Pointed to unanimously, the British oil giant BP, the oil rig Deepwater Horizon has exploded a week ago off the Gulf of Mexico must manage a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in the unfortunate history of oil spills .

While the huge oil slick button that Friday the odds of a Louisiana still traumatized by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Barack Obama has sent two of his ministers on the spot "to ensure that BP and the government are doing everything they can, not just respond to this incident, but also to determine the causes. " The president has promised am?riain mobilize all the resources "of the country, including the military.

Enormous resources implemented

The flow of oil leaking from offshore wells was revealed on Thursday five times higher than previously thought, or 5,000 barrels per day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).And the damaged area has been classified as difficult to access for effective cleaning.

For the moment, "the consequences of the accident remain unclear and can not yet be quantified, but BP is ultimately responsible for funding the cleanup operations, analysts said. But the anti-spill operation implemented by the American state and the group is described by BP itself as "the largest in history."

The company has already implemented substantial resources (two drilling platforms, 32 boats, five helicopters, 1,000 persons, etc.). The U.S. Navy has provided seven booms and pumping systems for coastguards. Air assets are also mobilized.

After several failed missions carried out using robotic devices to help fill the leak, BP and the Coast Guard decided Wednesday to carry out "controlled burning" to limit the growth of the water cash advance loans. BP is now focusing on the establishment of a lid on the underwater drilling but the installation should take a month.

Stall Award

Sign that the situation is critical for the group: Stock investors have not waited to dispose of their shares.Since April 20, when the explosion of the platform, the BP shares have lost 12% to the London Stock Exchange, falling from 655.4 to 577.5 pounds.

Also listed on Wall Street, stocks dropped 13% BP and rate 52.6 dollars at the close of U.S. markets on Thursday.

After Exxon Valdez and Erika

In the history of oil spills can be compared with that of Louisiana, the disaster of the Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Prince Williams Sound in Alaska and the sinking of the Erika in 1999, whose responsibilities incumbent on Exxon Mobil and the French Total.

Exxon Mobil eventually pay only 500 million euros to force delays in judicial proceedings.The tanker had been sentenced in 1994 to $ 5 billion in damages to the 30,000 inhabitants of the region, the equivalent of one year's profits for the oil group.

At Total, the fine of 375,000 euros has been confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Paris last March. On the front of compensation payable to the 80 plaintiffs, Total paid 170 million euros.

British Petroleum is already the subject of a complaint by the shrimpers of Louisiana for "negligence" and "pollution". They require 5 million in damages.

ALSO READ:

"The coasts of Louisiana affected by the spill

"An oil rig sank off the Louisiana

Once again, Apple imposes its views in Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. For its release in France in late May, the touch pad, the iPad will not be sold in their shops. Duplicating its model designed in the U.S., Apple will book the sales in France to its own stores, both Apple Store opened late last year in Paris and Montpellier, its website and retail mix in electronics. Distributors Fnac, Darty and Boulanger, Surcouf, already used to sell iPhone and Mac, will be the four most affected, according to an industry source. This will involve "a large number of stores," said an already Darty spokesman told AFP.

The tablet, however, will not be found in the shops of the three operators.Then they hoped "to generate traffic with the curiosity that is likely to generate the iPad [...] Steve Jobs has imposed on them an absolute bar to" Les Echos noted Wednesday morning. Apple would indeed set the iPad closer to a computer than a smartphone. Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom will be content thus to propose specific plans for the 3G version of the iPad, as they already do for the iPhone paydayloans. According to the scenario under development, Apple will contact the operator chosen by the client to forward him a SIM card and Micro-activates its line. But all the steps and subscription management package will intervene directly on the iPad.

It is around the price and terms of these packages lie the remaining uncertainties.In the U.S., Apple set to AT & T plans to develop 3G no time commitment, to 14.99 dollars per month for 250 MB of data exchanged or 29.99 dollars for the unlimited. In France, the operator suggested that "the price and features of these packages will vary from the key 3G standard, which hover around 30 euros, according to Les Echos. In fact, they fear that the tablet from Apple, with its larger screen than the iPhone, is developing new uses more bandwidth-intensive, particularly video. This could bring down the price of subscriptions up. In the U.S. market, AT & T said, however, expect that the iPad achieve more WiFi version, thus saving the mobile network.

