The civilian nuclear should not be restricted to a few. Opening Friday – at OECD headquarters in Paris – the international conference on nuclear Nicolas Sarkozy immediately insisted on the principle of cooperation. "France believes that the share of nuclear power for peaceful purposes is a decisive factor for compliance with environmental concerns and a better distribution of wealth in the world," explained the president.

A clear signal at a time when some sixty countries intend to establish one or more reactors to produce electricity.Except that such a machine is expensive – more than 5 billion euros for example, the EPR (the prototype third generation being built by EDF and Areva) – and it requires highly skilled personnel to make function.

Specifically, Nicolas Sarkozy called on Monday in Paris that the financing of major international institutions can benefit new entrants in the atom. "I do not understand and I do not accept ostracism of nuclear power (…), the current situation is tantamount to condemning the country to an energy more expensive and polluting, has hammered the tenant of the Elysee.

Regarding the development of skills, Nicolas Sarkozy announced the creation in France of an International Training Institute. It will house a "school of international nuclear" as part of an "international network of centers of excellence".An initial implementation has already been decided: it will be in Jordan, a country with which France has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement.

Pathway lights

Overall, the intervention of Nicolas Sarkozy should be read in light of the ambitions of the French sector, which is developed contacts with many countries – in addition to firm orders – to sell the EPR. A chain but seriously mistreated in Abu Dhabi where the lights consortium (consisting of EDF, GDF Suez, Areva and Total) has been outflanked by South Korea.

Monday, referring implicitly to this failure, the president regretted that the market does not classify reactors that according to the price criterion. But the EPR is significantly more expensive than most other models with which it is directly in competition.It should therefore, according to Nicolas Sarkozy, that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) establish a classification "as the criterion of safety."

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"I am black, French and I measure 1.93 meters. Here's how Tidjane describes himself himself a headhunter British came to offer him a position with Aviva in 2002. This polytechnician Franco-Ivorian then 40 years and worked for international consulting firm McKinsey study. Yet he prefers to prevent the caller who asked him to go to an interview for a position at the first insurer in the United Kingdom.

At that time, Tidjane was scalded by all its difficulties in finding a position to match its ambitions in France. However, his resume is not supposed to let recruiters indifferent. Born into a family of Côte d'Ivoire, son of former Ivorian Minister of Information and an illiterate mother until his thirty years Tidjane joined the cream of French schools in a faultless display.After preparatory classes, he pocketed his diploma from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1984 and parade on the Champs Elysees on July 14. He also wins a civil engineering degree Mines de Paris is a major promotion in 1986. The same year he completed this course with an MBA at Insead.

The fight against the discrimination he experienced in France became one of his fights. In a text entitled "What does being French," written for the think-tank "Institut Montaigne," the man tells her "frustration" when one of her classmates became hunter head told him to have his name struck off the list "because the answer was invariably: profile interesting and impressive, but you understand … '. He said he tired of constantly hitting the "glass ceiling" image means economic difficulties of a class of person to get to a position of responsibility.Term frequently used for women.

Parenthesis policy

Before the episode Aviva Tidjane fled discrimination in the economic world to take refuge in politics. With again, an extraordinary journey. After his degree, he took a sabbatical to attend the Young Professionals Program of the World Bank. A training program designed to attract the best young talent around the world. In 1994, he accepted a post as head of the National Bureau of Technical Studies and Development of the new President of Côte d'Ivoire, Henri Konan Bédié, he proposes. It will occupy until the coup of December 1999.

In August 1998, he became Minister of Planning and Development of his homeland. That same year he was selected among the "100 most promising leaders of tomorrow 'Forum in Davos (Young Global Leaders of Tomorrow).He was elected member of Dream Cabinet in 1999 and the Consultative Council of the Institute of the World Bank. With his little glasses and his smile, Tidjane convincing as Tony Blair. The British prime minister at the time chose to be a member of his Commission for Africa.

Back to Economics

In 2002, Tidjane closes the parenthesis policy by accepting a position with Aviva as director of strategy and development. He opts for the Great Britain said that "very tolerant and very open." Ambitious, Tidjane quickly climbed the ranks to become CEO of the biggest insurer in Britain. So when he decided to "downgrade" to the position of CFO at the competitor Prudential in September 2007, the new surprises. "This is not common.It almost never happens except when the directors of the divisions run much smaller, "says Gavin Hinks, British journalist. "Tidjane is obviously a very talented and ambitious. This is clearly someone who is being tipped for the top and should not remain very long time CFO.

