France Financial News

By Joe Cash

NIAMEY (Reuters) — The European Union has cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

By Moussa Aksar and Boureima Balima

European regulators, including the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) and the Bavarian state authority in Germany, are raising legal concerns about Worldcoin's data collection methods.

The XRP Ledger Foundation has announced the awardees of the fifth wave of XRPL Grants. The foundation has awarded more than $1.6 million in total funding to 15 groundbreaking projects

Worldcoin crypto project of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman is already under scrutiny by European regulators over its reliance on an eye scan to verify a user's identity, France's data protection agency said Friday. Worldcoin's launch on Monday comes as the cryptocurrency industry is suffering hard times after the spectacular collapse of FTX and various legal cases against the sector's biggest players. Using eye scans, it tries to solve one of the main challenges facing the crypto industry: a level of anonymity so high that makes it vulnerable to scams and spam bots — which AI threatens to make exponentially worse.

Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie 2 has been confirmed. This an upcoming animated movie, which is based on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and is a sequel to Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie, has been slated for release in 2026. The details about the cast and production have emerged. Since its debut in 2015, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir has garnered worldwide popularity. The French cartoon centers on a teenage girl, who transforms into Ladybug, fighting crime alongside her classmate, Cat Noir, unaware of his true identity. The franchise's movie adaptation, Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir the Movie, recently premiered on Netflix on July 28, following its release in France. Excitement continues to build as a sequel, Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir the Movie 2, was confirmed in 2021. While an official release date is yet to be announced, fans can expect the sequel in 2026, marking 11 years since the show's inception. During a TikTok interview on July 3, 2023, Jeremy Zag, the creator of Ladybug, revealed that the script for the second film is complete, suggesting smooth production progress. The cast for Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir the Movie 2 is anticipated to include the voice actors from the original series, such as Cristina Valenzuela as Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Ladybug), Bryce Papenbrook as Adrien Agreste (Cat Noir), Matt Mittelman as Plagg, Mela Lee as Tiki, and more. ZAG, the movie's production company, will once again spearhead the project, with Jeremy Zag likely serving as director, producer and co-writer alongside Bettina Lopez Mendoza.

Adidas is releasing a second batch of Yeezy-branded sneakers next month as it sheds its inventory and association with the rapper Kanye West. The German sportswear giant said Friday the unsold sneakers would be put on sale throughout August. Adidas’s first Yeezy drop in May was hotly anticipated by sneaker fans and helped the company’s revenue and bottom line in the second quarter.

General Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger’s presidential guard chief, who led the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum leaving him detained, has named himself as the new leader of the country. In an address, General Abdourahamane Tiani also sought the support of people in leading the country.

Please note that some release dates are yet to be officially confirmed and may change. One notable movie, «Damsel,» starring Millie Bobby Brown, originally set for October 13th, has been postponed.

Sam Altman's Worldcoin project and that the legality of its biometric data collection «seems questionable». Worldcoin, which launched on Monday, requires users to provide their iris scans in exchange for a digital ID and in certain countries free cryptocurrency. Its website says it has signed up 2.1 million people, mostly in a trial over the last two years.

Mathys Tel, the young French football sensation making waves in Europe with his exceptional skills and promising potential. Hailing from France, Tel's journey from Paris FC to Bayern Munich has been nothing short of remarkable. Compared to the legendary Thierry Henry, the 17-year-old attacker is rapidly earning a reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in football. Despite attracting interest from various clubs, Mathys Tel opted to sign with Bayern Munich and has already made his debut for the team. While opportunities to showcase his talent have been limited, the club remains patient and may consider loaning him to another club in the future. Analysts and ex-soccer stars say that Mathys Tel could be the next Kylian Mbappe of the football world. We take a look at this young prodigy.

Niger defended the takeover on state television Friday and asked for support from the nation and international partners, as concerns grew that the political crisis could set back the country's fight against jihadists and increase Russia's influence in West Africa. Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France.

Launched earlier this week Worldcoin distributes tokens to people "just for being a unique individual".

(Corrects first paragraph to show Spanish resilience, not German)

By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Tom Sims

G20 nations failed to agree on peaking global emissions by 2025 and other crucial issues to address the global climate crisis at their meeting in India on Friday, France's representative said. No breakthrough was possible on several key points ahead of this year's COP28 climate talks, with negotiations also failing to reach a consensus on drastically scaling up renewable energy use. «I am very disappointed,» France's ecological transition minister Christophe Bechu told AFP after the meeting.

By Giuseppe Fonte

The French data protection agency, also called the Commission Nationale Informatique & Libertés (CNIL), is reportedly questioning the legality of data collection methods conducted by Worldcoin, according to a Reuters report. 

French luxury conglomerate Kering has reached a cash deal to purchase a 30% stake in Italian fashion house Valentino for 1.7 billion euros from a Qatari investment firm

ZURICH (Reuters) -Relations of a U.S. aid worker and American soldiers — all killed or injured by Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front — have lodged a legal claim against cement maker Lafarge over payments the French company made to extremist groups.