Eleanor Beardsley

Its jasmine and roses are prized by perfumers and those eager to learn the trade. But the French Riviera town of Grasse didn't always smell sweet. Centuries ago, it was known for leather tanneries.

The phone call was the first between President Biden and President Emmanuel Macron since last week's fracas over a nuclear submarine deal. France had recalled its ambassador from Washington.

Since the 19th century, the French city of Grasse has been the center of the world's perfume industry. It developed as a response to Grasse's medieval tanning industry –- which stank.

Colette Maze, now 107, began playing the piano at age 5. She defied the social conventions of her era to embrace music as a profession rather than as a pastime. She has just released her sixth album.

A deal between the U.S and U.K. to build nuclear submarines for Australia has caused a huge diplomatic rift with France.

France has recalled its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia as it registers its objection to a pact announced this week to build nuclear-powered submarines — a pact France wasn't included in.

France enacted tough vaccine mandates in July, in anticipation of a fourth wave of COVID-19. Some people took to the streets in protest, but most complied.

A submarine deal between the U.S., U.K. and Australia counters China but has infuriated France, which had its own deal to sell subs canceled and is wary of U.S. aims.

The Nov. 13, 2015, attacks on the Bataclan theater and elsewhere killed 130 and injured hundreds. "From then on, everybody felt vulnerable," says a victims' advocate. The trial will last nine months.

While reluctant to criticise President Biden directly, many Europeans are critical of the way his administration has handled the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan.

Wildfires have turned deadly in southern France, killing at least three people, according to firefighters. Thousands of people have fled the fires near the tourist beaches of St. Tropez.

The collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power are getting different responses from around the world. We hear from reporters in Paris, Beijing and Moscow.

As US NATO allies struggle to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, talk in Europe is focusing on how to prevent a wave of refugees fleeing Taliban control reaching the EU.

Afghan women who had built new lives in Paris watch with horror as the Taliban retake the Afghan capital Kabul — where many of their family members remain.

Director Leos Carax's new film, Annette, is a dark fairy tale starring Adam Driver. Nine years since Carax's last film, his movies often feature visions and ghosts.

Macron has ordered an investigation into reports that his phone was on a list of potential targets for the Pegasus spyware. At least 15 ministers in his government also may have been spied on.

France is experimenting with a pre-paid "Culture Pass" for 18-year-olds. President Emmanuel Macron has said he hopes the program will aid a post-pandemic cultural revival.

More than two million people in France have rushed to get vaccinated since President Emmanuel Macron announced restrictions against those not inoculated against COVID-19.

Crack has been a problem in Paris for 30 years but has become visible after pandemic lockdowns. One neighborhood is protesting against users and dealers who have been allowed to occupy their park.

Thanks to falling COVID-19 infection rates and rising vaccinations, France's Cannes Film Festival has returned with couture glamour and cinematic ambition.