News stops: ArcelorMittal to shut steel furnaces

HERE is a look over some of the news headlines from France.

ArcelorMittal to shut French steel furnaces: paper
Steel maker ArcelorMittal has decided to definitively shut two idled steel furnaces in northern France, prompting the Socialist government to scramble to keep the plant operational as it battles rising unemployment, newspaper Liberation said.

France jobless number tops 3 million
French unemployment topped three million for the first time in over a decade, data showed Wednesday, as the country faces a yawning budget gap like those plaguing its southern eurozone neighbours.

French 'supertax' will make it harder to recruit talent, says L'Oreal boss
Jean-Paul Agon says François Hollande's plan for 75% tax on earnings over €1m will hit France's competitiveness.

French parliament head under fire after taking on wife as assistant
The head of France's parliament faced embarrassment after it emerged he had taken on his wife as his assistant on the day he launched a crackdown on MPs expenses.

Paris car show opens amid gloom on key European market
The Paris Motor Show opens with the automobile sector in crisis mode amid deep gloom over the future of the European market, key to the survival of several top manufacturers.