france

Without a doubt, this country's debt overhang needs to be chopped considerably. But does a large national debt doom a nation to economic ruin? Only if you believe that countries like Germany, France, and Japan are economic basket cases, too.

France could lose its top AAA credit rating as Europe's debt crisis spreads, Bloomberg News reported. "If problems in the euro zone aren't solved quickly, then the conditions of refinancing will be expensive for these countries and the ratings agencies will do more downgrades," Ralf Ahrens, who...

L'Oreal cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt and her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, say they have made up, ending a $1.3 billion legal dispute.

Economic performance among EU nations is getting more divergent. While Germany and France continue to modestly expand, debt-plagued countries like Greece are shrinking. That makes it tough for the European Central Bank to set its monetary policy.

A French lawyer is fighting to stop carmaker Renault (RNSDF) naming its new electric car "Zoe", saying that first names should be sacred. Attorney David Koubbi is representing the parents of two young girls called Zoe Renault, The Associated Press reported. Koubbi argues that corporations should...

Airbus SAS and Rolls-Royce Group launched an investigation into why an engine on a Qantas Airways (QUBSF) A380 exploded while the plane was in the air, forcing an emergency landing in Singapore. Investigators from aviation authorities in France, Australia and the UK will all join the...

Retirement is international this days. The London Daily Telegraph, probably Britain's most popular newspaper, recommended 10 retirement locales to its readers. It picked these spots because they are easy on the wallet, as well as pleasant places to live. Both of those attributes are things...

France's Parliament voted to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 in a move supporters say may preserve the country's pension system. Yet the proposal has also caused nationwide strikes.

A French judge sentenced former trader Jerome Kerviel to three years in prison and ordered him to repay a 4.9 billion euro ($6.8 billion) in damages to Societe Generale SA (SCGLY) for his role in one of the largest trading scandal's in history. Judge Dominique Pauthe found Kerviel, 33, guilty of...

In a sign that large fossil-fuel power plants may be falling out of favor, French engineering company Alstom on Monday announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs in the next 17 months. Alstom cited low demand for its coal and natural-gas plants. Its renewable-energy operations won't be affected by the cuts.