France

BMW has been striving to reconcile its dueling images for years. Best known for its luxurious, sport-oriented cars, the German manufacturer's motorcycles are only beginning to shed their reputation as wheels for safety-conscious old men, thanks to exciting new bikes like the S 1000 RR and K 1600 LT. At this weekend's International Motorcycle Shows event in Long Beach, BMW is likely to confuse its image even further when its first scooters make...

LONDON - With investor confidence draining away and the value of the euro plunging, Europe struggled anew Wednesday to come up with a united game plan to keep its currency union intact and its economies from collapsing. Competing visions embraced by the continent's political heavyweights, France and Germany, clashed at an informal summit of European Union leaders with little chance of reconciliation even as fears grew that Greece could be forced out of the Eurozone and into a chaotic default.

Radioactive particles spewed from a pipe at a French nuclear reactor, slightly contaminating 100 employees, a spokeswoman for the national electric company said. It was the fourth recent incident at a French nuclear site and the second in five days. Caroline Muller, a spokeswoman for Electricite de France, said 100 employees were affected at a reactor complex in Tricastin. She said the radiation was less than 1/40th the regulation limit. The reactor involved had been shut down for refueling, she said.

PARIS - France's new president, Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have opposing ideas of how to solve Europe's crippling public debt crisis - she austerity, he spending and growth - so a clash was in the cards Tuesday. Instead, Hollande's welcome to Berlin just hours after he took office was brisk but warm, even if he was late for dinner. Hollande - whose initial flight to Berlin was hit by lightning, causing him to briefly return to an air base outside Paris to switch planes - and Merkel met for an hour before dining together.

A punchy jingle kicks off the promotional video of a French firm that sells Islamic women's swimwear. Models wearing brightly colored, full-body tunic, pant and hijab combos frolic at the sea's edge swinging their arms in free-spirited step with the music. The water-resistant burkinis , outfits that cover everything except a woman's face, hands and feet, are designed for Muslim women in search of "a little more modesty" so they can "have more freedom to play sports," according to the manufacturer.

What do you get when you cross a Renaissance fair with a Las Vegas spectacle and a few hundred Roman gladiators, swashbuckling musketeers and marauding Vikings? The one-of-a-kind Puy du Fou historical theme park in the French countryside. PHOTOS: Puy du Fou historical theme park in France After three decades of entertaining audiences with live-action chariot races, sword fights and epic battles, France's Puy du Fou will be recognized on March 17 as a "classic" theme park by the Themed Entertainment Assn . during an awards ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

It already seems like 2013 is shaping up as a great year for ride enthusiasts around the world, as a number of new theme parks are planned for Asia and several major attractions are in the works for Europe. > Photos: Best new international theme park rides for 2013 Consider this a tentative and fluid list of new attractions on tap at international parks (outside the United States). A number of oft-delayed projects have been given new 2013 opening dates that could get postponed again, while several recently announced theme parks may never advance past the planning stages.

Did you know that the French version of the Fourth of July celebrates a spectacular jailbreak? On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris revolted against the oppressive reign of King Louis XVI by storming the state prison, the Bastille. Thus began the French Revolution, which resulted in France becoming a democracy marked by Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood).

World Cup 2010: FRANCE FIFA ranking: 8 Overall World Cup record: 25-16-10 Coach: Raymond Domenech Best performance: Winner 1998 Overview: Having been steered into the World Cup by the hand of Thierry Henry, a foul that went uncalled in a qualifying playoff win over Ireland, and coming off Zinedine Zidane's infamous head butt in the 2006 Cup final, the French will not be widely popular, especially among referees....

Mingling with extras in historical costumes and fans who called him "His Imperial Highness," Charles Napoleon sipped from a plastic cup and said matter-of-factly: "I gave my spit to be analyzed. " The affable businessman was referring to a recent study by a French scientist that matched his DNA to that of his great-great-grand-uncle, Napoleon Bonaparte I. Yes, that Napoleon Bonaparte. The study, part of an effort to reconstruct the genome of the 19th century emperor, may eventually help solve the mystery of whether the remains preserved in Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides museum in Paris are really his. Napoleonic DNA was just one focus of avid discussion at recent festivities here marking the 198th anniversary of one of Napoleon's last military victories.

