An agreement, signed last week between the management of Air France and the main pilots' union of the company, the SNPL, already mitigates the impact of future legislation on guaranteed service in the airline, currently before Parliament.

Transposition of the 2008 Act applicable to the SNCF, the text of UMP Eric Diard plans to compel the workers of the company to declare 48 hours in advance. The goal: to inform travelers of disruptions to come, and ultimately, to minimize the effects through the reallocation of non-striking staff.

This second objective is partly compromising the agreement with pilots. According to Liberation, he states that their schedule "is stable [...] in all circumstances and at all times, without exception." This excludes de facto reallocation constraint non-striking staff in case of conflict. It remains permissible on a voluntary basis.

Appease the social climate

The management of Air France denies having given wrongly. "This new agreement ratifies simply clarification of an agreement dating from 2006, which was the subject of a dispute with the pilots," argues a spokeswoman. The company also advance security reasons for refusing to compel non-striking staff to take service if necessary.

But the agreement signed last week is primarily intended to appease a very tense social climate at Air France. Shocked at the beginning of February still a strike, it lies in the necessity of escalating tensions, "without which it knows will fail in the medium term," said Eric Diard.  

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This is the new sensation of the Web. Pinterest is a social network dedicated to the passions of its users. Launched just two years ago in California, the service meets today nearly 12 million unique visitors per month according to Comscore. He topped the 10 million users faster than any independent site before him. This performance earned him today to have the attention of technophiles warned, brands and websites.

Atypical among rising stars in the Web, they are housewives, brides and others have cross stitch who rushed on the first Pinterest. Its advantage: a simple and aesthetic. Its members "pin on" a click of fashion images, decorating and cooking, gleaned from the Web, on a "virtual corkboard". Clicking on the picture, the user is returned to the original site. These collections can be shared with other users who sign up as a Twitter following. In short, the Twitter blog simplified by reducing the notes to short messages of 140 characters and Twitter today Pinterest simplifies by replacing the text and images.

The founders of Pinterest, Ben Silberman, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra, is "to connect the world through the objects they find interesting." While services like Facebook play on social ties between people, the founders of Pinterest believe that "a book, a toy or a recipe may be a common bond between two people." The two services are complementary, Pinterest offering content to share with relations built on Facebook paydayloans. Since the launch of an application for Facebook in January, Pinterest saw its daily audience from Facebook to rise by 60%.

15.8 minutes per day

Above all, playing the card of interests, Pinterest wowed an audience engaged and quality. A study by the agency Modea, two thirds of users are women. 28% of members belong to a household whose annual income exceeds $ 100,000. They spend an average of 15.8 minutes per day on Pinterest, is already more than Facebook (12.1 minutes).

For brands, this is a gold mine. Overseas, more than a hundred have created a page on Pinterest. They will present fashion collections (Gap), recipe ideas depending on the season (Whole Foods) or albums more unexpected, like the collection of "literary tattoos" assembled by the publisher Random House. In referring to commercial sites, collected images generate sales and, potentially, affiliate income for Pinterest. This is the strategy already chosen by the competitor Pinterest, TheFancy.com.

Revenue side, there is no urgency for Pinterest which raised $ 27 million in October 2011, bringing to $ 37.5 million in funds raised since its inception. These rounds were an opportunity to enter the capital of eminent members of the "PayPal mafia" like Max Levchin, the cofounder of the online payment service, and Kevin Hartz, one of its investors.

Three major operators compete around the 4G brings the Internet broadband mobility to exchange emails in the blink of an eye, watching videos or surfing the Web at home. Verizon, AT & T Wireless emphasize that LTE (Long Term Evolution). In early summer, Sprint will join the battle overseas.

After saturation of services in New York and California, customers are opting for a more reliable service. U.S. operators had invested less than their European counterparts for the previous generation of mobile telephony. "There is a change in leadership. There are four or five years, European operators dominated the mobile technologies. Now, operators in the United States have adopted and deployed the LTE, "says Wim Sweldens, president of the mobile division of Alcatel-Lucent.

