Ukraine war: L’Occitane U-turn as it closes Russian shops

The firm says military action in Ukraine means it will shut its shops, having defended staying open. More »

Germany, Italy, France suspend AstraZeneca shots amid safety fears, disrupting EU vaccinations

FILE PHOTO:Teacher, Rene Kirstein, receives his first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Susanne Kugel, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Grevesmuehlen, Germany, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer BERLIN/GENEVA (Reuters)... More »

Macron to Lebanese leaders: reform swiftly or face consequences

BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday gave Lebanese politicians until the end of October to start delivering on reforms, saying financial aid would be withheld and sanctions imposed further down the line if corruption gets in the... More »

Macron marks Lebanon’s centenary as nation teeters on brink

BEIRUT (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron marked Lebanon’s centenary on Tuesday by planting a cedar tree, the emblem of the Middle East country that is collapsing under the weight of a crippling economic crisis. In his second trip to Lebanon in less ... More »

Citi’s Rousseau to focus on France, financial advisory across EMEA

LONDON (Reuters) – Citigroup (C.N) has hired Robin Rousseau as a vice chairman of investment banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a memo seen by Reuters shows. Based in Paris, Rousseau will focus on the bank’s French client franchise while also prov... More »

European shares boosted by tech- all eyes on upcoming data

(Reuters) – Technology stocks drove European shares higher on Tuesday, but sentiment was shaky ahead of key economic readings that are likely to indicate an uneven recovery from the coronavirus. Apple (AAPL.O) suppliers in the region rose after the iPhone make... More »

Big Oil’s patchy deals record casts shadow over green makeover

LONDON (Reuters) – As major oil companies prepare to spend billions on renewable energy assets to stay relevant in a low-carbon future, the industry’s patchy track record on takeovers is a red flag for some investors. Ten years ago, the world’s top energy comp... More »

French companies will have a week to adopt new face mask rules: minister

PARIS (Reuters) – French companies will have around a week to adopt new, strict rules on the compulsory wearing of face masks in the workplace to curb the spread of COVID-19, employment minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday. Borne told LCI TV that staff wor... More »

Vivendi and Amber to go to court over Lagardere’s EGM refusal

PARIS (Reuters) – French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.PA) and activist fund Amber Capital – the two biggest shareholders in French company Lagardere (LAGA.PA) – said they would go to court over Lagardere’s refusal to hold a special shareholders meeting. The... More »

Highlights: U.S. Open day one

NEW YORK(Reuters) – Highlights of the first day at the U.S. Open on Monday (times ET- GMT-4). The Grand Slam, the second this year after Wimbledon was cancelled and the French Open was postponed, is being played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic:... More »

British trade minister pledges to fight ‘unfair’ U.S. tariffs – The Telegraph

(Reuters) – British Trade Secretary Liz Truss pledged to fight U.S tariffs on Scotch whisky, calling them “unacceptable and unfair” in an op-ed in the Telegraph on Sunday. “I will fight to consign these unfair tariffs to the bin of history”, she wrote (AIR.PA)... More »

Motorcycling: Rossi urges riders to control aggression after ‘terrifying’ crash

(Reuters) – Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi has urged riders who make their way up to the premier class to exercise caution when fighting for track positions to avoid a repeat of the horror collision that halted the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. The red flag came ou... More »

Humanity versus disease showcased as London’s Science Museum reopens doors

LONDON (Reuters) – Exhibits showcasing humanity’s battle with infectious disease will greet visitors recently emerged from coronavirus lockdowns when London’s Science Museum re-opens its doors next week after its longest closure since World War II. “Medicine: ... More »

Havana, the ‘Paris of the Caribbean,’ gets its own Eiffel Tower

HAVANA (Reuters) – Havana was once dubbed the ‘Paris of the Caribbean’ for its beautiful architecture, vibrant arts scene, and flourishing nightlife. Now it even has its own Eiffel Tower. The illuminated four-meter (13-ft) high replica by Cuban blacksmith Jorg... More »

