Paris - Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt was on Monday named a Knight o

Paris - Talks for a lasting peace in the Middle East wer

Paris - Leaders from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East converged on Paris' Champs Elyees on Monday to take part in France's traditional Bastille Day military parade.

Paris  - Talks between Palestinians and Israelis are falling short of expectations, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Saturday in Paris.

Discussing the mood ahead of Sunday's summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in Paris, Kouchner told journalists, "Being around the same table with people you have fought is the beginning of something, it is a wind of hope."

He was referring to the fact that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would all take part in the summit.

Paris - A 32-year-old Moroccan woman married to a Frenchman has
been denied French citizenship because of her religious practices, such