François Hollande, the man who wooed the French with the promise to be a "normal" president, has decided to depart from rules and conventions in the name of normality.

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Thierry Muret, Chocolatier: 'My family knows I'm stressed when I bake bread. It's calming'

My life in food: Thierry Muret, chocolatier

Godiva Chocolates, founded in Brussels in 1926, is known for its upmarket milk chocolate. Since 1988, Thierry Muret, a trained chemist as well as chocolatier, has been its development chef. The latest Godiva boutique opens today in Harrods in London.

Angela Merkel insists that it is not the right time to reduce the pressure on euro members to cut their deficits

Angela Merkel under pressure to sign up to eurozone stimulus plan

European Union leaders will tonight pledge to give greater priority to securing economic growth as they increase the pressure on Germany to do more to solve the eurozone crisis.

Greece's leader-in-waiting goes on tour

The charismatic Greek leftist who could determine the fate of the euro begins a tour of European capitals yesterday carrying a single message: it's time to talk.

Trust in Tories slides as George Osborne blames Europe for Britain's double dip

The Conservatives have lost their lead over Labour on economic competence as doubts grow about the "austerity strategy" pursued by the Coalition and governments across Europe.

Dutch politicians close to austerity budget deal

The Dutch caretaker government and opposition lawmakers said today that they are close to a deal on a provisional 2013 austerity budget, but the outcome was not yet certain.

Participants during a competition for the 2012 best moustache of Brussels

Beautiful moustaches: Winners by a whisker

Men with the finest and most flamboyant whiskers in Belgium turned out for the election of the most beautiful moustache in Brussels during a competition organised by the Order of the Brussels Moustache yesterday.

Beaten track: Eurostar runs 18 trains a day each way between London and Paris

Eurostar off to a high-speed start with healthy sales figures

Increased demand from leisure travellers resulted in Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar enjoying a good start to 2012.

Brooke-Rose: as well as her fiction, she was a formidable critic and scholar

Christine Brooke-Rose: Writer acclaimed for her inventive and playful experimental fiction

Christine Brooke-Rose was a richly innovative novelist and a formidable critic. She moved between languages, countries and identities without securing a fixed place in a literary canon or a national culture, but this mobility, combined with her inventiveness, humour and insight, madeher particularly well-equipped to grasp the contemporary world of signs and simulations.

Judith Tebbutt was freed by Somali pirates on Wednesday after being held in captivity for six months

EU's anti-piracy mission will attack Somali land targets

The European Union has agreed to expand its mission against Somali pirates and will allow military forces to attack land targets in Somalia, in a significant escalation of operations in the Horn of Africa.

The memorial service took place at the Soeverein Arena in Lommel

A nation mourns victims of ski trip coach crash

King Albert II, above with Queen Paola, and thousands of mourners took part in a memorial service in Lommel, northern Belgium, yesterday for the 15 children and two adults from the local school who died in a bus crash in a Swiss tunnel last week.

Belgium marks bus crash deaths with minute's silence

Belgium has marked the deaths of 28 people in a school coach crash with a minute's silence observed by schoolchildren, politicians, factory workers, shoppers and motorists across the country.

Schoolboys look at floral tributes to the crash victims from Stekske School in Lommel, Belgium, yesterday

Was school ski-trip coach crash caused by driver changing DVD?

Survivors from accident that killed 22 children suggest driver 'wanted to switch to another disc'

Israel 'must end imputiny of violence by settlers'

EU governments, including Britain, have secretly been urged by their top diplomats in Jerusalem and the West Bank to press Israel to enforce laws against Jewish settlers responsible for an "alarming" rise in violence against Palestinians and their property.

Keith Allen, in his dogged attempt to understand Nick Griffin, found the BNP leader expressed his political views clearly and coherently

Keith Allen: How I hunted down Nick Griffin

Horrified by the BNP's success at the last election, he made a documentary about its leader. Channel 4 then refused to show it – until now

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Day In a Page

Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

Special report

Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported
The problem with social mobility

The problem with social mobility

Politicians who say they want to break down Britain's social barriers have been told to unlock closed-shop professions – starting in their own backyard
France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, by the way)

France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, btw)

Next month expats in the stronghold of South Kensington will have a big say in who is returned as the first French overseas MP
Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Two years on from the disaster that shook the Caribbean state, its eastern neighbour, the Dominican Republic, fears a new wave of illegal immigrants could hurt its economy
Mean streets at the movies

Mean streets at the movies

Plan B's new film explores the urban tensions that led to last summer's riots – and he's not the only one finding cinematic inspiration in social unrest
Romney hits the magic number, but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test

Romney hits the magic number...

... but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test
Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Weeks after the demise of Sarkozy, the TF1 star he's said to have dated finds herself out of office too
Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Can a network of hi-tech terminals and online medics make the connection?
The 10 Best cycling gear

The 10 Best cycling gear

It’s summer, it's sunny... it’s the perfect time to get on your bike.
Song of the suicide bomber: How 'Babur in London' negotiated a cultural minefield

Song of the suicide bomber

Daring new opera 'Babur in London' features British terrorists planning an attack.
The school that brought the International Baccalaureate to the East End

Bringing the IB to the East End

The International Baccalaureate is not just for pupils in leafy suburbs.
England must beware brilliant Belgium

England must beware brilliant Belgium

They may have missed out on the Euros but the Belgians have a rash of young players who, thanks to the unifying skills of their coach, look to have a bright future
James Lawton: Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job

James Lawton

Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job
2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

Three Lions will play their Euro 2012 games in front of only a few thousand of their fans
What's wrong with Rory?

What's wrong with Rory?

Is the trouble with the defending US Open champion in his head, in his swing, with his girlfriend – or is it all in the minds of others?