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After a first crisis meeting on Monday, the board of directors of Dexia held another meeting on Sunday night marathon on a background of tensions. On the menu, the agreement in principle found in government, between France, Belgium and Luxembourg, on a pattern of orderly liquidation of troubled bank.

The dismantling of Dexia revolve around two main axes. First part of the device, sales lead to much gnashing of teeth. Side France, the discussion focuses on the sale of a portfolio of over EUR 70 billion – mostly loans to local authorities – an entity owned 65% by Caisse des Depots, which drags its feet. Until more details, the Investment Committee of the CDC has just issued an advisory opinion but negative according to our sources.La Banque Postale will take a minimum the job of funder community, hitherto devoted to its competitor.

At the same time, Dexia will sell its retail banking subsidiary in Belgium, Dexia Bank Belgium, the Belgian partner probably common across the Quiévrain. The Wall Street Journal, Price, hotly debated, could turn around 4 billion euros, well below the value expected by shareholders. As Fortis sold to BNP Paribas in 2008, the Belgian government's goal is to lean then the network to a private actor. For its part, Luxembourg completes its participation in the recovery of BIL through a consortium led by Qatari investors. Denizbank, the Turkish subsidiary, is also about to be sold.

The second component of dismantling the management of residual interests.While the Spanish or Italian Sabadell Crediop seem almost impossible to sell, will remain at Dexia a portfolio of nearly 95 billion euros in loans, of which 12 billion of government bonds devices in Europe. It is this "bad bank" guarantee promised by France and Belgium will apply. Sunday, the two countries should share the burden away. In 2008, Belgium had made to their account 60% of the security so much higher than 150 billion euros. This time, the camp Yves Leterme wanted to reduce its share of the bill, arguing that the French management had little Belgian interests associated with the management since 2008.

Impact rating

Signal of the high stakes, Prime Minister François Fillon had made the trip to Brussels on Sunday to meet with Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme.The talks, which have been associated with Jean-Luc Dehaene and Pierre Mariani, President and Group CEO, helped lead to a solution "fruit of intensive consultations with all partners involved," insisted the two sides.

The two countries share a triple objective: secure banking on their own territory, without violating the rights of minority shareholders, and while limiting the cost of this debacle for public finances. Friday, Moody's had also placed the rating on negative watch Belgium. Council of Ministers to be held in Belgium on Sunday night, after the Board of Directors of the bank.

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Controllers return to work gradually. After La Rochelle and Paris Sud Est (Gare de Lyon), several sites have voted Friday morning to return to work, like Bordeaux, Reims, Chambery, Dijon, Lyon, St Etienne, Toulouse or Besancon. Other websites should take a similar decision at general meetings planned in the afternoon. The management of the SNCF

Many controllers SNCF had exercised their right to withdraw on Thursday afternoon to work after the announcement of the attack on a colleague on a train on the Corail Lyon-Strasbourg. In an interview with Figaro.fr, the president of the SNCF appealed to the coolness of the railway to resume work soon and would discuss with the unions to turn.Management has undertaken to present an emergency plan with the security services.

Traffic TGV, Corail and TER is still disrupted, although the situation has improved significantly over the entire network, including 8-9 in 10 TGV from and to Paris and a TER of 2. To find out if their train is running, users are encouraged to consult regularly Infolignes site, or call toll free (free from a landline) 0805 90 36 35.

Toll and information site

SNCF always invites customers to delay their trip or take alternate means of transportation. Ticket holders whose train was canceled may obtain a refund, or take any train leaving for the same destination without the need to exchange their ticket. Good news however for users Transilien (train network in the Île-de-France), the Thalys and Eurostar.Traffic on these lines is normal according to SNCF.

"There is no point in penalizing travelers"

The strike controller led Thursday the cancellation of all trains at night, and created a big mess all over the country. According to the station, all passengers stranded at the station in the evening were able to reach their destination or were assisted to find accommodation for the night. According to the Ministry of the Interior, it was not necessary to set up emergency housing plan.
Board trains at the Gare Saint-Charles in Marseille. Photo credits: GERARD JULIEN / AFP

A day back in the middle of August. Nicolas Sarkozy will be in Paris today for lunch with François Fillon, then to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, herself back from vacation.

