France | featured news

French rock legend Johnny Hallyday had a botched operation in France and is now in a medically induced coma in a Los Angeles hospital as he recovers from surgery to fix the damage, his producer said.

Roman Polanski seemed to have little to lose last summer when his lawyers pressed to dismiss the child rape case in California that has haunted him since he fled to France three decades ago.

Ireland has given up hope of a World Cup playoff replay against France because of Thierry Henry's hand ball. Henry's deliberate handling set up a goal for William Gallas in Wednesday's 1-1 draw that sent France to next year's tournament and knocked out Ireland. The Irish appealed to the French federation to agree to a replay but were turned down Friday.

If you really want a break from reality on your next vacation, consider this: Do as a hamster does. According to Reuters, at the "Hamster Villa" in Nantes, France, you can get the chance to live like a giant hamster for a night.

"The hamster in the world of children is that little cuddly animal. Often, the adults who come here have wanted or did have hamsters when they were small," co-owner Yann Falquero told Reuters.

A French court today convicted the Church of Scientology and six of its members of organized fraud, but stopped short of banning the church.

French prosecutors have reportedly launched a preliminary investigation against the Astana cycling team, following the discovery of syringes belonging to the squad during this year's Tour de France.

France arrests a researcher at Europe's top particle physics lab who is suspected of links to al-Qaeda, officials say.

France's culture minister is struggling to keep his job amid an uproar about a 2005 book in which he details Bangkok's brothels and the pleasure and freedom of paying "boys" for sex. Frederic Mitterrand's candid tale came back to haunt him ...

The international tug-of-war over Roman Polanski escalated today as France and Poland urged Switzerland to free the 76-year-old director on bail and pressed U.S. officials all the way up to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the case.

U.S. President Barack Obama accused Iran on Friday of building a secret nuclear fuel plant for several years and demanded that Tehran comply with international rules on nuclear nonproliferation.