Greece goes into its paradox. Historic cradle of democracy, she is passionate as always in politics, as evidenced by the good turnout in the general election on May 6 (65% of registered voters turned out to vote). But this passion produces no power capable of meeting the challenges of the country.

Alexis Tsipras, the local Mélenchon, which has tripled its electoral score compared to 2009, refused to support a national unity government with Evangelos Venizelos, the leader of PASOK (Socialist), respecting the commitments signed fiscal discipline there are three months. The country has not always of prime minister, while the urgency has never been greater.  

Who will represent Greece at meetings of the Eurogroup and Ecofin Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15? He would need a strong personality to defend with the granting of European partners in June of a $ 8 billion of loans. Who sit behind the flag to cross and blue stripes at the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20? An eloquent negotiator would be welcome if Greece wants to avoid that Westerners endorse the requirement of the Skopje government to appoint his country "Macedonia", to which the Greeks are opposed to historical reasons.

Patronage system

"I am very concerned (…) I appeal to the sense of national responsibility of all political leaders to reach agreement respecting the commitments of the country," said Friday the EU president, Herman Van Rompuy. But, late afternoon, the Greek political class had still not given a name.

Lucas Papademos, the technocrat in charge of the country for three months, went to see the President Karolos Papoulias to ask him to speed up the process of appointing a new prime minister. The former vice president of the European Central Bank is very concerned about the possibility of excluding Greece from the euro area, corroborated by the statements in the press of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

Oddly enough, the Greek population, which according to all polls are still mostly gained against the euro, does not include the requirements of its creditors, or their impatience at the slow pace of structural reforms opaque. "I did not vote for PASOK, this time launching Michalis, independent taxi driver, because it does nothing for my daughter when she has an engineering degree!" ….. …

In the patronage system prevailing since the arrival of the Socialists to power in 1981, there was a right of activists to put their children in the administration. PASOK has fallen from 43% to 13% of the vote between elections of October 2009 and May 6.

"In a country where youth unemployment exceeds 50%, the little people have no sense or do not vote more rationally! Says a Greek financier. The Greeks have lost confidence. Only the Chinese are constantly telling us they believe in long-term potential of the country! "

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The UK is preparing to be the center of the world during the Olympic Games in London this summer. But within three months of maturity, the British border crossing is now turning to chaos. Heathrow Airport is at the heart of controversy because of long queues to pass checkpoints immigration. A study by the British Airport Authority said Thursday record three hours of waiting found last Monday in terminal 4. Control agents were sent into a disaster of Manchester in an attempt to streamline the situation.

Tails more than two hours were common in April, while the objectives of the immigration agency, United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), were exceeded for a quarter of passengers 23 days on the 30th of last month. The agency has set an average time of 25 minutes for European citizens and 45 minutes for non-Europeans.

The UKBA had previously sought to minimize the problem. The Immigration Minister, Damian Green, was summoned to explain to the House of Commons, went to Heathrow Monday during a quiet time and was considered "exaggerated" reports on delays. He attributed the delays to bad weather. The boss of British Airways, Willie Walsh has accused the government of "deceiving public opinion" and be "unable to cope with a major problem."

David Cameron himself has described the aftermath as "unacceptable" these delays and asked the competent authorities to act. The outgoing mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wrote to the Interior Minister, Theresa May, in indignant at "the disastrous impression in the UK" and asked him to "rectify the situation for both the Olympics and to manage the normal flow of passengers. "

Downsizing

Largest airport in Europe (and the third world), Heathrow, with 69 million passengers a year, bordering on saturation. London expects 3-5000000 more visitors during the Olympics. The engorgement of its border resulting from the conjunction of several factors.

Last fall, the agency Immigration and Theresa May had been questioned after the revelation of controls "relaxed" on arrival, neglecting the systematic verification of passports of visitors to accelerate the pace. A careful examination papers has been reinstated immediately, lengthening the time. Meanwhile, the UK Border Agency is facing a rise in traffic with fewer staff. The severe budget cuts decided by the government resulted in a decrease of 10% of its workforce since 2010, and an additional 15% could be eliminated by 2015. To make matters worse, the agency staff must go on strike next Thursday, as the entire public service, for retirement. The UKBA has announced the hiring of 80 people from this month and announced it planned reinforcements of 480 officers during the Olympics.