Of some 6.4 million users worldwide LTE end of 2011, 63% of Verizon customers in the U.S., notes the firm Informa. They should represent 428 million customers at end 2016, representing 6% of mobile users worldwide, said the company Juniper Research. 4G is a boon to increase average revenue per customer. AT & T and Verizon offer commercial offers between 40 and 50 dollars a month for data only, not to mention the basic subscription between 20 and 30 dollars. In France, "we want to be ahead of our competitors for the deployment of 4G," says Stéphane Richard, CEO of France Telecom, who refuses to indicate when it will launch its service for the benefit of surprise. Orange is expected no earlier than the end of the year and most likely in 2013.

Sign that the market takes off, the number of terminals available is increasing rapidly. Last year, the only facilities were proposed to connect the USB to connect a PC 4G, Huawei launched by the Chinese and the Taiwanese HTC. In January 2012, "48 for LTE smartphones are on the market, six times the number six months ago," says the GSA (Global Mobile Suppliers Association). Among them, all the major manufacturers have answered the call, with the notable exception of Apple. Catalogs are provided the most offered by Samsung (17 smartphones LTE), LG (10) and HTC (7).

As for equipment for 4G networks, the battle is very fierce between manufacturers to be selected for the 226 to build networks in 76 countries. In this market, European manufacturers are the strongest. Sweden's Ericsson and French Alcatel-Lucent selected by both the largest U.S. operators, reap the biggest contracts. They got respectively 36.7% and 21.1% of the world in 2011, says research firm In-Stat. Then come the duo Nokia Siemens (11.7%), in the lap of the Finnish group, China's Huawei (9.9%) and other actors such Samsung, NEC, Cisco and ZTE.

It is a repudiation for the Competition Authority. The institution, which had inflicted 385 million euro fine in September 2010 with the main banks operating in France on their pricing of check processing, has seen its decision questioned by the Court of Appeal of Paris. In a ruling Thursday, the latter took the view that in this case, "the grievances of Understanding (…) can not be accepted" and that the banks concerned "should therefore be exonerated ".

The case dates back to the early 2000s, when banks have embarked on the computerization of processing checks. They are then granted to establish interchange fees, naturally passed on to end customers.

Fines must be repaid to banks

Banks have justified the introduction of these fees, which were abolished in 2007, the cost that they accounted for the modernization effort of check processing. One argument considered to be unfounded by corporate treasurers, who saw the impact fees.

In September 2010, the Competition Authority found in favor of the latter, and denounced an agreement on final prices. A vision not shared by the Court of Appeal of Paris, sought by banks complained, BPCE, Post Bank, BNP-Paribas, the National Confederation of Credit Mutuel, Crédit Agricole, Crédit du Nord, CIC, LCL HSBC France, Societe Generale.

In its reasoning, it considers that the commissions were "directly related to the new system paperless exchange of checks, public interest project neutral in terms of competition law …". It also believes that the Bank Agreement does not constitute "an agreement on final prices."

The Competition Authority may lodge an appeal. When asked, a spokesman said the institution consider what action would give the matter. Fines paid to the Treasury must be repaid to the banks.  

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Defender said most of the nuclear in government, Eric Besson was not afraid of being labeled a provocateur. This is not just a few hundred of the four reactors at the Japanese central Fukushima Daiichi destroyed by the tsunami on March 11 that the Minister of Industry on Tuesday reaffirmed that "France continues to believe in the future a nuclear with the highest standards of safety. " At the invitation of the Japanese Minister of the Environment, the young Goshi Hosono, Eric Besson is the first member of a foreign government to visit the site of the plant.

After two hours of visit, the French minister said he was "reassured by the overall situation." Precautions taken to this particular field trip, as Le Figaro followed, give a first impression otherwise. First, stop sign at the entrance to the perimeter evacuated twenty miles of the plant, the J Village. The training center of the football team of Japan has been converted into a basic life for 3,000 workers who work day and night at the bedside of the atomic plant. Village of J, departure by bus, duly equipped with a white suit, two pairs of gloves, shoe covers as many plastic full mask and two dosimeters.