ALSO READ: The Figaro has tested the iPad

The cacophony that reigned throughout the weekend of 24 and 25 April in Europe around the Greek rescue plan is not – far from it – reassured bond markets. The rate of government borrowing Greek ten years and has offered a new record Monday, reaching the 9.40%. Worldwide, only Venezuela and Pakistan must pay more to attract investors … Worse, the loan is two years past in the Greek yesterday alone from 10% to 13%! This means that Athens must pay higher interest to borrow from two years to ten years, indicating that the risk of default is taken very seriously by the markets. A difficult situation bearable for the people who can rightly denounce speculation that it is subject, while Germany, at the same time, borrowing to 0.9% for two years.

Contagion

But there are more serious.The contagion has now reached the full force of Portugal.

MEPs call last Tuesday and Wednesday on the reform of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The text provides enhanced regional giving more weight to the 22 regional chambers, leaving a major initiative to 126 local chambers attached to them. Both supporters and opponents battled for months. The elected officials of small rooms were afraid of losing their freedom. The Board of Paris wanted a status recognizing the specificity of the Paris region. She satisfaction. The Chairmen of the Boards of nine major cities (Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nice, Toulouse, Paris), grouped in the Association of Metropolitan ICC, asking for adjustments taking into account the local government reform. "I auditioned more than 50 personalities.The text has found a good balance, "says Catherine Vautrin, UMP deputy from the Marne rapporteur of the bill reforming the consular network and vice-president of the National Assembly.

LE FIGARO .- Members consider the draft law reforming chambers of commerce and industry. That will change this reform?

Jean Francois-BERNARDIN. – The necessary reform has been the subject of much discussion and wide consultation within the ICC network. To better meet the needs of businesses, this innovative reform aims to combine the emergence of regional and maintaining the territorial proximity. Hence the establishment of chambers of region and territorial chambers.This balanced reform, thanks also to the work of Parliament, is sufficiently flexible to allow each region based on its individual merits, to decide what it wants to pool at the regional and local store.

The chambers can pool resources such as general computer, payroll, legal services at the regional level, policy coordination heavy training or support to the world, while remaining firmly rooted in the departments. The innovations of territorial chambers can more easily be generalized to the national and regional level.Finally, the reform will provide businesses with seamless service quality throughout the territory.

The new elected regional chambers they decide everything?

But the new elected chambers in the region are also those who will lead the ICC territorial! The reform granting them a great capacity for initiative. The chamber region collect tax revenues paid by businesses. His elect will redistribute this money to the needs of territorial chambers, but also in terms of collective projects of ITC in the region.

The contributions paid by businesses will they drop?

The reform is partly about! We have stated repeatedly that we were ready to lower our tax burden by 10% in five years personal loans for people with bad credit.Is a serious commitment. If everybody did the same …

The government wants more. Can you do this drop in three years?

We do not refuse to do better. We are discussing with the government. We must find the most cost-effective. If you reduce your revenue by 20% and efficiency 50%, no one wins anything. We hope there will be a real impact study before any decision to avoid budget that we are forced to cut services useful to businesses.

A drop too much she would staff reductions?

We do not want layoffs, no more than the government.That's why we're fighting on the pace of implementation of the reform and reduction of our revenue.

The reorganization does it have consequences for employees of the rooms?

The staff of territorial chambers should be legally attached to the chambers of region from 2013. The presidents and the Director General of the ICC will retain territorial obviously command responsibility. The reform will create new opportunities for employees of ICC and regional authorities in their region.

How long will the upgrade does?

There will be no big bang day after the vote on reform by the Parliament. This reform represents a new stage of our modernization. It will take three years, five years or more to produce its full effect. We are determined to go as quickly as possible.The modernization of the Ministry of Economy, which begins to bear fruit, began a decade ago.

