- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
Thierry Breton: France's bulldozer at the EU crashes out
France's Thierry Breton became one of the European Union's most prominent faces in Brussels, gaining the reputation of a disrupter as he clashed with tech giants -- and even his own boss.
That strained relationship with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was at the centre of the outspoken and spotlight-seeking Breton's dramatic resignation Monday from the European Commission.
With his distinctive, salt and pepper mane and his thick-framed black eyeglasses, his influence in Brussels was wide-ranging.
The bloc's internal market commissioner since 2019, he oversaw a defence industry push and marshalled the production of Covid jabs.
But he was better known for taking a hard line against abuses by the world's biggest digital platforms -- even sparring publicly with the billionaire boss of X, Elon Musk.
A former CEO of French tech and telecom firms, Breton was the first major business leader to arrive in the cosy world of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.
He frequently gave media interviews and fired off quick quips on social media, building on his desire to be seen as an effector of change.
The centrist was outspoken in challenging von der Leyen -- and caused a stir earlier this year by publicly questioning the depth of support for her reelection within her centre-right European People's Party.
Breton also questioned her "transparency and impartiality" over the appointment of a political ally to a highly-paid post as small and medium-sized enterprises envoy.
- Tech enforcer -
The 69-year-old was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin's influence at the heart of the EU.
But, an engineer by training, Breton, did not have a smooth path into the commission.
The former French finance minister was French President Emmanuel Macron's second choice after a scandal surrounding his first.
His media prominence confounded some since Breton is not as eloquent an orator as other top officials in Paris and Brussels.
He was at times mocked for the length of his speeches and for the multiple ideas he introduced all at once in a disorderly fashion.
But he was in his element when he talked about digital issues and industry, after serving for several years as the head of several large French companies including France Telecom -- now Orange -- and Atos.
The resigning commissioner once had a wafer of semiconductor material in his hand as he launched into a long, technical explanation of electronic chips.
The EU's landmark laws taking on mainly US-based web giants, the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), are among Breton's biggest achievements.
The rules demanded better policing of content online and curbed the market powers of companies, like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft.
"It's time to put some order in the digital 'Wild West'", he said in 2022.
Breton even went to see Musk in Texas to explain the rules that he would have to follow under the DSA. They were all smiles in a video that went viral.
- Wily figure -
Breton, a former professor of corporate governance at Harvard University and author of several science fiction novels, wanted a more sovereign Europe to better defend its interests against challenges from China and the United States.
His thinking was often in line with the French government, but he frequently insisted he spoke for Europe and not just Paris.
During the coronavirus pandemic, when the United States and Britain had successful deliveries of vaccines in 2021, the EU had fallen behind.
Von der Leyen appointed Breton to lead a task force to fix the situation, and his knowledge of the world of business came in handy.
With factory visits and frequent dialogue with pharma bosses, he faced down the Americans who blocked key components by threatening retaliation.
A wily figure, he had been tipped to get a promotion to be a commission vice president stewarding industrial growth, under von der Leyen's second term.
Instead he rocked Brussels by surprisingly quitting with immediate effect, claiming von der Leyen had sought at the last-minute to bar him from her incoming team.
C.Garcia--AMWN