Reuters - For five years, Paul James hitched, trekked and drove to get away from his native West Africa. He survived the Sahara, begged on the streets of Morocco and crossed the Mediterranean in a rubber dinghy to reach what he thought was the promised land.

AP - Researchers using three-dimensional technology to study the Mona Lisa say the woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's 16th-century masterpiece was either pregnant or had recently given birth when she sat for the painting.

AFP - France is heading for economic growth of 2.0-2.5 percent next year, with improved public finances and job creation, the draft 2007 budget showed as campaigning gets underway seven months before presidential elections.