Article 50 could be triggered on Tuesday

David Lidington, the Commons Leader, said the Prime Minister’s statement on the EU Council had been moved from Monday to Tuesday – blaming diary commitments. “It is absolutely necessary that, before talking about everything else, we need to clarify that United Kingdom citizens and European citizens can not be the victim of the political games we have seen since Brexit”.

Leaders of euro zone’s biggest economies back multi-speed Europe

News selected on topics and regions – oil and gas, business, politics, IT, the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia Ranking of the Azerbaijani banking sector The leaders of the euro zone’s four biggest economies threw their weight behind a multi-speed Europe on Monday as the European Union ponders a future without Britain, Reuters reported. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain met at the palace of Versailles to prepare for a March 25 EU summit in Rome marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for European integration.

Assad lashes out at Hollande before polls

Syrian President Bashar Assad lashed out at his French counterpart on Thursday, accusing Francois Hollande of sponsoring terror in Syria and encouraging Western nations to reset their relations with his pariah government, after six years of civil war. The comments, which came in an interview with to French media outlets Europe 1 and TF1, were the latest in a string of Assad’s public remarks aimed at revamping his image in the West in the wake of military victories on the ground in Syria.

Louvre museums reopens; Egypt identifies machete attacker

The Louvre Museum reopened to the public Saturday, less than 24 hours after a machete-wielding assailant shouting “Allahu akbar!” attacked French soldiers guarding the sprawling building and was shot by them. The worldwide draw of the iconic museum in central Paris, host to thousands of artworks including the “Mona Lisa,” was on full display on a drizzly winter day as international tourists filed by armed police and soldiers patrolling outside the site, which had been closed immediately after Friday’s attack.

Father of Louvre attacker says son is not a terrorist

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Hollande calls on EU leaders to refuse ‘pressure’ from US

Valletta, Feb 4 – French President Francois Hollande called on European Union leaders to refuse any pressure from the US administration and to reflect a complete independence on its future, particularly on defence, trade and its relations with Russia. Hollande did not rule out the possibility of a multi-speed Europe when addressing the press during the European Union informal summit here, Xinhua news agency reported.

Peter Oborne: Truth is the Eu is more bigoted than the Us

This week has seen worldwide outrage against President Donald Trump and his temporary ban on people entering the United States from seven mostly Muslim countries. There have been demonstrations across the globe and a petition here trying to stop the President’s State visit to the UK has been signed more than 1.8 million times.

Louvre attack: Attacker believed to be Egyptian

French investigators believe the man who launched a machete attack outside the Louvre in Paris, before being shot and wounded by a soldier, is a 29-year-old Egyptian who entered the country on a tourist visa. The attacker had lunged at four patrolling French soldiers while shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

Socialist primary winner in France had backing of prominent anti-Semites

A left-wing politician in France who handily defeated Prime Minister Manuel Valls in the Socialist presidential primaries was endorsed by the founders of the country’s Anti-Zionist Party. Benoit Hamon, who supports dramatically expanding welfare payments and has called for his party to support Palestinian causes to increase its appeal to Muslim voters, beat his hard-line challenger Sunday with 58 percent of the vote in the second and final round of the balloting.

French left-wing presidential primary: Hamon vs. Valls

Manuel Valls, a center-leaning former prime minister who rallied France tog… . Former French prime minister and candidate in the left-wing primary for the 2017 French presidential election, Manuel Valls, arrives for a meeting in Alfortville, outside Paris, France, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017.

French leader chides US populism, urges European unity

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, France’s President Francois Hollande and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, from left, pose for a group photo at Lisbon’s Belem Cultural Center Saturday, Jan. 28 2017. The leaders of France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus are attending an informal summit of southern European Union countries.

France’s hard left faces off against center left in primary

” Hard-left Socialist rebel Benoit Hamon heads into France’s left-wing presidential primary runoff as a surprising favorite to beat pro-business pragmatist Manuel Valls, in a vote that will realign France’s unpredictable presidential campaign. Hamon is the favorite in Sunday’s vote after arriving in pole position in the first round with 36 percent of the votes.

72 countries set to attend Paris peace confab

French President Francois Hollande, left, greets US Secretary of State John Kerry upon his arrival for their talks at the Elysee palace in Paris on November 17, 2015. French authorities are expecting 72 countries to attend Sunday’s Middle East peace conference in Paris – but not Israel or the Palestinians.

Euro could be dead in 10 years, says France’s Macron

The euro may not exist in 10 years’ time if Paris and Berlin fail to bolster the single currency union, French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, adding the current system benefited Germany at the expense of weaker member states. Macron was economy minister under Socialist President Francois Hollande until he resigned last year to create his own political movement and stand as an independent candidate in this year’s presidential election.

IS suicide bomber kills 36 in Baghdad market

A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital. The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

Iraq: Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 22 in Baghdad

A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. The bomber driving a pickup truck attacked an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, day laborers and a police checkpoint in Baghdad’s eastern Sadr City district, a police officer said.

It’s a crowded starting line for France’s Socialist primary

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, now candidate for the socialist party primary election, gestures during the inauguration of his campaign headquarters, Wednesday Dec. 14, 2016, in Paris. Valls hopes to unite the Socialists under his banner and give the left a chance to stay at the Elysee, in the most ambitious challenge of his political life after president Francois Hollande decided not to run for re-election next year.