New French words I learned in 2014

Working at FRANCE 24 offers a good vantage point to notice “new” French words - well, new to my foreign eyes. Here is a selection of French vocabulary that cropped up in 2014 and sometimes had me “reaching” for the online dictionary.
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5 things you didn't know about life at the Elysée palace

This week, the magazine of French newspaper Le Monde features an exclusive behind-the-scenes report at the Elysée presidential palace. For one week, a journalist and photographer were given rare access to President François Hollande and his staff.

Why is France's finance minister so happy?

Despite working 17-hour days in a bid to help revive the economy, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici recently said he was a "happy man”. Find out why...
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Naughty Nicolas Sarkozy can do no wrong with the right

Nicolas Sarkozy bounded back onto the political stage on Monday to great fanfare and jubilation, despite having lost 11 million euros of UMP party money to electoral debauchery.

Hollande handed spectacles in anniversary prank

One of France’s most outspoken politicians delivered François Hollande a pair of spectacles on Monday “in order for him to see the suffering of the French people,” as the beleaguered president celebrated his first anniversary in power.

President Hollande: what a difference a year makes

Just one year after his election, French President François Hollande is at a record low in the polls. What has he done to deserve this? And how can he hang on for another four years?

Bad luck and political vengeance: the downfall of French budget minister Cahuzac

The downfall of France's former budget minister, Jérôme Cahuzac, who has admitted lying about having an offshore bank account, has its roots in a mixture of bad luck and political vengeance that Machiavelli would have appreciated.
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No humour, please: France’s Hollande under fire for cracking jokes

With a reputation for wisecracks, French President François Hollande has earned the nickname of Monsieur Petites-Blagues (Mr Little Jokes) over the years. But in the past few weeks, his bons mots have got the right-wing opposition all worked up.

The day I met the French president - in his garden

This Sunday was only the second time that the gardens of the Élysée palace, home to one François Hollande, were open to the public on a Sunday. I decided to take a look - and managed to meet the French president in the process.

French MPs: is there a deontologist in the house?

The past couple of weeks have seen some rather strange goings-on in France's National Assembly, or lower house of parliament. This comes despite the fact that the Socialists only took power a few months ago. Read more...