The reporter was right. In October 2009, Tidjane becomes CEO of Prudential. He became the first passage to black to head a multinational FTSE 100. The City is also in love. So much so that she heartily applauded his promotion.

Today, the strategic choices of the Ecole Polytechnique are unanimously. The latest to Asia is no exception to the rule. Five months after his arrival at the head of Prudential, the group set out to conquer the biggest emerging market in the world.When Tidjane formalized the acquisition of Asian operations of AIG by a transaction colossal $ 35.5 billion, the news has excited all the financial centers of the United States to Asia via Europe. Incidentally, Prudential has also returned to profit in 2009, with a net profit of 676 million pounds (about 755 million euros) over the past year, against a loss of 396 million pounds (493 million euros ) a year earlier.

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The manufacturer Gemalto smart cards issued Thursday its results for the year in france 2009. The turnover declined by 1.5%, reaching 1.654 billion euros. The net lost 3.27% on a year to 148 million euros. For the first time in its history, the company will pay its first dividend, to 25 cents per share.

The group's operating income amounted to 171 million euros (1.18%), although it is cut by 11 million euros. Indeed Gemalto had to make provision for this sum to settle a malfunction on smart cards in Germany.

During Gemalto has accelerated its growth in external spending 74 million euros for six acquisitions, including a company specializing in mobile electronic signature cashadvance . The first agreement concluded in August 2009 set out the penalties owed by Bank of America to 33 million.

The SEC alleges that BofA for hiding its shareholders having authorized its future subsidiary Merrill Lynch $ 3.6 billion in bonuses despite losses of the latter in 2008.

The new deal announced Thursday provides for further measures to strengthen the bank's procedures, including the stipulation that shareholders will now have their say on remuneration of the management team. It must still be approved by Judge Jed Rakoff, who had refused last summer how the first agreement.

The SEC also announced that the proceeds of the fine will be distributed to shareholders penalized by the actions of the bank.

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With Twitter, the communication is passed in real time. With Shazam, the iPhone has become a machine to recognize the music. German Aka-Aki opened the madness of mobile location based social networks. These services are transforming our lives for several months have been identified, there are one or two years, the Forum Netexplorateur. Founded in 2008 by Martine and Thierry Bidegain Happe, it seeks to identify innovations that can have a significant impact on the uses digital economy or society. The third edition, including Le Figaro is a partner, meets Thursday and Friday to the Senate in Paris. It is an opportunity to set new standards in the "socio-digital revolution" underway.

The winners of the 2010 edition were selected from more than 440 projects emerging. They are part of a new digital world where the Internet becomes ubiquitous.The URL can not be visited more but found himself. Many objects become key input into an ecosystem where real and not real live. Databases and servers are scattered, software and outsourced services, terminal dematerialized. The interface for mobile augmented reality Sixth Sense allows to browse the Internet with a virtual screen projected by a minicam, dial a phone number in the palm of his hand or view a video on a newspaper article. Accessible from anywhere, this new Internet makes the user knowing. With mobile browser layar augmented reality, any building or environment is an opportunity to unwind "layers of virtual information.Augmented with TAT ID, the user can display a variety of virtual cards and virtual social networking profiles around her face, free to the caller to download this information.

Freeing the user of the computer

This ecosystem is emerging as new human-machine interfaces capable of freeing, ultimately, the user of the computer or a smartphone. The aircraft of the future will respond to a voice command, gesture or brain. The French HiLabs has already begun to deploy an intelligent window on the windows of merchants Grenoble: responding to displacement of people, she then called by a movie, the way to interact with one giant touch screen (Eyelights).

On the Internet also should be contacted individually to the consumer.Social networks like Facebook and Twitter is why a "hunting ground" ideal marker there conversations on Internet brand and integrate it with an ad campaign that takes account of these opinions (People Powered Ads).

In this new digital world order, and environmental organizations are impacted first. The technology can learn to change and therefore it is the creed of Source Map, which shows the carbon footprint of a product or a food or Mobile Lucas, who turns the mobile phone Minilab analysis medical use and particularly to distinguish true and false cases of malaria.

