At the Paris Salon du Livre this year, in response to the visit of the Israeli president, six Arab nations decided to exclude themselves from the event. Some attendees were puzzled by the boycott, especially considering that many Israeli writers are known to advocate the creation of a Palestinian state. With all that pressure, no wonder the roof collapsed!

Buddhist monks and other Tibetans protest against Chinese rule while their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, continues his exile in India. The topic of Tibet was a sore point for China as it prepared to host the Summer Olympics.

Chantal Sébire, whose face was disfigured by a large and incurable tumor that caused her excruciating pain and made her blind, had one request: to end her own life. But the French government refused to allow her to obtain a prescription from her doctor for a lethal amount of drugs. One week after this report, Ms. Sébire was found dead in her home.

Choosing a name for a new baby is just one of the tricky tasks parents face. Should you go with a classic, like Jeanne; a trendy name, like Mathéo; or an old-school throwback, like Alphonse? It can be tough to decide, but if all else fails, just use your alphabet blocks!

In part one of "My Father Opposes My Passion," we learn the source of the conflict between a teenage girl, Clara, and her father. She dreams of becoming of dancer, but he is totally opposed to her plans. A chance encounter with a homeless man is about to change her life.

Clara takes her father's refusal to allow her to become a dancer very badly. After he tears up her dance course enrollment form, she storms off and swears never to come back. Desperate, she thinks she has found a way to put an end to her woes.

Clara is desperate and considering the unthinkable. She is about to throw herself into the canal, but someone intervenes. It's the homeless man she met earlier, who cares enough to listen to her and bring a smile back to her face.

Clara is a step closer to her dream of becoming a dancer. Roger, the homeless man she met earlier, knows a dance teacher who is willing to give her free lessons. But first she will need to bring a signed parental authorization...

Clara's father finally catches up with her after she disappears for the afternoon. He sees her talking to the homeless man he saw earlier and is concerned for her safety. She goes home with her father and things quiet down a little, for now....

Clara has been taking dance classes for three months now. She's become friends with the other students, who help her prepare for her baccalaureate exam. Roger, her homeless friend, has also been a great help, and he's more educated than she realized!

Clara and Roger's persistence paid off. She passed her entrance examination to the sports-studies program. But first, she had to confront her father with the truth.

In the wake of a deadly terrorist attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt on New Year’s Day, many Coptic Christians are worried about celebrating Christmas (observed on January 6) as openly as they would like. Here is how a gorgeous Coptic church in Marseille is handling the situation.

Twenty-one thousand letters to Santa Claus were sent this year in Marseille. As if he didn't have enough on his plate, Saint Nick will send a handwritten response to each one, as long as their senders are on his "nice" list (and indicated their return address)!

The Brigade Activiste des Clowns (Clown Activist Brigade) has some revolutionary ideas for French politics. Among them are auctioning off the Senate, instituting nationwide illiteracy, and gradually enforcing the British system of driving on the left. Proper spelling is optional.

Scientists around the world are working together to combat the coronavirus. With the help of big data and artificial intelligence, research should yield results more quickly.