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☆ Europe markets open higher after U.S. debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sectors were all cautiously higher or flat, with autos and banks leading gains. European stock markets opened higher Monday after U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. U.S. political leaders must now gather enough bipartisan support to pass the debt ceiling bill in Congress before the June 5 deadline to avoid a federal default. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed even as Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed to trade at the highest levels since July 1990. Elsewhere, the Turkish lira slumped to a near-record low after incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured reelection.

☆ France's Triet wins Cannes' Palme d'Or for 'Anatomy of a Fall'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, May 27 (Reuters) - French director Justine Triet won the 2023 Cannes Film Festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, on Saturday for her courtroom drama "Anatomy of a Fall". Triet becomes the third female director to have won the prestigious prize. Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Engie, Amazon inaugurate Italy's biggest agrivoltaic farm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, May 26 (Reuters) - France's Engie (ENGIE.PA) and Amazon (AMZN.O) on Friday officially opened Italy's biggest agrivoltaic farm to supply green energy to the Italian unit of the e-commerce giant. The solar power farm, near the Sicilian city of Trapani, will create power through photovoltaic panels placed high above the ground in order to allow cultivation in the fields below. The rest will go to the Italian power grid. Amazon Italy plans to power all its activities with renewable energy by 2025. The Italian subsidiary of Engie aims to reach 2 gigawatt (GW) of installed green capacity by 2030, its CEO Monica Iacono said in a statement.

☆ France's Breillat back to breaking taboos at Cannes with 'Last Summer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Caption : The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "L'ete dernier" (Last Summer) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 25, 2023. Director Catherine Breillat, cast members Lea Drucker, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Samuel Kircher and producer Said Ben Said... Read moreCANNES, May 25 (Reuters) - French director Catherine Breillat's new erotic thriller "Last Summer," premiered on Thursday night, bringing her taboo-breaking style to the Cannes Film Festival. Lea Drucker, who won France's top Cesar award for best actress in 2019's "Custody," stars as Anne, while newcomer Samuel Kircher plays Theo. Olivier Rabourdin, from "Taken" and "Midnight in Paris", is the husband, Pierre. Breillat called that film her most accessible work, as it was "completely unlike the films I usually make in that it does not break any taboos".

☆ France summons brother, assistant of Lebanon central bank boss in fraud probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Central bank chief Riad Salameh, his brother Raja Salameh, and his assistant Marianne Hoayek are being investigated in Lebanon, France and other countries for allegedly taking hundreds of millions in funds from the central bank. France has set a hearing in Paris for his brother Raja on May 31 and for Hoayek on June 13, a source close to the matter told Reuters. A Lebanese judicial source confirmed to Reuters that Lebanon's judiciary had received the summons and was working to deliver them. France last week issued an arrest warrant for Salameh, 72, after he failed to attend his own hearing in Paris. The Salameh brothers and Hoayek have already been charged in two separate cases in Lebanon related to embezzlement and other financial crimes.

[1/5] Portuguese surfer Teresa Bonvalot smiles after winning her heat in the Sydney Surf Pro on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Australia, May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Lincoln FeastMay 22 (Reuters) - When Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot qualified for the Tokyo Games in 2021 as a then 21-year-old, she had barely a month to prepare for surfing's Olympic debut and the biggest event of her life. Now, more than a year out from the Paris Games, Bonvalot has again booked an Olympic ticket and is relishing the extra time to ready her mind, body and equipment. "That was unbelievable to get the news to mark my spot there," Bonvalot said during a competition in Australia last week. A total of 24 women's places are available, with the International Surfing Association's World Surfing Games in El Salvador this month providing the next qualification spots.

☆ Zelenskiy gets warm welcome at G7 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 20, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press... Read moreHIROSHIMA, May 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy received a warm welcome in Japan on Saturday after arriving to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima for back-to-back bilateral meetings with world leaders. Zelenskiy has so far met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among others. We will be here to the very end," Macron told Zelenskiy. Modi also made clear his support for dialogue and diplomacy to find a way forward, according to a statement on his office's official Twitter account.

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

☆ France's Macron: Zelenskiy's Japan visit a 'game changer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to Japan for the Group of Seven (G7) summit a "game changer," as the two met for talks on the sidelines of the event. "I think this is a unique opportunity to (have) exchanges with a lot of countries from the south and express your situation, express a message and share a view. I do believe it can be a game changer," Macron said. Macron added that France will be with Ukraine "to the very end". Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Sakura Murakami; Editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hiroshima G7 marks costs of war and welcomes Ukraine's Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 20, 2023. Zelenskiy will receive a hero's welcome during the closing day of the G7 summit hosted in Hiroshima, Japan, where leaders debated how to respond to a conflict that many expect only to escalate after nearly 15 months of fighting. On Sunday, Japan and South Korea, two of China's wealthiest neighbours, will highlight their improved ties with a joint meeting. But Zelenskiy has pushed the countries to go further on both economic and military measures. "Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on Twitter as he arrived in Hiroshima.