Similarly, the Better Place project relies heavily on intelligence network, able to indicate to drivers of electric cars recharging station nearest, then manage the transaction load and billing.At work, it calls for transparency on the powers of his future employer to decide to change. What improve individual productivity or collective, as the founder of the website Get a Great Boss. In parallel, microtâches can be relocated and create microjobs for solidarity: the draft Work Give an iPhone application developed by Samasource, which proposes to perform computing tasks mechanical ( "tag" a video detailing card, test application) by refugees from Dadaab camp in Kenya. Initiatives that, once industrialized are likely to reverse the tide.

Finally! After six sessions of declines, the Bourse de Paris displays a better form. In the green at the opening, the CAC 40 – which posted a gain of 0.46% to 3705 points in early trading – has continued to display good orientation to the closing up 1.37% in 3739, 46 points, boosted from 15 hours through the publication of the first estimate of GDP in the United States for the fourth quarter of 2009. She stood at 5.7% (5.4% on average expected).

According to Christian Parisot, head of economic research at Aurel, "this figure is reassuring for markets and for the future." But that rebound is partly 'technical', relativize does. He explained to the tune of 3.4 points from a "stock effect". Croissancedu the fourth quarter will be weaker in the first quarter of 2010, he said.

Markets have also been able to welcome the extension to the head of the Fed Ben Bernanke.In choosing the U.S. Senate is also banking on a continuation of the current monetary policy, marked by very low rates. The news is welcome.

Across the Atlantic, the figures of industrial activity in the Chicago area for January were also pleasantly surprised: ISM index rose to 61.5. Then, ten minutes tardn it was the turn of consumer confidence as measured by the University of Michigan to give pleasure: it has been revised upward to 74.4, reaching its highest level in two years.

The LSE has also finished up Friday, the FTSE-100 index of leading values winning 42.78 points, or 0.83% over the closing Thursday at 5188.52 points. On Wall Street, the trend is still upwards, two hours after opening.

However, we must put this meeting (plus up to 3764.6 points), including a portion of the increase is purely technical: the week, the CAC 40 surrendered 2.2%, and the peak of the last five session was reached Monday at 3831.8 points …And last week it had dropped as much as 4.9% …

European unemployment 10%

This morning, the European Central Bank announced that the M3 had contracted by 0.2% in December from a year in the euro area, less than expected by markets, while private sector credit remained stable.

Unemployment in the eurozone has reached the threshold of 10% in December, its highest level ever reached since the creation of the single currency of eleven years ago, according to data released Friday by the European statistics office Eurostat.

Inflation, which was as expected, has accelerated in January, 1% a year from 0.9% in December, according to a first estimate published by Eurostat this venrdedi.

After the euphoria of recent days, the time for consolidation. U.S. markets were closed Tuesday in the red, ending a series of six consecutive sessions of gains. The rise in consumer confidence, the highest since December 2007, the figures and stable real estate did not convince investors. Results: From Tokyo to Paris, via London and Frankfurt, all exchanges are this Wednesday, in the red.

Thus, as expected, Wall Street began the session on a tentative note, but still negative. The Dow Jones dropped to 0.35% open and yielded almost 34 points, to 10,511.56 points.Same trend towards the S & P 500 has lost 0.31% at 1122.68 points while the Nasdaq Composite has dropped from 0.23% at 2283.07 points.

Just after the opening, the Chicago PMI index for the month of December has given a reason for clues to recover and move toward equilibrium, or even find the green. Economic activity in the Chicago area accelerated against all odds: the index rose by 3.9 percentage points to 60 points all round. This figure is considered a leading indicator of manufacturing activity at the national level.

Airlines monitor

According to information from The Wall Street Journal, the American GMAC Financial Services (0.75%, to 18.85 dollars) could benefit from additional public help than 3.5 billion dollars from U.S. authorities .It would occur in addition to $ 2.5 billion collected in December 2008.

The way Johnson & Johnson (-0.15% to 64.84 dollars) is being monitored. The FDA, U.S. health officials rejected a license application filed by the pharmaceutical group on ceftobiprole, treatment of skin infections of the skin structure. The Swiss Basilea Pharmaceutica had granted an exclusive worldwide license to the ceftobiprole Cilag, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Also in the same sector, Pfizer (-0.11% to 18.54 dollars) has announced its decision to terminate its phase 3 trials for the treatment of cancer, figitumumab.