At a time when the euro area is attacked, France and Germany are trying to show a united front and show their determination to end the crisis. The mini-summit will be devoted to devising solutions to improve the governance of the euro area, which concern failures in financial markets. Although not conclusive a priori – "do not expect anything spectacular," said a spokesman yesterday the German government – the meeting should enable the two leaders to lay the groundwork for the future.

Sensitivity of the issue Eurobonds will however not address, contrary to the hopes markets.Berlin's opposition to the creation of common obligations to countries in the euro area has long been known. The Merkel government has good reason to be against: issued in the name of all countries, eurobonds have an interest rate equal to the average rate in effect in all countries. It would therefore be higher than that which currently takes Berlin. Until now, France is merely to show little enthusiasm for these Eurobonds.

Yesterday, Paris is out of the woods to show his unity with his partner. "The Euro-bonds are not an adequate response today. Common issue bonds requires a degree of economic integration and budgetary countries that we have not met, "says one as president fast cash. Paris joins Berlin on another "nyet" to increase the capacity of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF), now with 440 billion euros."The level of funding is appropriate," they say at the Elysee.

Hours before his meeting with Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy has discussed with Francois Fillon and French public finances. Lead to disappointing growth, the government has no choice: even a few months before the elections, it must take further austerity measures. France, which is followed closely by the markets, absolutely must bring its deficit to 4.6% of GDP in 2012.

Niche in their sights

To achieve this, taking into account a sluggish economy, the figure of 10 billion euros of savings is often cited. But do not confirm Bercy. In the entourage of Valérie Pécresse, the budget minister, it says only that "these savings are the result of efforts on spending cuts and tax loopholes."Last week, he had urged his counterparts from the euro area to take all necessary measures, including the creation of Euro-bonds, to avoid disintegration of the single currency "that would be an economic catastrophe, including for the United Kingdom ".

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The attendant of the Magi does not believe in miracles. In this village of the Cevennes Gard, Jacky controller takes the last independent station. "When I moved in 1984, there were eight stations on the road, remember Jacky, a bit fatalistic. I will be retired in a year, and no one will resume the activity. "

The disappearance of the gas station of the Magi was certainly inevitable. In 1985, there were 29,750 service stations, according to the French Union of Petroleum Industries (Ufip). Since the network has disintegrated. They were more last year than 7149, only 1538 independent. Regression for the benefit of a large area stations: 2250 26 years ago, they are now 4902.

Financial support

But to make matters worse, the service station owners are now faced with a challenge.Finance the upgrading of their facilities necessitated by the transposition of European directives into French law, whose applications are expected for a period from 2013 to 2020.

These regulations impose progressively strengthen the provisions for recovering gasoline vapors during the refueling of vehicles to fight against air pollution, compliance with new distances "between the devices and distribution from a public establishment or of a building inhabited "rearrangements of tracks, but also the installation of double-walled tanks.

"There's € 20 000," says Jacky Regula. The attendant of the Magi is all the more bitter than the prices differ by only a penny from the Intermarché neighbor. "I'm fighting with my cash and pay my suppliers in five days to get the best price.But to be profitable, it takes at least a margin of seven cents per liter, "says he.

"These obligations can result in decisions to stop activity by owner-operators with two main reasons: the high level of investment and the inability to meet the new standards such as safety distances," warns the Ufip.

Brigitte Bros., owner of the resort village of Lozère Malbouzon (160 inhabitants), near the A75 motorway, is categorical: "The standards being too expensive. It will not work. "Just for the two pumps, estimate amount to € 60 000. "It is amortized over a hundred years, she joked. The station is to be helpful. There are not many in the corner. It is open seven days a weekIt's a real public service. "

Brigitte Bros. has yet stepped up efforts to keep his business, where a liter of diesel is € 1.55, or about 16 cents more than in a supermarket. Managed for nine years by Evelyne Perret is the only gas pump to 10 miles around, and one of the five supply points independent of the department.With about 6000 liters of fuel sold each month, the station scrapes, supported by the activity of the restaurant, coffee Perret, with its workers to 12 € menu.

