increase

The French president said the increased spending on defence over the next seven years would include a 60% increase in the military intelligence budget, adapted to 'high-intensity' conflict, along with investment in drones, cyber-defence and improved air defences, adding that, 'We need to be one war ahead'.

Fathers of newborn children are to be allowed up to four weeks of paternity leave, up from the previous two, the cost of which is shared by employers and the state welfare system.

In a rare move, General Pierre de Villiers wrote an appeal in French financial daily Les Echos calling for military spending to increase to 2% of GDP over the next five years, including an upgrading of nuclear arsenals, in order to protect France from against "the full spectrum of threats".

Official figures show 84.5 million tourists last year visited continental France, the world's leading tourist destination, up by 0.9% on 2014.

France launches recruitment drive for 12,000 extra reservists to help with security operations around the country following 2015 terrorist attacks.

Migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and Middle East live in a so-called 'jungle' of makeshift camps in Channel port Calais, hoping to reach UK.

The world's top tourist destination launches campaign to raise numbers of visitors to a yearly 100 million by 2020, urging the hosts to be less gruff.

French economic growth in first quarter was an unforecast 0.6%, the highest in eurozone, while German growth fell and Greek economy shrank.

The move, in a plan to keep key firms under French control, is for an extra 5.1 million shares at 46m euros, and follows similar move at Renault.

Budget minister Bernard Cazeneuve says a bill raising taxes on popular savings accounts will be amended after a wave of protest over recent tax hikes.

French finance minister Pierre Moscovici said most of the additional tax revenue will come from higher value-added and corporate taxes.