A follow also the share prices of U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines (-0.79%, to 11.24 dollars) and American Airlines. Both eyeing the ailing Japanese company Japan Airlines (JAL).But rumors about a possible bankruptcy JAL has already had a falling action of the latter to the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday.

Moreover, U.S. markets, airlines are also suffering: Index NYSE Arca Airline loose opening 1.06%, with 10 out of 13 companies listed in this index in the red.

Another repercussion of difficulties nippon, the dollar regained ground against the yen for the second consecutive session, reaching a recor of two months. Therefore, gold has dropped below the $ 1,100 an ounce. "Given the dollar's recovery, it is possible to see the yellow metal down to $ 1,050," analyzes James Moore of TheBullionDesk.com.

The French specialist travel products and leisure announced Friday a loss of 53 million euros from 1 November 2008 and October 31, 2009 against a profit of 2 million euros a year earlier. The 21 million euros in restructuring costs weighed heavily on the results, detailing the release of the group.

The global economic crisis, which has particularly affected the tourism sector premium has resulted in a decrease in the rag business almost 9% on year to 1.36 billion against 1.48 billion euros last year. Current operating income Villages is nevertheless increased from 35 to 36 million.The group also provides a new line of credit of 120 million euros maturing in December 2012.

"The customer gains the upper end are confirmed despite the crisis, our fundamentals are solid operating profitability of the villages has improved steadily, and financial structure was strengthened," said chief executive Henri Giscard d'Estaing, quoted in the press.

The strategy of moving upmarket Club Méditerranée conducted for several years and translated for the first time by a number of clients 4 and 5 Tridents (669,000) exceeds the number of clients 2 and 3 Tridents (549,000).

China, "a major growth driver, is expected to open the first village (ski) in late 2010 and five more by 2015.This new market could become a "leading markets group" with such future locations, and help Club Med to restore profits.

The euro is stronger and more united than its detractors suggest. The ill winds that had stood on the Acropolis in the wake of the crisis in Dubai, have subsided in 48 hours. Jean-Claude Trichet on Thursday expressed "confidence" in the fact that the Greek government would take "appropriate action". Two days earlier, Jean-Claude Juncker had swept a backhander fears of default on public debt: "This bankruptcy scenario is totally absurd, Greece is not and will not be bankrupt. The European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Joaquin Almunia, was equally supportive: "The problems of Greece are also the problems of the eurozone."

In simple words, but that totally defused suspicion.The risk premium had risen sharply to 215 basis points (rate differential between bonds of Greece and those of the German state), it fell to 169 points, level "before Dubai. And yet the situation in Athens is still as "worrying", according to the finance ministers of the European Union, during their Tuesday's Ecofin. They refer to the three records from Greece: a deficit that will reach 12.7% of GDP in 2009, government debt represents 113% of GDP and an external payments deficit of almost 7% of GDP.

A seemingly hopeless position, but the drama of recent days has shown in vivo that Greece had spoiled for choice to find a good Samaritan, of the four following mechanisms.

• Solidarity partners of the euro area

There is no formal "financial instrument to address a funding crisis to one of the members" of monetary union, as noted by Jean Pisani-Ferry, director of the Brussels think tank Bruegel. The Maastricht Treaty is actually contradictory in this regard. On the one hand, it prohibits salvage procedure (bail out) debts of a State (Article 104B). On the other, it provides "due to exceptional events (…) to grant, under certain conditions, Community financial assistance" (Article 103a), as noted by Sylvain Broyer, an economist at Natixis.

• Insurance Fund

Unlike Dubai, which is not a member of the International Monetary Fund, except indirectly through the United Arab Emirates, Greece "contributor" itself to the insurance company what the IMF.But everybody recognizes, and Jean-Claude Trichet first, even if it has never publicly admitted he is de facto ruled a country in the euro area do call to global solidarity that is the IMF . This would be an admission of political weakness. The Minister of Finance, George Papakonstantinou, was also quick to declare that he had no intention of doing so. Able to recall how he was entitled.

• China, deus ex machina

The U.S. agency Dow Jones Newswire has revealed that Athens was in talks with Chinese banks to sell their 25 billion euros of securities of the public debt. The Prime Minister, George Papandreou, was even in the negotiations. Nothing extraordinary in themselves: the U.S. Treasury and Agency France Trésor spend their time doing the same thing.More disturbing, the Chinese authorities to extend the benefit of investing $ 5 billion made last year in the port of Piraeus by Cosco Pacific (Hong Kong).

