France's Hollande bids for relaunch amid Trierweiler scandal
French President Francois Hollande is to hold a news conference outlining new plans for the economy, with media interest likely instead to be on recent allegations about his private life.
Last week the magazine Closer alleged Mr Hollande was having an affair with film actress Julie Gayet.
Mr Hollande did not deny the report but protested at invasion of his privacy.
His partner Valerie Trierweiler remains in hospital after having been admitted on Friday in a state of shock.
She had been expected to leave hospital on Monday, but her aides said doctors had told her she needed more rest.
Tuesday's press conference, scheduled for 16:30 (15:30 GMT), is a long-planned event aimed at unveiling new policies to help France's struggling economy.
Mr Hollande is expected to outline ideas to stimulate growth and combat record high unemployment.
But many in France believe he will have to say something about his private life, the BBC's Gavin Hewitt reports from Paris.
'Recovering from shock'He has not denied the report in Closer but has protested at the invasion of his privacy.
The president and Ms Trierweiler have been together since 2007.
Aides of Ms Trierweiler, who is Mr Hollande's official partner and lives at the Elysee Palace, said she went to hospital on Friday for "rest and some tests".
On Monday, an aide told Europe 1 broadcaster: "The doctors will determine when she can be dismissed from hospital. She needs to recover from the shock she has suffered."
The French media face strict privacy laws, but the tradition of secrecy over the private lives of public figures has been steadily eroded in recent years.
On Friday, Closer printed a seven-page article about the alleged affair between Mr Hollande and Ms Gayet.
It was illustrated with photos showing a man said to be the president visiting a flat near the Elysee Palace at the same time as Ms Gayet.
Mr Hollande, who has never married, left his previous partner, fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, to be with Ms Trierweiler.
The scandal comes at a difficult time for Mr Hollande, with opinion polls already suggesting he is one of the most unpopular French presidents ever.
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