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☆ Britain looks to upstage France with play for world's third major AI hub after U.S., China
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But key challenges face the country as it looks to become the world's third-biggest AI hub. At the London Tech Week conference in the Olympia events venue earlier this month, tech executives from around the world touted London and the U.K. as a place to invest. London vs. FranceLondon is facing heated rivalry from France for the title of European AI leader. Can the UK keep its European AI crown? Seeking regulatory clarityAnother key source of uncertainty for tech leaders is the future of AI regulation in the U.K.

Persons: Mike Kemp, Alex Kendall, — Kendall, Wayve's, Brent Hoberman, Wayve, it's, Salesforce, Janet Coyle, Coyle, Arthur Mensch, Hanno Renner, that's, Europe's, CNBC's, Philip Belamant, Zilch, Matthew Holman, Cripps, Holman Organizations: Global, London Tech, Sage, Google, London, Partners, Viva Tech, Accel, CNBC, Mistral France Paris, Alpha, Alpha Germany Heidelberg, Face France Paris, France Paris, United, United Kingdom London, Kingdom London, Tech, European Union Locations: London, United Kingdom, China, Olympia, SoftBank, San Francisco, Vancouver . U.S, France London, France, Brazil, Silicon, Europe, Paris, Berlin, Alpha Germany, Germany, Brexit, Britain

☆ French protests add to Macron's political gamble as election race heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Matthieu Delaty | Afp | Getty ImagesFrance's election campaign kicked off in earnest Monday following a weekend of violent nationwide protests against the far-right National Rally, or RN, whose record European Parliament gains sparked the snap vote. Protesters gather during an anti far-right rally after French president called legislative elections following far-right parties' significant gains in European Parliament elections, in Paris on June 15, 2024. More likely, however, is a "messy" hung parliament, he said — part of Macron's gamble to discredit RN's legitimacy ahead of the 2027 presidential elections. French stocks gained on Monday, with Goldman Sachs' senior European strategist Sharon Bell saying that the sell-off may have been premature. Protesters gather during an anti-far-right rally after French President Emmanuel Macron called legislative elections following far-right parties' significant gains in European Parliament elections in Paris on June 15, 2024.

Persons: Matthieu Delaty, Jordan Bardella, France's Le, Lou Benoist, Emmanuel Macron's, Mujtaba Rahman, Mujtaba, Goldman Sachs, Sharon Bell, Bell, CNBC's, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: National Rally, Afp, Getty, France's Le Monde, CGT, CNBC, Union, Eurasia, CAC, Generale, Protesters Locations: Lyon, France, Paris, Europe

"We need much more European big players, and I think Mistral AI can be one of them," Macron said of France's leading AI company. Macron also praised H, the newly launched French AI startup that announced this week it had raised a massive $220 million from its initial round of financing. He compared allowing American tech giants to operate under U.S. regulations while in Europe, to allowing a French bank in the United States to ignore American banking regulations. When it comes to China, however, Macron implied that he thought some U.S. tech regulations had gone too far. "Look, I think China is a competitor when you speak about trade, innovation and economy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: France —, Microsoft, CNBC, European, EU Artificial Intelligence, European Union, Google, TikTok Locations: PARIS, France, France — Europe, China, United States, U.S, Paris, Mistral, Europe, Washington, Brussels

☆ A top fund manager is using these 7 global stocks to beat the market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Global stock markets may be coming under pressure from geopolitical tensions and sticky inflation — but one portfolio manager sees potential in several stocks. Hinchliffe oversees more than $1 billion of PineBridge's assets via its Global Focus Equity Fund . What we are trying to do is beat the benchmark by constructing our portfolio to be similar to the market from a risk perspective," Hinchliffe said. "We're not taking a view that small caps are better or worse this year than last year; we're not taking the view that growth stocks are better than value stocks. The portfolio manager noted that they "clearly led the market last year based on fantastic earnings growth by and large."