At the number of closures announced, the Professional Committee of the fuel distribution has developed budgets that can partially support the small owner.

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Session auspicious for ArcelorMittal. Around 10:20, the title of the fastest rising Cac 40: 1.87% to 22.59 euros in a market down 0.78%. Investors welcomed the quarterly results of the world's number one steel.

Despite a 10% drop in net profit in the second quarter over one year to $ 1.5 billion, ArcelorMittal has been a further improvement in operating performance. The gross operating income has increased by 21.5% year on year to $ 3.4 billion (2.3 billion euros). Moreover, the turnover has won 24.7% to $ 25.1 billion (17.3 billion euros)."As we anticipated, the company reported a strong performance in the second quarter of 2011, driven by higher selling prices of steel," said CEO Lakshmi Mittal said in the statement.

But these indicators should weaken in the third quarter, the steel industry was experiencing a generally soft, due to plant closures for holidays in Europe and a slowdown in demand. ArcelorMittal anticipates a gross operating profit (EBITDA) of between 2.4 and 2.8 billion (1.6 to 1.9 billion euros).

However, the group expects strong demand from China and the automotive sector, which should prevent it from experiencing the same quarter in 2010."Although the third quarter should be somewhat affected by seasonal factors, they should not be as pronounced as last year and the performance of the group the second half of 2011 should be compared favorably with that the second half of 2010, "assured Lakshmi Mittal.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has sought reassurance on Sunday, while negotiations stretch again about raising the ceiling of U.S. debt: "The U.S. will not default, he repeated . There is no way to give more time in Congress. Leaders of major parties understand this. "

The aim of these negotiations is twofold: first to raise the ceiling of U.S. debt authorized, currently set at 14,300 billion and achieved since mid-May Without agreement on this point, the Treasury warned that the United States would find themselves in default of payment on 2 August. A scenario unique to cause global bond market crash.In an interview Sunday at the program "This Week", the new general director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, has also warned the U.S. against the "truly deplorable consequences" of such a scenario for country and the world.

Elected officials must also agree on a comprehensive plan of savings, without which Democrats as Republicans admit that the U.S. debt would be difficult to sustain over time. An aging population should lead to higher mechanical effect of public debt, charged in the future by heavier spending on health and higher costs related to the pension system. However, the U.S. national debt has already reached the summits, looked with suspicion by the rating agencies.

Budget cuts

But elected officials have reviewed this weekend to lower their ambitions.The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives of the United States, John Boehner, said Saturday that he would not agree on the broad deficit-reduction plan advocated by Barack Obama. Instead of four trillion dollars in savings over ten years requested by the President of the United States and considered necessary by the rating agencies, is now on a more narrow the range of 2000-3000000000000 dollars, to be negotiated between the elected officials, said John Boehner guaranteed pay day loans.

"Despite good faith efforts to find a common base, the White House will not consent to a broader agreement on reducing the debt without raising taxes. So I think that the best approach might be to focus on a smaller, "said the Republican.

Electoral concerns

After days of deadlock, negotiations had yet appeared to unravel Thursday, after Obama met with leaders of both major parties in Congress. In granting budget cuts for health and social security, so far regarded as untouchable by the Democrats, Barack Obama has paved the way for an agreement that he would like "historic".

In return, the president was calling for concessions from the Republicans on the taxation of the rich. "We can not ask the middle class and senior citizens to bear alone the brunt of budget cuts, held Saturday, spokesman for the White House. Are also the richest pay their fair share, and we believe that Americans agree on this point. "

For their part, Republicans are reluctant to vote for one trillion tax increases that Barack Obama is calling for. In general, Republicans as Democrats are concerned that measures spending cuts or tax increases adopted in the savings plan does not cost them the next election.

