4 mins read

Butter me up: Paris gets its first boutique devoted to France’s favorite fat

PARIS | The contradiction of the trim Parisian and the butter croissant now has a storefront. Le Butter Shop, billed as Paris’ first boutique devoted entirely to butter, opened last month a short walk from the Eiffel Tower — with 30 varieties from small family producers in Brittany, the Loire Valley and northern France. France […]

1 min read

A tornado tears through a village in southern France, injuring 39 and wrecking 300 homes

PARIS | A tornado ripped through a small village in southern France, damaging about 300 homes, destroying several cars and injuring dozens of people, authorities said Tuesday. The tornado struck Pomas, a village of about 1,000 people, on Monday and rescue teams were continuing their search through ruins on Tuesday, though no people were immediately […]

6 mins read

The livin’ is no longer so easy: How carefree dreams of ‘summertime’ are fading in 2026’s swelter

LONDON | Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to consider the death of the summertime state of mind. The season itself is in no danger; climate change, mainly caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal, is warming the weather year-round. Viewed this way, summer-like weather is ascendant. It’s setting records across the […]

5 mins read

UK and France prepare for another heat wave as western Europe sets new temperature record

PARIS | The U.K. and France are bracing for the fifth heat wave of the season, adding to an intense stretch of hot weather that has repeatedly sent temperatures soaring across Europe since May. National weather agency Météo-France is warning about temperatures approaching 40 C (104 F) from Tuesday onward in southeastern France. And in […]

6 mins read

Why celebrities from Zendaya to Kylie Jenner are wearing Fecal Matter

The brand name behind recent showstopping fashion moments isn’t quite as delicate as their romantic and otherworldly looks. When asked what an ethereal Zendaya was wearing for the “Odyssey” premiere in New York, her stylist Law Roach responded: “Fecal Matter.” Zendaya’s angelic strapless gown with feathered white wings was the work of Matières Fécales — […]

7 mins read

As France tames wildfire and lets 84,000 evacuees go home, blazes flare across Europe

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France | France gave the go-ahead Thursday for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a monster wildfire to return to home, the strongest sign yet that firefighters are turning a corner in a grueling battle against the flames that have burned an area four times the size of Paris. But blazes flared elsewhere across […]

7 mins read

Small changes in Hanoi’s streets can mean big disruptions for those who depend on them

HANOI, Vietnam | The noise is everywhere in Hanoi. The crack of a hydraulic breaker, the groan of excavators, the crunch of brick and concrete being torn apart. As Vietnam pushes for double-digit economic growth, its capital is pursuing an ultramodern vision for the next 100 years. In the first half of 2026 alone, Hanoi […]

5 mins read

France battles wildfire 4 times the size of Paris as tinderbox heat threatens new surge

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France | Firefighters in southwest France battled an uncontained wildfire four times the size of Paris on Wednesday as temperatures were forecast to hit 40 C (104 F), threatening to turn a calm night into only a brief reprieve. Authorities in the Gironde region said the blaze had not spread overnight, but rising […]

6 mins read

France says monster fire that forced 220,000 people to flee has stopped growing

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France | Fire crews and planes wrestled Monday to bring a monster wildfire under control in southwest France before a forecast jump in temperatures complicates the massive firefighting effort against a blaze that has burned an area four times the size of Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire had stopped growing, […]

2 mins read

Louvre reopens Apollo Gallery after a brazen heist, but no jewels are on display

PARIS | The Louvre’s Apollo gallery on Wednesday reopened to the public for the first time since 88 million euros ($102 million) worth of crown jewels were stolen in a dramatic daytime heist. The public can tour the majestic room and view its gilded ceilings and Greek frescoes en route to the nearby Mona Lisa, […]