Latest France Headlines

All the headlines from our France Topic Page, ordered by recency.

EU Countries to Receive Go-ahead for Financial Transaction Tax

Jan 22 2013 // Germany, France and nine other euro zone countries will get the go-ahead on Tuesday to push on with a financial transactions tax, a measure likely to unsettle banks but which will please voters and raise much-needed...

Many Hostages in Gas Plant Siege Unaccounted for; New Terrorist Threats

Jan 18 2013 // At least 22 foreign hostages were unaccounted for on Friday and their al-Qaeda-linked captors threatened to attack other energy installations after Algerian forces stormed a desert gas complex to free hundreds of captives,...

Huge Sahara Gas Plant Hostage Siege Turns Mali War Global

Jan 17 2013 // Islamist gunmen holding dozens of Western hostages and scores of Algerians at a gas plant deep in the Sahara desert let some them speak to the media on Thursday to warn that they would be blown up if the site is...

Multilateralism in Trade is ‘Dead’ Says French Industry Minister

Jan 10 2013 // Multilateral trade deals are “dead”, France’s industry minister said on Tuesday, professing a preference for bilateral accords as the 27-nation European Union and the United States prepare to begin talks...

French Court Clears Continental of Criminal Liability for 2000 Concorde Crash

Nov 30 2012 // Continental Airlines was cleared on Thursday of criminal responsibility for the Concorde crash in Paris in 2000 that killed 113 people, with a French court also absolving a mechanic at the U.S. airline of involuntary...

French Non-Life Sector Resilient, Despite Economic Difficulties: Best Reports

Oct 11 2012 // A new report from A.M. Best notes that the “French insurance market has experienced significant volatility during the past few years, although the non-life sector continues to grow.” The report comments that...

French Fries Spark Apartment Blaze in Maine

Oct 10 2012 // Fire investigators say a woman making a late night snack of french fries sparked a fire in a Pittsfield, Maine, apartment building that left 12 people homeless.The fire, which started last Saturday night, began when a...

XL Group Opens New Insurance Office in Lyon France

Sep 20 2012 // XL Group plc’s insurance operations announced the opening of a new office in Lyon , France and the appointments of Auberi Etienne and Clotilde Bartok to join the team serving middle market companies in France.Both...

Commentary by Gordon Brown:* Europe Risks Going the Way of Japan

Sep 14 2012 // The good news is that Europe is no longer going the way of Greece. The sad news is that it is threatening to go the way of Japan.After years of hesitation punctuated by panic, Europe has finally accepted the compelling...

Moody’s Changes EU Rating Outlook to Negative

Sep 4 2012 // Moody’s Investors Service has changed its outlook on the ‘Aaa’ rating of the European Union to negative, warning it might downgrade the bloc if it decides to cut the ratings on the EU’s four biggest...

Equipment Failure, Training, Inspection Flaws at Fault for Rio-Paris Crash

Jul 6 2012 // Pilot error, defective sensors, inadequate training and insufficient oversight combined to send an Air France passenger plane plunging into the south Atlantic in 2009 in the airline’s worst disaster, French...

Will There Ever Be a United States of Europe?

Jun 6 2012 // From recent news you will have learned that the euro zone crisis continues to be the 700 pound gorilla in the room of the global economy. It’s become increasingly clear that, whatever happens in Greece on June 17,...

Google Wins Copyright Ruling in France

May 29 2012 // A French court ruled that Google is not responsible for filtering content on YouTube, dealing a blow to French broadcaster TF1 which sought damages for copyrighted sports and movies which ended up on the video-sharing...

Tackling Euro Zone Crisis is Top Priority for G8 Leaders

May 18 2012 // Leaders of major industrial economies meet this weekend to try to tackle a full-blown crisis in Europe where fears are growing that Greece could leave the euro zone bloc, threatening the future of the common...

Ratings Recap: Saturn, CCR, Arch (Pref. Shares)

Mar 29 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Vermont-based Saturn Insurance Inc., and has assigned a...

Jenkins Names French VP of Construction and Real Estate

Mar 9 2012 // Concord, Calif.-based Jenkins Insurance Group named Peter French vice president in its construction and real estate practice.French’s primary focus will encompass commercial, civil and residential construction, as...

Best Assigns ‘A-‘ Ratings to Assurances Mutuelles de France

Feb 22 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Assurances Mutuelles de France (AM), both with stable...

Best Assigns ‘A-‘ Ratings to Assurances Mutuelles de France

Feb 17 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Assurances Mutuelles de France, both with stable...

Moody’s Warns May Downgrade Global Banks, Cuts Ratings on Insurers

Feb 16 2012 // Moody’s warned on Thursday it may cut the credit ratings of 17 global and 114 European financial institutions in another sign the impact of the euro zone government debt crisis is spreading throughout the global...

Torus Appoints Rousseau to Develop General Property in France

Feb 6 2012 // Global specialty insurer Torus has appointed Gilles Rousseau as Senior Underwriter, General Property. He is based in Paris and has more than 30 years of underwriting experience, as well as “extensive knowledge of the...