Barack Obama would meet again in the early evening the leaders of the House of Representatives, where Republicans are the majority, and Senate. The White House said in the wake of the announcement of John Boehner she still hoped to get him back on his positions.

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Was expected that Qatar Airways unveils giant Airbus order on Inauguration Day Show. Finally, the company Gulf merely a new order for six Boeing 777 for a total of $ 1.7 billion. When asked what setbacks, Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, said yesterday that he was still in discussions with Airbus and the new order was not finalized. "We are still negotiating the terms of purchase of A320 and new A380 Neo. The announcement will take place later, perhaps even after the Paris Air Show, "said the CEO of Qatar Airways, whose existing fleet of 98 Boeing aircraft with only 25.

Akbar Al Baker said he was extremely disappointed with the delays announced by manufacturers on their programs and in particular the delivery of the A350 XWB."We need to have an overview to decide on our purchases of equipment and because of these delays, frankly, we no longer trust."

The officer of the company of Qatar has made no secret that he is very interested in programs of Russian and Chinese manufacturers "based on Western technology".

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The wrong number of French industrial production in April cache of surprises. Certainly, the activity of the entire industry fell 0.3% over this period, while forecasters had expected a rise of 0.4% and economists agree to observe a slowdown of the dynamics the first quarter. But the details of the figures in April can put this performance-cons.

Besides the automotive industry continues to suffer with the end of the scrapping (-2.2% on the month), the energy seems to be the main cause of industrial slowdown in April. Electricity production (-5.6%) was significantly affected by unseasonable temperatures, households cut heating, explain heart economists at BNP Paribas and Societe Generale.Same explanation for the drop of 7.5% of the refining, weighed by lower consumption of heating oil.

The average temperature in April has exceeded its normal seasonal 1.7 degrees, placing the period from seven months to April the warmest since 1950. Beware, however: "The figures are very volatile energy from one month to another and this subset weighs relatively little in the overall index of industrial production," Camille Williencourt shade, Natixis.

Other areas seem to have benefited from a recovery in investment. Equipment and electrical machinery and electronics rose 1.3% in just one month, offsetting a fall in March. Transport equipment, non-automotive jumped 2.5%."These figures are in line with the recent study by INSEE on the investment outlook, anticipating a strong rebound in business spending on equipment", says Michael Martinez, of Société Générale CIB.

Still, he recalls Camille Williencourt that "the French industrial activity is expected to slow significantly in 2011 after rising 5.1% in 2010." It is difficult to predict how the magnitude of the slowdown, according to the economist, with one side a weakened consumer spending in France, but on the other, very dynamic export to Germany.

Bulky Bin Hamman and Warner
Except turnaround unlikely, Sepp Blatter was re-elected for the third time as President of FIFA in Zurich Wednesday. It is not difficult to predict because the Swiss, who directs the proceedings since 1998, is the only candidate since the withdrawal this weekend in his last opponent, Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam. A forced withdrawal and the scent of scandal. President of the Asian Confederation, Ben Hamman has indeed been provisionally suspended by the Ethics Committee of FIFA because of suspicions of corruption against him. Jack Warner, CONCACAF President, Vice-President of FIFA, and support shown by Ben Hamman was also temporarily suspended for the same reasons. The two men are suspected of attempting to buy the votes of the Caribbean Confederation (CFU), which they strongly refute."I deny the allegations that I made statements to the CFU on donations from Mr. Bin Hammam," asserted Jack Warner in a statement while saying, however that "in Miami, the Congress of the Concacaf May 3, Mr Blatter had donated one million dollars to our federation, "without the consent of the finance committee of FIFA.