No lethal dose

First observation of the Minister of Energy, "there is no strong radioactivity around the plant," he relativized. During the visit mainly by bus, with two stops, one at the foot of reactor number 4 disemboweled, Eric Besson has received a dose of 0.033 millisieverts (mSv), about 140 mSv if he stayed all year. The equivalent of seven times the annual dose permitted for an employee of nuclear power in France, and a still higher threshold to 100 mSv, above which the risk of cancer were found no fax needed payday loans. This reassured the Minister in relation to what he expected dosimetry is reduced in some villages in the forbidden zone. Mayor Kawauchi has asked the government authorization of the return of its approximately 2000 to 3000 administered at home.

Other ground of relief to Eric Besson: health outcomes unrelated to the "astronomical figures that have been circulating." If the tsunami of March 11 caused about 20,000 deaths, not one worker has received a lethal radiation dose, Akio Komori confirmed, a director at Tepco, the plant operator. Twenty-eight have received over 150 mSv, which "some more 500mSv". None of this symptom to date, according to Akio Komori. The 3000 employees who are working to ensure the cooling of reactors have restored the control of the situation. However, Akio Komori fears the consequences of a new powerful earthquake on spent fuel pools, not yet secure. Tepco said the head of three challenges: the treatment of contaminated water, soil remediation throughout the area and dismantling of the reactors.

In the situation room installed since March 11 in an earthquake-proof building of the plant, Eric Besson has launched a hundred busy workers behind their screens: "Your job, in difficult conditions, is important for the future of the sector. "A future, he added, that does not exist" without the confidence of the people. " In Japan, despite the persistence of "divers" of Tepco, that confidence has been permanently shaken.

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New episode in the folder Veolia Environnement. Its CEO, Mr. Frérot, is on trial. Borloo could indeed take control group of utilities and largest private employer in France. According to Les Echos, hostilities between the former boss of Veolia now head of EDF, and the runner Proglio Antoine Frérot, arrived at the helm of Veolia end of 2009, could be decided during the next meeting of the Board of Directors on February 29. Following this meeting promises to be choppy, several administrators of the group would seek a dismissal of the CEO. Conducted by a sling Proglio which intends to show that he still holds the strings of the group he led for many Annes before moving to EDF. According to Liberation, Proglio have discussed the replacement of Mr. Frérot by Borloo with Nicolas Sarkozy on February 12 when the two men met to discuss the rescue by EDF of Photowatt. The daily added that "history seems to have really played Tuesday, Feb. 14, on the plane. Proglio and Sarkozy publicly come to seal the resumption of Photowatt. The company is saved and Isère Proglio intends to turn the matter Veolia on the carpet. "

"I am driven by two major groups"

However, the facts disputed by the Minister for Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. "I was on the plane, there were no apartments and there is no discussion on this topic. So that's false, "she said. But surrounding the ouster of Mr. Frérot to head the group, the spokesman of the candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, however, said she could not "confirm or deny" the information.

For its part, Borloo does not dispute some meetings with "people of Veolia," said Liberation. The daily notes that "at least five members of the board, fully identified, reportedly met Borloo, Thursday and Friday." The applicant further states that the daily Veolia is "a company that I know well as a former minister. They have problems and if I believe what is said, there are a number of shareholders who believe the group needs a class to his head. " The question is whether Borloo could be this character. For now, the former minister is cautious and says that "the only thing I can say is that now I am driven by two major international groups that are not Veolia. And contacts with them are very advanced. "

Other names circulating

But other names than that of former Minister of Ecology would be approached to head the former Generale des Eaux: Augustin de Romanet, CEO of the Caisse des Depots, "but denies the entourage contact, "according to Les Echos, Jacques Veyrat, the former head of Louis Dreyfus and Daniel Bouton, former CEO of Societe Generale.

The poor performance of the group explain, in part, the disallowance of certain directors of the group. Last year, Veolia has indeed passed successively two profit warnings and should show a loss of 200 million for fiscal 2011, according Challenges. The plunge on the stock exchange, which has lost nearly 60% of its value in one year, also feeds the sling administrators. This morning, the title company specializing in water, waste treatment and transport loses more than 4% to about 9 euros, the biggest drop in the CAC 40. The flagship index of the Paris ahead of his 0.6% to 3455 points.

