International Headlines and Stories

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

Beijing celebrates this anniversary fanfare since late November. An exhibition devoted to the achievements of Macao since the handover was opened December 11 in Beijing by Chinese President Hu Jintao. "Macau has grown tremendously during the last decade," he told the Chinese press. Development supported by the central government of China, he said.

Macau and China signed in 2003 a trade agreement (the CSIO), strengthened several times since. This agreement facilitates the access of goods and services macanas to mainland China. The trade has more than tripled between 1999 and 2008, reaching $ 2.91 billion last year.According to a report released December 16 by the Ministry of Commerce of China, mainland China was the third largest investor in Macao in late September, after the United States and the European Union, a non-financial direct investment of 623 million dollars.

Jubilation in the city of Macau, just after the handover ceremony. Photo credits: AFP

It took six days to break his silence. And yet the world was waiting he speaks. The Awards were panicking. The warning is part late November, when Dubai announced that its conglomerate Dubai World, is struggling to repay 59 billion in debt. As negotiations with creditors ahead delicate, Sheikh Mohammed has given an appointment on 1 December, journalists at the entrance of Dubai Media City, the neighborhood where settled CNN, AFP and al-chain Jazeera. Under the sun, disdasha white sunglasses and beard neatly trimmed, he stopped two minutes before the cameras. In fact interview, he let out a pithy phrase: "Dubai's economy is strong." He also regretted "the lack of international investors" before philosophizing on "Fruit Trees always attacked by those who throw stones.The allusion, acerbic, was aimed at Western media he despises. Then he climbed into his 4 × 4 white. Scholarships and fell again.

"His Highness is very determined"

This attitude, princely or haughty as the interpretation is actually not worth that friends at HRH. "He laughs at the criticism even if they hurt his pride," says one of its brokers. At age 60, Sheik Mo has shown the other Gulf monarchies it is not just the oil life. So Abu Dhabi prides itself on culture and joined the Louvre. The Sultanate of Oman has made ecology by building on its magnificent scenery. As for Qatar, it develops its universities.

Sheikh Mo himself, runs Dubai like a business. If an order, it must be executed finger on the seam of his trousers."His Highness is very determined, confided the CEO of Emirates airline, Sheikh Ahmed, the magazine Vanity Fair in 2006. To follow, he must recharge his batteries at 100% and give everything. "This has enabled the micro-state to jump two centuries, between 1990 and 2009. But when crunch time, he must reassure communicate, the man is rare.

Born in 1949, Muhammad is the heir of the Maktoum dynasty. Bedouin who have settled in Dubai in 1833. In this small port that saw trade and smuggling, child's little prince is so spartan. Running water, phone, electricity, roads do not exist. At nightfall, on the creek, we lit the oil lamp. "We played ball on the dirt floor, we did not travel and we had no government," Sheikh Ahmed confided to Le Figaro in 2003. Mohammed was 9 years old when his father, Sheikh Rashid, seized power.The oil discovered offshore in 1966 freed the royal family of the dependence of ancient Arab traders, Iranian and Indian.

Visionary Sheikh Rashid began the first stage of modernization of Dubai. In three decades, he transformed the inlet in a regional logistics and industry. In 1966, Mohammed was sent to Cambridge to learn English. In 1971, the British left the Arabian Peninsula. Abu Dhabi, which owns the majority of oil resources, and Dubai, plus the best location, create, with five mini-states, the federation of United Arab Emirates. At age 21, instead of continuing studies, Mohammed is powered defense minister. Despite the turmoil in the region, his country is developing slowly but surely.

The privacy of Sheikh Mo is as secret as eventful.Horseman, he created a stable of thoroughbreds Godolphin, who became the great rival that of the Aga Khan. Each fall, he is one of the best customers at Deauville. In winter, the horses are in the sun in Dubai. In April, they leave by plane for Europe. Except this year as the Godolphin stable has been accused of doping. Sheikh Mo also owns the largest yacht in the world. He publishes his poems on the Internet. Married several times, he would have 19 children – eight girls and eleven son – now aged between 2 and 27 years. His biography on his official site does not mention them. But many of those princes and princesses have a page on Facebook. Like all young surfers today, they have taken hundreds of photos for free access.In a few clicks, one discovers the Sheikh's private life: the inside of his jet, his palaces, his children, their holidays in Europe, stretching their albino tiger on leather couches, their hawks. In the family album, just missing the wives and mothers.