Persons: Rob Hinchliffe, Hinchliffe, —, Morningstar, We're, we're, France's Legrand Organizations: PineBridge Investments, CNBC Pro, Global Focus Equity Fund, Equity Fund, Stock, Microsoft, Nvidia, Walmart Locations: U.S, Swiss

☆ OpenAI strikes deals with more major news publishers, posing a threat to Google's dominance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The ChatGPT maker announced this week it had struck partnerships with two major European media organizations: France's Le Monde and Spain's Prisa Media. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. This is a "threat" to GooglePublishers who've signed agreements with OpenAI say they hope the partnerships will bring new life to their business. By wooing users with a better interface, OpenAI could threaten Google's dominance over online search, Zaman said. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Brad Lightcap, Axel Springer, Roger Lynch, Condé Nast, Google Publishers who've, Le Monde, Tauhid Zaman, Zaman, Hugh Martin Organizations: Service, Prisa, Business, Politico, CNN, Fox Corp, Bloomberg, ChatGPT, Yorker, Wired, The New York Times, Microsoft, Google Publishers, Google, Facebook, Media, Yale School of Management, Publishers, Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University Locations: OpenAI

☆ The real story behind Coco Chanel's collaboration with the Nazis, as featured in 'The New Look'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Apple TV+ "The New Look" shines a light on Coco Chanel's murky history as a Nazi informant and spy. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Juliette Binoche and Emily Mortimer as Coco Chanel and Elsa Lombardi in "The New Look." Roger Do Minh/Apple TVHow deep the fashion icon's Nazi collaboration ran was made public for the first time in "Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War," by Hal Vaughan, published in 2011. AdvertisementChanel, who died in 1971 at 87, continued her relationship with Von Dincklage after the war for several years.

Persons: —, France's, Coco Chanel that's, Chanel, Todd A, Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche, Emily Mortimer, Coco Chanel, Elsa Lombardi, Roger Do Minh, Hal Vaughan, Vaughan, Dreyfus, Alfred Dreyfus, Hulton, Baron Hans Günther Von Dincklage, Von Dincklage, Spatz, André Palasse, Pierre, Paul Wertheimer, Chanel didn't, Parfums Chanel, Modelhut Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, Bettmann, Duke of Westminster, Walter Schellenberg, Schellenberg, Vera Bate Lombardi, Lombardi —, Chanel's, Churchill, Baron Louis de Vaufreland, Per Vaughan, Wertheimer, James Andanson, Dincklage, Baron von Dincklage Organizations: Apple, Nazi, Service, Deutsch, Hotel Ritz, Abwehr, AFP, Getty, British, Paris, Chanel Locations: Nazi, Paris, German, British, Germany, French, Britain, Madrid, Churchill, Switzerland

☆ France calls West Bank Israeli settler violence 'policy of terror'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Israeli army vehicle operates during an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 9, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - France on Thursday condemned violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling it a "policy of terror" aimed at displacing Palestinians and urging Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians from the violence. Speaking in Geneva on Thursday, Turk said he was deeply concerned about the intensification of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. But just in the three weeks since the Oct 7 attack, more than 120 West Bank Palestinians have been killed. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and it has been under military occupation since, while Israeli settlements have consistently expanded.

Persons: Raneen, Anne, Claire Legendre, Volker Turk, Turk, Israel, France's Legendre, France, John Irish, Bernadette Baum, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Bank, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Jenin, France, Israel, Gaza, Geneva, East Jerusalem, Palestinian

☆ Sizzling France down New Zealand in thrilling World Cup opener
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The All Blacks, beaten for the first time in 32 World Cup pool games, had two Mark Telea tries and a sole penalty by Richie Mo'unga to show for themselves. "We felt there was a lot of pressure in the first half, it took, us time to relax and they scored quickly and easily. Sixteen years after losing their opening World Cup game as hosts against Argentina, France rose to the occasion, beating the All Blacks for the second time in a row. New Zealand were on the brink of the line again and surprisingly opted for the kick when France were penalised. France started the second half with a more playful mindset but were punished right away for their defensive nonchalance.

