'Banlieue' is the colloquial reversal of 'lieu du ban', literally, 'place of exile'. In the French suburbs, out of work labourers are holed up in prison-style buildings, along with their children, to whom they pass on their despair

On 1 January 2008, France followed Italy, Ireland, Great Britain and Spain by passing a law against smoking in public places. We went to see how things are coming along on the other side of the Alps. A report from the City of Lights

After European capitals London, Berlin and Amsterdam, Paris has the fourth biggest gay community. 700, 000 people participated in its 2007 gay parade. But life for gays and lesbians in the French capital is not exactly as rosy as the colour pink

High rents, fierce competition - just a couple of difficulties that 100, 000 people in Paris face when looking for accommodation

At 28, the author of comic series 'Marzi' – about a little girl living in the Polish People’s Republic - on her own story as a Pole between France and Belgium

After Eurobarometer and the ‘Index of Happiness’, a new index launched by a British think tank on 31 January aims to ‘measure’ democracy in 25 European countries – and get Europe's citizens to customise their own indices online. Interview

Magazines in auction rooms, high consumption in the art market - trend review