☆ Analysis: Investment banking faultlines trigger European job shake-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sinead Cruise | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Applications for financial services roles globally rose by 67% in the first quarter of 2023 against the same period last year, according to eFinancialCareers. Britain has already said it will scrap a cap on bank bonuses under plans to attract global financial sector talent. Worries about possible contagion triggered by the frailty of the U.S. regional banking system have also put some bank staff on a quest for more secure employment, sources say. Duncan Finlayson, managing director of the FinTech & Financial Services practice at Raines International, said some wanted meetings with chief financial officers to better understand the financial health of prospective employers. "Without a doubt some of the more established financial services platforms are under more heavy scrutiny," he said.

RAAs create frameworks to facilitate military cooperation, such as making the entry of foreign personnel and equipment easier for the visiting force. France's Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said last monththat Paris was hoping to agree RAAs with Japan, enabling the two sides to strengthen their military operability and exchanges. Japan and France have already held numerous joint military exercises over the past few years bilaterally and also as part of a wider group. After signing defence cooperation deals with Canberra and London, Japan could next sign one with the Philippines. The agreements are expected to allow for faster deployment of armed forces in joint military exercises and in the event of natural disasters.

☆ Pension reform defiance brings new blood to French trade unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interest is growing among younger and private sector workers, where unions tend to be less well represented. Vacheron said that more than 30% of the CGT's recent joiners were under the age of 35 while 70% were coming from the private sector, which traditionally is dominated by the CFDT. "Since the retirement reform is contested by the young and old, public and private sector workers, they see a utility in belonging to unions, unions are attractive," Vacheron said. "Unions are rebuilding themselves from the ground up through recruitment and not only street protests," sociologist Michel Wieviorka said. Labour relations consultant Stephanie Matteudi-Lecocq said that the momentum coming from pension reform pushback could ultimately put unions back on more solid footing in companies.

☆ Loving trainers: JD Sports' profit to top 1 billion pounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Underlying profit in 2022-23 was 991.4 mln stgSales up over 15% in first 13 weeks of new yearLONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - JD Sports Fashion (JD.L) said on Wednesday it expected profit to exceed 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) for the first time this year as demand for trainers, joggers and hoodies from its younger shoppers keeps growing. For the first 13 weeks of its new year, JD posted organic sales growth of more than 15%. Shares in the group have increased 30% so far this year, giving it a market capitalisation of 8.8 billion pounds, more than the market value of supermarket Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer - two stalwarts of British retailing. For its last financial year ending Jan 28, it reported profit before tax and exceptional items of 991.4 million, up from 947.2 million pounds in 2021-22. For 2023-24 it forecast 1.03 billion pounds.

Sarkozy, 68, who served one term as French president from 2007 to 2012, has constantly denied any wrongdoing. In 2013, investigators looking into the Libyan connection decided to wire-tap two of Sarkozy's phone lines. As they did, they discovered a secret phone line used by the ex-president and his lawyer, ultimately leading to the corruption investigation. During the appeals trial, Sarkozy said "I'm here to defend my honour, which has been violated. The only other president during the course of France's 64-year-old Fifth Republic to be convicted by a court was Sarkozy's conservative predecessor, the late Jacques Chirac, who was found guilty of corruption in 2011.

☆ Controversial 'Homecoming' film director attends Cannes premiere with cast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Le retour" (Homecoming) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals – Cannes, France, May 17, 2023. Director Catherine Corsini, producer Elisabeth... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - French director Catherine Corsini appeared on the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet flanked by a cluster of cast members on Wednesday for the premiere of her drama "Homecoming," which has been the subject of some controversy in recent months. The director walked between producer Elisabeth Perez and actor Aissatou Diallo Sagna, who won France's Cesar award for best supporting actress in Corsini's 2021 film "The Divide." The movie had faced controversy after concerns were raised about an intimate scene involving minors. Wednesday's red carpet appearance was briefly interrupted by a protester at the barricades in a red dress, who flashed her pregnant stomach with the word "Surrogacy" and a barcode on it.

☆ Southern Europe braces for climate change-fuelled summer of drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

As climate change makes the region hotter and drier, years of consecutive drought have depleted groundwater reserves. CLIMATE CHANGE TRENDSouthern Europe is not alone in suffering severe water shortages this year. The Horn of Africa is enduring its worst drought in decades, while a historic drought in Argentina has hammered soy and corn crops. "In terms of the climate change signal, it very much fits with what we're expecting," said Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University. Some 90% of the mainland is suffering from drought, with severe drought affecting one-fifth of the country - nearly five times the area reported a year earlier.