Persons: Ramos, Les Bleus, Damian Penaud, Melvyn Jaminet, Thomas Ramos, Mark Telea, Richie Mo'unga, Romain Ntamack, Paul Willemse, Jonathan Danty, Julien Marchand, It's, Fabien Galthie, Ian Foster's, Foster, Emmanuel Macron, Sam Cane, Tupou Vaa'i, Dalton Papali'i, Cane, Beauden Barrett, Marchand, Mo'unga, Ioane, Matthieu Jalibert, Ardie, Willie Jordan, Jaminet, Julien Pretot, Nick Mulvenney, Toby Davis, Ken Ferris Organizations: Blacks, Rugby, New Zealand, Stade de France, New, Argentina, South, France, All Blacks, Thomson Locations: France, Uruguay, Lille, New Zealand, Namibia, Toulouse, South Africa, New

☆ France's Le Maire vows to keep lowering taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire attends the China-France Economic and Financial Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - France will accelerate the reduction of its debt while sticking to its policy of lowering taxes for households and businesses, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. The French state must reduce public spending, he added, confirming that gas and electricity price caps would end. Inflation has started to slow and "we will stick to our fiscal policy", Le Maire said during a visit to the Haute-Savoie department in the French Alps. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, editing by Tassilo Hummel and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Thomas Peter, Le Maire, Fitch, Elisabeth Borne, Dominique Vidalon, Tassilo Hummel, Devika Organizations: Finance, France Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: China, France, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Haute, Savoie, French

☆ A potential first-of-its-kind fighter jet purchase could be a sign Saudi Arabia isn't happy with what it's getting from the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering a large number of French-made Dassault Rafale fighter jets. In July, Germany announced it would not allow additional Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to be delivered Saudi Arabia. The Saudi air force's 72 Eurofighters are its second most numerous fighter type behind its US-made F-15s. Bandar Algaloud/ReutersIn the near-term, Saudi Arabia may find Rafales more burdensome than beneficial, given its extensive investment in US and British aircraft. A Saudi Air Force F-15 taxis for takeoff at King Faisal Air Base in February 2021.

Persons: France's, Toni Anne Barson, Sebastien Roblin, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, Roblin, Salman, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Rafales, Jamal Khashoggi, Bohl, Justin Bronk, Katherine Walters, Paul Iddon Organizations: Dassault Rafale, Saudi, Service, Privacy Policy, France's La Tribune, Eurofighter Typhoon, United Arab, La Tribune, French Dassault Rafale, Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon, Getty, East, NATO, Bandar Algaloud, Reuters, British, Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal United Services Institute, Saudi Air Force, King Faisal Air Base, US Air Force, Staff, Rafale, Washington Locations: Saudi Arabia, British, Riyadh, Wall, Silicon, Privacy Policy Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, French, Provence, Washington, Yemen, Iran, China, France, AFP, London, Russia, North Africa, NATO, United States, Bandar, Croatia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Greece

☆ Europe markets open lower as investors look to euro zone inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets were lower Monday as investors digest a heavy week of earnings and look ahead to euro zone inflation data and a key policy decision from the Bank of England. Food and beverage stocks were 0.9% lower in early deals, while oil and gas stocks were up 0.3%. Preliminary euro zone inflation data will be released at 11:00 a.m. CET, with a further fall from June's 5.5% expected to provide some relief for policymakers. The European Central Bank's Christine Lagarde signaled last week that the bank was "open minded" about whether it would raise rates in September as inflation shows signs of easing. The move would mark its 14th consecutive rise as U.K. inflation remains high, having fallen only slightly to 7.9% in June.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, France's Legrand, Pearson Organizations: Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Heineken Locations: June's, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Netherlands

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - French telecoms firm TDF is studying options for its fibre business including a sale, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a deal that could value the fibre unit upwards of 1 billion euros. The sellers are looking for as much as 1.3 billion to 1.6 billion euros for the fibre unit, according to one of the people, a price that buyers may find difficult to swallow. TDF - a former unit of France's leading telecoms operator Orange - provides broadcasting, fibre and telecoms infrastructure with some of its radio antennas sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The fibre unit's EbitdaAL, which deducts the cost of the leases from EBITDA, reached 28.7 million euros last year up from 21.6 million euros a year earlier, while revenues grew 42.8% to 52 million euros, according to TDF’s latest annual results. Two of the sources said the fibre unit's valuation will depend on the number of homes connected to fibre, market penetration and growth rate.

