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Those who want to buy an apartment in Fort Issy-les-Moulineaux, just outside Paris, have an incentive to hurry. Of the 1600 units under construction, only a few dozen have not yet been sold. The first occupants will move in March 2013 in this brand new neighborhood. The end of a very long history. "The first contacts with the Ministry of Defence, owner of the fort, took place in 1997, says Christophe Provot, deputy mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux, delegate to urban planning. And the sale did not occur until 2010! "

Several causes for these delays in extension. First the different administrations (Ministry of Budget, Ministry of Defence, France Fields …) could not agree on the price of 12 ha. Then, the state and the municipality have long passed the buck who would pay for the removal of 3,000 shells dispatched on that land.

Finally, the state sold the land to the town 60 million, taking charge of the 7.6 million related to site cleanup. The city has invested $ 60 million in additional public facilities (creche, library) and sold the land to developers (Kaufman & Broad, Bouygues …) that offered the highest price.

Result, these apartments are quite expensive: 6500 euros per m² on average. "To have more affordable prices, would have required the State to make efforts and not sell his land at market rate, estimated Loiseleur Raymond, chairman of the SEM (Society of Issy mixed economy. He made another choice. "

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The output of the Kindle Fire turns to the correction for all other manufacturers of Android tablets. In February, just four months after its release, the tablet from Amazon in the U.S. represented over half of the market (54.4%), excluding iPad, according to data from comScore Institute released Thursday. His closest competitor was the Galaxy Tab by Samsung, whose share decreased from 23.8% to 15.4% in three months. Other models, such as Motorola Xoom, Asus and Toshiba AT100 Transformer, got only the crumbs.

These data, comScore estimated by using the number of tablets that connect to the Internet every month, have not been confirmed by Amazon. As usual, the maker of the Kindle Fire refuses to give precise sales figures, even if the indicators that are favorable to accumulate. His tablet is "being the best selling, most available and most desired" by customers on Amazon.com, he simply has to announce in the press release accompanying the publication of its quarterly results Thursday.

The excellent launch of Kindle Fire in the United States, the only country where it is sold to date, shows that the market shelves can extend far beyond the iPad. With its 7-inch screen diagonal (17.8 centimeters), its list of functions reduced to essentials (no 3G, no camera, no accelerometer), the Kindle is sold only Fire $ 199, two times less than the first iPad. At the point where we now ready to Apple intends to expand in this segment, by launching an iPad smaller and cheaper.

"Google has lost control of Android tablets"

Hollow, the success of the Kindle Fire also highlights the poor performance of other Android tablets before. Apple sold 35 million iPad last year, against 5,000,000 in 2011 for Samsung, its nearest competitor. The arrival of Amazon is not necessarily good news for Google. Fire Aboard The Kindle indeed deeply modified version of the Android system. "It's official: Google has lost control of the market for Android tablets," headlined the Thursday specialized site Business Insider.

For Amazon, this strategy is paying anyway. As there is already reached in the Kindle eBooks with classical Kindle Fire means it can sell more content in digital format, including films and television series. "Customers buy a lot of content, is seen particularly in North America with sales of cultural goods between the fourth and first quarter which is accelerating," explains the chief financial officer, Tom Szkutak.

Throughout the quarter, according to figures released Thursday, sales of cultural goods on Amazon increased 19% to $ 4.71 billion, while sales of other goods and electronics surged 43 % to 7.97 billion. The good surprise came from the profit, down 35% over the same period last year (130 million), but well above analysts' expectations. Friday, the action progressed over 15% at the opening of the NYSE.

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In his defense, the government ensures that the global event will benefit the local economy. 1500 enterprises had shared a jackpot of € 9 billion of contracts. But experts estimate that less than 1% of GDP growth of the net gain generated by the Olympics for several years.

The major amounts invested for the event.

• Transport: € 7.8 billion

For seven years, considerable effort has been devoted to the modernization of the London transport network, to host 3 million visitors in addition to the 12 million daily riders. New stations were built around Stratford, the Olympic site in east London. A special express train, the Javelin, will link the park to the station King's Cross St. Pancras. But the risk of flooding remains a nightmare for the organizers and authorities in London.

+ Organization: € 2.4 billion

The organization of the fifteen-day competition is funded by private funds from revenue from TV rights, sponsorships, merchandising and ticketing (485 million euros). Some sponsors are involved in providing benefits in kind (eg telecom).

+ Olympic Stadium: 1.2 billion euros

The enclosure of 80,000 seats is the centerpiece of a series of new equipment final, including a swimming pool, a handball court, a velodrome that will find and use a permanent occupants after the Olympics. Each was built by an architect and a different promoter. Other facilities such as the basketball stadium, will be dismantled at the end of competitions.