• A significant challenge for the euro area

"If the deterioration of the Greek debt continues, we will find ourselves in the terrifying position of being unable to obtain cash, because the ECB will not accept our securities as collateral," said this week the Governor of the Bank of Greece George Provopoulos. A technical way, but convincingly, to describe the systemic risk to the Greek banks, which would meet all the carpets. A "small Lehman" in Greek? A good reason at least to encourage Europeans to stick together.

Last year, a 16-acre property in Greenwich, Connecticut, containing a Jacobean manor house of 2034 square meters with 14 rooms was sold for 125 million dollars (82.8 million). It was the second most expensive home for sale in the world by its price. Today, it is proposed to only 60 million dollars.

In one year, all owners wishing to sell have decided to reduce their prices by 20% or more. But this phenomenon is changing now as it affects owners of property valued at several tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Last year, the investor Marty Zweig has withdrawn from the market the Pierre Hotel penthouse sale for $ 70 million four years ago. The financier Leonard Ross, who demanded 165 million dollars to the Hearst Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., has withdrawn from the market in September 2008.A few months later, Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia has withdrawn his ski chalet in Aspen, which he wanted 135 million dollars.

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Wait vendors

This year, another victim of the housing market rout is "Hillendale" in Stamford, Connecticut. This property was sold for 95 million dollars. It is not for sale. Others, like the owners of a manor of 85 million dollars created by Wallace Neff, have decided to rent their properties until the market recovers.

These reactions, said Jonathan Miller, CEO of real estate appraisal firm Miller Samuel, are normal. "The market went wild, and has increased the prices of these goods to astronomical levels," said he. "These reductions are less dramatic reflection of the market collapse than the reality. "

While the number of buyers willing to invest in a property worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars has always been low, the lack of availability of financing for mega-loans is a little more decimated their ranks . Finally, some buyers who have the necessary funds are waiting to see if the housing market will regain its stability. And they could take some time.

The market for "ultra-luxury" also suffers

"It's low-end market has suffered in the first," says Mike Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, a provider of real estate statistics. "Then, the luxury market began to suffer there are only 12 months and is very recently that the market for ultra-luxury was hit. It will take years, many years before the market does recover. At the top, it will take longer for the luxury market as a whole. To attract buyers, owners and their agents use strategies often reserved for sellers in more traditional markets.

This was decided to owners Bootjack Ranch in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. During the year, they reduced their prices by $ 88 million to 68 million.The broker of this property, Bill Fandel of Sotheby's International Realty, hoped that this reduction would generate some interest. He says that it is the foreign billionaires who seem interested.

"Those who can afford to buy a property like this," says he, "want to know they are a wise purchase and they get a lot for these huge price. "Herald Grant, who also works for Sotheby's, has withdrawn from the market a property in Southampton proposed $ 80 million. "When the buyers were willing to spend, prices were emotional," says he, "but now the sellers are more reserved. "

The Villa Leopolda in France

But the general slump has not stopped some to sell their luxury properties.In March, Candy Spelling, wife of the late producer Aaron Spelling, has sold their manor of 150 million dollars in Holmby Hills. Called "The Manor, the residence of 100 rooms topped our list this year. Despite the widespread collapse of property prices, its price is higher than the number 1 last year, "Fleur De Lys", also in Holmby Hills for sale for $ 125 million. This property is inspired by the palace of Louis XIV at Versailles, with an area of nearly 4200 square meters.

Albemarle House, 100 million, an area of Charlottesville, Virginia. At the heart of a park of 120 acres adjacent to Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland, this Georgian house of eight rooms was designed by architect and designer David Easton.

Owners of homes outside the United States also seem to hope that the unique features of their homes attract buyers. Updown Court, the area of 117 million dollars that they say bigger than Buckingham Palace and Hampton Court, is still on the market. Like'exceptionnelle Villa Leopolda, with its 2700 square meters and 11 rooms, located on the Riviera, which had been proclaimed the most expensive home in the world, and is now offered to 68 million euros . If owners are concerned, they could perhaps see Joel Horowitz, co-founder of Tommy Hilfiger and owner of "Tranquility" at Lake Tahoe. This area of 85 hectares for sale since 2006 at a price of 100 million dollars.