Youths battled police for a second night in the Paris suburbs, burning down government buildings and injuring more than 70 officers, forcing tighter security in the troubled towns.

A public transport strike billed as France's biggest in years was in full swing Thursday, with commuters forced to walk, pedal or drive to work in large numbers - and many staying home.

Eurostar, a train service connecting UK and Paris, was expected to set a new record on Tuesday, with the opening of a new high-speed track on the British side of the Channel Tunnel that shaves 20 minutes off the normal time.

Fastest ever journey time of just 2 hours and 3 minutes. Record set on the UK’s first high-speed line, High Speed 1, into Eurostar’s new London terminal at St Pancras International.

Vandals burned down 266 cars in France, including 195 vehicles in a Paris district, on the night of Bastille Day celebrated in the country July 14, a national police spokesman said Saturday.

Paris designers looked to Hollywood on Wednesday with elaborate creations that will rival on the red carpet.

Watching the gowns at the Christian Lacroix haute couture show was like seeing fabric sculptures come to life. The French designer celebrated his 20th year in business with a sumptuous line-up of outfits that swathed the body in folds of rich velvet or puffs of featherlight chiffon.

British designer John Galliano marked his 10th year at the creative helm of iconic fashion house Dior with an extravagant autumn/winter show in Versailles Palace, inspired by impressionist and modern painters.

The Paris haute couture shows kicked off Monday with Christian Dior holding a celebrity-studded catwalk show and party at the royal chateau of Versailles to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flies to Paris early next week for meetings with top French officials and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Middle East issues and Sudan will be on the agenda for the three-day Rice visit to the French capital, beginning Sunday.

The 47th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, which opens its doors on 18 June this year, will welcome almost 2,000 exhibitors - prime contractors, equipment manufacturers and SMEs involved in state-of-the-art technology used in the manufacture and assembly of aircraft, satellites, aircraft engines, aerospace powerplants and related equipment, as well as mechanical engineering and metallurgy subcontracting, surface treatments and composite materials.

France based plane maker Airbus may receive about $17 billion in orders from Qatar Airways at the beginning of the Paris air show on Monday, which includes 20 A350-800s, 40 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s.