Paris

Sarkozy creates investment fund for "strategic" enterprises

Nicolas SarkozyParis- The French government will establish an investment fund to support the country's strategic enterprises affected by the economic crisis, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday in the city of Annecy.

The fund will make available loans to struggling companies in exchange for shares, which will be sold, presumably at a profit, once the company has stabilized.

Nicolas Sarkozy to sue publisher over voodoo doll

French President Nicolas SarkozyParis - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is going to court to force a French publisher to take off the market a voodoo doll in his image, French media reported on Thursday.

The doll, 20,000 of which went on sale on October 9, comes with a manual and a dozen pins that can be stuck through well-known quotes of his - such as "Work more and earn more," or "Bugger off, you ass" - which are printed on the doll.

French shares follow Wall Street down

French shares follow Wall Street down Paris - Following big losses on Asian markets overnight and a weak opening on Wall Street, French shares were sharply lower on Wednesday.

In mid-afternoon trading, the Paris Bourse's benchmark CAC 40 was down 3.96 per cent, to 3,337.87, with only two of its 40 listed stocks gaining ground.

Industrials were the hardest-hit, with steel-makers Vallourec and ArcelorMittal off by 9.5 and 7.4 per cent, respectively, and transport manufacturer Alstom losing 9.3 per cent.

French shares down sharply in early trading

French shares down sharply in early tradingParis - Followin

Renault to offer electric cars in France by 2011

Renault to offer electric cars in France by 2011Paris - Renault and Nissan are planning to mass produce electric-drive cars for the French market by 2011 with the car maker signing a memorandum of understanding with the electricity producer EDF to develop supporting battery recharging infra-structure.

Until January 2010, the partners will study all the necessary technical and other requirements to supply "high-performance and affordable electric vehicles" by 2011, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn announced.

French shares up modestly as bank stocks surge

Paris, FranceParis  - Led by a surge of bank stocks after the French government's announcement of a capital injection, shares on the Paris Bourse ended trading on Tuesday with a modest gain, its third winning session in a row.

The benchmark CAC 40 closed up 0.78 per cent, to 3,475.40, with gainers and decliners running about even.

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