Latest France Headlines

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

Judge Likely to Give French Shoemaker’s ‘Red’ Trademark Claim the Boot

Aug 12 2011 // In a court case that has all sides seeing red, a judge said this week that a French maker of luxury shoes worn by stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlett Johansson and Halle Berry will likely fail in its effort to...

Lloyd’s: Drought Caused Subsidence Costliest Natural Hazard in Parts of Europe

Aug 9 2011 // An article on the Lloyd’s web site notes that “news reports on climate change have focused on dire predictions of more hurricanes and increasing flooding due to rising sea levels. But subsidence caused by...

Rio-Paris Crash Probe Finds Air France Pilots Ignored Warnings

Jul 29 2011 // French investigators said on Friday that the crew of Air France’s Rio-Paris flight which crashed into the Atlantic two years ago ignored repeated stall warnings and failed to follow textbook procedures.France’s...

Liberty International Appoints Environmental Liability Underwriter for France

Jul 25 2011 // Liberty International Underwriters in Europe (LIU Europe), a member of Liberty Mutual Group, has appointed Audrey Mondin as Environmental Impairment Liability Underwriter in its Paris Office.LIU said the move resulted from...

Europe’s Banks, Insurers Take Greek Debt Hit in Stride

Jul 22 2011 // Major European banks have limited their losses on Greek bonds to just over €5 billion [$7.2 billion] after negotiating a 21 percent haircut on their debt holdings as part of a rescue plan.France’s BNP Paribas is...

Portugal Adds to Europe Woes as Banks Meet on Greece

Jul 6 2011 // A credit rating downgrade to Portugal [by Moody’s Investors Services] added to fears Europe’s banks face heavy euro zone losses if a private sector plan to help Greece comes unstuck, piling pressure on...

S&P: Resilience of French Insurance Industry Will Be Tested Further

Jun 29 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published a report – “French Insurance Industry Holds Up Under Pressure, But Challenges Still Lie Ahead” – on the challenges the French insurance...

Accounting Issues Could Stall France’s Greek Debt Plan

Jun 28 2011 // Accounting issues remain a formidable obstacle facing private sector investors currently considering the French banking sector’s plan for restructuring Greek government debt.The plan’s focus was initially on...

Air France Crash Investigation Sparks Pilot Mystery

May 31 2011 // A French airliner plunged out of control for four minutes before crashing into the Atlantic in 2009, investigators said, in a report raising questions about how the crew handled a “stall alarm” blaring out in...

Tensions between Air France, Airbus Erupt in Crash Investigation

May 19 2011 // A row has erupted between Air France and Airbus as pressure grows to explain the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash using data recovered from black boxes.The tensions were laid bare inadvertently by a top official, following days...

French Crash Probe Raises No Urgent A330 Safety Concerns

May 17 2011 // Preliminary readings of black box data recovered from a French Airbus plane that crashed in the Atlantic have eased any immediate concerns over the safety of A330 aircraft, but investigators warned on Tuesday against...

Sex, Lies and the Reckless Choices of the Powerful

May 16 2011 // Sex and power are no strangers. History is littered with tales of the powerful and privileged felled by sex scandals.But make no mistake. If IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is found guilty as charged of attempting to rape...

Air France Crash Investigators to Open Black Boxes

May 12 2011 // Relatives of some of the 228 people killed in a Rio-Paris jet crash voiced hope on Thursday that their two-year wait for an explanation may soon be over as experts prepared to open the aircraft’s “black...

Searchers Find Second Air France Crash Flight Recorder

May 3 2011 // Search parties scouring the sea bed off Brazil’s northeast coast have recovered the second of two flight recorders from the Air France aircraft that crashed into the Atlantic in June 2009, investigators said on...

Weather Service: Deadliest Year for Tornadoes in Virginia

May 2 2011 // Days after a series of tornadoes blew through Virginia, officials still are trying to determine exactly how much damage was done and what to do for those who have lost everything.Initial reports say more than 400 private...

Deep Sea Search Locates, Recovers Air France Flight Data Recorder

May 2 2011 // Deep sea search parties have found one of two flight data recorders from an Air France plane that crashed off the coast of Brazil in 2009, investigators said on Sunday, reviving hopes of understanding what caused the...

Munich Re in ‘First-time’ Guarantee of Solar Modules in France

Apr 8 2011 // Munich Re announced that it has agreed to guarantee the performance of solar modules in France for the first time. The reinsurer will be working with industrial insurance broker Filhet-Allard and solar manufacturer...

Airbus Placed Under Investigation over Rio-Paris Crash

Mar 18 2011 // European airplane manufacturer Airbus was placed under investigation on Thursday for the 2009 crash of a flight between Rio de Janeiro and Paris that killed 228 people, Airbus Chief Executive Thomas Enders...

Best Assigns Rating to Allianz Risk Transfer AG

Dec 23 2010 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “aa” of Allianz Global Corporate &...

France’s SCOR Group Launches Global Risk Center

Dec 17 2010 // French reinsurer SCOR Group has launched the SCOR Global Risk Center, as part of the Group’s strategic plan for 2010-2013, “Strong Momentum”, and is in line with its long-term commitments.The bulletin...