LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - France will this week host tech executives and political figures including former U.S. secretary of state John Kerry, EU industrial chief Thierry Breton and ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt as it looks to assert Paris' role as an AI hub. The Viva Technology conference will put French innovators front-and-centre as attendees tackle key questions around artificial...

TOKYO, May 20 (Reuters) - Fast food operator KFC Holdings Japan ( KFCKF ) said on Monday that a Carlyle Group ( CG )-backed fund launched a tender offer for its shares in a deal worth 135 billion yen ($863 million). Crispy Holdings, which is wholly owned by Carlyle, will offer 6,500 yen per share, a 20% premium to KFC...

PERTH, May 20 (Reuters) - Australia's energy producers endorsed a government strategy to boost natural gas development, but warned the country still faces new gas supply shortfalls this decade while markets remain volatile due to global conflicts. Meg O'Neill, chair of the Australian Energy Producers, said the group welcomed the Future Gas Strategy released by the government earlier this month,...

ANTWERP, Belgium, May 21 (Reuters) - Leading European research labs will receive 2.5 billion euros ($2.72 billion) in funding under the European Chips Act to set up a pilot line to develop and test future generations of advanced computer chips, Belgium's imec said on Wednesday. The European Union's 43 billion euro Chips Act was announced in 2023 to support domestic...