"France"

France was infuriated when Australia, the U.S. and Britain announced a security partnership known as AUKUS on Sept. 15, whose first initiative is the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet to Australia by the latter two countries despite the Australian governments multibillion-dollar 2016 contract to buy diesel-electric submarines from France.

French President Emmanuel Macron must soon make the biggest decision for years to come on the makeup of the European Central Banks policymakers: whether to reappoint the Bank of France governor.

PARIS - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of having illegally financed his unsuccessful 2012 presidential campaign and sentenced to one year in prison that can be served at home with electronic monitoring, marking another defeat in court for the 66-year-old. Sarkozy was already convicted and sentenced to prison in a separate trial earlier this year.

Officials and diplomats across the European Union are getting really frustrated with the French.

SYDNEY - Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday it had "deep and grave" concerns about the diesel-powered submarines it planned to buy from France - and that Paris knew this well before Canberra abruptly canceled that deal in favor of sharing nuclear submarine technology with the United States and Britain.

The entire Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Elysees in Paris is to stay wrapped in fabric for two weeks, an art installation conceived by the late artist Christo and inaugurated on Thursday by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States," said French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.

PARIS - After weeks of protests, France saw relatively little drama on Monday as it expanded its national experiment with coronavirus mandates and began to require that people show a health pass to sit at cafes, eat at restaurants, board long-distance trains and access many other venues.

After 16 days filled with breathtaking moments and touching behind-the-scenes stories, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games closed on Sunday despite all the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fully vaccinated visitors arriving in England from France will no longer have to isolate for 10 days, a loosening of restrictions that puts them in the same category as travelers from most other European countries.

BRUSSELS - European nations have been among the most successful in the world at getting their residents vaccinated against the coronavirus. Now, some will be among the first to dole out booster shots.

Huan Huan, a giant panda at Beauval Zoo in central France, has given birth to twins early Monday, the zoo announced.