande's side

Has Greece already ruined François Hollande's chances of building a European policy based around growth? And is the right-wing UMP party going to fall apart in the upcoming parliamentary elections?

06/03/2012 - FRENCH POLITICS

French Jews, Muslims unite in anger over halal meat row

French Jewish and Muslim leaders on Tuesday condemned remarks made by PM François Fillon that certain religions should rethink their "ancestral traditions" of animal slaughter, complaining they were being used as pawns in the upcoming election.

23/02/2012 - FRANCE

France bids adieu to the term 'mademoiselle'

French women will no longer need to declare marital status on official forms after the government demanded the term "mademoiselle" be dropped. Solidarity Minister Roselyne Bachelot (pictured) said the move would "end a form of discrimination".

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22/02/2012 - FRANCE

France bids 'adieu' to the term 'mademoiselle'

France announced Tuesday that the term "mademoiselle" would be banned from official documents along with any mention of a woman's husband's name, in a move Solidarity Minister Roselyne Bachelot (pictured) said ended "a form of discrimination".

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08/02/2012 - FRENCH POLITICS

Ruling party storms out of parliament over 'Nazi' slur

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party stormed out of parliament Tuesday after a Socialist MP accused Interior Minister Claude Guéant (pictured) of reviving Nazi ideology with a comment about not all civilisations being equal.

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03/02/2012 - CAMPAIGN CHRONICLES

Fillon defends Sarkozy's time in office

Last night's guest on prime time French TV was Prime Minister François Fillon, Nicolas Sarkozy's right-hand man. The French president has still not declared himself a candidate in this spring's presidential election. On air, Fillon managed to do a balancing act of defending Sarkozy's time in office, without offering a political platform for the future.

17/12/2011 - DIPLOMACY

'Political ploy' behind France's war of words on Britain

Relations between Paris and London hit a new low Friday after the French government joined the Bank of France in attacking Britain over the state of its economy. FRANCE 24 take a closer looks at the reasons behind the latest cross channel dispute.