European stocks flat as tech losses offset China data optimism

(Reuters) – European shares were largely flat on Monday as renewed U.S.-China tensions hit technology stocks, but a slowing decline in China’s producer prices and rising oil prices limited losses. The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged up 0.1% at the start of ... More »

Coronavirus accelerates European utilities’ digital drive

MILAN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – When COVID-19 plunged Italy into lockdown, it was decision time at the Verampio power station. The control room, which runs a fleet of hydroelectric plants across the Piedmont region, hard hit by the pandemic, had to be secured to k... More »

Global shares climb as China industrial data offers hope for coronavirus recovery

LONDON (Reuters) – European shares rose on Monday as industrial activity in China gained strength, another sign of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that added to hopes the global economy would also return to health. The broader Euro STOXX 600 rose 0.6%, ... More »

BP’s green energy targets will be tough to meet

LONDON (Reuters) – BP (BP.L) will need to invest tens of billions of dollars over the next decade and may have to accept lower returns than it can get from oil if it is to meet its target of becoming one of the world’s largest renewable power generators. The B... More »

Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun to build satellite centre with Airbus

DUBAI (Reuters) – Abu Dhabi state defence and security entity Tawazun is to build a satellite assembly, integration and testing centre with Airbus in the United Arab Emirates’ oasis city of Al Ain, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. The centre also i... More »

Cycling: Start of Tour de France in Denmark moved to 2022

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark’s staging of the Tour de France’s start, known as the ‘Grand Depart’, has been pushed back a year to 2022, Danish organisers said in a statement on Monday. The Danish organisation charged with planning the start of the Tour de Fr... More »

Sanofi formally investigated over epilepsy drug Depakine

PARIS (Reuters) – Healthcare company Sanofi Aventis France said it had been placed under formal investigation on charges of manslaughter over Depakine, which is an epilepsy drug that caused birth malfunctions and slow neurological development when taken during... More »

UK PM Johnson praises Northern Ireland’s Hume as a ‘political giant’

LONDON (Reuters) – Irish peacemaker John Hume was a “political giant” who did so much to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. Hume, a key Roman Catholic architect of Northern Ireland’s 1998... More »

Murray wants assurance on quarantine issues before U.S. Open

(Reuters) – Players need assurance that they would not face mandatory quarantine upon returning to Europe from the U.S. Open before travelling to New York amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former world number one Andy Murray has said. Organisers United States Tennis... More »

Strain on global manufacturing eases as euro zone returns to growth

LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) – Euro zone manufacturing activity expanded modestly last month, its first growth since early 2019, and Asia’s pain eased as the contraction slowed in export-reliant nations, adding to hopes the sector is emerging from the hit of the cor... More »

Postcard reveals site of Van Gogh’s ‘farewell note in colour’ before suicide

PARIS (Reuters) – Stuck at home during lockdown, Dutch researcher Wouter van der Veen finally found time to look through old postcards of the French village where Vincent Van Gogh died and made a remarkable discovery. One postcard showing gnarled roots and tre... More »

Full ceasefire takes effect in eastern Ukraine

KYIV (Reuters) – A full and comprehensive ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists has entered into force in eastern Ukraine, opening the prospect of an end to military and civilian casualties, the two sides said on Monday. Ukr... More »

UK eyes France, Germany after slapping coronavirus quarantine on Spain

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is closely watching rises in coronavirus cases in other European destinations such as France and Germany after slapping a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season. The imposition of a Bri... More »

Britain set to drop quarantine for Canary Islands and Balearics: The Sun

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will drop its policy of requiring people returning from the Spanish Canary Islands or Balearics to quarantine for two weeks, the Sun newspaper said on Monday. On Saturday, Britain announced a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spai... More »

Gold roars to record high, dollar dives again

LONDON (Reuters) – Gold soared to an all-time high on worsening ties between the United States and China, a sinking dollar and ultra-low interest rates on Monday, while stock markets faltered before a deluge of corporate earnings. Europe’s main stock markets w... More »

