Outside of a handful of newspapers, we don't get much news of Europe. The situation is not much better there either. The television stations carry some American news, but the only American newspaper generally available is the International Herald Trib, about which I know little except that it doesn't have very many pictures.
The French are currently going through an election campaign in which the current president, Nikolas Sarkozy, is generally seen as an underdog. He's running against the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, who also happens to be the former partner of the last Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal, who was narrowly defeated by Sarkozy in 2007. Royal and Hollande have four children together. They broke up shortly after the election.
Hollande is currently partnered with Valerie Treitweiler, a French journalist. Yesterday, the classy Royal endorsed her former partner at a rally in Rennes. Royal is thought to appeal especially to more marginalized voters. Her support increases the odds that they'll turn out for Hollande.
Said Royal, “It's true that I am in a situation that is unusual, that isn't banal. But I cannot repudiate my life with François Hollande. Indeed, you must admit that this couple's record isn't all that bad, with four children and two presidential candidates.”
Photo: Royal on the left, Francois Hollande on the right. The Australian.
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