AFP chairman Hoog re-appointed for second term

Agence France Presse's chairman and chief executive Emmanuel Hoog was re-appointed Thursday for a second term at the helm of the global news agency. The 50-year-old Hoog was picked for a new three-year mandate by the agency's 15-member board of directors, which includes state representatives and members of the national and regional press. In a statement, Hoog said he was "happy and proud" to have been re-appointed. "After a period of major investment -- which was useful, necessary and vital -- it is now up to us to continue to develop the conditions for success in tough economic and extremely competitive circumstances," he added. Hoog has recently said his priorities are to redesign the agency's business tools and delivery system, renovate headquarters in Paris, revise the agency's relationship with the French state, dynamise sales in France and expand global sales. Agence France-Presse is an independent agency with journalists in 165 countries. A 1957 law gives AFP a unique statute designed to guarantee editorial independence. It has no capital or shareholders and must balance its accounts.