The president is trailing the hard right – and forthcoming European elections could leave him a political lame duck, says Paul Taylor of the European Policy Centre

Ahead of next month's elections to the European Parliament, France's far-right National Rally is boasting a star new recruit.Until two years ago, Fabrice Leggeri was executive-director of the European Union's border agency Frontex.

Ahead of next month's elections to the European Parliament, France's far-right National Rally is boasting a star new recruit. Until two years ago, Fabrice Leggeri was executive-director of the European Union's border agency Frontex.

The "Green Card" actor has been accused of sexual violence by more than a dozen women; he has denied any wrongdoing.

Air France-KLM will freeze the hiring for support staff as part of a cost-cutting drive after reporting a wider first-quarter operating loss amid higher expenses, the conflict in the Middle East and lower cargo unit revenue.

Airline group Air France-KLM on Tuesday reported a higher than expected first quarter operating loss of 489 million euros ($524.31 million) as it faced high customer compensation at Dutch carrier KLM and one-off payments to staff.

France's foreign minister called on Israel to make public its position on a proposal that he shared with it aimed at defusing tensions between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, as Paris tries to act as an intermediary between the foes.

Israel has flagged a potential military operation along its northern front, saying it wants to restore calm on the border with Lebanon so thousands of Israelis can return to the a