Marine Le Pen calls Emmanuel Macron "a hysterical, radical 'Europeanist'."

The left-wing laggards in France’s presidential campaign are talking about uniting, a move that may elbow out centrists from the second round and improve the anti-euro Marine Le Pen’s chances of victory.

French presidential hopeful Manuel Valls has pledged to tax US imports if Donald Trump pulls America out of the global climate deal reached in Paris in 2015 and declares "economic war on Europe".

Nine months before the presidential election, the candidates could well be the unpopular incumbent, Francois Hollande, his equally unpopular predecessor, Nicholas Sarkozy, and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, says Noah Barkin

The race to be the next president of France could come down to voting for whoever will do the least damage, writes Noah Barkin. 

Debt issuer the National Treasury Management Agency sold €1bn of 10-year debt to investors yesterday at a yield or interest rate just below 1%, reflecting in part the worldwide flight to safety into government securities, as stock markets tumbled again.

The banking inquiry has finally come to an end, but like so many other things in this banana republic, what have we learned? Nothing.

France’s far right National Front has won more support than any other party in the first round of regional elections, according to polling agency projections.

The regional parliament of Catalonia approved a plan to set up a roadmap for independence from Spain by 2017, in defiance of central government.

The US National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapped the communications of two successive French finance ministers and collected information on French export contracts, trade and budget talks, according to a report by WikiLeaks.

Support for the hard left and hard right is receding across Europe, as voters and political parties inch back towards the centre, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

A former mayor of Tours has been found dead in a suspected suicide just as he was to go on trial over suspected kickbacks involving Chinese group weddings in the picturesque Loire Valley city.

Tensions over the garda investigation into the anti-water charge protest in Tallaght, Dublin, last November are set to ratchet up today with confrontations in the Dáil, as well as a planned demonstration outside the Department of Justice, as further arrests were made yesterday.

Four men have appeared in a French court, the first to face charges in the Paris terror attacks that left 20 people dead, including three gunmen.

As a climate of fear takes hold across Europe, the authorities in France are concerned about a backlash against Muslims after the Charlie Hebdo attack, Elaine Ganley reports

A judge sent former Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates to prison while the ex-leader fights accusations of corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud.

The French government secured the adoption of its social security budget for 2015 in parliament yesterday, despite opposition from rebel Socialist lawmakers, a day before the European Commission’s verdict on its deficit-cutting plans.

The surprise Socialist victory in the Dublin by-election should act as a springboard for a national boycott of water charges in the New Year, Joe Higgins has insisted.

The former companion of French president Francois Hollande writes in a book that the Socialist presents himself as someone who doesn’t like the rich, but in fact “doesn’t like the poor”.

French president Francois Hollande dissolved the government yesterday after open feuding among his cabinet over the country’s stagnant economy. 

French president Francois Hollande is dissolving the government after an open feud in Cabinet over the country’s economy.

The change in how the top jobs in the EU are allocated, coupled with the rise of anti-austerity parties, could produce a very different parliament, writes Europe Correspondent Ann Cahill.

French president Francois Hollande has approved a new Cabinet that includes his ex-companion Segolene Royal as minister of environment and energy.

France’s anti-immigrant National Front was set to win a record number of town halls as early results showed a rout for President François Hollande’s ruling Socialists in local elections yesterday.

Europe acted as though it was a creditors’ club, ignoring the effect of the troika’s demands on the programme countries that have led to the loss of two million jobs, according to an assessment of the troika by MEPs.

More than a decade after legalising euthanasia for adults, Belgium is set to extend mercy-killing to terminally-ill children after lengthy public debate over the ethical issues at stake.

Under pressure French president François Hollande has faced the media over accusations that he is having an affair but he coolly side-stepped giving any details on his personal life.

François Hollande’s partner Valerie Trierweiler is “ready to forgive” the French president for having a secret affair with a 41-year old actress, but wants “clarification” about his future intentions, it was reported.

Presidential campaign hits a snag

A woman has been arrested by detectives probing the suspicious death of a mother-of-one found with suspected head injuries after a party.

Ireland was advised not to apply for additional aid from the EU’s rescue fund as it exits the bailout programme by the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Nicolas Sarkozy’s hopes of a comeback to the frontline of French politics were given a major boost when corruption charges against the former president were dropped.

German chancellor Angela Merkel lost no time in approaching her Socialist counterparts to agree a grand coalition government following her resounding success at the polls.

Another change on cards for Childers

People have been encouraged to take to the streets to fight cutbacks to the bus service on Cork’s northside.

Bulgarian police have broken up a blockade of parliament and escorted out more than 100 MPs and ministers who had been trapped inside the building for more than eight hours by protesters.

There will be one final chance for the Irish to get agreement on the EU’s €960bn budget tomorrow as the European Parliament said there was not enough support for the deal on the table.