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Yesterday, Al Jazeera Sports has won another round in its development strategy in French football. The future French declension with the Qatari called to emerge by June, has indeed been assigned by the UEFA some of the TV rights for the Europa League, together with M6. This was announced yesterday that European football's governing body on its website, thus satisfying one of the objectives of management for future pay-sports channel.

DeuxPour rights multiplied by 16 million euros according to the Team, will share the two channels thus the spread of the second largest European club competition, over the period 2012-2015. Jackpot for UEFA, who sees and double the previous revenue received from Canal + and M6 for this competition (8 million). But bad news for the encrypted string, which is seen again reduce its offer football, in a leak of its journalists to Qatar chain (see below).

For football fans, this new distribution rights for the Europa League should not cause major upheaval. The best match of each day will be broadcast on free DTT subsidiary of M6: W9, and summaries after each match night. In the presence of French clubs, "the meetings of the semifinals and final will be broadcast on M6" said UEFA. For its part, the future chain headed by Charles Bietry obtains the rights to all games, "including the final." The latter, still officially called Al Jazeera Sport but that could take the "Be In Sports," will broadcast at least two live games, as well as summaries highlight each evening meeting.  

Construct the grid programmesPar this new blow, and Charles Bietry continues building the program schedule of Al Jazeera Sport, which will have not one but two stations, broadcast 24h/24 fast cash online. The acquisition of sports rights is a priority to fill the boxes of these new entrants in the audiovisual paying, created ex nihilo. Management has also not hidden his determination to focus also on other sports. In this war to sports rights in football, Canal +, however, can claim to have kept, with 13 choices of the Champions League and the top two of each day in the French league (L1), posters the most attractive.

Faced with the Champions League, bringing together the best European teams of clubs, the Europa League is indeed a second best competition at European level. Until the launch channels that will validate or not this quantitative strategy, the Qatari channel may soon increase his offer with obtaining rights much more attractive to the Euro 2012 football and 2016, which have not been assigned by UEFA.

The ranks are swelling of Canal + Al JeziraComme those rights for TVs, the battle intensifies between Al Jazeera Sport, Canal + on the front of journalists. In this game, Charles Bietry has a head start. Yesterday was Darren Tullett, the specialist in the Premier League (English Premiership), who announced his departure from the encrypted channel to join the Qatari. A third departure, after the journalist Christophe Josse, formalized the previous day and that of Julian Brown, also a specialist in English football. Of new hires reflect the interest of Charles Bietry for the English league. And thus a form of warning for the pay channel, which has made British football a strategic pillar of its offer.

SNCF will release on February 16 as "good" annual results, in the words of its leadership. Yet they will undergo a severe movement of the plane. On 14 February, the president of SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, unveiled to participants of a seminar on "business model TGV" that his group would carry out an impairment of € 700 million on its TGV . "The value of TGV, now in the books of the SNCF, amounts to nearly 4.5 billion euros," he said, according LaTribune.fr who reports his remarks. We will depreciate the 700 million euros because we have too many trains and they are mostly old. "

The fleet has 457 SNCF trains whose average age is 17 years. This decision comes as the SNCF profitability of the branch TGV group – very profitable long – has deteriorated in recent years. An evolution largely attributed by the public company to the concomitant increase in tolls which it must pay with Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), owner of the tract. Since late last week, SNCF and RFF have agreed on changes in rates of tolls until 2018. Guillaume Pepy was this medium-term visibility a prerequisite for engaging in orders for new trains. He said Tuesday that such investments would only be possible when the operating margin of the travel industry would reach 20%. Or it tops out at 14% today.

Until 2015, the fleet will continue to welcome new trains: 15 "Euro Duplex" will be delivered by Alstom in 2012, 11 in 2013, 11 in 2014 and seven in 2015. According to its chief financial officer, David Azema, who intervenaitle February 15 parliamentary days when the rail is in fact particularly after 2025 that the station should replace trains end of life.

