Sundial of world news

New outbreak of fever at SNCM. During one week, a dozen sailors were delayed for one hour each day the ship departs The Corsican liaising Nice L'Île Rousse. They demanded an adjustment of their pay with that of other marine company. They succeeded, and The Corsican found Thursday its normal pace.

This social movement falls at the worst time, tourist season and while the company controlled by Veolia has also lost market share in the first half. Its traffic decreased 7.1%, one of Corsica Ferries increased by 17.5%. Moby Lines, comer, has received nearly 33 000 passengers in three months.

"Our main concern is with Moby Lines are denied benefits that help the passenger, and Corsica Ferries.With the current system, they can only gain additional market share, "worries Alpozzo Frederick, Secretary General of the CGT sailors of the SNCM. For the union, the welfare system to the passenger distributed by the local authority Corsican airlines operating out of Nice and Toulon is "antagonistic" to that of the public service delegation (PSD), benefiting SNCM and CMN from Marseilles. "This is not a compensation of public service but a premium for social dumping," Frederick Alpozzo ton.

Risk of losses in 2010

A report commissioned by the government pointed the problem. The ball is in the camp community Corsican. A special session is scheduled in September to review all aid to maritime transport. "SNCM is in a delicate position.She could ask to not go after the convention of CSP, which expires at the end of 2013, we recognize the Corsican Transportation Agency (CTA). Out of the red in 2008, SNCM has gained nearly 18 million euros in 2009 thanks to a gain on disposal of a vessel (26 million). The CTA believes that the company's losses could reach 20 million this year. To make matters worse, if a new DSP is launched, the agreement could exclude ferries operating at peak periods. She would come into force in 2012. Suddenly, the reduction plan envisaged by the SNCM fleet in February, dropped after the strikes of the CGT, may become relevant.

"We need things to change and we stop losing money.Either we reorganized the DSP is still there and it will be dramatic, because it will break everything, "Frederick alarmed Alpozzo who admits fear a scenario where the SeaFrance 725 employees will be dismissed.

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Moody's has struck again. This time, the rating agency downgraded the credit rating assigned to the public debt of Ireland two notches to Aa2 from Aa1. The agency now shows a stable outlook, while they were negative before.

Moody's analysts explain this degradation by three factors. They rely on "the gradual loss and significant financial strength of the Irish government illustrated by rising deficits and the weakening of the country's repayment capacity." Growth prospects also weakened justify the gesture of the agency. The agency believes that the burden of debt relative to gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to stabilize around 95% to 100% within two to three years. Finally, doubts about the soundness of the banking system, following numerous recapitalizations of businesses have also influenced Moody's.The agency has referred to the substantial liabilities arising from the establishment of the NAMA (National Asset Management), a defeasance bank (or bank rotten ") service, which has to buy the Irish banks Tens of billions of subprime loans that they had accumulated before the credit crisis.

A budget deficit higher than that of Greece

In 2009, the budget deficit of Ireland, 14.3% of GDP was highest in the euro area, even superior to that of Greece, suffered a severe debt crisis. The Irish public debt has soared from 25% of GDP at end 2007 to 65% in late 2009.

Moody's has recently made several other cuts of notes on debt.The sovereign rating of Portugal has been degraded to A1 AA2 cons last week because of growth prospects remain relatively low and a deteriorating financial situation. Following the degradation cascade, investors may be less attentive to agency decisions.

The word "low cost" is less and less taboo at PSA Peugeot Citroen. In early May, Philippe Varin, the boss of the manufacturer, said that the group "did not rule out being on the low-cost one day." He said: "If this were the case, it would not be with our two brands."

So far, the group said informally that such a vehicle was considered only for Asia. But on Wednesday, on the occasion of the presentation of business results of the first half, Jean-Marc Gales, director of Peugeot and Citroen, has taken a new step.It does not mark a low cost, the third group, is distributed in Western Europe, even if the device has not "yet been decided" for the continent.

Chinese Partner

"If we did, and I say this in the conditional, a car really low-cost, it would necessarily under a different brand and obviously with a different distribution method, which could be" completely different and very creative, "he said, citing sales via "Internet". No matter under him from selling such vehicle in a Peugeot or Citroen dealership, and therefore to take the risk of blurring the image of two brands that are trying to go upmarket.

Asked about the possibility of building such a vehicle with a Chinese partner, Jean-Marc Gales said "one could imagine many things" with these manufacturers credit reports free.PSA, which has already formed a joint venture in the Middle Kingdom, will sign one second Friday with Changan, fulfilling a letter of intent.