Persons: Brookfield, Sweden's, Les Echos, Andres Gonzalez, Amy, Jo Crowley, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: TDF, Reuters, Brookfield Asset Management, BNP Paribas, BNP, Brookfield, Orange, Eiffel, Sweden's EQT Partners, PSP Investments, APG, Management, Arcus Infrastructure Partners, Agricole, CAA, Thomson Locations: Paris, Europe, TDF, EBITDA

☆ Frenchman Marchand breaks Phelps world record in 400m medley
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/4] Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships - Swimming - Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A, Fukuoka, Japan - July 23, 2023 France's Leon Marchand in action during the men's 400m medley final REUTERS/Issei KatoJuly 23 (Reuters) - Leon Marchand of France set a world record in the men's 400 metres individual medley, cruising to the gold medal in a time of four minutes, 2.50 seconds at the world championships in Fukuoka in southwest Japan on Sunday. Marchand broke the long-standing mark of 4:03.84 set by American great Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and he finished 4.06 seconds ahead of silver medallist Carson Foster of the United States. Japan's Daiya Seto took the bronze. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: France's Leon Marchand, Issei Kato, Leon Marchand, Marchand, Michael Phelps, Carson Foster, Daiya Seto, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Marine Messe Fukuoka, Thomson Locations: Fukuoka, Japan, France, American, Beijing, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Leon Marchand, 21-year-old French swimming star, breaks Michael Phelps’ last remaining world record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Although Michael Phelps retired seven years ago, his legacy has continued to tower over swimming. But on Saturday, Phelps’ last remaining world record was smashed by 21-year-old Leon Marchand at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukoka, Japan, as the Frenchman completed the 400 meters individual medley in 4:02.50, shaving an enormous 1.34 seconds off Phelps’ previous mark. Phelps himself had held the world record for almost 21 years, setting a series of increasingly faster times during his stint as the world’s most dominant swimmer. “I’m two seconds faster than my previous record, I beat the world record, it’s amazing… I don’t know what to say, I’m so happy.”France's Leon Marchand competes in the final of the men's 400m medley. Meanwhile Australia’s Ariarne Titmus set a world record in the women’s 400 meter freestyle with a time of 3:55.38, so blistering that she held off Katie Ledecky in second place.

Persons: Michael Phelps, Phelps ’, Leon Marchand, Frenchman, ” Marchand, “, Phelps, ” France's Leon Marchand, Manan Vatsyayana, Carson Foster, Australia’s Ariarne, Katie Ledecky Organizations: CNN, Olympics, Getty Locations: Fukoka, Japan, Beijing, AFP, Japan’s

☆ Titmus shatters world record to win 400m freestyle gold at worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FUKUOKA, Japan, July 23 (Reuters) - Reigning Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus of Australia smashed the world record as she blazed to victory in a battle royale for the women's 400m freestyle title on the opening day of the swimming events at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday. New Zealand's Erika Fairweather edged McIntosh to grab the bronze, finishing 4.21 seconds behind Titmus. Earlier, Australia's Sam Short won the men's 400m freestyle race a year after his compatriot Elijah Winnington prevailed. The women's and men's 4x100m freestyle relays will bring an end to the day's proceedings at the Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ariarne, Titmus, Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, Ian Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband, Michael Phelps, Erika Fairweather, McIntosh, Australia's Sam Short, Elijah Winnington, Ahmed Hafnaoui, Germany's Lukas Martens, Winnington, France's Leon Marchand, Carson Foster, Jacob Whittle, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis Organizations: Paris, Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall, Thomson Locations: FUKUOKA, Japan, Australia, Athens, Tunisia, Budapest, British, Bengaluru