+ Olympic Village: 675 million

The site of the London 2012 Olympic Village was sold for 634 million euros in a joint venture with Qatari Diar business cards. The village, which adjoins the Olympic Stadium, includes 2,800 new homes. And the contract includes the creation of 2,000 additional.

Security +: € 670 million

This is one of the positions responsible for soaring overall costs. The organizing committee found itself under fire for underestimating security needs. A first estimate "wet finger" of 10,000 agents has been revised upwards to 23,700, doubling the budget to fund these private security guards. A contract with G4S company specializing in 104 million was renegotiated to 344 million. Not to mention the tens of thousands of forces of public order.

+ Ceremonies: 98 million

Entrusted to Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire movie, the opening ceremony of July 27 should show the "best of Britain". Thousands of extras are being recruited. To succeed in this show of force after that which remained in the memories of Beijing, Prime Minister David Cameron has agreed to double the budget for opening and closing.

= Public budget: 13 billion euros

The note of the Olympics for taxpayers English has continued to fly from the original figure of 3 billion when London won the competition in 2005. The organizing committee is now working on a budget of 11 billion, but a parliamentary report estimated that the bill may reach 13 billion instead. 29 billion and even if we take into account indirect costs for utilities, including the police and military presence.

The insurance deductible

In its most common meaning, the deductible is an amount of money that remains the responsibility of the insured in case of disaster or when the responsible person is not identified. This allowance is intended to:

The driver-responsibility by sharing the risk,

-Limit "small" claims, which are comparatively more expensive in terms of administrative costs,

-Allow the company to propose lower prices.

Namely: the deductible does not apply to third party victims, who are always fully reimbursed.

Application of the exemptions

Regarding auto insurance, there are also:

-Deductible mileage. It is home to a distance beyond which the automobile assistance benefits do not fire. For example, if the deductible mileage is 50 miles, the tow vehicle crashed 20 km from the residence of the insured will not be supported.

-The deductible on work incapacity or disability: it is the number of days of disability or a disability rate below which the personal guarantee of the driver does not play (eg, 10 days of disability or 5% disability).

Relief may take two forms. The franchise deductible amount is simply called a threshold. In this context, the insurer does not support the claim that if the amount exceeds the amount of the deductible. If he supports it, it's totally and no money is left in charge of the insured. For example, if the contract provides for a deductible of € 300, a loss of € 250 will not be supported, but a loss of € 500 will be fully reimbursed to the insured.

The corresponding absolute frankness about it in the most common case. This amount is borne by the insured in any case. Thus, if the deductible is € 300, a loss of € 700 will be repaid only € 400 to the insured.

Excess amounts

Some franchises are set by ministerial decree and therefore required all insurance companies. This is particularly the case of natural disaster deductible amount of € 380. In contrast, other franchises are freely set by the insurers.

Limit or eliminate the deductibles of an insurance contract is to actually buy them. Therefore, contributions and increase the gap between premium contract with deductible or no deductible up to 30%. The insured can choose its franchises in particular according to their driving habits.

Note: Franchise may be different from a guarantee to another. For example, in the same contract, the franchise glass breakage can be 250 €, but that of flight-fire guarantee of 750 €.

Thus, an insured person who never lends his vehicle can save money on their insurance premiums by choosing a franchise "ready to drive" high. Conversely, parents of a young driver may have an interest in buying the franchise "novice driver" time of his apprenticeship.

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After weeks of uncertainty, the commercial court of Nanterre Friday authorized the takeover of courier Sernam into receivership on January 31 by Geodis, a subsidiary of SNCF. This is-of a partial recovery. Geodis and its subsidiary BMV disburse 750,000 euros to recover clients Sernam, or 200 million euros in turnover, and some employees of the courier company in bankruptcy.

Of the 1441 employees, 833 will join Geodis in their labor pool. SNCF will be offering for reclassification to another 600 employees Sernam which are not included. However, Geodis will recover almost none of the 55 logistics sites of the bankrupt or the 1300 delivery vehicles.

There is another week, the rescue of the company into bankruptcy by turning the fund Butler Capital Partners was far from certain. The subsidiary of SNCF had established conditions of occasions that it seemed difficult to respond positively. It took the mobilization of workers and a very high pressure, during the Easter weekend, Thierry Mariani, Minister of Transport, to push Pierre Blayau, CEO of Geodis, to be flexible to open the way for recovery.