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PSA announced this morning its annual accounts. The group recorded an operating profit of 1.31 billion euros, against 1.79 billion a year earlier. The net profit is not apparent at 588 million euros, against 1.13 billion euros in 2010. Meanwhile, turnover rose by 6.9%, to 59.9 billion euros.

Peugeot loses money on its core business, namely to build and sell automobiles. To be precise, the industry grouping of PSA Peugeot Citroen and recorded an operating loss of EUR 92 million in 2011. In the second half, the deficit in the division has even approached the 500 million euros. Outside this perimeter, the Chinese subsidiary is profitable but it remains small (404,400 vehicles sold).

After a brief stint in the green, the action has continued to sink throughout the session. At 16 hours, as the same fall of 6.9%, to 14.07 euros.  

Peugeot said it plans to open the capital of its subsidiary Gefco, specializing in logistics. He also plans to sell the walls of his Paris headquarters. This is to return cash to the group. It is perhaps this aspect that worries investors.

These efforts include a major program of asset sales of 1 instant payday loans.5 billion euros. This amount includes the sale (completed in February) of the car rental company to quote an American group for 440 million euros, the IPO of the highly profitable logistics subsidiary Gefco, which PSA could take about 560 million, and dispositions of real estate assets – including the walls of the Paris headquarters of the Avenue de la Grande Armee – to 500 million.

Vague and cautious outlook from Moody's

Beyond the figures, investors are sensitive to the perspectives of PSA. THERE is no forecast of operating margin. It is unclear whether Peugeot will be profitable this year. The group expects a 5% drop in sales in Europe, including a 10% decline in France. Growth should be at the rendezvous in emerging countries.

For its part, Moody's placed under surveillance in his note on the group. If the rating agency's rating deteriorates, Peugeot would be in the category of junk bonds.

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Visa Europe and MasterCard compete imagination to make their cards more attractive. Thus, Visa deploys a program of benefits for some 4.2 million Visa cardholders Prime. They now benefit from price reductions in a list of partner stores (Sephora, Lapeyre, Opinion …) by simply presenting a coupon to download on the Internet (visa.fr). April 1, this program will be expanded to Lenotre, ready-to-wear or Bensimon to Nature and Discovery. "Historically, the world of credit cards was rather that of the travel and leisure. Now the goal is to approach the everyday consumer, "says Catherine Soubirou, partnership manager at Visa Europe. MasterCard, meanwhile, has developed an online shopping mall which also offers discounts to holders of the Gold card.

But for the most prestigious cards, these benefits are not enough. The 150,000 holders of a Visa Infinite card will then be offered, to April 1, new services very chic. As Jet Taxi, which for 2200 euros an hour, take four people in Le Bourget to the destination of their choice. Or the opportunity to attend events are difficult to access (the Grand Prix of Monaco Formula 1, the Cannes Film Festival …).

Extensions guarantees

Open doors to places or events was the confidential trademark of the very VIP Centurion Card from American Express. The same idea will wow now the holders of other cards. MasterCard has already embarked on this path, imagining private parties for its Platinum card holders who dream of visiting a quiet art exhibitions or attend concerts circle Payday advance. A taste for the Parisians, what awaits them when Paris will join the Priceless Cities program, launched by MasterCard in New York last summer and launched from London and Toronto. It offers cardholders Platinum – but for some offers, a Gold – privileges: previews or priority seating for events to, in the highest rated restaurants

.

"Exclusive offers, which consumers aspire today," says Francois Gandon, marketing manager of MasterCard France. Thus, the card interest is not limited to insurance they offer … even if they are perfected. Visa is for example to review his.  

The foreign assistance was not playing in the event of natural disaster? This exclusion has been removed. Children of divorced or separated parents received guarantees only if the parent traveling with the cardholder? They are now protected even if they move without him. "The goal is to avoid maximum disappointment of our customers, guarantees on misunderstood or exclusions that surprise them," says Emmanuel Robert, head of product offers from Visa Europe France.

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