Politics for the day

Rico wonders how you say 'splitsville' in French, but the BBC has the story:

French President Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from his partner Valerie Trierweiler. He told the French news agency AFP that their "shared life" had ended. Earlier, his office at the Elysee Palace told the BBC "false rumours" had been circulating in the French media, and no statement would be forthcoming.
Two weeks ago a magazine published photos which appeared to show Hollande had been having an affair with an actress, Julie Gayet. Trierweiler spent a week in the hospital after the revelations.
Hollande, who has never denied having an affair with Julie Gayet, has admitted to a "difficult moment" in his relationship with Trierweiler. At the time, he promised to clarify the situation before his official visit to Washington on 11 February 2014.
Hollande told AFP he was speaking in a personal capacity and not as the head of state.
"I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler," he said.
Trierweiler recently sacked her lawyer for saying she was seeking to end her relationship with Hollande "with the greatest possible dignity". Trierweiler, who has continued to work as a journalist for the glossy magazine Paris-Match, is traveling to India in support of the work of the French charity Action Against Hunger.
Since she left hospital, she has been staying at an official residence, La Lanterne, near Versailles.
"Hollande has consulted her and brought her up to date, she accepts the situation as a fait accompli, but she is leaving it to him to take the initiative," a member of Trierweiler's entourage told the newspaper Le Parisien.
Trierweiler and Hollande have never married. She announced their relationship six months after he left his previous partner, one-time French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, with whom he has four children.
For her part, Gayet has announced she is suing Closer magazine, which published the original reports, for breach of privacy. Closer said that the affair had begun during the 2012 presidential race.

Here's the timeline of Hollande's partners:1988: Francois Hollande meets Valerie Trierweiler, she a journalist, he a Socialist Party MP with a steady partner, Segolene RoyalTrierweiler raises three children with her second husband, while Hollande raises four with his unmarried partner, RoyalNovember of 2007: Trierweiler announces she is Hollande's new partner, six months after he leaves Royal, who has just been defeated as the Socialist presidential candidate
Early 2012: Hollande allegedly begins affair with actress Julie Gayet, who has two children from her first marriage to Santiago AmigorenaMay of 2012: Trierweiler, still officially Hollande's unmarried partner, becomes first lady of France after his victory in the presidential election
June of 2013: Trierweiler wins damages of ten thousand euros from the authors of The Troublemaker, a book that made allegations about her private life before Hollande's election
January of 2014: Trierweiler is admitted to the hospital after Closer magazine publishes a report on Hollande's alleged affair with Gayet, accompanied by photos

Rico says ah, the French... (But it's too bad Bill Clinton is no longer President; they could commiserate...)