Meanwhile, the group develops a medium sedan declined under the Peugeot and Citroën, which will be for the "heart of the range" of emerging countries. Production will be initially located in Spain. In the same logic, PSA works in partnership with Japan's Mitsubishi, with a small entry level car for these markets.

At the last general meeting of the group in early June, Philippe Varin had hammered this sedan designed for emerging markets was neither low-cost, or intended to Western Europe.More broadly, he appeared to reject the principle of marketing a low-cost model in Europe: "If a low-cost means low-end model, manufactured in low cost countries and for Europe to the West, while the group is not on the low-cost, had he stressed.

Given the success of Dacia, the Romanian brand Renault, which has exceeded 5% market share in France, the Lion is now considering actually in the parade.

Bureau Veritas announced Tuesday the acquisition of Inspectorate, specialist inspection and testing of raw materials and subsidiary of British Inspicio. The transaction amounted to 450 million pounds (nearly 540 million euros) and should be completed in the third quarter of 2010.

Inspectorate, currently held by the investment company 3i, is also present on the testing of petroleum products and petrochemicals (59% of its turnover), metals, minerals and agricultural products.The company recorded 2009 sales of 246 million pounds (280 million euros).

In a statement, Bureau Veritas claims that the acquisition allows it to position itself as "one of the world's leading inspection and testing of raw materials," a buoyant market, "according to Chairman Frank Piedelièvre group, whose potential amounts to 5 billion euros, according to the group saving account payday loan.

Inspectorate therefore give "a new dimension to the group that doubles the size of its laboratory network (330 sites) and now offers a range of services the industry's broadest assessment of compliance."

Bureau Veritas says that the transaction will be financed through existing credit lines and newly negotiated. The group expects a turnover of around 3 billion euros in 2010.It amounted in 2009 to 2,648,000,000 euros.

The time of new measures to reduce costs will soon strike in France. The State must indeed save 100 billion euros by 2013 to reduce its deficit and meet European standards.

Claude Gueant, advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, says the Financial Times on Monday that further savings measures are in preparation. They should be announced in the fall. It says in part: "France has pledged to reduce its deficit to 3% by 2013. We are determined to achieve this goal. "

Forecast question

For now, the government relies on its growth forecasts to find half the sum. But estimates of France are considered optimistic. The European Commission and the International Monetary Fund have both criticized the government's optimism.The economy minister, Christine Lagarde, has itself acknowledged Sunday at the Grand Jury RTL-LCI-Le Figaro, saying that the forecast 2.5% growth next year was "bold" .

Lower costs

The remaining 50 billion euros will come from the decline in public spending and tax increases. How the State plan to do it? A belief in "Les Echos", the government intends to confirm its target of 100,000 new layoffs of civil servants between 2011 and 2013, after the 100,000 already achieved in recent years. Moreover, the government plans to freeze spending between 2011 and 2013 to maintain transfers to local governments and increase only slightly the health expenditure.The state should also remove the tax loopholes to recover 5 billion euros per year and create a new tax on the wealthiest to raise 3.7 billion euros. Finally, the adjustment of tax evaders will recover, as reported by the Budget Minister Francois Baroin to France Info radio this weekend, "over 1 billion just on the folder HSBC.

The Financial Times points out that these measures should not be sufficient to reach 100 billion euros in savings by 2013. If Claude Gueant has not revealed the content of the proposed measures, economists believe that the state could proceed with a wage freeze for civil servants, their salaries account for nearly one third of public spending.

The crisis has cost France dear. No less than 6 percentage points of GDP between 2008 and 2010 and 3 points of tax revenue and social, as estimated by INSEE. "The growth restarts quite normally, but it remains the scar," said Thursday its chief executive, Jean-Philippe Cotis.

The rescue of Greece did nothing. Investors remain worried in Europe: the CAC 40 lost Thursday more than 2.2% and broke the 3,600 points, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange fell 0.81%, close to 5900 points, the London Stock Exchange has folded 1.52% to 5260 points.

In the European storm, which contaminates the morale of investors around the world – in Asia, markets deep into red, and Wall Street has suffered more heavy losses – the euro continues its downward trend.

The fears of the contagion of the disease are increasing fiscal Greek daily.If the EU, the IMF and Athens agreed to "save the country from bankruptcy last weekend, the panic was due to global finances since the beginning of the week.

