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France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat, the Elysee said, seeking to show that the EU’s two largest defense powers can still work together despite differences over major armament programs.

The meetings come weeks after industrial rivalries forced Paris and Berlin to scrap the landmark Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program at a time the U.S. is pressuring Europe to rearm itself.

Delays to a Franco-German next-generation tank project, setbacks to the multinational Eurodrone program meant to build a drone competitor to the U.S. Reaper and growing competition within Europe in the space sector have all underscored Europe’s challenges scaling up its defense ambitions.

Two joint declarations are expected following the Franco-German Defence and Security Council (CFADS) and a broader joint ministerial meeting near Cologne on Thursday and Friday.

A French official acknowledged that the discussions were “not a path where everything is necessarily aligned,” but said Franco-German defense industry cooperation was bigger than the failed FCAS project.

A German official said agreement was expected on how elements of the FCAS project would continue to be developed. Both countries have pledged to focus on ​data links ​between ⁠warplanes and related software known as a “combat ​cloud”.

The two sides will also discuss Macron’s proposal for “forward (nuclear) deterrence,” unveiled in March, under which European allies could participate in French nuclear deterrence exercises and temporarily host French nuclear assets on their territory.

Berlin now expects to agree that German troops will take part in a French nuclear exercise in the autumn, the German official said.

Defense Sovereignty

Underlying the Franco-German defense relationship are differences over how dependent Europe should be on U.S. weapons technology at a time the continent is questioning President Donald Trump’s reliability as a security partner.

The Elysee said the talks would also centre on conventional military capabilities, citing early warning systems, long-range strike capabilities and air and missile defense.

France has long advocated greater reliance on European technologies for missile defense.

“On ballistic missile defense, we have always argued to Germany the importance of what is sovereign,” the Elysee official said.

Space cooperation will also be on the table, another area where competition has recently complicated bilateral ties.

The Elysee said France and Germany would reaffirm support for IRIS², the European Union’s planned secure satellite communications constellation, despite Berlin simultaneously pursuing its own military satellite constellation project.

Paris sees the program as a cornerstone of Europe’s efforts to secure sovereign communications infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign providers.

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Sony's announcement that it plans to stop producing physical PlayStation game discs starting in 2028 has been met with widespread pushback. You'd think among everyone dismayed by the decision, the CEO of a brick and mortar video game retailer would be particularly irked, but GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen has completely dismissed those concerns.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV , Cohen was asked what sort of business impacts Sony's decision to kill physical discs will have on GameStop. "It doesn't matter at all," he said defiantly. "It is totally, totally irrelevant."

That might sound like a pretty shocking soundbite initially, but as Bloomberg points out, GameStop's business model has shifted dramatically from its early days as a retailer making most of its money selling new and used physical copies of video games. As the convenience of digital purchases incentivizes gamers to stay home and purchase games right from their home consoles, businesses like GameStop have had to adapt. These days, both physical and digital games amount to just 18% of GameStop's overall revenue, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, GameStop's collectables business has far surpassed game sales at 41% of revenue, something Cohen said drove his unsolicited bid to buy online auction house eBay for $56 billion. He has previously said he's the most qualified person to run the website with hopes for it to become a "legit competitor to Amazon."

Apparently, Cohen still isn't done dreaming about acquiring the company. When Bloomberg asked him about the sales potential in GTA 6 , which is widely expected to be the most lucrative game launch of all time, Cohen said, "I want to go back and talk about eBay."

Say what you want about him, there's no denying he's determined.

With PS3 and Vita digital stores closing, I've unearthed the best physical games to add to your collection before prices balloon

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A 251-mile Mercedes SLS AMG sold for a staggering $775,000 on Bring a Trailer.

The winning bid jumped nearly $200,000 over the previous offer in seconds.

Bring a Trailer, the seller, and Hagerty all confirmed the sale was legitimate.

A 251-mile 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG just became one of the hottest topics in the collector car world after selling for an eye-watering $775,000 on Bring a Trailer. The number was so outrageous, and the final bidding so bizarre, that plenty of enthusiasts immediately assumed someone had fat-fingered the keyboard or that something else was amiss. Instead, the evidence now points to one very real sale that could reshape expectations for one of AMG’s modern icons.

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Read: Will You Sell Your House For This Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series?

First, let’s set the stage a little. The most expensive sale on BAT of an SLS was a Black Series back in 2022 that went for $755,000. The highest non-Black Series sale on the site went for $401,000. That’s why it was shocking when the auction had already climbed to an impressive $575,000 before another bidder nudged it to $576,000. Moments later, a newly registered account dropped a stunning $775,000 bid, instantly ending any suspense and leaving the comments section in disbelief.

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The reaction was immediate. Some suggested the bidder intended to type $577,000, while others wondered if the sale would actually close. Bring a Trailer quickly addressed the speculation, explaining that the winning bidder manually entered the amount and then confirmed it through the site’s secondary confirmation screen, calling it a legitimate commitment to purchase.

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Questions lingered until two more confirmations arrived. The selling dealer later announced that payment had been received in full, while Hagerty Price Guide publisher Dave Kinney commented that he personally viewed documentation showing the wire transfer had cleared, describing the sale as real, albeit an outlier.

The car originally stickered at $223,345 in 2011, or about $339,000 in today’s money after inflation.

Whether this proves to be a new benchmark or simply a once-in-a-blue-moon event remains to be seen. However, the timing is notable. Bring a Trailer’s own sales history shows SLS AMG values climbing sharply over the past few years, but nothing approaches this result. If nothing else, every future seller now has a new number to point at, even if matching it proves far more difficult than entering it into a bidding box.

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