France's Fillon appeals to voters, retains party backing

By Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative French presidential candidate Francois Fillon appealed to voters on Wednesday via a newspaper column to back his campaign, trying to claw back support after losing his place as frontrunner over accusations of fake jobs for his family. Fillon has managed to stem a rebellion within his party, partly for lack of a clear "plan B", but plunging popularity ratings show the 62-year-old, who pegged his campaign on an image of integrity, f