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New Fighting In Northern Malian Town Recently Liberated By France

Malian teenagers watch French soldiers pass through Gao, in northern Mali, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption

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Jerome Delay/AP

New Fighting In Northern Malian Town Recently Liberated By France

February 21, 2013 • Gunfire and heavy explosions are heard in Gao, freed by France from Islamist militants' control in early February.

Parisian Women Now (Officially) Allowed To Wear Pants

French Minister for Women's Rights and Government Spokesperson Najat Vallaud-Belkacem wearing pants. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Parisian Women Now (Officially) Allowed To Wear Pants

February 4, 2013 • Pants-wearing Parisian women are finally fashionably legal: the law restricting women to dresses and skirts has been lifted. While the principle is exciting, Parisian women have been wearing pants for decades.

Parisian Women Now (Officially) Allowed To Wear Pants

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Mali Crisis Likely To Dominate Summit Of African Leaders

Malian soldiers man a checkpoint on the Gao road outside Sevare, some 385 miles north of Mali's capital, Bamako, on Sunday. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption

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Jerome Delay/AP

Mali Crisis Likely To Dominate Summit Of African Leaders

January 27, 2013 • The French-led intervention against Islamist rebels is gaining strength. African military chiefs say a minimum of 5,000 regional troops are needed to join the intervention against the rebels.

French Soldier's Skeleton Scarf Goes Viral, Military Launches Investigation

January 22, 2013 • The grinning image has angered the French brass. They're launching an investigation to identify the soldier. According to the AFP photographer who took the photo, the soldier and his comrades were trying to cover their faces as a helicopter kicked up dust.

Death Toll May Rise After More Bodies Found At Algerian Plant

January 20, 2013 • More bodies have been reported found at the gas plant in Algeria where a four-day standoff with Islamist militants came to a bloody end on Saturday.

Minuscule Parisian Apartment Housed Man For 15 Years

A photo shows the tiny apartment that a man rented for 330 euros a month in Paris. Fondation Abbe Pierre hide caption

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Fondation Abbe Pierre

Minuscule Parisian Apartment Housed Man For 15 Years

January 17, 2013 • The story of how a man lived in an apartment in Paris with less than 17 square feet of habitable space is being cited as proof of the city's absurd real estate market. The 50-year-old man paid monthly rent of 330 euros, or about $442, for the place he called home for 15 years.

Americans Said To Be Among Hostages Seized By Militants In Algeria

Islamist militants raided the In Amenas natural gas field (pictured) in Algeria on Wednesday and took several hostages. BP/AP hide caption

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BP/AP

Americans Said To Be Among Hostages Seized By Militants In Algeria

January 16, 2013 • The State Department said Americans are reported to be among the hostages taken by militants at an Algerian gas plant. The total number of hostages is unclear, as are the number of Americans. The attack is seen as retaliation against France's intervention against Islamists in neighboring Mali.

Reports: French Troops Fighting In Mali, Foreign Hostages Grabbed In Algeria

January 16, 2013 • After five days of airstrikes aimed at Islamist militants, French troops are engaged in their first ground operation in Mali, according to several news outlets. The rebels, who had vowed to retaliate, may have done so by grabbing hostages at an oil field in neighboring Algeria.

As French Claim Gains In Mali, Islamists Vow To Strike Back

This photo, released on Saturday by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD), shows French Mirage 2000 D jets flying over Mali. ECPAD/Xinhua /Landov hide caption

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ECPAD/Xinhua /Landov

As French Claim Gains In Mali, Islamists Vow To Strike Back

January 14, 2013 • Looking to rout Islamist militants who might try to make Mali a base for terrorist operations elsewhere, French forces have been mounting air and ground attacks. The militants pushed back on Monday and said they would take the fight to French soil.

U.S. Provided 'Technical Assistance' In Botched French Raid, Obama Says

An undated screen image of footage shot by Al-Kataib Media, showing Denis Allex, a French hostage allegedly held by Somali militants, who was reportedly killed during the failed rescue mission. MAXPPP/EPA /LANDOV hide caption

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MAXPPP/EPA /LANDOV

The Two-Way

U.S. Provided 'Technical Assistance' In Botched French Raid, Obama Says

January 13, 2013 • A French soldier and 17 Islamist rebels were killed in the raid to rescue a French hostage in Somalia, who is also believed to have died. The president's acknowledgment of the U.S. role in the raid came the same day as France said the U.S. provided "communications and transport" support for the ongoing French military action against Islamist rebels in Mali.

France Claims Gains In Airstrikes Against Mali Islamists

A map shown Sunday during a news conference held by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris shows the movement of French troops and aircraft n Mali. Kenzo Tribouillard /AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Kenzo Tribouillard /AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

France Claims Gains In Airstrikes Against Mali Islamists

January 13, 2013 • "Stopping the terrorists, that's done," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in an interview Sunday. He also said the three-day-old intervention in Mali was getting support from the U.S. and other countries.

Failed French Rescue Attempt Leaves Several Dead In Somalia

In October, kidnapped French intelligence agent Denis Allex appeared in a video shot by his captors. In the video, Allex pleads for French President Francois Hollande to negotiate for his release. -/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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-/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Failed French Rescue Attempt Leaves Several Dead In Somalia

January 12, 2013 • It's not clear whether a French intelligence agent is dead or alive after a botched rescue attempt in Somalia on Saturday morning. The operation may have dangerous implications for other French hostages being held across Africa.

Putin Offers French Actor Depardieu Russian Citizenship

French actor Gerard Depardieu (left) and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in December 2010. Ria Novosti /Reuters /Landov hide caption

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Ria Novosti /Reuters /Landov

The Two-Way

Putin Offers French Actor Depardieu Russian Citizenship

January 3, 2013 • Gerard Depardieu has complained about high taxes in his native land. Meanwhile, he has befriended some of Russia's allies and is an acting icon in that nation. Also, the Russian leader may see a chance to tweak the West by claiming one of its wealthier citizens.

Urban Parisian Vines Produce Wine With A Drop Of History

Crowds watch as Clos Montmartre's grapes are harvested during its annual October wine festival. Jacque Brinon/AP hide caption

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Jacque Brinon/AP

The Salt

Urban Parisian Vines Produce Wine With A Drop Of History

October 16, 2012 • Winemaking isn't just for the countryside — at least not in France. There's an urban vineyard located in the heart of the French capital. In the 1920s, local artists planted grapevines to prevent a developer from wiping out the block.

Urban Parisian Vines Produce Wine With A Drop Of History

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Sacre Bleu! French Bees' Taste For M&Ms Makes For Colored Honey

We knew the Honey Nut Cheerios bee liked sweet stuff. But imagine what would happen if he met green M&M? Doug Kanter/Rusty Jarrett/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Doug Kanter/Rusty Jarrett/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Sacre Bleu! French Bees' Taste For M&Ms Makes For Colored Honey

October 5, 2012 • Beekeepers in Alsace couldn't figure out why their honey was coming out in shades of blue and green. But the answer was not far away. A plant that processes waste from an M&M factory was just too tempting to the bees.