European shares fall as UK quarantine move on Spain hits travel stocks

(Reuters) – European shares slipped on Monday with travel stocks leading the declines after Britain imposed a quarantine on travellers returning from Spain, where cases of the novel coronavirus have surged in the last few weeks. The pan-European STOXX 600 was ... More »

Carrefour expands Uber Eats service to more French cities, Belgium

PARIS (Reuters) – French supermarket retailer Carrefour (CARR.PA) and Uber Eats (UBER.N) said on Monday they were rolling out their home delivery partnership nationwide and to Belgium. The service, initially launched on April 6, was aimed at helping Parisians ... More »

Original drawing of Olympic rings sells for 185,000 euros

(Reuters) – An original drawing of the Olympic rings by the founder of the modern Games, Pierre de Coubertin, has fetched 185,000 euros ($216,302) at auction in Cannes, the auction house said. “The drawing was sold to a Brazilian collector for a price of 185,0... More »

‘Gone With The Wind’ star Olivia de Havilland dies aged 104

(Reuters) – “Gone With the Wind” star Olivia de Havilland, considered the last surviving actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died on Sunday at the age of 104, the Hollywood Reporter said. She died of natural causes at her home in Paris, where she had lived... More »

Activist fund TCI lodges complaint against Italy with European Commission over Atlantia

LONDON/ROME (Reuters) – Activist hedge fund TCI Fund Management said it has complained to the European Commission over “illegitimate expropriation” by the Italian government of Atlantia’s motorways unit Autostrade per l’Italia. TCI, an investor in Atlantia, sa... More »

Multiple vaccine candidates show early promise- inhaled interferon helps severe COVID-19 patients

(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Early tests of COVID-19 vaccines yield promising results R... More »

EU leaders show first signs of compromise on stimulus plan

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Signs emerged that leaders of northern European Union countries were willing to compromise on a 1.8 trillion euro ($2 trillion) coronavirus stimulus plan on Monday as talks in Brussels extended to a fourth day. Divided and slow to respond ... More »

Analysts’ View: EU progress lifts euro, stocks on the defensive

LONDON (Reuters) – EU leaders reported some progress on Monday after three days of haggling over a coronavirus stimulus plan, sending the euro to a four-month high and Italy’s borrowing costs to lows not seen since March. An attempt to reach a compromise faile... More »

Work begins on black boxes from Ukrainian jet downed by Iran

PARIS (Reuters) – Investigators have begun work on the flight recorders from the Ukrainian jet accidentally shot down by Iran in January, France’s BEA accident investigation bureau said on Monday. Iranian forces say they downed the Ukraine International Airlin... More »

European stocks slip as cyclicals retreat, EU talks in focus

(Reuters) – European shares fell on Monday, dragged down by cyclical sectors amid a surge in coronavirus cases globally, while investors remained cautiously optimistic about the ongoing talks over an EU-wide recovery fund. An index of eurozone shares .STOXXE s... More »

Euro, euro zone bond markets hold out hope for recovery fund, stocks cautious

LONDON (Reuters) – The euro and euro zone bond markets held out hope European Union leaders would strike a deal on a recovery fund for the bloc’s pandemic-ravaged economy on Monday, but the region’s stock markets took a cautious turn lower as talks paused. The... More »

Renault’s first half vehicle sales down 34.9%, ZOE electric model shines

PARIS (Reuters) – French carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) on Monday reported a 34.9% drop in worldwide vehicle sales in the first half of the year due to the impact from the new coronavirus outbreak but said it had seen some signs of recovery in June. Sales of its Z... More »

French vaccines group Valneva to participate in UK’s COVID-19 response programme

PARIS (Reuters) – French specialty vaccines company Valneva will participate in Britain’s COVID-19 vaccine response programme, the company said on Monday and will provide up to 100 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to the plan. Valneva also sai... More »

