Paris signed a new deal with the firm running its bike rental scheme Monday after thieves and vandals forced the city to replace the entire 20,000-strong fleet within just two years.

With hot-spots such as Barcelona, Berlin and Brussels increasingly popular for their night life circuit, city authorities are offering clubbers and the like www. Parisnightlife. fr, listing some 300 bars, restaurants, discotheques and concert halls in English and French. "Paris loves the night, life doesn't stop at 8 pm," said Jean-Bernard Bros, who is in charge of tourism at Paris city hall.

America`s Paris exiles could have queued to see themselves voting Tuesday in an empty parallel poll in front of the television cameras at one of Ernest Hemingway`s many favourite bars.But most had already followed their embassy`s advice and voted by post, and Tuesday night was given over to a pre-celebration of the candidacy that they hope will realign the United States with France.

PARIS, Oct 5, 2008 (AFP) - A shabby northeastern district that is home to the French capital's biggest Jewish community has seen a surge in street violence that led one newspaper to ask was it now 'the Bronx of Paris'.

PARIS, Oct 5, 2008 (AFP) - More than two million people thronged the streets of the French capital overnight Saturday for a 'White Night' of musical and cultural events, officials said.US rocker Patti Smith was a top draw at the seventh edition of Paris' 'Nuit Blanche', which also featured a light and sound show by Japan's Ryoji Ikeda in front of the Montparnasse skyscraper.

PARIS, September 15, 2008 (AFP) - French share prices plunged Monday, tumbling nearly six percent in midday trade after US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, sending shockwaves through the world financial markets.The CAC 40 stock index was down 5.60 percent at 4,090.10 points at midday.

PARIS, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI left Paris for the southern French pilgrimage centre of Lourdes on Saturday on the second stage of his four-day visit to France.He flew out of Orly airport, south of the capital, after celebrating an open-air mass for thousands in central Paris.

PARIS, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Paris' yearly Autumn Festival of performing arts this year features a wide range of Japanese artists, marking the 150th anniversary of ties between France and Japan.The prestigious Autumn fest, which kicks off Saturday and runs through to December 21, takes place in a score of theatres, including some of the city's top arthouses.

PARIS, July 15, 2008 (AFP) - A flagship bike rental scheme in Paris marked its first birthday on Tuesday, hailed by city dwellers as a welcome new fixture despite teething problems with vandalism and road safety.

PARIS, July 9, 2008 (AFP) - The Eiffel Tower, the world's most visited landmark, is to bring in online ticketing in a bid to slash waiting times of up to two hours for its seven million annual visitors, operators said Wednesday.