Sans first lady, French leader to US on business

PARIS (AP) — France’s suddenly single president arrives Monday in the U.S. for a state visit, hoping the glaring absence of his first lady won’t steal the limelight from his focus on major policy issues with President Barack Obama.

Francois Hollande, a bespectacled 59-year-old former Socialist party boss, will be highlighting France’s shared interests with Washington on issues like Syria’s civil war, Iran’s nuclear program and terrorism in Africa.