NANTUCKET, Mass. — Not that wine drinkers around the world want to see wineries struggle in the midst of the global economic downturn. But massive decreases in disposable income mean that some high-end wines are now either going unsold or are selling at significantly lower prices, which leaves avid wine consumers of more modest financial means hopeful of uncorking a bottle.

PARIS — French summer festivals can run the gamut from the quirky to the hokey to the plain bizarre. But more than just an excuse for making merry, the widely supported events can also be an exercise in cultural democracy. In southwestern France, there’s the annual pig festival in Trie-sur-Baise in the Hautes-Pyrenees region whose motto, “we hear it, we see it, we eat it,” sums up the event, which includes both a pig squealing contest and feasting on intestine specialties like black pudding.

BRUSSELS — "I’m told that in Brussels, the word 'August' doesn’t exist — the summer months here are June, July, Les Vacances. So it’s nice to see all of you today." That’s how new NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen began his first meeting with journalists earlier this month, either feigning surprise or truly not expecting to see several dozen reporters present in the NATO auditorium.

PARIS — When considering that more than an estimated 5 million Muslims reside in France, the government’s calculation that 367 women nationwide wear a burqa might seem negligible,  but the debate over legislation to outlaw burqas has been anything but.