French economy grows more than expected in Q2

France's economy expanded by a forecast-beating 0.3 percent in the second quarter, the national statistics institute reported on Tuesday.

The quarter-on-quarter growth outperformed the INSEE institute's earlier estimate of 0.1 percent, lifted by foreign trade and a recovery in corporate investment.

Domestic demand made a small positive contribution to growth while household spending, a main driver of first-quarter expansion, was steady in the three months to June.

Previously, arson attacks on French railways caused widespread delays and cancellations of rail services across Europe on July 26, the day of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris.

TGV high-speed train traffic on France's Atlantic, northern and eastern routes was severely disrupted due to arson attacks aimed at damaging installations, the French national rail company SNCF announced on X Friday morning.

According to the SNCF, 800,000 passengers were affected by the attacks, with some trains diverted and a large number of trains canceled.

International travel through the English Channel and to neighboring Belgium has also been disrupted. Eurostar canceled 25 percent of its scheduled services, and trains from the Netherlands to Paris were experiencing delays of an additional 1.5 hours, according to the Dutch railway operator NS.