France

France will allow restaurants, bars and cafes to reopen from June 2, though with more restrictions in Paris than elsewhere, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Thursday as he announced the next phase in easing the country's coronavirus lockdown.

Bank capital regulations need to be further adjusted to limit the impact of the coronavirus crisis on lenders' balance sheets, the head of France's central bank said on Thursday.

France has overtaken Britain and Germany as the top destination for international investments in Europe for the first time, a survey showed on Thursday, although the number of projects risks being revised in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Restaurants, bars and hotels across France set empty tables and draped chef's aprons outside on Wednesday to protest against continuing lockdown restrictions and demand more state aid.

France's economy is on course to contract 20% in the second quarter from the previous three months as the country emerges from a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the INSEE official statistics agency estimated on Wednesday.

France's coronavirus death toll rose by less than a 100 for the sixth day running on Tuesday, despite nursing home data being included again, raising hopes that the worst of the pandemic is over for the country.

President Emmanuel Macron announced an 8 billion euro (7 billion pounds) plan on Tuesday to make France the top producer of clean vehicles in Europe and urged French carmakers to make vehicles in their own country.

France again ranked fourth in coronavirus deaths after the United States, Britain and Italy, as Spain revised its tally down by nearly 2,000 on Monday.

AXA will meet the bulk of business interruption claims from some restaurant owners in France, it said on Tuesday, after losing a court case seen as a potential precedent for coronavirus-related disputes across the world.