Mobilizing ministers in recent months has, hitherto, to defuse these issues one to one industrial high-risk period for presidential elections. To achieve this, the government relied heavily on public enterprises. This is doubly the case of the SNCF. In the folder Sernam today. But before that, in January, she was involved in the liquidation of its subsidiary, SeaFrance and delivers more than 800 positions in rehabilitation and compensation of around 60,000 euros per employee not included, enough to silence anger.

No fire

In late February, EDF has rescued Photowatt and its 425 employees by announcing a full recovery in one of the few French players in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels. Renault owned 15% by the State, has agreed to secure the backlog of Foundries of Poitou.

The government has also convinced LVMH, the world of luxury, to mobilize one of its subcontractors to save a site in Yssingeaux Lejaby employing 93 employees. In other cases, governments have succeeded in obtaining respite. This is the case of the Petit Couronne refinery (Seine-Maritime), which employs 550 people payday loan companies. She was placed in receivership in late January for six months following the bankruptcy of its parent Swiss Petroplus which the owner, announced the closure. The liquidation was avoided. The deadline for submission of bids is 30 April, between the two rounds of presidential elections.

Another very sensitive site ArcelorMittal Florange. Employees rallied against the closure of the last two blast furnaces in Lorraine.

Nicolas Sarkozy announced in late February for new investment on the site and has led management to ensure that the closure was only temporary. The anger remains, but there was no fire. Three weeks before the second round, the government hopes that no other case does invite the end of this campaign.

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3 questions to Pierre Blayau, CEO of Geodis

What has allowed a resumption of Sernam while it seemed compromised last week?

We gave a period of five weeks before making the actual resumption. It was left to the attorney the time to organize the social aspect of this operation and for us to set up failover, including computers, Sernam to Geodis. Such a delay would pose a risk of deterioration of the financial position of Sernam. After discussion, earlier this week, with the receiver, we have agreed to reduce the actual recovery period to 21 days, May 7 We have been flexible to allow recovery.

One gets the feeling that Geodis is committed to backwards in this recovery?

Contrary to what I read or hear, Geodis has always been voluntary. This operation has a real industrial sense. We will grow in a highly competitive market. We take up staff and customers representing 200 million euros in turnover. We do not increase our fixed costs.

After the takeover by Mory Caravelle last year and now that of Sernam, market concentration French-mail is complete?

Even if there are fewer players, our market is still excess capacity. The process of concentration should therefore continue to favor companies that have a real performance culture.

 

This is an uncompromising assessment has drawn Wednesday the regional audit of Ile de France for the city of Saint-Ouen. With 46,000 inhabitants, this town of Seine-Saint-Denis bordering Paris has voted for the Communist mayor Jacqueline Rouillon since 1999. While a previous check had already pointed to a lack of control of payroll and an irregular arrangement of working time or uncontrolled high absenteeism, the Court of Auditors found that his requests were not followed by effects.

First of all financially: the room leading a debt that has reached "alarming levels" after rising by a third between 2007 and 2009. It requires a careful monitoring of urban works in progress, as the ambitious development of the docks of Saint-Ouen to avoid a "fiscal disaster."

Housing Allocation

Another black spot, personnel management. Payroll has indeed jumped 23% between 2004 and 2009, a period "yet preceded a significant increase in numbers." Meanwhile, the Chamber notes the insufficient measures against absenteeism, "even though it is a long recognized problem." Finally, the agents of the City have an annual working hours less than 60 hours to the floor legally, an additional cost of 2 no fax payday loan.2 million euros! But that's not all: the room was also detected irregularities in the management agents. Bulk: a premium of 6,000 euros computer given to agents, irregularities in the allocation of staff houses but also abnormally low rents granted to officers, an elected another common paid full-time employment served part-time municipal vehicles used by elected officials without permission

.

Administratively, the picture is also bleak. The regional audit and denounced "the lack of efficient tools for procurement." At the very least embarrassing for a community. A transaction has especially been pinned: a developer has bought the City of St. Ouen some 70 homes at a price of … 19,000 to 21,000 euros. A little low, even for substandard housing on the edge of Paris. In its response to the room, the mayor of Saint-Ouen ensures particularly its desire to control debt and payroll.

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Vivendi confirmed Monday, after market, the departure of Frank Esser, CEO of SFR, revealed by Le Figaro. This departure will be effective from the end of the week. Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO of Vivendi, this function takes live indefinitely. No other redesign teams SFR is expected. The announcement of a smooth transition reassured the 10,000 employees of SFR, where the announcement of the departure of Frank Esser, who presided over the destiny of the group for twelve years, has been a bombshell.

