Manuel Valls

Valls has turned his back on the Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, and backed the centrist frontrunner.

The left-wing candidate mounted a shock victory after coming from third place early in the Socialist party primary race.

Is he the French Jeremy Corbyn, or something entirely different?

Benoit Hamon came from a third place position in many opinion polls to win the primary's first round on Sunday.

Opinion polls now put Macron in third place, behind Marine le Pen and Francois Fillon.

The party's primary race is underway, and a candidate will be chosen at the end of this month.

Valls, 54, told voters they faced a "vast purge" in public services and employment if the presidential election favorite, conservative Francois Fillon, wins power in May.

Leading contender Manuel Valls, the former prime minister, is seen as not likely to prevent a runoff between conservative Francois Fillon and far-right Marine Le Pen.

Valls resigned after announcing his candidacy for the 2017 presidential elections.

Speculation falls on Prime Minister Manuel Valls as the left's standard-bearer following Francois Hollande's decision to not seek re-election.

"People on the left are in despair at the situation," Alexis Bachelay, a left-wing Socialist MP, said.

Le Parisien newspaper said Hollande's entourage was "outraged" by Valls's comments.

Around 15,000 people are being monitored for radicalization in France.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in post-election unrest in Gabon.

Manuel Valls spoke about the "Islamist totalitarianism" budding in France.

The garment is based on "an archaic vision of women," Manuel Valls said.

The ex-French president wants radicalization suspects to be expelled from the country.

Demonstrations against planned changes to the country's labor laws have hit the government hard.

Demonstrators said the laws will make it easier for employers to ignore workers' rights.

The iconoclastic centrist is thought to be eyeing the Presidency.

Valls also appeared to back the banning of Islamic headscarves in universities.

"As long as the threat is there, we must use all the means," Valls said.

At least 30 people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel and cafe in Ouagadougou on Friday.

The victim fended off his 15-year-old assailant using a holy book.

Manuel Valls, a lifelong Barcelona fan, cited the example of AS Monaco as a precedent.

Rouhani would be the first Iranian leader to visit France since 1999.

The former IMF boss is second in popularity only to prime minister Valls among potential left-wing presidential candidates according to a new poll.

As security at churches increases following foiled Paris attack, experts say current levels of protection are unsustainable.

Francois Hollande's Socialist party set to lose half its departments as ex-president calls for change.

The far-right Front National failed to come out on top in France's local elections, but its leader remains a serious presidential contender.