The Paris Chamber of Commerce wants the reform to be adapted to the needs of a world class capital. Have you found a common ground?

The bill provides that the Paris area has eight rooms grouped in a single departmental public institution in the region. The eight rooms have the same missions near the territorial chambers.

The number of rooms will he fall?

This movement, which is already underway, will continue. We've gone from 167 to 148 rooms, and soon 126 at the end of the year. Nord – Pas-de-Calais had 12 rooms, it does have more than 4.

Our goal, broadly speaking, a room for departments to keep close with companies.But the condition of maintaining this proximity is to accept to play collective regional level.

When the elections took place?

The prime minister and our minister, Herve Novelli, want elections to take place before the end of the year. This will probably start in December because it is time for our network to focus on the essential: the support of our businesses and our territories.

The New York Stock Exchange closed higher Friday the Dow Jones gained 0.64% and the Nasdaq 0.42%.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro rebounded on Friday against the greenback after falling the day before to its lowest level since April 30, 2009, sealed by the revaluation of the Greek public deficit and the deteriorating Greece's financial rating by Moody's. The euro is worth 1.3370 dollars (1.11%).

On the front macro?nomique, the Commerce Department reported a decline of 1.3% of controls after a revised 1.1% growth for February. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast an average increase of 0.3% in March after the 0.9% originally announced for February.

Sales of new homes rebounded strongly, more so than expected in March in the U.S., reaching their highest level in eight months in volume, buyers seeking to take advantage of tax benefits offered to them . According to figures released by the Commerce Department, sales rose 26.9%, its fastest pace since April 1963, at 411,000 units annually against 324,000 in February, ending four straight months of declines.

These encouraging figures on the macroeconomic level have overshadowed any doubts that still grasped investors launched after the formal request by Greece for financial support to the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to cope with its huge budget deficit.

Salvo results

On the side of values, many companies have announced their quarterly after the close of Wall Street.

This is particularly the case of software giant Microsoft (-1.37% to 30.96 U.S. dollars) which has reported net earnings up 35% to over $ 4 billion for the third fiscal quarter offset a result slightly above expectations as its sales.Revenues increased 6% to 14.50 billion, driven notably by strong sales of the new operating system Windows 7, released in late October, which is a "growth engine".

Also note the numbers of chemist Eastman Chemical (5.96% to 71.12 dollars). The company announced $ 101 million profit in the first three months of the year against $ 2 million last year. Its turnover rose 39% to 1.56 billion dollars against 1.38 billion expected by the market.

The eagerly awaited American Express (2.74% to 48.05 dollars) has announced a profit of 885 million, nearly doubled in the first quarter. Net revenue, after interest expense, was also above expectations.It is 6.61 billion (+11%).

In the same area, the group specializes in credit cards Capital One (2.59% to 46.73 U.S. dollars) has announced a profit of 636.6 million dollars, against a loss of 172.3 million the year last. As for Amex, the results improved significantly thanks to a significant decline in credit provision.

In the technology sector, Amazon.com (-4.30% to 143.63 U.S. dollars) has announced a profit of 299 million (+68%) for a turnover up 46% to 7.13 billion dollars. Gross margin climbed to 5.5% against 5% last year. A note sales on the U.S. are up 22% to $ 1.6 billion.

The business climate has improved in France in April. The INSEE indicator, compiled from responses of business leaders, rose 4 points in March and was 96. "This improvement in the economic climate is reflected in all sectors," notes the INSEE. At the same time, the indicator of rollover for the perception of changes in trend, stays in positive territory.

Moreover, the leading index PMI purchasing managers, the Institute established by Markit, found an acceleration of growth in activity. The first flash estimate of the overall activity index rebounded to 58.4, against 55.8 in March. The consensus of economists was expecting, according to Reuters, on 54.1.Services, down from the beginning of the year, grew more aggressively, to 57.8 in April against 53.8 the previous month.

