'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Socialist Francois Hollande and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy go head-to-head in France's presidential runoff, but a third figure looms large in the campaign: the leader of the nation's far-right National Front.
Chancellor Angela Merkel won the support of German lawmakers to increase the firepower of the eurozone's bailout fund Wednesday and indicated that private investors such as banks should take a write-down of at least 50 percent on their Greek debt holdings.
"All the commissioners have appealed to all politicians in Europe to be be careful because there is a threat from radical parties," said EU Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly.
European Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said it was too early to say whether there would be clear figures for write-downs on Greek debt or on the future firepower of the eurozone bailout fund, the lending capacity of which is now at 440 billion euros ($610 billion).