Chris Horner had perhaps his most successful year as a cyclist in 2011. He won the Amgen Tour of California, finished second in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, a celebrated one-day race, and finished fourth at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. Yet what most cycling fans remember about Horner's 2011 racing is something Horner doesn't. During the seventh stage of the Tour de France last July, Horner crashed. He suffered a concussion, broken nose and broken ribs. But despite being woozy and dazed, Horner got back on his bike and finished, though he had no idea where he was or even quite what he was doing.

With Francois Hollande's election as France's first Socialist president in 17 years, Europe now must deal with a major leader who has promised to push a different approach to resolving the continent's debt crisis. Hollande's message, that the German insistence on austerity must be tempered with plans to stimulate economic growth, helped propel him to a decisive win Sunday over incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy, with nearly 52% of the vote. Hollande, 57, is expected to take over May 15 from Sarkozy, who became the first sitting French leader to lose a reelection bid in more than 30 years.

LONDON - For more than two years now, they have all imposed their will on Europe's raging debt crisis: German leaders. Panicked governments. Jittery financial markets. Bossy international agencies. The people? Not so much. Across the continent, officials have forced through brutal budget cuts despite mass protests from Paris to Prague. In Greece and Italy, technocratic prime ministers have been installed without a single citizen going to the polls. Of the 25 European nations that have agreed to a new treaty limiting public spending, only Ireland is bothering to let voters rule on it. But on Sunday, the people of France and Greece will have their say, in elections that have the potential to recast the debate over how to solve an economic unraveling that shows little signs of abating.

PARIS - It was billed as a political duel to the death. In the right corner, Nicolas Sarkozy, incumbent president seeking reelection but trailing badly in opinion polls. In the left, Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, favored to winFrance's presidential runoff Sunday but facing an aggressive rival with nothing to lose. The pair's only live television debate, it had been described by Sarkozy as "the moment of truth. " And, as possibly his last chance to turn his fortunes around, Sarkozy had vowed to "explode" his rival.

BEIRUT - As violence continues to rage across Syria, the United Nations monitoring mission faced mounting criticism and pressure Wednesday. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe raised the prospect of outside military force if President Bashar Assad doesn't fully implement a U.N.-backed peace plan. Juppe said France might push for a Security Council resolution that can be militarily enforced. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also has mentioned the possibility of such action.

  The U.S. women's soccer team, top-ranked in the world, was drawn into Group G for this summer's Olympic Games, where it has been matched with 2011 World Cup qualifiers France, Colombia and North Korea. The U.S. will begin play July 25 -- two days before the Games officially open -- against France at Hampden Park, Scotland's national stadium in Glasgow. The U.S. will play Colombia in its second match in Glasgow on July 28 before finishing group play against North Korea on July 31 at Old Trafford in Manchester, the home of Manchester United.

The killing of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 was an act of genocide. The Holocaust was a fact. Yet Americans are free to deny the reality of either — or make outlandish assertions of all kinds — without facing punishment by the state. Residents of France will be denied that privilege if its parliament adopts a wrong-headed bill to criminalize denial of the Armenian genocide. On Thursday the lower house of France's parliament will debate a bill that would punish those who deny the genocide with a year in prison and a $58,000 fine.

PARIS — Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday advanced to a presidential runoff election, as a far-right candidate surprised many observers with a strong third-place finish. Hollande and Sarkozy will face each other in the May 6 runoff, according to preliminary results of Sunday's election, though the support received by candidate Marine Le Pen seemed to reflect deep disillusionment by many voters with the main political parties in France.

PARIS - Just hours after 40,000 runners gathered at Place de la Concorde, the historic gateway to the French capital, for the start of the Paris Marathon, Nicolas Sarkozy was in the same spot for a rally marking the home stretch of a long reelection campaign. With supermodel wife Carla Bruni in the front row, the French president - and avid runner - clearly intended to show he was in fighting shape to win the race. Unfortunately, last weekend's event evoked an entirely different symbolism: Place de la Concorde is, after all, where King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, lost their heads to the guillotine.