President Francois Hollande defends his decision to end France’s military mission in Afghanistan early, during an unannounced visit to Kabul.

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Hollande defends Afghan exit plan

François Hollande’s surprise visit comes less than a week after he announced that France would pull its troops out of Afghanistan by the end of this year.

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French President in Afghanistan to Meet With Karzai

Cannes, France —Whether it’s the weather, the traffic or the movies, perhaps the best word to describe the Cannes Film Festival this year is “stuck.” From the outset, when organizers announced the directors competing for the festival’s top honor, Cannes seemed stalled in a past era: Of the 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or this week, not one is directed by a woman, a nod to the mythical image of the heroic auteur that Cannes is famous for championing in its 66-year history. Read full article > >

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Cannes Film Festival 2012: Stalled in the past, with few surprises

BRUSSELS—European leaders headed to a Brussels summit meeting Wednesday, with France and Germany deeply divided on how best to restore growth for the continent’s stagnant economies. Clashing views between the European Union’s two most influential members threatened to produce stalemate even as predictions mount that the 17 nations that use the euro, the common EU currency, are slipping into a recession that could postpone economic recovery on both sides of the Atlantic. Read full article > >

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France, Germany divided ahead of EU summit in Brussels

A violent rainstorm causes flooding and power cuts in and around Nancy in north-eastern France, with one person found dead in their home.

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Flood chaos in French north-east

At a meeting on Wednesday with European leaders, President François Hollande of France will press the issue of euro bonds, which some officials consider a step too far.

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Hollande to Press Germany on Euro Bonds

Jorge Lorenzo beats Valentino Rossi in France on a wet Le Mans track to go top of the MotoGP standings ahead of Casey Stoner.

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Lorenzo eases to win at Le Mans

A rally car ploughs into spectators in the Var region of southern France, killing a marshal and one other person, and injuring 17.

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French rally car crash kills two

France has confirmed it plans to withdraw its combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, two years ahead of the agreed Nato schedule.

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VIDEO: France confirms early Afghan exit

France’s new government holds its first cabinet meeting, announcing a 30% pay cut for President Hollande and his ministers.

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French government takes pay cut

Jean-Marc Ayrault takes over as France’s new Socialist prime minister but party leader Martine Aubry will not join the cabinet.

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New premier takes over in France

Will France learn to love British beef again?

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Could France learn to love British beef?

François Hollande, 57, was invested Tuesday morning as the first Socialist president of France since 1995.

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François Hollande Sworn In as President of France

Ray Isle ( @islewine on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. After an informal survey of the mothers of five or six friends of mine, I have determined that mothers, as a rule, are OK with Chardonnay. Some people might question the scientific legitimacy of this analysis on the grounds that the statistical sample was ridiculously small, and they’d be right. But nevertheless, if you’re going to buy your mother a bottle of wine for Mother’s Day, Chardonnay – the most popular grape in America, by the way – is likely to be a good choice. Moreover, since the variety has been cultivated for nearly 700 years, ever since the Cistercian monks in Burgundy figured out what to do with it, giving her a bottle will allow you to say something endearing like, “Mother, I am giving you this wonderful bottle of Chardonnay because it is from a grape variety even older than you.” She'll be thrilled. Trust me. 2010 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay ($12) California’s Wente was one of the first, if not the first, US winery to plant a substantial amount of Chardonnay. That was 100 years ago, in 1912, and what’s referred to as the “Wente clone” of the variety now accounts for about 75 percent of the Chardonnay grown in the state. The winery’s Morning Fog bottling, its most affordable Chardonnay, has a crisp, green apple–y character. 2010 Cameron Hughes Lot 320 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($12) This Chardonnay is more in the traditional California style than the Wente, above – rich and fairly luscious, with tropical notes like pineapple. But it isn’t an overblown butter bomb, and has plenty of fresh acidity to keep its flavors lively. 2010 Novellum Chardonnay ($13) Surprisingly affordable given how good it is, this creamy, spicy Chardonnay from the south of France is aged mostly in stainless steel rather than oak barrels, which keeps it impressively refreshing despite its substantial richness. 2010 William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux ($22) Chablis is the region—the northernmost part of Burgundy, in France – and Chardonnay is the only grape allowed in Chablis. (Many European wines are labeled by region, rather than grape variety.) This is classically Chablisienne, to get sort of Gallic about it: floral and citrusy, with a distinctive stony-chalky note. More from Food & Wine America's Best Bars Best Brunch Cities in the U.S. Best Breakfast Sandwiches in the U.S. America's Best Donuts Mother's Day Recipes

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Chardonnay for Mother’s Day

Can a Republican primary in Indiana have even the remotest connection to a presidential election in France? Richard Mourdock , the tea party giant-killer who defeated Sen. Richard Lugar on Tuesday, clearly thinks so. Read full article > >

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Mourdock Republicans, embracing dangerous austerity