Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and...

France has a new government, again. Politics and crushing debt complicate next steps

PARIS (AP) — France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, intensifying pressure from the nationalist far right, wars in Europe and the Mideast: Challenges abound for President...

France has a new government. Now it must fix the budget while avoiding collapse

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government Monday, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country's budget. The government, put together by newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, includes...

France observes a day of mourning for victims of Cyclone Chido in its Mayotte territory off Africa

PARIS (AP) — France marked a day of mourning Monday for victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its poorest territory, Mayotte, over a week ago. The cyclone was the most destructive to hit Mayotte in 90 years and caused extensive damage to the island off Africa's east coast. At...

Crowds in Mayotte vent frustration with cyclone response as Macron tours devastation

MIRERENI, Mayotte (AP) — Crowds in Mayotte vented their frustration at French President Emmanuel Macron, with some booing, as he toured destruction wrought by the strongest cyclone to hit the French territory in nearly a century. Particularly tense scenes on Thursday underscored...

France's military is being ousted from more African countries. Here's why

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — It's been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades. As Paris was devising a new military strategy that would sharply reduce its permanent troop...

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...