National police said on Thursday night that officers faced new incidents in Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse and Lille, including fires and fireworks. The local prosecutor said the officer involved had been put under formal investigation over voluntary homicide and would be held in prison in preventive detention. Under France's legal system, being placed under formal investigation is akin to being charged in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. He said the officer had aimed down towards the driver's leg but was bumped, causing him to shoot towards his chest. The unrest has revived memories of riots in 2005 that convulsed France for three weeks and forced then-president Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pascal Prache, Mercedes, Nahel, Gonzalo Fuentes, Laurent, Franck Lienard, didn't, Lienard, Prache, Macron, Jacques Chirac, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Layli, Noemie Olive, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Richard Lough, John Stonestreet, Frank Jack Daniel, Alexandra Hudson, Daniel Wallis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Nike, National, Lille, Le Vieux Port, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Paris suburb NANTERRE, Algerian, Nanterre, Paris, Rivoli, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, France's, Le Vieux, Provence, Paris suburb, Clichy, Blanc Mesnil

☆ France unrest: Riots spread, police officer charged with shooting teenager dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Benoit Van Overstraeten | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The shooting of the 17-year-old, identified as Nahel, took place in Nanterre, on the western outskirts of Paris. The teenager, who was too young to hold a full license in France, was driving illegally, a source familiar with the investigation said. The Nanterre prosecutor said he was known to police for previously failing to comply with a traffic stop order. The unrest has revived memories of riots in 2005 that convulsed France for three weeks and forced then-president Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency. Tuesday's killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023, down from a record 13 last year, a spokesperson for the national police said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Gerald Darmanin, Macron, Darmanin, Elisabeth Borne, Pascal Prache, Nahel, Stephanie Lecocq, Jacques Chirac, Benoit Van Overstraeten, dominique Vidalon, John Stonestreet, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Government, . Police, REUTERS, Reuters, Prosecutors, Police, Thomson Locations: Paris, PARIS, France, North, Nanterre, Paris suburb, Republic, Lille, Toulouse, Amiens, Dijon, Clichy

☆ EU antitrust regulators approve Vivendi, Lagardere deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 9 (Reuters) - Vivendi (VIV.PA), the French media conglomerate controlled by billionaire Vincent Bollore, on Friday won conditional EU antitrust approval for its acquisition of France's largest publisher Lagardere (LAGA.PA). Vivendi last year announced the deal which would give it control of Lagardere's flagship weekly publications Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and Paris Match. Vivendi said in a statement that it was confident it would finalise those two transactions by the end of October. "The remedies proposed by Vivendi will allow for the preservation of existing competition in those markets, to the benefit of consumers." Reuters reported in April that the remedies were sufficient to help Vivendi gain EU antitrust clearance for the acquisition.

Persons: Vincent Bollore, Margrethe Vestager, Daniel Kretinsky, Yannick Bollore, Foo Yun Chee, Bart Meijer, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Louise Organizations: Vivendi, Paris Match, European Commission, Reuters, Le Monde, TF1, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Czech, Le

☆ France's Le Maire wants to break food price inflation "spiral" by autumn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Le Maire: economic growth remains solidLe Maire: meeting next week to tackle inflation concernsPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday that he would meet with retailers and suppliers next week to discuss ways to break the food price inflation "spiral" by autumn, which is a major concern for cash-strapped consumers. Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio that economic growth remained solid in France despite recent strikes and protests against President Emmanuel Macron's legislation to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. Le Maire has since repeatedly called on both sides to reopen negotiations to ensure that a recent fall in global wholesale food prices is passed on to consumers. Le Maire has even threatened to take action if they do not respond to his calls. Bank of France governor and European Central Bank member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said last month he expected food price inflation to start easing in the second half of this year.