However, "the decline in employment continued in April in the French private sector, bringing to 23 months duration of the current period of contraction," says Markit. "Some respondents attributed the cuts to restructuring programs."

"The high growth rates of new business volumes and the volume of outstanding work, suggest that the expansion will continue at a steady pace during the second quarter," says Jack Kennedy, economist at Markit.

According to the Tribune, the leading global generic pharmaceutical, the Israeli Teva hopes to market within two years in the United States, a generic version, thus less expensive, Viagra.

Teva is already well established in the United States and if he manages to obtain permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Food to sell a cheaper version of Viagra, it will compete with the giant American Pharmacy Pfizer, the original manufacturer of Viagra. This drug has generated a turnover of nearly two billion dollars in 2009.

The battle is not won

To delay the arrival of competitors, Pfizer has asked a U.S. court to extend its rights until 2019 on the blue pill.In addition, the U.S. puts pressure on the Israeli state, that it hinders the development of Teva fast cash online.

Thus, the U.S. will not hesitate to condition their support for Israel's integration in the OECD at the signing of agreements on the extension of pharmaceutical patent protection to further protect American businesses.

Teva has achieved a turnover of 13.9 billion dollars in 2009 and will probably continue to grow in America and Europe. The Israeli group has already acquired this year to 3.6 billion euros German Ratiopharm, the sixth largest producer of generic drugs worldwide, while Pfizer was in the running.On the French market, Teva hopes to become the third player Hex generics.

ALSO READ:

AstraZeneca delays the sale of a generic

The generic drug manufacturers Teva Barr offered price of gold

It was one component of the rivalry between the U.S. and the USSR during the Cold War. The race for agricultural production between the two countries back on the front of the stage, 19 years after the fall of the USSR. Indeed, for the first time in its history, Russia achieved its goal: to surpass the U.S. in terms of wheat production. According to figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Russia should produce, on the 2009-2010 campaign, about 61.700 million tons against 60.314 million for the United States. The difference is slight but significant enough to give a historical dimension to the event.

"Russia will be content with this revenge after being overtaken by the U.S. as world's largest producer of gas in 2009," said Arnaud Dubien, Russia specialist at the Iris.But for observers, the news is almost an anecdote in relation to long-term goals that will give Russia. "The food insecurity is a sensitive issue for Russia. It is about strategic security, "says Arnaud Dubien.

Giant agricultural

The renewed interest in the Russian administration for the agricultural sector clearly demonstrates the strategic issue. Agriculture had been abandoned by the government following the collapse of the USSR. The collapse of output was such that the country had to get food aid from the European Union in late 1998. In 2005 Awareness is. Vladimir Putin made agriculture a mainstay of his country's development. Two years later, he launched a five-year plan based on credits to farmers, and with 551 billion rubles (13.7 billion euros). The oligarchs are called upon.Vladimir Potanin, co-founder of the giant Norilsk Nickel is one of them.

The successor of Vladimir Putin, continues the momentum. At a forum in St. Petersburg June 5, 2009, Dmitry Medvedev replaced the wheat "at the center of life". "By implementing intensive methods in agriculture, using the proper techniques of growing wheat and raising the yield to 24 quintals per hectare, we can produce 112 to 115 million tonnes of wheat annually. And up to 133 to 136 million tons in putting into operation of additional arable land, "he said.

Export power

For analysts of the wheat market, these objectives are not surprising. "Russia is already the fourth largest producer.In 2010, the country should be the third largest exporter, just behind the EU, provides Nicolas Fragneau manager Amund Funds Global Agriculture low fee pay day loans. Currently, the EU holds first place on the podium producers (138.143 million tonnes) followed by China (114.500) and India (80.680).

Largest producer, Russia still suffers from a less assertive export. But the Russian government is working hard to address them. "Russia built ports, silos for storage. She is currently addressing all infrastructure problems. Already, since 1 July 2009, the beginning of the current year, exports reached 12 million tons, "says Michael Porter, manager of Agritel.These investments are valued by the Russian government to a range of 50 to 100 million by 2011.