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Paca, Ile-de-France and Rhône-Alpes. It is in these three regions experienced more than one third of poor children in France, according to a study by the regional social observation device (Dros). The rate of children living in families with low income was 29.1% in PACA, 21.5% among Parisians and 20% in the Lyon region. Paca, the rate rises to 44 and even 45% in Marseille and Avignon.

This study, conducted primarily using data from the family allowance funds (CAF), shows that parents have very low incomes, about 671 euros per month or 300 euros less than the low income threshold. All depend very heavily on aid from CAF (71% of cases Paca, 66% in the Ile-de-France and 65% in the Rhone-Alpes). Another trend revealed by this survey: the majority of poor children live in single parent families. Paca, 52% live with one parent against 45% in the Rhone-Alpes and 21% in the Ile-de-France.

Difficult living conditions

The study shows that for these children and their families, housing conditions are often extremely difficult, marked by overcrowding, poor heating and insulation, unsafe fast payday loan no faxing. Interviews with these children cite the example Paul, 10, who says his older brother sleeps in the closet "because it is high, he wants to have his privacy." Remarkably, less than half of poor children live in social housing. Paca, they are only 39% to live there because of the weakness of the regional park, with only 56 social housing units per 1000 inhabitants.

Researchers believe these children from poor families "like all other children, before being marked by poverty." They seem unaware of their situation they see as "normal" and not unfair. With age, however, things are changing. These children, who regard their parents with "respect and admiration," are very fatalistic, the researchers said. "The more they get older, more reality imposed upon them," says the study.

(With agencies)

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At L'Oréal, the experts of pharmacy have finally managed to wake a sleeping beauty. After stagnating for years, sales of perfumes, soaps and body care Roger & Gallet jumped 19% last year, reaching fifty million.

The brand certainly still tiny compared to Vichy and La Roche Posay, the flagship of the active cosmetics division (DCA) of the world's leading beauty products. But it is a growth driver for the industry, with Inneov, Sanoflore and Skinceuticals.

The "perfume apothecary", created hundred and fifty years ago by Armand Roger and Charles Gallet, whose stepfather had bought the Glover case of Jean-Marie Farina, inventor of cologne, had its hour glory before World War II.

Restarted after its acquisition by Sanofi in 1975, she was abandoned when the pharmaceutical company took over Yves Saint Laurent perfumes, in 1993. "Roger & Gallet was not a priority at YSL Beauté," says Thierry Vidart, its current CEO, who works for the brand since 1995, and saw her go from Sanofi PPR (1999) and L'Oréal .

In early 2008, the king of cosmetics has offered YSL Beauté for 1.15 billion euros to strengthen its luxury division with a French perfume creator. He has since sold most other fragrances of YSL Beauté (Boucheron, Oscar de la Renta and Zegna), and retained the fragrance license Stella McCartney.

Ambitions in Brazil

It remained to determine the fate of Roger & Gallet, finally recovered in January 2010 by the active cosmetics division, which attempts to revive the brand, sold in pharmacies to 85% and 15% in department stores and perfumeries as Marionnaud.

The new management is doubling, with the aim of "creating the category of well-being by the perfume pharmacy," said Brigitte Liberman, patron of the DCA, and "a new offer to attract new customers to energize the circuit, "which progresses more slowly than the cosmetics market in France. Roger & Gallet products launched to rejuvenate its clientele, such as body care Sublime Oil and fragrance of Osmanthus Flower. Result: Sales jumped 22% last year in 5,000 pharmacies in France where the brand is present.

Roger & Gallet, which generates 85% of its sales in France, was also launched last year to conquer Europe's. It is present in 3,500 pharmacies in Germany, Italy, Spain and England.

It also operates 550 outlets in Brazil, second fragrance market in the world after the United States, with the ambition to make the country its third largest market in three years. "Our goal is to double sales within four to five years, reaching 100 million euros," says Brigitte Liberman.

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While political leaders promises to multiply the SME, 300 business leaders gathered in Evian (Haute Savoie) for three days, from March 22 to 24, during the fourth Spring Campus organized by the association CroissancePlus. They reflected a very real way on how best to grow very small businesses and SMEs to become medium-sized companies (ETI) employing between 250 and 5000 employees. "Growth is the foundation of everything. We must grow faster than its competitors to beat them, "testified Xavier Fontanet, former chairman of the board of Essilor, the world leader in the ophthalmic lens.