SAO PAULO, May 16 (Reuters) - France's Thales SA (TCFP.PA) will provide maintenance services for Brazilian airline Gol (GOLL4.SA) in Brazil instead of abroad, the companies outlined on Tuesday in a deal that aims to cut turnaround time and lower costs. Under the deal, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA, as the airline is formally known, will no longer need to ship its Thales equipment to the United States or France for maintenance, as they will now be repaired at a Thales plant near Sao Paulo. Thales supplies avionics to Gol, which has a fleet of roughly 120 Boeing (BA.N) aircraft, and to local rival Azul , which mainly operates Airbus (AIR.PA) and Embraer (EMBR3.SA) aircraft. Gol and Thales did not disclose financial details of their deal, but the carrier's director of maintenance, Fernando Miwa, said Thales' investments in Brazil would provide local operators with an opportunity to cut costs. "The market for this type of service in Brazil is still very limited," Miwa said.

Foreign holdings of Italian government paper increased in February after 10 consecutive monthly declines, according to Bank of Italy data. "This is a magic moment for Italian bonds," he told Reuters. The share of Italian government debt held by foreign investors fell to below 20% at the end of 2022 from around 50% before the 2008 financial crisis, Bank of Italy data shows. The Italian Treasury has already taken steps to shore up demand for its bonds as the ECB retreats, by boosting purchases among domestic households and companies. Together, Italian families and firms now hold around 215 billion euros, or 9%, of Rome's debt, UniCredit's Cazzulani said, the highest level since mid-2015.

☆ Bat lands worldwide are besieged, seeding risk of a new pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

This collision – bats and humans competing for resources on territory long the domain of the bats – could trigger the next pandemic. As people destroy bat habitats worldwide, they are unwittingly helping bat-borne viruses mutate, multiply, and infect other species, including homo sapiens. For millennia, bat viruses lurked across the forests of West Africa and in other undisturbed parts of the world but posed little threat to humanity. They’re potent proliferators: Some roost tightly together and in close quarters with other bat species. Each of the bat viruses analyzed by Reuters has epidemic potential, according to the World Health Organization.

☆ Five Germans handed jail sentence for Green Vault jewel heist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The pieces stolen from the break-in at the Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault) museum in Dresden contained more than 4,300 diamonds with an estimated value of more than 113 million euros. They included a breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle and an ornate diamond head-dress. Five members of the same family were handed sentences of between four years and four months and six years and two months. The treasures survived Allied bombing raids in World War Two, only to be carted off as war booty by the Soviet Union. They were returned to Dresden, the historic capital of the state of Saxony, in 1958.

[1/4] Twitter, X Corp., and Tesla CEO Elon Musk poses with French President Emmanuel Macron prior to their talks, Monday, May 15, 2023 at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Some 200 business leaders attending the event in Versailles close to Paris have so far made commitments to invest a combined 13 billion euros ($14 billion), the most since Macron first held the summit in 2018, his office said. Musk, who also lunched with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, said he was confident Tesla would make "significant investments" in France in the future, without giving a timetable. "No announcement today but I am very impressed with President Macron and the French government and how welcoming they are," he told reporters. Morgan Stanley plans to increase headcount in France by 200 by 2025, bringing total staff in the country to 500.

PARIS, May 14 (Reuters) - France is poised to win record foreign investment pledges when President Emmanuel Macron receives global business leaders, including Tesla's Elon Musk, on Monday at the annual Choose France summit in Versailles. Executives attending the event in Versailles close to Paris have so far made commitments to invest a combined 13 billion euros ($14 billion), the most since Macron first held the summit in 2018. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), met Macron at his official residence the Elysee Palace. France previously tried to convince Musk to build a European gigafactory in the country, but he chose Germany, his only European gigafactory so far. PALATIAL BACKDROPOver the last five years, Macron has invited top CEOs to the opulent Versailles Palace to try to secure billions in foreign investments.

☆ Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he must approve all new hires in internal email
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk meets with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 15, 2023. Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent an email to "everybody" at his electric vehicle maker on Monday, expressing concern over the company's current hiring practices. "I would like to gain a better understanding of our hiring," Musk wrote in the email. "Think carefully before sending me a request," Musk wrote in Monday's email. Here's Monday's email from Musk:To: Everybody From: Elon Musk Subj.

☆ Russia scrambles jet as France, Germany conduct NATO patrols
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry scrambled a fighter jet on Monday after it said it detected French and German patrol aircraft flying towards Russian airspace, the ministry said in a statement. France and Germany said its planes - a French Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft and a German P-3C Orion - were conducting regular flights as part of a NATO exercise and behaved in accordance with international law. Russia said its Su-27 jet returned to base after the French and German ones turned away from Russia, the defence ministry said, adding that it had scrambled the jet to "prevent the Russian state border being violated." "There was never any intention to enter Russian airspace, these aircraft always keep a safe distance. "As part of a NATO exercise, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet interacted with an Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft off the Baltic States today.

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