☆ 'Focused on the job': France's Le Maire defends writing of steamy novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was fully focused on creating growth and fighting inflation after coming under fire for penning a steamy novel that was published hours before France's credit rating was downgraded by an agency. "I am 100% focused on the job," Le Maire told Franceinfo radio. It is a graphic account of Oskar having sex with a character named Julia that has exposed Le Maire to mocking and criticism. The French edition of the Huffington Post headlined a story "Bruno Le Maire has written about an anus and no one was ready for this." "These are 10 lines out of a 480 pages book," Le Maire shot back when pushed on his writings during the Franceinfo interview.

☆ The worst Pentagon leak in years may have started in a gamer chatroom, where people weirdly keep posting classified documents trying to win arguments on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The leaked Pentagon documents may have started in an online chatroom for gamers. It's not the first time users have leaked classified or sensitive information to the internet to settle a debate. "Here, have some leaked documents," the user wrote in response to the discussion. In recent years, players of "War Thunder" — a combat video game — have shared highly sensitive information to various chatrooms on multiple occasions, including content about tanks, fighter jets, and missiles. In one case, a user posted information from the manual of an F-16 fighter jet, as well as content about the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

☆ "Calm down!" EU finance ministers play down SVB contagion despite banking shares rout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies European bank shares down nearly 10% over two daysMinisters try to soothe markets as investors dump bank stocksFrance's Le Maire: "calm down!" BRUSSELS, March 13 (Reuters) - European finance ministers and the EU's economics commissioner played down the contagion risk of the collapse of U.S. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) while European bank shares saw their biggest rout since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the start of a Eurogroup finance ministers meeting in Brussels, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called on markets to "calm down" and European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni stressed he did not see a risk of contagion for European banks following SVB's collapse (SIVB.O). France's Le Maire and his Belgian counterpart Vincent Van Peteghem also said they saw no specific concern for their country's banks, as investors were dumping their financial institutions' shares. Belgian finance minister Vincent Van Peteghem also poured oil on the waters.

☆ 'Quick and dirty': France's Macron expected to push through pension reforms after years of pushback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The French government is presenting new plans to update the pension system. French President Emmanuel Macron is going at it again: a new pension reform will be presented Tuesday, and is expected to face some backlash. Macron is serving his second term as France's president but overhauling the pension system is a long-standing promise that dates all the way back to when he was first elected in 2017. The public sector also has "special regimes," or sector-specific deals that allow workers to retire before they're 62. Public sector workers — arguably the ones with the most to lose from potential reforms — protested for several days in some of the country's biggest strikes in decades.

☆ Key match-ups in World Cup final between Argentina and France
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Semi Final - Argentina v Croatia - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 13, 2022 Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring their second goal with Lionel Messi and Nahuel Molina REUTERS/Carl RecineDOHA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Argentina and France meet in Sunday's World Cup final at Lusail Stadium. Here are three of the key match-ups that are likely to have a strong bearing on the result:Kylian Mbappe v Nahuel MolinaMbappe is a candidate for the World Cup's player of the tournament, having led France to their second consecutive final. The jet-heeled 23-year-old forward has scored five times in six games, surpassing his tally from the 2018 tournament, and has now scored nine World Cup goals in 13 appearances across the two editions. Molina arrived at the World Cup having faced criticism after struggling in his first season with Atletico Madrid, but he has been solid during the tournament and started every match. Lionel Messi v Aurelien TchouameniOne of the most anticipated match-ups will be Argentina great Messi against France's rising star holding-midfielder Tchouameni.

☆ France's Le Maire: We went too far in use of consulting firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The French government made excessive use of consultancy firms in the past and is now striving to correct that, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. For years, this government and previous governments relied too much on consultancy firms. This was corrected by the Prime Minister's instruction that all ministries cut by 15% the use of consultancy firms," Le Maire told France 3 television. Between the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, the Finance Ministry had for instance managed to cut by 34% its use of consultancy firms, he added. A report by the French Senate in March 2022 had notably pointed out that the government was "dependent" on consulting firms such as McKinsey.

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