LONDON (AP) -- When Emmanuel Macron topped the first round of voting in the French presidential election two weeks ago, French stocks soared to near-decade highs. On Monday, the reaction to his victory in the runoff was decidedly subdued: investors had been fully expecting it and seem wary of the difficulties he'll face governing a divided country.In midday trading, the CAC 40 index of leading French shares was down 1 percent at 5,379. Other indexes across Europe were also trading lower, while t

PARIS (AFP) - Emmanuel Macron won a resounding victory in the French presidential election but the focus shifted immediately Monday to whether he can govern the country without the support of a traditional party.At 39, the pro-EU former investment banker will become France's youngest-ever president when he is inaugurated next weekend after crushing far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a run-off vote on Sunday.The European Union breathed a sigh of relief at the election of a supportive French leader

FRANKFURT (AFP) - Regulators at the European Central Bank said Monday they are "optimistic" that talks on harmonising rules for banks around the world will soon end in a deal.The so-called "Basel III" round of banking talks has stalled in recent months as negotiators battle over questions like how big banks' capital reserves should be and how they should judge risk.Observers feared that Donald Trump's incoming adminstration -- seen as favouring looser regulation of banks and distrustful of multi

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The EU on Monday approved a $130 billion mega-merger of US agri-chemicals giants Dow Chemical and DuPont, paving the way for major consolidation in a sensitive sector for farmers and the environment.The decision by antitrust regulators was subject to Dupont selling "major parts" of its global pesticide business, said the European Commission, the EU's executive arm."Due to significant commitments on products and the worldwide research and development organisation, the merger of

퀄컴이 21일 1조300억원의 사상 최대 과징금을 두고 공정거래위원회를 상대로 서울고등법원에 소송을 제기했다. 법원 관계자는 “퀄컴이 소송을 제기한 것으로 확인됐다”고 코리아헤럴드에 전했다. 퀄컴은 공정위를 상대로 시정명령 중지 가처분 신청을 낸 것으로 보며 이는 소송 제기 마감 시한인 22일을 하루 앞둔 늦은 오후에 이뤄졌다. 퀄컴은 지난 달 23일 공정위로부터 시정명령을 담은 의결서를 받은 바 있다. 이번 소송을 시작으로 퀄컴은 법무법인 세종, 화우 등 대형 로펌을 동원해 대규모 ‘소송전’을 벌일 전망이다. 지난 해 12월 공정위는 퀄컴의 이동통신 모뎀칩셋 관련 시장지배력 남용을 적발해 1조300억원이라는 사상 최대의 과징금을 부과했다. 또한 요청이 있을 시 휴대폰 업체, 모뎀칩셋 업체와 다시 라이센스 계약 협상을 하도록 시정명령을 내렸다. 공정위의 과징금 부과 이후 퀄컴은 부당한 결정이라며 행정소송전을 예고해왔다. 최근 삼성전자 이재용 부회장이 공정위 특혜 관련 혐의로 구속된

The British Council Korea (BCK) on Monday kicked off a year-long culture festival that will bring the latest arts and creative projects from the United Kingdom to different parts of Korea.Under the slogan "Creative Futures," the "U.K./Korea 2017-18" launched with an opening concert from the Lyndon Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.The festivities, which runs until March 2018, will showcase a wide-range of British cultural content, including those in dance, theater, fi

OSLO (AFP) - Kaci Kullmann Five, the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee which selects the Peace Prize laureates, has died aged 65 after a long illness, the organisation said on Monday. Kullmann was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and underwent treatment. But her condition worsened, and she was forced to cancel several appearances last year. "She was a role model for many young women," Norway's Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg wrote on Facebook. Kullmann became a member of t