France gears up _ slowly _ for more Sunday opening

PARIS -- France is taking a leisurely August attitude to a new law that shakes up the country's traditional devotion to Sunday rest.
Starting Sunday, more stores have the legal right to open, a step taken by the government in hopes of boosting employment and soaking up added tourist dollars.
But it's a complicated measure, full of unresolved details that need to be worked out by employers and workers, many of whom are gone for France's sacrosanct, monthlong August holiday break. And in reality, many shops that wanted to get around century-old rules and sell their wares on Sunday have already found ways to do so.
To see the full story, click here.

Tarzan reconsidered, culturally, in Paris exhibit

PARIS – Tarzan is back! (Cue distinctive jungle yell.)

But this time the vine-swinging hero is a topic of serious cultural andphilosophical study at a Paris exhibition exploring his links with popular culture.

The venue — the anthropological Quai Branly museum — dictates the serious treatment of Edgar Rice Burroughs' creation, who has been deconstructed in an effort to understand Western culture and how the West views the rest of the world.

To see the full story click here.

World's automakers cut costs, wait for turnaround

PARIS -- The world's automakers are driving defensively.
Car and truck manufacturers are conserving cash by running down inventories and cutting everything from pay to travel, especially in Japan. German carmakers have gotten help trimming workers' hours through government programs that compensate staff for lost pay.
All have been ruthless about saving money as they endure a recession-led sales slump and hang on until a turnaround finally comes. For now, that seems the best investors can hope for as the companies report very mixed financial results this week.
German automaker Volkswagen AG on Thursday posted an actual profit, like Japan's Honda Motor Co. the day before. But French carmaker Renault SA, and Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., lost millions, even billions of dollars.
To see the full story click here.

Geithner sees 'durable' signs of stability

PARIS – U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday he saw "durable, very important signs" of recovery in the financial system — but he warned against repeating the mistakes of the 1930s and withdrawing stimulus too soon.
Geithner, in Paris on the last leg of a tour that has taken him from London to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, acknowledged he was keeping up pressure on foreign governments not to slacken in their efforts to resuscitate the global economy.
"Probably why I'm doing this (tour) is to make sure we keep working with governments around the world to continue to provide enough support to lift this global economy back to a sustained pattern of growth," he told reporters.
To see the full story clik here.

World leaders vow to restart stalled trade talks

L'AQUILA, Italy – Leaders of the exclusive club of eight industrialized leaders plus five of the fastest developing nations are calling for open markets and a battle against protectionism as the answer to the world's economic meltdown.
But the need to save jobs back home is pulling them in the opposite direction. How can the goal set by the leaders — completing a long-stalled world trade deal by next year — be reconciled with major pressures to protect local industries?
Meeting in the quake-stricken Italian city of L'Aquila, the leaders said they wanted to finally reach an agreement next year on a long-stalled world trade deal, according to a draft of a joint declaration obtained by The Associated Press. It's a familiar pledge that has failed to prompt action in the past.
To see the full story click here.

French President calls for global talks on dollar's role as world currency

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a revamp of the global currency system, saying Thursday that the dollar's supremacy is outdated.
"We need to ask the question: shouldn't a world that is politically multi-polar correspond to a multi-monetary world economically?" he said in a news conference during a summit of world leaders in L'Aquila, Italy.
Sarkozy compared an overhaul of the global currency system to the enlargement of the Group of Eight structure to encompass fast-growing emerging economies, which were invited to join the Italian summit.
He said the supremacy of the dollar belongs to the post-Second World War era when America was the predominant world power both economically and politically.
To see the full story click here.

Airbus sees bottom of industry slump

LE BOURGET, France -- Airbus CEO Tom Enders was in high spirits on Friday, saying the unexpected crop of orders won at the Paris Air Show shows the heart of the aviation industry is still beating despite the recession.

Unlike archrival Boeing Co. - which managed a single order for two planes worth a paltry $153 million - the European planemaker chalked up firm orders for 58 planes worth $6.4 billion over five days, mostly from Asian and budget airlines.

Including commitments - when customers make a deposit but the sale is not legally binding - Airbus signed deals worth $12.9 billion for 127 planes.

Enders told The Associated Press that Airbus "didn't expect" such a score.

"I think it's a good sign for the entire industry," he said in a interview. "It's a good sign that aviation is not collapsing, that there is not doom and gloom all over."

To read the full story click here.