Latest news with #ThomasSamson
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
French government sets Sept 30 deadline for talks on scrapping two holidays, Les Echos reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Alpha Jets of the French Air Force Elite aerobatic flying team \"Patrouille de France\", perform a fly-over during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe, in Paris, France May 8, 2025. Thomas Samson/Pool via REUTERS PARIS - Negotiations over scrapping two French national holidays will need to be concluded by September 30 at the latest, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has said, according to a report by newspaper Les Echos, as the government seeks ways to narrow its repeated budget deficits. Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk whose minority administration is walking a political tightrope, made the headline-grabbing proposal in July, when he outlined a series of deficit-reduction measures worth 43.8 billion euros ($51 billion) next year aimed at lowering France's debt. The prime minister has asked for bodies including unions, government officials and others to let him know if they want to hold open negotiations by Sept. 1, according to an internal document cited by Les Echos but not verified by Reuters. Bayrou said as part of a recent budget proposal that he wants to scrap both the Easter Monday and Victory in Europe Day holidays, leading to an outcry from parties on both the left and far-right. Les Echos said the letter also states that the choice of holidays identified was another issue that could be discussed. Major trade unions CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC signed a joint declaration on Saturday denouncing Bayrou's budget proposal and said they will hold a meeting among themselves on September 1 to decide how to organize themselves against the move. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 55,000 BTO units to be launched from 2025 to 2027, will help moderate HDB resale prices: Minister Singapore First voluntary redevelopment projects for HDB flats likely to be launched in first half of 2030s Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Bayrou has previously compared the month of May to Gruyere cheese - full of holes - and has said reducing the number of holidays will bring economic benefits, although recent experience elsewhere and various economic studies suggest it may not be as simple as that. REUTERS
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Investor Survey, Trade War and Dollar, 2H Outlook: Credit Crunch
Credit and high yield had a good 1H, shaking off tariffs and a spread rout with a strong recovery. Will 2H be as strong, and why? Thomas Samson, high yield portfolio manager at Muzinich & Co., joins Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, to discuss the results of BI's 3Q High Yield Investor Survey, along with the market outlook. They also talk about dollar flows into euro-denominated assets, the trade war's effect on market dispersions, and how private credit and loan markets are influencing high yield and default rates in 2H. They cover investor positioning, sentiment, key return drivers, supply forecasts and relative value across asset classes (high grade vs. junk), geography (Europe vs. US), ratings and sectors.
Bloomberg
09-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Investor Survey, Trade War and Dollar, H2 Outlook: Credit Crunch
Credit and high yield had a good 1H, despite tariffs and a spread rout, as there was a strong recovery. Will 2H be as strong and why? Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence Global Head of Credit Strategy, discusses the results of the BI 3Q25 High Yield Investor Survey, along with the market outlook, with Thomas Samson, High Yield Portfolio Manager at Muzinich & co. They discuss dollar flows into euro assets, trade war impact on dispersions, impact of private and loan markets on junk and default rates for 2H. The podcast also covers investor positioning, sentiment, key return drivers, and supply forecasts and relative value across asset classes (high grade vs. junk), geography (Europe vs. US), ratings and sectors. Credit Crunch is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Apple: Spotify:
Scotsman
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Tories' cheap slurs about EU ring hollow as it mobilises to meet Putin threat
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Yesterday, and into this weekend, events took place across our shared continent to mark Europe Day. May 9 marks the 75th anniversary of the 'Schuman Declaration', made in 1950 by then the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, that laid out the framework for future European cooperation and, ultimately, the European Union as we know it today. The anniversary is not unrelated to this week's other big event, the 80th anniversary of VE Day. This morning, I will be hot footing it from an event in the City Square in Dundee – where we will gather to mark VE Day and the contribution that the city, including family members, made to the war effort – through to Edinburgh where a series of events will be taking place to mark Europe Day. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Festival of Europe is discussing the future of the continent, bringing together parliamentarians, activists, academics and others from across it, at a pivotal time for all Europeans. For many on the Continent, VE Day and Europe Day are inextricably linked, with the European Union helping to preserve peace and democracy for decades (Picture: Thomas Samson) | POOL/AFP via Getty Images A lasting peace VE Day may have had more coverage this week – there was no Buckingham Palace or Edinburgh Castle flypast to mark Europe Day – but both are interconnected and a hugely significant part of our shared history. This is becoming all the more important as Europe mobilises, with defence spending going up and security at the top of the agenda. The EU, and the Schuman Declaration, arose from the ashes of the Second World War. In a Europe still devastated by that conflict, and at the time, still split between East and West, the declaration was an effort to bring lasting peace. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There was no guarantee that we would not slip back into conflict in the aftermath of 1945, as Europe had done so many times before in the past. There was also the fact that, for so many, VE Day in 1945 did not mean liberation and an end to war and tyranny but rather just another version. That is critical to understanding how others have seen this week's anniversaries. Marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a statement this week, similar to those by other foreign ministries, reminding the continent that: 'May 1945 did not mark the end of the war for Estonia, and these so-called 'liberators' were, in fact, occupiers. The USSR used military force to occupy our land and suppress our attempts to restore independence.' Hunt's shocking USSR jibe It is the reason why supporting Ukraine and its aspirations to join the EU are so important to so many European countries. For them, joining the EU was the key moment and this explains why those who campaign for human rights, democracy and the rule of law will take to the streets draped in EU flags. