Stories related to: Paris

David Cronenberg’s horror classic The Fly has metamorphosed into something new: an opera. This new, unholy horror-opera hybrid was unleashed on Paris last night, garnering at least somewhat enthusiastic applause, Bloomberg reports. Intact were all the things that made the movie memorable: its tragic love plot, hideous monster and, of course, lots of gore. More »

Continental Airlines will have to stand trial for manslaughter over its role in the explosive crash of an Air France jet, a French judge ruled today. Five individuals have also been charged in the 2000 accident, which saw a Concorde jet burst into flames while leaving a Paris runway, killing all 109 people aboard and four others on the ground. More »

While rumors swirl over Alex Rodgriguez's late nights with Madonna, the Yankee's wife has ditched him for rocker Lenny Kravitz, the New York Post claims. Cynthia Rodriguez, who has yet to file divorce papers, has spent the past four nights shacked up with the Grammy-winner at his pad in Paris, leaving their two young daughters in the care of others in Miami, the Post says. More »

Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa is resting comfortably in a Paris hospital, said a government spokesman today, denying "malicious" widespread reports that the leader had died after suffering his second stroke in 2 years ahead of an African Union summit. Mwanawasa "is responding well to treatment. He has made steady progress," said the spokesman. More »

One of France's most popular tourist sites, Paris' Palace of Versailles, has a new golden royal gate—an $8 million replica of a gate demolished during the French Revolution. The 87-yard-long steel gate is decorated with 100,000 gold leaves. It's part of a 17-year-long renovation project, reports AFP. More »

President Bush today complimented Nicolas Sarkozy on his wife, calling her “a really smart, capable woman,” the BBC reports. “I can see why you married her,” he added. In Paris as part of his European tour, Bush called the French president by his first name and noted that “America’s first friend was France” in a press conference that focused on warm relations between the countries. More »

Twentieth-century fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent died today at his home in Paris, AFP reports. The reclusive designer, who was battling illness, said when he retired in 2002 that he had “always given the highest importance of all to respect for this craft, which is not exactly an art, but which needs an artist to exist.” More »

The battle is on for the leadership of France's opposition Socialist Party, and a man who says the nation is ready for a gay president is the surprise leader, the Telegraph reports. Bertrand Delanoë, the popular mayor of Paris, is the early favorite, outpolling Ségolène Royal, who lost last year's election to Nicolas Sarkozy.  More »

The Credit Municipal of Paris, known about town as "Auntie," is pretty glamorous for a pawnshop. Since 1777, the city-operated institution has served Rodin, Monet, Zola, Verlaine, and Victor Hugo, who mentioned it in Les Miserables . The newest development? Auntie now accepts wine. "People can now exchange liquidity—for liquidity," the shop's director tells the Los Angeles Times . More »

Madonna revived a rare classic last night—and it wasn't a song. During a performance in Paris to promote new album Hard Candy , the Material Girl, 49, grabbed a female backup dancer for an on-stage lip-lock, reprising a headline-grabbing steamy stunt with Britney Spears during a 2003 MTV awards show, the Daily Mail reports. More »

Two weeks after the Olympic torch relay in Paris, anti-French backlash in China is gaining steam. Rare demonstrations on the streets of Chinese cities, seemingly with the government's tacit approval, have seen French flags burned and defaced with swastikas. As the nations' relationship deteriorates, Nicolas Sarkozy has been forced to step in, reports the Independent . More »

French presidents have traditionally positioned themselves as guardians of high culture, and no term in office is complete without constructing a major new museum. But while François Mitterand might have loved Russian literature, Nicolas Sarkozy is more of a Céline Dion man. As the New York Times reports, many of Sarkozy's supporters are dismayed at Sarko's cultural policy—and hoping his new wife can turn things around. More »

Eurotunnel is in the black for the first time since the France-England tunnel opened in 1994, the BBC reports. The company says it has turned the corner after many troubled years, helped by a sweeping debt restructuring plan and the opening of a new high-speed rail link on the British side that has cut London-Paris travel time to under two hours. More »

Today China denounced the protests that have disrupted Olympic torch relays in London and Paris over the past 2 days, Reuters reports. "The despicable activities tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. She also denied media reports that "the Olympic torch was forced to be extinguished during its relay in Paris." More »

Paris police today extinguished the Olympic flame five times after massive pro-Tibet protests turned the torch relay into chaos. The torch was doused for the first time near the start of the route at the Eiffel Tower and taken on board the bus that accompanies the runners, the AP reports. Officials re-lit it farther along the route, only to douse it again four more times before finally cutting short the relay. More »

Jerome Kerviel, the trader accused of an $8 billion fraud that nearly brought down Societe Generale, has been freed by a Paris court after five weeks in detention, the Guardian reports. The trader, who faces charges including breach of trust and falsifying documents, will remain free while the case is investigated but won't be allowed to leave Paris. More »

French voters dealt Nicolas Sarkozy another blow today in the second round of local balloting. The maverick president's right-wing UMP party lost mayorships in Strasbourg and Reims to opposition socialists, who also gained Toulouse and held on to power bases in Paris and Lyon, the BBC reports. UMP retained control of Marseilles. More »

France is in the throes of its worst housing crisis since World War II, which has led to some sordid dealings in some cities. With many young people unable to pay sky-high rents, landlords are offering apartments “for services”—usually sexual ones, the BBC reports. As homelessness and bankruptcy skyrocket throughout Paris, such Faustian leases are often the only option. More »

A public prosecutor in France is calling for Continental Airlines to face manslaughter charges over the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, Reuters reports. The supersonic jet crashed minutes after takeoff when a burst tire sent debris into an engine. A French investigation found that the tire was shredded by a piece of metal left on the runway by a Continental aircraft. More »

Now that the Michelin food critics have declared Tokyo the world's culinary capital, this week's publication of the 2008 guide to France had the feeling of a day of reckoning. Sure enough, the red book reduces Paris' vaunted Le Grand Véfour from three stars to two, citing inconsistency at a restaurant that predates the French Revolution. "No stars are awarded out of kindness," said the guide's director. More »