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A small defect of throttle and it's a catastrophe for PSA. The group just defeated the recall of nearly 100,000 cars. "PSA will preventively a recall on these vehicles, the versions that could have the same defect pedal," said a spokesman for the firm. This concern of Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 produced between February 2005 and August 2009 in the Kolin plant in the Czech Republic, that is to say "10% of the park from C1 and 107 stock, less than 100,000 cars" in Europe, added the spokesman.

Around 220,000 Peugeot and Citroën released each year of the plant, operational since February 2005 but "only a portion of production is concerned because according to the versions, gasoline or diesel, this is not the same type of elements" that is used, he said.Both urban French car manufacturer are assembled on the assembly lines of Toyota, which produces Kolin his little Aygo. This model is one of eight that the Japanese manufacturer decided to recall in Europe for a lack of accelerator pedal.

But virtually all components of the three models are the same, which explains why PSA is also forced to recall cars. In this context, the French manufacturer will "study in the coming days and weeks with the procedures for Toyota this season" reminder, "added the spokesman.

"The limits of the Toyota"

On paper, PSA and Toyota are equal partners in their joint venture TPCA (Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile) which manages the site of Kolin.But in reality, it is indeed a Toyota, the Japanese are in charge of designing and manufacturing vehicles free business cards .

For CGT Peugeot Sochaux (Doubs), the recall of vehicles demonstrates "the limits of the Toyota, denouncing a kind of production with" the minimum time to study and design of facilities, personnel and wages " and "no talk of outsourcing to the death."

The crisis facing Toyota is the task of oil and other manufacturers. Before PSA, the U.S. Ford has suspended production as a precaution for some commercial vehicles in China using the same faulty accelerator pedal as Toyota. This measure concerns, however, less than 2,000 vehicles. Besides the joint venture with PSA, Toyota owns with another Japanese, Subaru.Their factory is located in Indiana, the United States.

Toyota is forced to recall millions of cars around the world for lack of accelerator pedal detected in the United States, Canada, China and Europe. Nothing the United States, 2.3 million vehicles have been recalled over 270,000 points of Canada and 75,000 in China.

In Europe, the number of affected vehicles could reach 1.8 million. Eight models are concerned: AYGO, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla Verso, Avensis and RAV4. The number of cars each country concerned should be seen "running next week," said the spokesman for Toyota.

The Japanese giant's chairman, Akio Toyoda, apologized Saturday for this one problem.World leading manufacturer since 2008, Toyota had already experienced a technical problem that forced him to recall cars in the United States due to a defect in the carpet can also block the accelerator

The number of new listings weekly unemployment has never been this low since mid-2008 the United States. During the week ended December 26, 432,000 cases were filed, against 452,000 the previous week, according to figures released Thursday in Washington.

This new statistic goes against the expectations of analysts. The consensus of economists polled by Reuters had expected an upward effect on new registrations to 460,000.

The downward trend observed since the spring is thus confirmed, after two weeks of increases observed in early December.

When prey is, UFC Que Choisir not let go. Just weeks after a complaint filed against the provider of Internet access (ISP) Free to improper billing of the hotline, the association of consumer advocacy attack again for collective redress "many and various unfair and unlawful" .

The UFC has assigned the Free interim High Court of Paris as part of an accelerated procedure. A decision motivated by complaints from several consumers who feel cheated by the rules of subscription and advertising provider. As the class action (editor's note: class actions in the courts) are impossible in France, is in his own name as the association claims 535,000 euros in damages.If Free is considered in the light of competition law, this amount could rise to 96 million, or 10% of the turnover of the company.

Unfair

Among the problems raised by clients and accepted by UFC, several relate to the conditions of sale. It is alleged the ISP to pre-check the option "Service Plus" in the subscription forms online so that this option costs EUR 9.99 per month. Worse, this addition does not appear in the sum total of the subscription rises to 39.98 euros per month and not 29.99 as stated. UFC has also criticized Free to impose a payment by debit to its subscribers. If they refuse, they are forced to pay a deposit of 400 euros to pay 4 euros per month extra.

And if the customer decides to cancel his subscription, it will take a period of one month instead of 10 days imposed by the Chatel Act. In addition, he must pay 96 euros less than 3 euros a month old. A change of address or request new equipment redo the note up to 96 euros automatically. "These practices are harmful. Free communicates on a price ceiling that is actually a floor price. Customers are direct victims, "indignant Catalina Chatellier, a lawyer specializing in new technologies at UFC Que Choisir.

Moreover, the association called for an end to the advertising campaign suggesting that provider with Free, the customer has all-inclusive. UFC said that in the € 29.99 that it cost to subscribe, like all other ISPs, calls to mobiles and special numbers are not included. Advertising can be misinterpreted.Similarly, the joint venture on so-called exclusive services actually are not as fast-Fi or parental control software.

"Most ISPs have policies effective sales and marketing as they come to pass in a few seconds a message of clarity and simplicity to consumers who actually is not," said Master Yann Lorang, Attorney at Law, Jakubowicz Mallet-Guy and Associates. "Today the drafting of terms of business of selling has become an art in that it must juggle the provisions protecting consumers while preserving the relationship of trust – and thus the imperative of return – between the operator and its customers, "said the lawyer.