A gift for which an investigation had been opened before it was quickly closed by the money outright Blatter any accusation of corruption by the Ethics Commission. A past president quickly cleared and a final opponent suspended, the unfolding of events may leave pensive and may suggest that FIFA is the realm of small arrangements. Especially when the case comes just weeks after revelations of the British weekly Sunday Times about the allocation of World Cup 2022 in Qatar.Especially so when a vice-president of FIFA accredits these revelations by making public the contents of an email sent by Jerome Valcke, FIFA general secretary and confidant of Blatter. "For MBH (Editor's note: Mohamed Bin Hamman), I've never understood why he was entering the race. Or so he thought that one can buy FIFA as the Qataris have purchased the World Cup, "Valcke reportedly wrote in an email sent to Warner!

Blatter on the royal road
A blow to Blatter camp when the Swiss campaigned on a zero tolerance towards corruption.But Jerome Valcke has justified his writings stating that "it can happen to employ a less formal tone when I use this medium which by its nature, encourages exchanges" lighter "than other forms correspondence "and that" in referring to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in this e-mail, I wanted to highlight that the future host country had used its financial strength to rally much support (…) I n 'I at no time refers to the buying of votes or any behavior inconsistent with the rules of ethics. "Sepp Blatter, he is right in his boots remained Monday at a press conference in emergency to try to extinguish the many fires in the house FIFA.

"We must fight the demons, there's a bad situation, but there will be an elective congress on Wednesday and the family of football, if it wants to restore the credibility of FIFA, can do with me," Blatter said, refusing to evoke the decisions of the Commission on Ethics ("I'm not allowed to comment") and denying the existence of a crisis within the federation he heads ("football is not crisis when we see the final of the Champions League, he just some difficulty "). So everything is for the best in the best of worlds for Blatter whose reelection is no longer any doubt.Because on the eve of polling, it is unclear how the appeal of Bin Hamman, the request for postponement of the FA made on Tuesday or calls for reform from places like Australia (Editor's note: England and Australia respectively were candidates to host the World Cups 2018 and 2022), could prevent the Swiss to begin a fourth term. Starting what happens under the sign of the scandal …

The health alert was launched Thursday by the European authorities. Three cucumbers from Spain, and perhaps also from the Netherlands, are the cause of the contamination of 276 persons to the enterohaemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) in Germany. Two have died after contracting hemolytic uremic syndrome, which manifests itself especially by bloody diarrhea.

Across Europe, national health authorities are looking into whether contaminated cucumbers are on their soil. Result of this tracking, Friday morning, Denmark indicated that the lots were problematic in two wholesalers. These have been withdrawn from sale. The Danish health agency recommended that consumers not eat raw cucumbers from Spain or tomatoes and salad from northern Germany.

"In the midst of proceedings"

In France, the hunt is underway."To our knowledge, there is no contaminated lots in France," said a spokesman Interfel, the professional association for fruit and vegetables. Thanks to the labeling requirement, it is possible to reconstruct the path of the affected vegetables from producer to distributor, even when a lot was broken by a wholesaler. "We are proceeding rapidly," nuance does one side of the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control).

The tracing stops when the product was sold, investigators can not trace back to the consumer's fridge. Germany is a major consumer of cucurbits in Spain. She is also the first client, with 80,569 tonnes imported in the first three months of the year, according to figures from the inter Spanish fruit and vegetables.France has for its part consumed 13,294 tons of cucumbers in Spain over the same period.

Health authorities are uploaded to the producers of cucumbers, organic gardening regions of Almeria and Malaga. Investigations have been launched in Germany to determine if other cucurbits infected come from other regions. In Spain, "the Andalusian authorities are currently investigating to find out where the contamination and when it occurred," said a spokesman for the Spanish Food Safety Agency (EASA).

"We do not know where is the contamination occurred and the European Commission highlighted the fact that it occurred outside the country of origin" of cucumbers, said Friday the Spanish Minister of Agriculture Rosa Aguilar.So far there is no evidence and there is no evidence that this could happen in the country of origin. "

Washing vegetables

The Spaniards are wondering, according to a European source, if the cucumbers were not contaminated by falling on the ground at Hamburg. "Usually, vegetables are not high-risk products, but may be soiled or in contact with the ground during transport," says one to the DGCCRF. Wash and peel vegetables would reduce by almost 90% less chance of contamination.