Business

Japan's first new banknotes in 20 years have entered circulation, featuring three-dimensional portraits of the founders of financial and female education institutions in an attempt to curb counterfeits. While ATMs and ticket machines have been updated to treat the new bills, many of the country's ubiquitous vending machines have not. But first, a new law has gone into effect in Greece allowing employees to work six days a week in order to make up for a shrinking working population. 

Bolivia's president thwarted an attempted coup last week. But as a political feud continues between rivals, the country's deepening economic crisis and President Luis Arce's refusal to admit there is one, are fuelling public distrust in the government. But first, with the Olympics just around the corner, hotels in Paris are facing a decline in occupancy rates as worries over price hikes and restrictions keep many tourists away. 

Hotel occupancy rates in the French capital are well below average, as bad weather combines with Olympics-related transport hassles and price hikes to keep summer tourists away. Also, President Emmanuel Macron's planned unemployment insurance reform becomes the latest casualty of France's political upheaval – we take a closer look.

European antitrust regulators have charged Meta with violating the EU's competition law. 
Brussels has found Meta's new "pay or consent" advertising model in breach of the Digital Markets Act, which is designed to ensure fair competition and rein in the power of Big Tech. Plus, French shares soar after the far-right National Rally won the most votes in Sunday's first round of legislative elections, despite projections pointing to a hung parliament. 

Paris's CAC 40 index jumps at the open after losing more than 6 percent last week, as investors calculate the possibility of a hung parliament in Europe's second-largest economy. Plus, we take a closer look at France's public debt and the spending plans of the far-right National Rally and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.

In a new report commissioned by Brazil for its G20 presidency, French economist Gabriel Zucman says an international scheme to impose a global minimum tax on the world's richest individuals is technically feasible and that a 2 percent wealth tax on 3,000 billionaires could generate more than $200 billion in revenue. Plus, the summer sales have kicked off here in France. But the month-long period isn't as successful as in the past, when promotional sales were more restricted over the rest of the year. 

Ahead of the first round of voting in legislative elections on June 30, top representatives of France's major parties and alliances took part in a televised debate on Tuesday night. In this edition, we take a look at the proposals and arguments put forward by the National Rally, the New Popular Front and President Emmanuel Macron's ruling "Together" coalition. Front and centre were issues relating to purchasing power, fiscal discipline and pensions. 

Kenya's President William Ruto has vowed to restore calm "at whatever cost" after protesters stormed parliament and security forces opened fire. He said the debate over a controversial new tax bill has been "hijacked by dangerous people". The finance bill has failed to appease protesters, even after the government backtracked on some of its initial proposals. Plus, Tesla has recalled more than 11,000 of its futuristic Cybertrucks over issues with windshield wipers and exterior trim. 

According to media reports, US federal prosecutors are recommending that the Department of Justice bring criminal charges against Boeing. They say the planemaker violated a deal that shielded it from prosecution over two fatal crashes involving its 737 MAX jets. Plus, Apple has become the first tech giant to be charged under the EU's Digital Markets Act. The firm is accused of imposing unfair restrictions on developers in its App Store. 

Candidates for France's snap elections have defended their economic plans before the employers' federation Medef, though business leaders remain sceptical about how their various spending plans will be funded. Meanwhile, the French think tank Institut Montaigne has put a price tag on different parties' key election promises, from the ruling Ensemble bloc's tax-free bonuses, to the far-right National Rally's VAT cut on energy and fuel, to the left-wing New Popular Front's freeze on prices of essential goods.