Hamilton criticises F1 after ‘rushed’ anti-racism gesture

(Reuters) – Six times world champion Lewis Hamilton criticised Formula One’s leaders after what he called a “rushed” anti-racism gesture by some drivers before the start of Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton, who won from pole position to take the champio... More »

Movie magic as Paris turns the Seine into open-air cinema

PARIS (Reuters) – While the cinema drive-in may have gotten a boost as lockdowns gradually come to an end amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in Paris film fans can now munch on their popcorn watching a movie from a boat on the river Seine. As part of Paris Plages, th... More »

G20 finance officials eye solution to digital tax row this year

WASHINGTON/BERLIN (Reuters) – Finance officials from the Group of 20 major economies on Saturday vowed to resolve major differences over taxing big tech companies and reach a broad, consensus-based solution on international taxation this year. The United State... More »

Euro zone shares flat as EU recovery plan awaited- Ericsson soars

(Reuters) – Euro zone shares were little changed on Friday as investors awaited the outcome of an European Union summit where leaders are expected to hammer out details of a 750-billion-euro ($858 billion) recovery fund. The euro zone STOXX index .STOXXE was f... More »

Lung radiation shows promise for COVID-19 pneumonia- smoking raises risks

(Reuters) – The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Lung radiation may hasten COVID-19 pneumonia recovery A lo... More »

Banksy mural stolen at Bataclan returned to France from Italy

ROME (Reuters) – Italy on Tuesday handed back to France a mural painted by British street artist Banksy which was stolen from the Paris Bataclan theatre, where militant Islamist gunmen killed scores of people in an attack in November 2015. In June 2018, Banksy... More »

UK to ban Huawei from 5G network

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government will ban Huawei from Britain’s 5G network by ordering telecoms companies to remove its equipment by 2027, Media Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Tuesday. Operators will not be able to purchase 5G comp... More »

Britain set to ban Huawei from 5G, though timescale unclear

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to ban Huawei from Britain’s 5G network in a landmark decision that will anger Beijing but win plaudits from President Donald Trump as the United States grapples with China’s rising economic and technologi... More »

France reduces Chinese flights to Paris in tit-for-tat row

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s government on Monday started restricting Chinese airlines to one passenger flight to France per week, saying it was acting in response to restrictions imposed by Beijing on French carriers flying to China. “From July 13, Chinese comp... More »

Tunisia seeks late debt payments as crisis hits economy, state budget

TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia has asked four countries to delay debt repayments, it said on Monday as it announced more pessimistic economic and budget forecasts for 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is negotiating with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France and I... More »

Ubisoft shares sink after misconduct review

PARIS (Reuters) – Ubisoft (UBIP.PA) shares dropped 9% on Monday after the French video games group said over the weekend that three senior managers were leaving the company following a review into allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Ubisoft, which makes ga... More »

Racing Point confident they can see off Renault protest

LONDON (Reuters) – Racing Point accused Formula One rivals Renault on Monday of making a “misconceived and poorly informed” protest against them at the Styrian Grand Prix and said they were confident of winning. Stewards said on Sunday that the protest was adm... More »

Changes to Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia could trigger heritage review: UNESCO

PARIS (Reuters) – UNESCO must be notified of any change in the status of Istanbul’s sixth-century Hagia Sophia museum and the changes may have to be reviewed by its World Heritage committee, the United Nation’s cultural body said on Thursday. Turkey’s top admi... More »

France backs Spanish candidate to lead Eurogroup of finance ministers

PARIS (Reuters) – France will back Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino for the presidency of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday, a stance echoed by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Dri... More »

Bond investors wait for more headlines on EU recovery fund

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Euro zone bond yields held their ground on Thursday with investors’ main focus expected to be any new developments on the European Union’s recovery fund, which aims to help the region’s economy recover from the coronavirus crisis. Hopes a... More »

European stocks slip as hopes of post-pandemic rebound fade

(Reuters) – European shares fell on Tuesday as surging U.S. coronavirus cases and forecasts for a deeper-than-feared recession in the euro zone dimmed optimism around a post-pandemic rebound. The pan-European STOXX 600 index slipped 0.6%, falling back from a n... More »