Vivendi wants to take the time to find a new boss for its subsidiary SFR, a pivotal moment in its history. Greatly shaken by the arrival of Free in the mobile sector, Vodafone is obliged to rethink its economic model. And why the research group "rare bird". Several names of potential candidates circulate: Bertrand Meheut (current CEO of Canal +), Thierry Breton (CEO of Atos), Didier Quillot (former CEO of Lagardère Active), Michel Combes (CEO Vodafone Europe), Gilles Pelisson (ex- Accor CEO) and Jacques Veyrat (Direct Energy) … But none is needed.

One thing is certain, the chosen one will have a profile of "cost killer" while SFR expects a decrease of 12% to 15% of its EBITDA margin in 2012 and Jean-Bernard Levy said at the Vivendi earnings presentation in early March, the need to "tighten the bolts." The future head of SFR should be able to reassure financial markets, while the decline in profitability of SFR weighs on Vivendi. The stock has lost 17% since the beginning of the year.

The departure of Frank Esser was decided Friday afternoon during a supervisory board of Vivendi, and presented Monday at 5:00 p.m. in the Board of SFR. It does not seem to be a coup as often in the wars of succession, but a decision by mutual agreement. Friday, same day that his fate was sealed, Frank Esser was attending a lunch with the entire executive of Vivendi, in which Jean-Rene Fourtou, director of Vivendi, and Jean-Bernard Levy have sent him some very complimentary. Frank Esser, Mannesmann's German came (acquired by Vodafone), is indeed recognized and appreciated by both teams by his peers.

Free to adjust the face

But, before the onslaught of Free Mobile, it was essential to give new impetus to SFR, which lost 200,000 customers between 10 January and late February. "Jean-Bernard Levy knows SFR. We are confident in its ability to revitalize all appear the beginnings of a stabilization of the situation. After the initial excitement, Free began to experience a certain loss, "said a spokesman for Vivendi.

The task does not look easy. We'll have to cut some expenses without burdening the future. "In the hundreds of service developments underway at SFR, it will have to choose between those that are essential for the future and those who can be stopped, says an inside source. Always painful choices that force teams to redeploy réinternalisant projects that were previously outsourced to external service providers. "The suppliers and providers of SFR should be the first affected by this clampdown.

Add paid features

It will also have to rethink the positioning packaging opportunities. Free Mobile face, all operators have launched entry-level offerings, sold only on the Web at very aggressive prices. But where Bouygues Telecom, the first chopping last July, has managed to impose "B & You", followed by Orange with "Sosh" SFR has not really enticing with its brand "Red" launched in late September.

But offers low-cost, direct response to Free, are not the only priorities. The operators were able over time to all-inclusive packages (visual voicemail, MMS, mobile Internet …). We must now all unravel for a basic package comparable to that of Free, which you must add a number of services at extra cost. A vast perspective.

 

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 payday loans in one hour. 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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"Whatever the horizon, the sun is unavoidable in our energy mix, as well prepared." Consultant with the firm Kurt Salmon, Celine Alléaume strongly believes in developing the sector in France and its performance on international markets, provided a policy and regulatory framework more stable and certainly more readable. A few weeks before elections, the firm Kurt Salmon and the think-tank France Monday Territory Solar publish the first edition of the Observatory for solar photovoltaics.

"This is an evolving tool, which will be updated and expanded every quarter. Relying on public data, our goal is to provide clear indicators that help to objectify the debate, "said Celine Alléaume.

The photovoltaic park remains marginal

The main finding of the observatory is hardly conducive to optimism: over the last two years, the French photovoltaic park has certainly developed to exceed the 2300-megawatt (MW) combined-connected power, but it remains marginal while digging its lag behind the most advanced countries. "The residential market, initial engine market and generates employment, came into decay since the moratorium of 2 December 2010. Other markets may follow the same trend in the next two years, "says this inaugural edition. According to several players, more than half the jobs in the sector (about 25,000 at the origin) have been destroyed over the past year.

For Celine Alléaume, the goal of the Grenelle Environment -5 gigawatts by 2020 – is already obsolete: "Other countries are growing so fast that the target should be revised upwards. If the government maintains, the French industry will not find that more difficult to place in world markets. Today, we talk a lot of sun in France but its weight is insignificant (0.29% of electricity production in 2011). "

Celine Alléaume still puts forward the statistics of the American NGO Pew Charitable Trust to attest to the weakness of the French position: "On some 56 billion invested in small solar projects in 2010, France has only counted a little over 3 billion. Similarly, while more than 22 GW were installed in Germany until 2011, our country has only one just over 2.5 GW. "Under these conditions, the whole" animation "of one sector and sectors that remains to be clarified: positioning research, choice of technology marketing, distribution of roles and responsibilities across the value chain

.