"In Germany, large ETI achieving over 500 million euros in turnover increase. They took advantage of a phenomenon of concentration. Seven out of ten bought a small business or a merger between 1996 and 2006, "noted Jacky Lintignat, CEO of KPMG. The French group Altrad, European leader of the scaffold (494 million euros of turnover), was embraced by making 45 acquisitions since 1985 in France and abroad. "Our goal is to double our turnover in the next four years," said Mohed Altrad, president of the eponymous group which opened its capital to three banks CM-CIC Capital Finance, Arkea Private Equity, a subsidiary of Credit mutual Arkea, BNP Paribas and Development and the Strategic Investment Fund.

But entrepreneurs are divided on the interest of bringing investors to accelerate their growth. The start-up Showroomprivé, which sells brands on the Internet, hosted the U.S. fund Accel Partners to expand internationally. "We must not fall into the hands of investment funds and the stock market go," he assured his side Maxime Holder, CEO Paul bakeries, one of three businesses Holder family group. A difficult experience with a fund in Britain, explains this desire for independence. "There is not DNA but the DNA for a company to succeed," commented Olivier Duha, president of CroissancePlus. To allow contractors control their business while allowing them to find money to grow, Jean-Louis Beffa, honorary president of Compagnie Saint-Gobain, has proposed that SMEs can benefit from "equity without right to vote. " The often difficult relationship between large companies and SMEs were also discussed. "Many SMEs do not dare connect to Danone. We must learn to work together, "regretted Franck Riboud, Danone CEO. There is a way to go. SMEs are often reluctant to approach some large groups because they do not always respect the law, including the supervision of payment periods.

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Halal or not halal. Since the controversy launched by Marine Le Pen, before the cuts of meat, the question arises. In response, Nicolas Sarkozy wants a clear distinction between the classical deduction, that is to say, after stunning the animal, and depression according to Muslim ritual or Jewish, is very funny. "We recognize everyone's right to know what he eats, halal or not. I therefore wish the labeling of meat according to the method of slaughter, "said the head of state on Saturday during his meeting in Bordeaux.

An announcement of the president candidate is a surprise: there is only one week, the government has withdrawn a bill (with a leader Françoise Hostalier, MP North UMP) up very precisely in this sense. Recently, also, the Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire recalled that it was not "stigmatize" the affected communities, bolstering the positions-very-powerful clerics and the food industry, which fears that such labels do disrupt the meat market. In 2010, another member Nicolas Dhuicq, the UMP too, suffered the same setbacks, still under government pressure.

Labeling unlikely

Today, the labeling of halal products is not mandatory. The "Halal" appears prominently on thousands of products, and proves to be an excellent marketing strategy. Nevertheless, it is nothing regulatory. In other words, you can eat a product marked "halal" is really without his. And you can also consume a product that is not stamped "halal", but he is yet.

Label products to better distinguish them, the solution seems simple. But only in theory because in practice the regulatory framework does not allow it. This would, in the same way as for the AB logo affixed to the products of organic farming, that Europe gives the green light. For labeling becomes mandatory, the proposal would have "obtain a qualified majority of the European Commission and Parliament," assures us there at the Ministry of Agriculture.

But Europe has already said no: in 2009, the debate on the conditions of slaughter was then opened, and in 2011, consumer information, "but this has not been retained, while several states EU did not see the need, "says one cabinet ministry, even if the pressure of industrialists and representatives of Jewish and Muslim communities is also denounced. If Spain and Lithuania have defended such a project, others are turned. Sweden and Austria, for example, the ritual slaughter as it is even forbidden, these important country all their halal or kosher.

A risk of rising prices

Thus, if the labeling became mandatory method of slaughter, an ox killed without stunning is cataloged "halal" or "kosher" from head to toe. Or for example, according to Jewish tradition, only the "top" of the beast can be consumed. The rest – the back – going on in the conventional circuit. Thus, a tab or a bib, that Jews do not eat, labeled "very funny" could remain on the shelves. The butchers are concerned about having to sell off the pieces. And these losses through higher prices elsewhere.

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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.

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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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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Slowdown in China …

The country's dependence on exports is the main cause of this fall, analysts said HSBC.