EU sees deeper recession, less steep rebound for euro zone

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The euro zone economy will drop deeper into recession this year and rebound less steeply in 2021 than previously thought, the European Commission forecast on Tuesday, with France, Italy and Spain struggling the most due to the COVID-19 pan... More »

Don’t forget us! Paris tour guides protest outside Louvre

PARIS (Reuters) – Several dozen Paris tour guides wearing masks and holding Mona Lisa portraits protested outside the Louvre museum on Monday for more support from the government to help them ride out the coronavirus crisis and a dearth of tourists. They gathe... More »

World shares rally to four-week highs as investors bet on China revival

LONDON (Reuters) – Global stock markets rallied to four-week highs on Monday as investors counted on a revival in Chinese activity to boost global growth, even as surging coronavirus cases delayed business re-openings across the United States. MSCI’s All-Count... More »

UK hopes for socially distanced performances at cultural venues, minister says

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain hopes to permit outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues, minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, after announcing a nearly $2 billion investment in the arts. “I want all our cultural institutions to return to no... More »

Djokovic’s event taught us to be cautious: French Open director

MUMBAI (Reuters) – French Open organizers are taking every precaution to ensure the Grand Slam does not meet the same fate as Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour, which was abandoned after several players tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Guy Forget ha... More »

France won’t ban Huawei, but encouraging 5G telcos to avoid it: report

PARIS (Reuters) – The head of the French cybersecurity agency ANSSI said there would not be a total ban on using equipment from Huawei in the rollout of the French 5G telecoms network, but that it was pushing French telcos to avoid switching to the Chinese com... More »

Scaled-down Czech film festival opens in empty auditorium

PRAGUE (Reuters) – A Czech film festival disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic unveiled a scaled-down programme of movies on Friday with an opening ceremony in an empty auditorium and a star-free red carpet. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, central a... More »

EU banks to take on Visa, Mastercard with new payments system

LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) – Sixteen banks from Germany, France and three other euro zone countries on Thursday said a “truly European” payments system was expected to be up and running in 2022 to fully digitalise a region where half of all retail payments are sti... More »

French group Sogeclair Aerospace eyeing up to 245 job cuts in France

TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – French company Sogeclair Aerospace (SCLR.PA) said on Tuesday that it was eyeing up to 245 job cuts in France, as the country’s aerospace sector reels from the hits to business caused by the coronavirus crisis. A spokesman said the ... More »

Air France aims to cut more than 7,500 jobs between now and 2022: BFM TV/AFP

PARIS (Reuters) – Air France (AIRF.PA) wants to cut more than 7,500 job positions between now and 2022, reported BFM TV and Agence France Presse on Wednesday, citing trade union sources. Air France is preparing voluntary layoffs in response to the coronavirus ... More »

European shares pick up, dollar gains before quarter-end

LONDON (Reuters) – European shares picked up on Tuesday after a weak start, extending the optimism of the Asian session, and oil prices steadied as investors looked for signs of an economic recovery in the second half of 2020. The MSCI world equity index, whic... More »

Motor racing: Renault retain Sirotkin as F1 reserve

LONDON (Reuters) – Russian Sergey Sirotkin will be on standby in Austria this weekend after Renault announced on Tuesday they had retained him as their Formula One reserve driver. The role has come into the spotlight more as the sport finally starts its season... More »

It is rocket science: EU to speed up space ambitions, Breton says

PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union will plough more money into rocket launches, satellite communication and space exploration to preserve its often unsung successes in space and keep up with US and Chinese ambitions, its space chief said on Sunday. Over the ... More »

Louvre Museum prepares to reopen, minus the Mona Lisa melee

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Louvre Museum is getting ready to reopen almost four months after COVID-19 forced it to close, but visitors will find one feature missing: the heaving crowd jostling to get a view of the “Mona Lisa”. With many foreign tourists not ex... More »

