France furious at 'time-bomb' taunt

French officials angrily rejected a charge by Britain's The Economist weekly on Friday that France was the "time-bomb at the heart of Europe" and a danger to the euro single currency, accusing the magazine of sensationalism.

The Economist's front cover showed seven loafs of "baguette" bread bound together by a French tricolor with a lit fuse protruding from the center.

Its main article raised concerns that President Francois Hollande's economic reforms are not ambitious enough, warning that financial markets could turn against France, and so could jeopardize the future of the euro.