Paris
France’s presidential race turned nasty this week, as the campaign entered its last month. Center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy said Socialist Ségolène Royal had called him “ignoble”—a bigger insult in French than it is in English—after Sarkozy proposed creating a ministry of “national identity.” “I never made such remarks,” Royal said. “Is a liar fit to become president of the republic?” Last week, Royal blamed a youth riot at a Paris train station on the failure of the tough law-and-order policy Sarkozy implemented as interior minister. Sarkozy shot back that Royal was obviously on the side of “cheats and rioters.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on ChicagoTalking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Crossword: October 18, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Codeword: October 18, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
