France Is Different Because ... (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Why the French really are unique in Europe

Lots of Talk, but Nobody's Listening (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Chirac and Jospin fail to ignite voters

'There's Bad News, Folks — I'm French' (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Competition is bad, unemployment is good and Vivendi Universal boss Jean-Marie Messier is not French. Television satirist BRUNO GACCIO explains why Bruno Gaccio is head writer for Guignols de l'Info, a satirical nightly newscast on Canal Plus — a pay TV channel owned by Jean-Marie Messier's Vivendi Universal

Crossing Borders (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Dispensing with tradition, the next generation of filmmakers, athletes, authors and actors is leaping France's national, cultural and linguistic barriers

Designing Men (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Paris prides itself on being the fashion capital of the world. But few of the designers working there are French. LAUREN GOLDSTEIN finds two who are

France's Leading Salesman (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Maurice Lévy, 60 Advertising executive

How Very French (EUROPE | FRANCE)

Is It Time For a Sixth Republic? (EUROPE | FRANCE)
If voters choose a president from one party and a parliament dominated by another, France could face more than gridlock.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind (EUROPE | FRANCE)

Research Takes On Commerce (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, 45, Geneticist

The End of the Line for ENA? (EUROPE | FRANCE)
The Ecole Nationale d'Administration once produced France's élite. Not any more. A look at ENA's future — and at those who've taken a different path to power

The Fight for Quality of Life (EUROPE | FRANCE)
How long can the French continue to afford their excellent — and expensive — public services?

The Grass Is Greener in France (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Across Europe farming faces an uncertain future. In Limoges, NICHOLAS LE QUESNE discovers why so many foreigners flock to France to till the soil

Think Locally... (EUROPE | FRANCE)
Manuel Valls, 39, Mayor of Evry

What the French Know About Globalization (A Lot More Than They're Letting On...) (EUROPE | FRANCE)
In the country that loves the Tobin Tax and claims to hate McDonald's, globalization is a fighting word. But PAT REGNIER finds this hasn't kept French businesses from taking advantage of free trade

Converging on The Middle (EUROPE | VEDRINE Q&A)


Fathers of Contention
Doubtful 'dads' offered new paternity test kits

From Russia, with Hate
Skinheads and nazis raise tension


Fighting for Your Rights
Debt-laden companies find new ways to cash in

How The Mighty Fall
Kirch faces ruin amid growing debt burden

Laying The Past To Rest
Tribal woman's remains return to Africa


Mend It Like Beckham
How a fractured bone may break World Cup hopes


The Heart Nouveau
Brussels — for offbeat charm


World Watch
The week's news in review