Paris’s Orsay museum reopens to smaller crowds with eye on finances

PARIS (Reuters) – The Musee d’Orsay in Paris, home of the French Impressionists, reopened to the public on Tuesday, three months after being forced to shut by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its head called for state help to recover from the financial costs of the ... More »

Exclusive: Nokia to cut a third of jobs at French arm Alcatel-Lucent

PARIS (Reuters) – Finland’s Nokia Oyj (NOKIA.HE) plans to cut 1,233 jobs at its French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent International, equivalent to a third of the local workforce, the group said on Monday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. Nokia, which competes ... More »

France’s Macron to visit Dutch PM Rutte to break EU budget impasse

PARIS (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron will travel to the Netherlands on Tuesday to try to break Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s resistance to the European Union’s 750 billion euro aid package that the French president wants to see approved at an EU summit in Jul... More »

Lebanese film director keeps faith after COVID-19 dashes Cannes dreams

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Many directors would have been devastated when their plans to show their first feature at the Cannes Film Festival were wrecked by the spread of COVID-19. But Lebanon’s Jimmy Keyrouz said he took heart from the themes of his movie “Broken Ke... More »

Gunmen ambush Mali army convoy, soldiers killed: residents

BAMAKO (Reuters) – Gunmen ambushed an army convoy near a town in central Mali on Sunday and killed a number of soldiers, residents from another nearby town said. Several other soldiers and around half of the dozen or so vehicles in the convoy were still missin... More »

GE picks Embraer planemaking chief to run aviation unit

(Reuters) – General Electric Co (GE.N) on Monday tapped the planemaking head of Brazil’s Embraer (EMBR3.SA) to run its key aircraft engines division on Monday, as the global aviation industry grapples with disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Irishman J... More »

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be shared across Europe, says France

PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A deal between AstraZeneca and four European countries for COVID-19 vaccines involves doses being shared by European Union members on a pro rata basis based on population, a source at the French President’s office said on Monday. The... More »

Charging points surge ahead of electric car boom

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The number of publicly accessible charging points for electric vehicles (EV) jumped 60% in 2019, the biggest increase in three years and outpacing sales of battery-powered cars, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its a... More »

Coronavirus poses existential threat to some of world’s museums: UNESCO

PARIS (Reuters) – The coronavirus lockdowns have hit the world’s museums very hard and more than 10 percent may never reopen while others will have to put new projects on hold, the United Nations’ cultural body UNESCO said. A survey of almost 1,600 museums in ... More »

Banksy mural stolen from Bataclan theater found in Italian farmhouse

ROME (Reuters) – A mural by secretive British street artist Banksy stolen from the Bataclan theater in Paris, where Islamist gunmen killed 90 people in 2015, has been found in a farmhouse in central Italy, police said on Thursday. The work, one of a series of ... More »

Police remove emaciated lion from French circus

PARIS (Reuters) – French police have taken away an emaciated lion from a circus in Vironvay, western France, following complaints from an animal rights organization. The prefecture for the Eure region said in a statement the lion had been seized as the circus ... More »

Tiny 13,500-year-old bird statuette shows origins of Chinese art

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A tiny statuette of a bird carved from burnt bone about 13,500 years ago reveals the origins of Chinese art, embodying a style different from prehistoric three-dimensional artwork by people in other parts of the world, researchers said o... More »

European stocks fall as cyclicals, BAT weigh

(Reuters) – European shares fell on Tuesday as declines in cyclical stocks and UK’s British American Tobacco threw a spanner into a rally driven by optimism over a global recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 1.3%, with eu... More »

Winging it: Paris gallery keeps visitors apart with extension hats

PARIS (Reuters) – An art gallery in Paris has sought inspiration in ancient China to help it enforce social distancing, by providing hats with winged extensions for visitors. The colourful papier-mâché hats are modelled on headgear from the Song dynasty, which... More »