Cape Town Tourism

On October 7, 1990, the life of Mohammed switches. His father, Sheikh Rashid, died after a long illness. The eldest son, Maktoum, ascends the throne. Mohammed became crown prince. But it will always be regarded as the true boss of Dubai, well before the death of his brother in January 2006. Surrounded by bodyguards brilliant émiratiens commoners, he began the second stage of the transformation of Dubai. Cap on tourism, shopping, services and finance.With hundreds of thousands of workers forced laborers to thank you, he built skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury hotels, including the famous Burj al-Arab, a 7 star hotel. Ski, giant aquariums, artificial islands, tallest tower in the world: everything must be extraordinary. Within a radius of 10 000 kilometers, Dubai is the only place where there are any consumer product, where women have no constraints imposed on Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Mo, whose appearances are rare except in the photo on the property, has no ambition in international politics, but it pushes the girls to pursue careers and encourages entrepreneurs. "We are 1.5 billion Arabs which 50% are under 25 years. If we can save them by giving them meaningful employment, we will avoid to be extremists. "Strange speech, but little understood.Only the expansion of Dubai forced march draws attention. Speculators took power. And miscellaneous multiply: turning the car ram into a jewelry, demonstrations of "slave laborers" settling of accounts between the Russian mafia, rape of a young French … Sheikh Mo has also suffered heavily from the anti – Arab Congress in Washington opposed his bid for U.S. ports. According to Forbes, the fortune of the master of Dubai has shrunk from 28 to 16 billion dollars between 2008 and 2009.

All eyes are now turning to his son, Hamdan, 27 years. Nicknamed "CP" for Crown Prince, the military trained at Sandhurst in Britain has it in hand, the soul of a communicator. Familiar with Facebook, he put his videos on YouTube.The latest shows his impressive collection of cars, hundreds of cars, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Porsche … Another clip presents declaiming, for five long minutes, a speech in Arabic on a thoroughbred in the desert or caressing lioness on a beach. His poems are "coo" of thousands of young women. Nice kid, he is Prince William of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, his father is negotiating with international bankers from whom he borrowed too. Next Monday, Sheikh Moh will have repaid a portion of its debt. One thing is certain: the economic model he developed for Dubai showed its flaws and shortcomings. His son did he understand? Does he realize that he must invent a new one?

ALSO READ

"The Awards of the emirate still in the red

"Dubai turns back to the Roaring Twenties

The GDF Suez group presented on Thursday its quarterly financial results. In the first nine months of the year, operating income (EBITDA) is logged down by 2.7% to 10.1 billion euros. The group confirmed in a statement likely to increase positive one throughout the year 2009.

Always on the period from January to September, sales reached 57.9 billion euros, down moderately from 1.2% (-2.8% change in organic).

Net debt amounted to 27.8 billion euros at end September 2009, unchanged compared to end June 2009 and down 1.1 billion euros compared to late 2008.

"Group activity in the first nine months of the year confirms the strength of our business model. Despite the downturn that we announced in the third quarter, we confirm our annual targets.In a difficult economic environment, GDF SUEZ continues its industrial development while reducing its debt levels, allowing the group to prompt the return of growth in its major markets, "said Gérard Mestrallet, CEO of GDF Suez in connection with the publication of its results.

Euro Disney reported Thursday its results in its financial year end of September. The net loss after minority interests of Euro Disney appears to 55.5 million euros against a loss of 2.8 million a year ago. Revenues fell 7% to 1.23 billion. Despite a record attendance of 15.4 million people (against 15.3 million a year earlier) through new promotions, visitor expenditures were lower because of the crisis. Thus, the rate of hotel occupancy fell amounting to 87%, which has affected sales. In the statement, Philippe Gas, chairman of Euro Disney, said that the exercise "has been marked by the economic environment more difficult in our history."

Report of several payments

Under the exercise, the group has not met its predetermined performance goals.He has deferred some debt payments subject to long term as the 25 million of license fees due to TWDC and the 15.1 million euros of interest due to the Deposit and Consignment. It also plans to defer the payment of an additional $ 5.1 million of interest due to the CDC during the first quarter of fiscal 2010.

The operators do not like. The title plunges 10.17% at 5.30 euros to 10.10 am. They fear that the company does not have sufficient cash to repay its debts.