Paris France

Representatives from around the world collectively endorsed the latest U.S.-backed Mideast peace initiative Monday, pledging to support the crippled Palestinian economy at a crucial moment when its moderate leaders are engaged in peace talks with Israel. Ninety countries and international organizations shored up the Palestinians with pledges to donate $7.

Transport workers shut down most trains in Paris, testing the patience of residents forced to walk, bike or skate to work with a strike aimed at derailing President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to end special retirement benefits that he says hurt France's competitiveness. Sarkozy called on unions to enter talks. Both the state train authority, which began its strike Tuesday night, and the Paris transport system announced a fresh day of walkouts today. Only 90 of 700 trains ran Wednesday.

The French government, taking a new step in its drive to clear the capital's streets of tent encampments, said Paris authorities would provide accommodations for more than 1,100 homeless people. The measure, expected to cost about $9 million, will transform temporary night shelters into places where the homeless can stay throughout the day. Authorities say the effort stems from health and safety concerns. Activists accuse the government of acting on behalf of tourists and wealthy Parisians.

An Algerian was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for acting as a banker for and giving logistical support to Algerian terrorists who bombed the Paris subway in 1995. Rachid Ramda was the subject of a 10-year extradition fight with Britain, which handed him to France in December. At the start of his trial last month, Ramda proclaimed his innocence and expressed sympathy for victims of the string of attacks in the Paris Metro, which killed eight people and injured more than 100.

Police evicted about 140 mainly African squatters, some sobbing or screaming, from two dilapidated buildings Friday as authorities began a sweep of dwellings deemed fire hazards. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy ordered 60 such buildings closed, after two recent blazes killed dozens of African immigrants this year in the French capital and focused attention on substandard housing. Police on Friday opened an arson investigation into one of the fires, which killed 17 people last week.

A fire erupted early today at the Israeli Embassy in Paris, slightly injuring five firefighters and causing heavy damage to the building, officials said. But there were no indications that the blaze was caused by arson or an attack. The fire started about 2:20 a.m. Authorities initially said the blaze had destroyed an unoccupied wing of the embassy that was being renovated. But Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe later said, "It is in fact the embassy" that was burned. Fire Capt.

WE took the family to Paris for Christmas. It was the first time my husband and I wondered whether the five of us could do such a trip again. It wasn't because of Paris, which was gorgeous and child-friendly, or the fact that we were traveling with 2-month-old Darby. Portable and pleasant, she slept through both plane rides and did not complain about being nursed in the Louvre or on the Pont Neuf.

Paris, not Los Angeles, will play host to the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships, it was announced Saturday in Thailand. French weightlifting federation officials decided to submit Paris as the proposed site, rather than Strasbourg, France, in the final days before the decision. Paris reportedly got 10 votes and Los Angeles eight.

In an official expression of support for the arts, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a media conference Friday at the Caltrans downtown headquarters to celebrate landmark exhibitions of Los Angeles contemporary art and architecture coming soon to Paris. "Los Angeles 1955-1985," featuring about 350 works by 87 artists, and "Morphosis," exploring a prominent architectural firm's work, will open March 8 at France's Pompidou Center.