French News Podcast — 31 July 2026

Episode guide

A short French-first briefing for A2–B1 learners, with concise English help. The episode covers three announcements from 30 July 2026.

Finance: Leonardo reported first-half new orders of €16.3 billion, revenue of €10.0 billion, and EBITA of €780 million. It raised its 2026 order guidance to about €28.2 billion while confirming revenue guidance of about €22.1 billion. 1 2
Technology: The European Commission opened a tender for up to seven AI Gigafactories, backed by up to €10 billion in public funding and expected to attract at least €20 billion in private investment. A Reuters report says the tender closes on 12 November, with winning bidders expected in early 2027. 3 4
Politics: The Commission said it had disbursed €3.47 billion to Ukraine under the defence window of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan. The money is for drones, missiles, air defence and Gripen fighter jets; the Commission says €28.3 billion is planned for Ukraine's defence industrial capacity in 2026. 5 6

passer de… à… — to rise or move from one figure to another: Les commandes passent de vingt-six à vingt-huit milliards d'euros.
être destiné à — to be intended for: Le financement est destiné à construire des centres de données.
verser une tranche — to disburse or pay an instalment: L'Union européenne a versé une nouvelle tranche à l'Ukraine.