On Tuesday, the rumor "murders" that Spain could ask 280 billion euros in the IMF and could see its rating deteriorated by Fitch and / or Moody's has dampened the markets. Madrid and ratings agencies have denied. S & P himself has lowered its rating last week.

Then Wednesday, the storm came from the threat of degradation of the sovereign debt rating by Moody's from Portugal.

On Thursday, Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the ECB (European Central Bank) has failed to reassure markets quick cash.The Ibex-35 index of the Madrid Stock Exchange ended down 2.93% and the Lisbon PSI 20 downgraded from 2.37% to 6824.8 points.

The Athenian has taken place, the colors, gaining 0.98%, despite the strong social tensions in the country.

The euro to 1.25 soon

Since the euro has broken the support of 1.3280 earlier this week, the single currency dipped down. On Friday, it dropped below $ 1.27, to 1.2659 dollar per euro, far from 1.5144 dollars reached November 25, 2009. The Euro is at its lowest in a year deal with the sixteen major currencies in the world, and been fourteen months against the dollar.

Since 1 January, the single currency has dropped 11.4%.

"The next support is at 1.2450 dollar," recalls the president of Saxo Bank, Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier, and ensures that could be reached "very soon".

If the euro remains at levels "healthy for the European economy, this decline reflects the magnitude of the crisis in the Old Continent. Such differences in scoring so little time, are accustomed closely watched by the European Central Bank (ECB).

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The troubles continue for Goldman Sachs. After the civil action last week by the SEC, the policeman of the American Stock Exchange, the leaders of the institution are subject to a complaint by two shareholders, Robert and Morton Rosinek Spiegel, the Supreme Court of State of New York. They accuse the leadership of the bank to have breached its obligations by conducting a series of transactions involving CDOs (collateralized debt obligations) linked to subprime mortgages.

The bank's CEO, Lloyd Blankfein was named, along with all members of its board of directors. The French trader Fabrice Tourre is also part of those involved.

Both complaints put forward the "systematic failures" of the bank for three and a half years has not reviewed the Abacus-risk investments, in the heart of the case quick cash.The losses amount to one billion dollars.

These criticisms follow those of the SEC has accused Goldman Sachs of fraud accusing him of having misled investors during the marketing of complex financial product issuing CDOs. According to the SEC, Goldman Sachs has committed fraud rules governing the banking institutions do not publish everything she knew about these titles based on guarantees fragile.

Ed Canaday, a spokesman for the bank, declined to comment immediately, saying the bank had not yet seen the complaint.

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Microsoft on Thursday posted a net profit up 35% to 4.006 billion dollars for the third quarter of fiscal offset, and a turnover of 14.5 billion dollars, which increased 6% year on year.

"Windows 7 contiune to be a tool for growth, but we also see strong growth for Bing, Xbox Live, and the emerging markets of" cloud services, "said Peter Klein, CFO of Microsoft, said in a statement issued after -Exchange on Thursday.He added: "Our record revenue in the third quarter is a continuation of our policy of strict cost".

Mircosoft expects 2010 operating expenses between $ 26.1 billion and 26.3 billion dollars.

On Wednesday, Apple and Yahoo recorded profits for 3.07 billion dollars (89.5%) and 310.19 million dollars, the first for the second quarter 2010 and second in the first quarter of 2010. As for their sales, they amounted to 13.5 billion (+48.7%) and 1.6 billion (1%).

At the NYSE, Microsoft shares closed up 0.19% to 31.39 dollars in a market up 0.09%.

The third Chinese airline, China Eastern, on Friday announced a membership agreement from June 2010 with the Skyteam alliance is located in, including Air France-KLM. His entry will be effective in mid-2011. Companies Delta Airlines, Alitalia, Korean Air or another Chinese company, China Southern, are also part of Skyteam.

Air France-KLM had already signed a partnership with China Eastern on code share flights between Paris and Shanghai. For the French company and the alliance, the future membership sounds like a victory against the other alliances such as Oneworld and Star Alliance. Skyteam marks indeed a great point against Luftahnsa who was also in the running.Thus deviend Skyteam alliance, the largest in China, probably the greatest future aviation market in the world.

More chess with Japan Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines, which joined Oneworld, Skyteam revives success. Oneworld not in its ranks as Cathay Pacific to Asia as the marginalized in this market.

However, doubts remain about the relationship with China Airlines Star Alliance, which had signed a trade agreement with China Eastern.

In June 2010, SkyTeam also plans to host two additional members, Vietnam Airlines and Tarom.