French | Common News Update

Aug32017 by adminNo Comments

French bank Credit Agricole gets capital boost as profit climbs

Finance

Credit Agricole reported a sharp rise in its core capital ratio to 12.4 percent, as the bank took advantage of higher profits and a sale of a stake in investment company Eurazeo to beef up its financial position.An improving economic activity in its core European markets, coupled with a slight increase in interest rates and cost cuts, helped drive its second-quarter net income up 17 percent to 1.35 billion euros ($ 1.60 billion)."The economy is improving in our main markets, namely France and Italy, so I'm confident that we are on track to reach the financial targets that we have set for our medium-term plan for 2019," Jerome Grivet, the deputy managing director of Group Finance at Credit Agricole, told CNBC on Thursday.Revenues fell 0.6 percent, as its asset manager Amundi and insurance b...

Jul192017 by adminNo Comments

French military chief quits after Macron clash

World

The head of France's armed forces has resigned after clashing with President Emmanuel Macron over proposed budget cuts.In a statement, Pierre de Villiers said he no longer felt able to command the type of army "that I think is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people".The military chief clashed with Mr Macron last week after telling a parliamentary committee he would not allow the armed forces to be "screwed" by €850m (£752m) worth of planned cuts.He said: "I may be stupid, but I know when I'm being had".Gen de Villiers later posted a statement on Facebook in which he did not name Mr Macron but said "no-one deserves to be blindly followed".Image:On the planned cuts, Gen de Villiers said: 'I know when I'm being had'On Friday, the President responded by telling m...

Jul72017 by adminNo Comments

Dawn French overhauls image with 7st weight loss – the ultimate disappearing act

Entertainment

The actress and comedian left jaws on the floor when she took to Twitter to show off far svelter figure, in the wake of a strict diet.Smouldering into the camera with her hands on her hips, the Vicar of Dibley star showed off her mind-blowing seven stone weight loss.She modelled a dress from her collaboration with Helen Teague for online fashion retailer Sixteen47.The printed number skimmed her newly-streamlined curves and featured a striking multi-coloured print.She teamed the garment with black leggings and on-trend silver brogues.GETTYSTREAMLINED: Dawn has lost seven and a half stoneReality TV stars weight loss transformations Amazingly, these reality TV stars have lost more than 40st between them... all thanks to healthy eating and exerciseInstagram Scarlett Moffatt s...

Jun192017 by adminNo Comments

Macron's party wins majority in French parliamentary elections

World

June 19 (UPI) -- Despite a record-low turnout, French President Emmanuel Macron's party won the majority of seats in parliamentary elections Sunday.Macron's centrist party, La République en Marche (the Republic on the Move), won 350 seats out of a total 577 on a platform to reduce worker protections and labor restrictions.The election results indicate Macron's party will be a formidable force in French politics, especially as the more traditional conservative and socialist parties lost several seats and will find it difficult to form a competing block against La République en Marche."This evening despite an alarmingly low turnout, the triumph of Emmanuel Macron is indisputable, the defeat of the left is unavoidable, the defeat of the Socialist party is without appeal, the right is facing a...