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For Ukraine, rejoining the European family of nations and obtaining membership of the EU is so important to its citizens, so many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice or are prepared to do so in order for Ukraine to escape tyranny. In the aftermath of the UK voting to leave the EU – something that is still viewed with a sense of palpable bewilderment across the continent – the then Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt referred to the EU as being similar to the USSR in order to underline his anti-Brussels credentials with his party. The rebuke from across Europe was swift and the hurt very real. Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski said of the remarks: 'Did the Red Army force you to join? How many millions has Brussels exterminated? Gulag for demanding a referendum on independence? Apologise, Jeremy Hunt!' Latvia's ambassador to the UK, now the country's foreign minister, and normally the very picture of diplomatic restraint, Baiba Braže, tweeted: 'Soviets killed, deported, exiled and imprisoned [hundreds of] thousands of Latvia's inhabitants after the illegal occupation in 1940, and ruined lives of three generations, while the EU has brought prosperity, equality, growth, respect.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A massive success To understand the Europe in which we live, we must understand those sentiments. EU enlargement has been a massive success, and one of the best investments any of us will ever make as taxpayers in terms of stabilising our continent and building wealth. As well as the boosting its citizens' rights, EU membership resulted in the doubling of GDP per capita by 2019 for those who joined from Eastern Europe in 2004 and significant economic growth for existing states. It is not just in the east where the EU has been critical in stabilisation efforts, as illustrated with the transition to democracy in Spain or Portugal and peace in Ireland, where EU membership and investment were key to the process. Unreliable America Now the whole of Europe is mobilising in the face of Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Nato remains important but, given the unreliability of the US, the EU has become a critical security actor. There is protection in economic might and being inside the largest trading bloc on Earth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It also means that, in terms of food and energy security, the bloc has become more self-sufficient providing greater resilience for its citizens. The proposed 800-billion-euro rearmament programme shows that the EU is serious about ensuring hard security to protect its values and citizens. Over the past few days, we have had an opportunity to remember the sacrifices made by those who faced down the Nazis 80 years ago. The dwindling numbers of veterans and first-hand witnesses has made remembrance even more important. As ever, an anniversary is also about the future and what comes next. To that end, these are two anniversaries are worthy of our time as the whole of Europe enters into a new era in which the peace and security delivered 80 years is no longer guaranteed.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Kyiv summit and London fashion week: Monday's photos of the day
Visitors walk past sheep at the 61st International Agricultural Fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre Photograph: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images The French president, Emmanuel Macron, arrives at the West Wing ahead of meetings with the US president, Donald Trump, at the White House Photograph:The leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz (R) and the CDU secretary general, Carsten Linnemann, address a press conference at the party's headquarters the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, the day after the German federal elections Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images Britain's King Charles with Tower Brewery owner John Mills, during a visit in Burton upon Trent Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters European leaders attending the Support Ukraine summit Photograph: AP An election poster showing the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democratic party (SPD) is pasted over with election posters for the upcoming Hamburg state elections, which will be held on 2 March Photograph: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters Alice Weidel, co-leader and chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), departs after speaking to the media the day after German parliamentary elections. The AfD had its strongest federal election showing ever, winning 20.8% of the vote and coming in second place Photograph:Mount Etna's eruptive activity has resumed after a brief period of apparent calm. A fracture located at approximately 3,000 metres above sea level, at the base of the Bocca Nuova crater, has once again started feeding a vigorous lava flow that is slowly advancing along the volcano's south-western flank Photograph: Salvatore Allegra/Anadolu/Getty Images Models walk the runway at the finale of the Ashish show during London fashion week at 180 Studios Photograph:Enthusiasts ride a specially decorated tram to celebrate the 152nd anniversary of the first tram rolled out by the Calcutta Tramways Company Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images Palestinian women evacuate as Israeli troops move inside the Jenin refugee camp. The Israeli military launched an operation in Jenin and its camp on 21 January, which has resulted in at least 27 Palestinian deaths and dozens of injuries, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health Photograph: Alaa Badarneh/EPA Palestinians queue to purchase bread outside a bakery in Gaza City Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Jane Fonda, left, and Demi Moore attend the 31st Screen Actors Guild awards, in Los Angeles. Moore won an award for her performance in The Substance Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Timothée Chalamet and his mother Nicole Flender at the 31st Screen Actors Guild awards held at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. Chalamet won an award for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown Photograph: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images