Asked about the issue, Free declined to give his version."We do not comment on subpoenas in general and that it no longer," said a terse email from the Communications Department Iliad, the parent of Free.

History

Free is not his first assignment in the courts. Already in 2006, UFC Que Choisir had complained to protest the excessive taxation of calls to the hotline. In 2007, the ISP was forced to appeal a court decision sentencing him to repay three customers and remitted to the association 20 000 in damages for the same problem.

Last October, UFC Que Choisir was again to report a complaint hotline maintained an unfair price by 34 cents the minutes despite complaints. In November, the legal troubles continue with a historic decision of the Court of Cassation.This gave reason to a customer who complained Free to pay its entire supply Triplay (Internet, telephony and television) as he received no television. The court noted that the supplier is under an obligation of result when the services it offers. A decision should set a precedent.

Criticized for its lack of goodwill in the implementation of court decisions, Free found himself back on the wall. UFC Que Choisir hopes this time change its behavior. "They have everything to gain by giving a better image of themselves," says Catalina Chatellier.

More broadly, the decision to be taken following the hearing on March 9 should have a wider scope in the world of ISP. "Only the actions of this kind, not the individual claims mediators, can alter these contracts to more equality and fairness," said the lawyer Yann Lorang.

For Free, which should be awarded the fourth license at the end of the year, the new ads come in any involuntary case to a very bad time.

Friendly atmosphere in Berlin between Christine Lagarde and his German counterpart Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble, who met Monday for a preparatory meeting at the Brussels summit. Certainly, the French minister still can not correctly pronounce the name of his neighbor, but for the rest, they gave the image of a pair perfectly consistent.

"It is for us to strengthen the Franco-German base and we consult on the question of the stability pact. We have also given our views on oversight of the financial system, "said the minister, Wolfgang Schäuble before takes the floor:" I'll just translate what Ms Lagarde said earlier, "joked the former Minister of Interior of the previous government Merkel.

On the merits, the ministers argued over several issues.They first agreed to establish a "common agenda" on a range of topics (G20 finance …). They then discussed access to bank credit for SMEs. If both countries have said that there was no reason to fear a "credit crunch", they agreed to "proposals" together. To this end, France and Germany will "exchange of experts".

Public finances have also been at the heart of discussions on Monday. The replacement of the Social Democrat Peer Steinbrueck, highly appreciated by Christine Lagarde, told the good news: the country's deficit this year would be 10 billion less than expected.For Axel Weber, Bundesbank president and also present at the meeting with his French counterpart, Christian Noyer, it "could allow Germany to return in 2012 in the nails of the European stability pact."

"Semantic shift"

The France is also changing its official position on the thorny issue of public finances. There are a few more days, Prime Minister François Fillon and 2014 set the deadline back to a deficit below 3% of GDP, with an "effort to reduce more than 1% per year. On Monday, Christine Lagarde said she supported the goal of reducing the French deficit to 3% by 2013. One year before the date officially adopted by Paris so far."If the situation is bad, we can not achieve this goal, was still eager to clarify the French Minister.

It may be a "semantic shift" – dixit Bercy – compared to what was the prime minister, but the political signal sent to our European partners and the Commission is far from negligible. Last week, the Brussels executive had asked to return to France from 2013's deficit in the nails of the Stability Pact. She considered him already granted an extension from its requirements of spring, because of "the deteriorating economic situation."

Finally, the question of the Presidency of the Eurogroup, "we will discuss in the coming weeks," said Christine Lagarde.

Nothing very serious, but a real nervousness gripped the market on weekends. French values are clearly divided down for the fourth straight session and Wall Street began a real consolidation.

The publication of poor results by the computer manufacturer Dell, whose profits have halved in a year, has certainly cast a pall. Therefore, the decline was widespread in technology stocks in the whole document: Among the largest declines over the weekend, tech stocks, but also banks, real estate and many cyclical industries.

In fact, beyond these poor results, the market consolidates because investors are worried about the strength of the recovery, the deteriorating public finances and relapse indicators on housing states USA.Therefore, in the absence of fresh news can revive the dynamic market, investors have preferred to take profits. To top it off, President Obama held a relapse of the activity was not excluded if the recovery efforts were abandoned and the Japanese authorities have recognized that the country has fallen into recession, with falling prices for the seventh consecutive month.

After two years of crisis that we have known, investors have seen others, but should not the signs of depression are increasing, with an avalanche of bad economic data and disappointing results.The virtuous circle that has established a stock exchange, with expectations of gradual recovery in activity and improvement in profits needs to be supported, if the correction could increase.

For now, the indexes are still near the highest: more than 10,000 points for the Dow Jones, over 3,700 for the CAC 40. We must beware of making catastrophism, the scenario out of recession is good for equities, the key is to remember that the current consolidation is beneficial because it restores margin for operations to start rising.

While waiting to see clearer, gold opportunity to play its full role investment haven to more than $ 1,100 an ounce in London.

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