France nears 1-billion-euro crisis fund for aero suppliers: sources

PARIS (Reuters) – French government and industry officials are negotiating a 1-billion-euro, privately led investment fund for small aerospace suppliers in which major manufacturers could invest 200 million euros, people familiar with the proposals said on Wed... More »

A crisis that has blunted the euro’s global profile

LONDON (Reuters) – The coronavirus crisis may have dealt a lethal blow to the idea that the euro could one day replace the dollar as the world’s preferred currency, by exposing euro zone frailties and cementing the U.S. Fed’s role as global lender of last reso... More »

Auto industry big part of Italy GDP, fair to back FCA for job creation: minister

MILAN (Reuters) – The auto industry represents a significant share of Italy’s economy and it is right to support those who create jobs, Deputy Economy Minister Laura Castelli said when asked about Fiat Chrysler’s (FCHA.MI) request for state-backed loans. The I... More »

Switzerland’s Sunrise, French-owned Salt link up in $3 billion broadband JV

ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss telecoms operator Sunrise Communications Group and French billionaire Xavier Niel’s Salt Mobile on Tuesday pledged to invest up to 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.09 billion) in a broadband partnership aimed at reaching 1.5 million homes by... More »

Czech car production falls 31.1% in January-April period to 337,497 cars

PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech car production fell 31.1% year-on-year in the January-April period to 337,497 cars, the Automotive Industry Association said on Tuesday. In April alone, when the country ground to a standstill due to measures aimed to curb the coronavi... More »

Electric car sales to fall, but not as much as other vehicles: research

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Worldwide electric car registrations are set to fall 18% this year, but those of combustion engine cars are set to drop even faster, analysts BloombergNEF (BNEF) said on Tuesday, as the automotive sector is hammered by the coronavirus cri... More »

Jazz singer Melody Gardot seeks digital orchestra to beat coronavirus blues

PARIS (Reuters) – American jazz singer Melody Gardot is inviting musicians around the world to play along digitally on her new album to overcome the solitude and financial strain of coronavirus lockdowns. For the song “From Paris with Love” on her new album, G... More »

How sewer science could ease testing pressure and track COVID-19

LONDON (Reuters) – The science of sewage surveillance could be deployed in countries across the world to help monitor the spread of national epidemics of COVID-19 while reducing the need for mass testing, scientists say. Experts in the field – known as wastewa... More »

Defensives, upbeat earnings lift European shares

(Reuters) – European shares edged higher on Tuesday following a clutch of upbeat quarterly earnings reports, but investors remained cautious of a resurgence in new coronavirus cases as hard-hit economies lift lockdowns. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.... More »

Virus brings Cannes Festival ‘stepladder gang’ down to earth

CANNES, France (Reuters) – In a normal year, Joseph Morpelli would be getting ready to plant his stepladder opposite the Cannes Festival venue so he and his fellow diehard fans can get a glimpse of celebrities walking down the red carpet. This year, coronaviru... More »

France rejects Amazon’s request for unemployment schemes at six sites

PARIS (Reuters) – The French government has rejected a request by Amazon (AMZN.O) to tap a state partial unemployment scheme for employees at its six warehouses in the country, a spokeswoman for the labor ministry said on Monday. The e-commerce giant has shut ... More »

Masked and standing apart, the world creeps out of lockdown

ROME/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Italy and the United States were among a slew of countries easing lockdown restrictions on Monday to resurrect economies, but officials cautioned against moving too swiftly as global deaths from the coronavirus neared a quarter of a... More »

After retesting samples, French hospital discovers COVID-19 case from December

PARIS (Reuters) – A French hospital which has retested old samples from pneumonia patients discovered that it treated a man who had COVID-19 as early as Dec. 27, nearly a month before the French government confirmed its first cases. Yves Cohen, head of resusci... More »

Coronavirus pushes oil majors to biggest output cuts in 17 years

LONDON (Reuters) – Oil and gas output from some of the world’s top oil companies is set to drop by over 12% in the second quarter of 2020 to levels not seen in at least 17 years, according to Reuters calculations. The output cuts are driven by an unprecedented... More »

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