Competition sharpens

The U.S. and the EU are a chilling eye development of the Russian market. The country of Medvedev already nibbling their ground in their natural turf, including Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat. "Russia has won the bulk of the market with 420,000 tons sold since our previous state of play", remarked bitterly FranceAgrimer in its monthly report last February. The Asian market is also targeted by Russia with the aim of building "an eastern corridor development.

While FranceAgrimer reported a "competition always aggressive," analysts raised their findings: "the Russian wheat is cheaper because there are fewer loads.The only way the EU is to be as competitive as it will have to rely on the Russians, "slice Michel Portier. For their part, U.S. farmers to regulate competition through alternative crops. The final report of sowing the USDA shows that the U.S. should plant less wheat (-9%) and more corn (3%) and soybeans (1%) this year compared to last year.

Russia, bolstered by its untapped potential, is not ready to stop there. The country has 40% of global chernozem, the muck very fat and very fertile. "20 million hectares, unused since 1991 could be reintroduced into the production," Dmitry Medvedev announced last year. According to Arnaud Dubien, "with the arrival of leaders close to Moscow, as in Ukraine, a post-Soviet wheat cartel could be formed, plus Kazakhstan.He could then become the breadbasket of the world.

ALSO READ:

"Agriculture: Russia is the market at the Paris Salon

"Green light from the Duma to the privatization of agricultural land

"The increase in final demand will be sufficient for a moderate economic recovery in coming quarters," said Ben Bernanke, head of the Fed (the Fed), before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

The final demand is considered the most telling indicator of a recovery more or less solid now that business inventories "are more consistent with the level of final sales."

But on Wednesday, sales details, eagerly awaited by investors have been published. They emerged up 1.6% in March compared to February. A much larger increase than previously expected by analysts.

The first official estimate of U.S. GDP in the first quarter will be released April 30.Economists estimate that overall growth was around 2.5 to 3%.

Not enough for a rate hike

However, the Beige Book, published approximately every six weeks, highlights weaknesses in the economy of the country of Uncle Sam a job market that is getting better but still fragile, and a market of commercial real estate and business still worrying. The construction market also remains weak. And the public finances of the United States are subject to all the debates. A state of emergency seems to declare: no question of pushing the budget problems later, according to Ben Bernanke, otherwise the situation is even worse then.

A mixture of good and bad which reinforces the Fed's strategy of maintaining a flexible monetary policy.Considering growth "moderate" in a context of absence of inflationary pressures (+0.1% in March), the U.S. key interest rates will remain at a level "historically low". And this, again for a "prolonged period". The rates are between 0 and 0.25% since December 2008.

ALSO READ:

"Commercial real estate: the bubble has not burst finish

"The U.S. housing crisis is not over

"The United States begin to create jobs

The 2009 results of Fleury Michon contrast with those of 2008. Net income of leading French charcuterie is apparent at 14.8 million euros at end December 2009, when it reached 5.4 million euros last year. Its turnover amounted to 532 million euros, up 5.9% compared to last year.

Fleury Michon is pleased to have regained its level of net margin earned during the years 2006 and 2007.

Good sales performance, combined with tight control of production costs and operational improvement of its Canadian subsidiary, "allowed the group to record levels of profitability in line with the targets previously communicated."Operating profit was 26 million euros, against 15.3 million a year earlier.

"It will be proposed at the general meeting on May 20 under the year 2009 a dividend of 91 cents per share, the company said no teletrack payday loan.

The year 2010 seems to confirm the improvement of the company's business, as revenues in the first quarter were up 11.5% to 137.6 million euros, compared to the first three months of 2009.

On Tuesday, the shares closed at Fleury Michon equilibrium in a market down 0.5%. At 38 euros all round, actions cotent 11.1% above its level at the beginning of the year.For the record, the stock price of Fleury Michon had reached its lowest level in late April 2009 it had fallen to 21.5 euros.

ALSO READ:

"The halal market in France raises the lusts

Gregory Gonnord continues the family saga at Fleury Michon