Debt crisis: as it happened May 15, 2012

The BBC reports France's Hollande to lower state pension age to 60 New French president Francois Hollande has unveiled details of a plan to lower the retirement age to 60 for some workers - a key election pledge. His predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, had faced strong opposition when he raised the retirement age by two years to 62. The move in 2010 sparked weeks of strikes across the country, mainly by public service workers.

With sovereign debt yields in most of Europe stabilizing, and the euro on the rise vs. the US dollar there is a growing sense of complacency in the eurozone. Such complacency is not warranted. I sense another storm in Southern Europe and huge problems ahead for the core of Europe, including Germany and France. The focus of this article is France. Young French Losing Hope as Prospects Fade

Germany's Angela Merkel held last-minute talks Wednesday with French President Francois Hollande before a crucial EU summit but warned she would not budge in her opposition to pooling eurozone debt.In brief statements before the talks here in Paris both leaders made conciliatory gestures, with Hollande indicating he was ready to discuss further integration and Merkel hailing measures to promote eurozone growth.

Brutal Islamic fighters left a blood soaked path in their wake as they rampaged through northern Mali, enforcing strict Sharia Law which reportedly included forced marriages