France’s highest court upholds lower court ruling that former president Nicolas Sarkozy is guilty in corruption case

Pharrell Williams is named a UNESCO goodwill ambassador

PARIS (AP) — Pop star and fashion designer Pharrell Williams was named UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for artistic education and entrepreneurship on Tuesday in Paris, continuing his cultural dominance of the French capital as Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director and performer at Notre Dame...

France rushes aid to Mayotte after Cyclone Chido leaves hundreds feared dead

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — France used ships and military aircraft to rush rescuers and supplies to Mayotte on Monday after the tiny French island territory off Africa was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. Authorities fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people have died. ...

Trump says he's a 'believer' in polio vaccine, and other news conference takeaways

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday held a wide-ranging news conference in which he said he would preserve access to the polio vaccine but equivocated on other vaccines, pledged to look at bringing down the costs of pharmaceuticals and expressed doubts that his daughter-in-law might be Florida's...

Germany and France launch a direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris

BERLIN (AP) — Germany and France on Monday launched a direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris, a connection hailed as a symbol of a close friendship between the two countries and a sign of Europe's potential to attract more travelers to the rails. The bullet train,...

Death toll in French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is 'several hundred,' top official says

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may run into the thousands, the island’s top government official told a local broadcaster Sunday. France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its...

Cyclone Chido kills several in French territory of Mayotte before heading for Africa's east coast

MORONI, Comoros (AP) — Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, leaving several people dead, officials said Saturday, as the storm roared toward the east coast of Africa. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said a “very...

President Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as France's next prime minister

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist ally François Bayrou as prime minister in an effort to address the country's deep political crisis, after a historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week. Bayrou, 73, a crucial partner in...

Indian Ocean islands of Comoros, Madagascar and Mayotte are bracing for Cyclone Chido

MORONI, Comoros (AP) — The islands of Comoros, Madagascar and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean were bracing for Cyclone Chido on Friday as the intense tropical storm whirred its way toward Africa's east coast. Comoros, a small archipelago, ordered schools to close as authorities...

French President Emmanuel Macron names key centrist ally François Bayrou as new prime minister