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If humanity continues its momentum, it will consume in 2050 three times more raw materials than today. "Far beyond what is bearable." The warning is clear. And it does not derive from Lester Brown, president of Earth Policy Institute, which multiplies the books for decades on the depletion of the planet or the WWF or Greenpeace, but the UN.

In forty years, some 9 billion people consume 140 billion tons of minerals, hydrocarbons and biomass (wood, crops, livestock), as reported by the UNEP (United Nations Environment). Or 16 tons of natural resources swallowed each year by each person on the planet."Policymakers and the general public are still not convinced of the absolute physical limits on the amount of resources available to humanity," the authors note, a dozen experts led by an Austrian and a South African.

Doing more with less

To avoid shortages and social tensions and geopolitical they would generate, the world must "do more with less." Sustained growth requires massive investment in "technological innovation, financial and social." One difficulty lies in the considerable disparity in the exploitation of raw materials. An inhabitant of an industrialized country consumes an average 16 tons per year, four times more than Indian.

In rich countries, the differences are equally impressive.A consumer of Qatar, Australia and the United States swallows 40 tons of natural resources per year when a French, a German or an Italian uses about 15 tons. These figures do not reflect the reality only partially, note the rapporteurs of the UN. For a tonne of copper extracted in Chile will be charged to the consumer in their calculation Chilean even if it is used to manufacture a product sold in China or Europe. These methodological weaknesses therefore do not change the risk of global depletion of natural resources. Even if industrialized countries were able to halve their consumption of raw materials by 2050, not living to 8 tons, and that developing countries joined this level without exceeding the total amount to 70 billion tons, or 40% more than today.This scenario (No. 2 in the graphics) would be accompanied by a doubling of greenhouse gas emissions, a path inconsistent with the objectives of the international community in the fight against global warming.

Amid these grim prospects for the environment, the UN report uncovers some reasons not to despair. The global trend towards urbanization is paradoxically supports better use of natural resources. A densely populated area per capita is more economical building materials, energy and transportation, the experts argue.

Another reason for optimism, emerging skip some stages of development by adopting technologies directly or models that consume less raw materials, how they embraced the mobile phone have not finished building the fixed telephone network.

Union leaders had expected that the 1 May 2011 be a little raw. It is clear they have struggled to mobilize. In Paris, the procession was attended by 12,000 people Sunday, against 21,000 in 2010, told AFP the police headquarters. Organizers say 30,000 people joined them.

The secretary general of the CFDT Francois Chereque was present at the head of the cortege left shortly before 15 hours instead of the Republic, like that of Luke Berille UNSA and FSU Secretary General Bernadette Groison. The general secretary Bernard Thibault of the CGT, which was also manifest, was ultimately unable to move "because of major back problems," said his entourage told reporters.

Leaders of the Left also participated in the parade: Francois Hollande Olivier Besancenot through Eva Joly, Jean-Luc Melenchon or Marie-George Buffet.The spokesman of the Socialist Party, Benoît Hamon, the number two party, Harlem Desir, or members Bruno Le Roux, Sandrine Mazetier and President of the Ile-de-France, Jean-Paul Huchon were also behind the banner PS.

The leader of the Socialist Party, Martine Aubry, has, meanwhile, marched in Lille. "We do not have to be in the streets to celebrate International Labour Day," said the first secretary of the PS about the sparse parades, saying that employees would demonstrate "in 2012 at the ballot box."

Attendance was up for the parade FN

In the regions, the mobilization was also low.In Marseille, among 2000 people by 5000 according to police and organizers, marched through the streets between 1200 and 3500 people in Toulouse between 2200 and 3300 in Lyon, between 2200 and 3000 in Bordeaux between 1200 and 3000 in Strasbourg between 700 and 1000 in Lille and between 450 and 1000 in Rennes my credit score.

It was also shown to Pau (800 to 1200), in Angoulême (500), Besancon (500 to 1000), Brest (250 to 300), Nancy (700 people according to the unions) and as at Dunkirk, in Orléans and Caen.

These figures were more than expected from a trade union unity has disintegrated somewhat. "The character of this holiday is both less said, the day falls on a Sunday," observes Marcel Grignard, number two of the CFDT.In 2009 the protesters were much more likely because of the crisis, and in 2010 the fear of the pension reform, just before its unveiling, had been a factor in turnout.

On the other hand, the parade of Marine Le Pen Paris, focusing on the workers and popular classes, has mobilized more than expected among 3200 people according to police and 20,000 according to the FN (against 2000 and 8000 according to the police according to the FN last year).

"May 1st, we are the popes of the earth"

Besides purchasing power – the secretary general of the CFDT, Francois Chereque, called on Europe 1 radio on Sunday increased the minimum wage beyond the 2% rise tentatively scheduled on July 1 – the themes that defended Unions are talking years' support for the Arab peoples who rise to the dignity and freedom, "and" equal rights "between French and foreign workers in response to" national preference "advocated by the National Front , a rise in the opinion polls.

Winks comedy peppered some processions. "May 1st, we are the popes of the earth", alluding to the beatification of John Paul II. But also slogans in opposition to the FN, as in Rennes' French workers, immigrants, same bosses, same battles. "

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Encouraging indicators supported the U.S. stock indices and overshadowed the disappointing results posted by Google and Bank of America.

According to government statistics, the underlying inflation remained contained in March, while the monthly survey from the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters has shown that consumer morale rose more than expected in April.

"I am surprised that the market will continue as well, after Google and Bank of America," said Randall Warren Warren Financial Services, "but the world is happy with the figures for consumer prices."

The Dow Jones gained 0.46%, 56.68 points to 12,341.83, the S & P 500, very popular with fund managers, took 5.16 points, 0.39%, to 1319.68 . As for the Nasdaq, it was up 0.16%, 4.43 points at 2764.65.

For the week, the Dow fell 0.3%, the S & P 500 and Nasdaq 0.6%.

The announcement of results from Google, after-hours trading Thursday, has frightened investors due to a sharp increase in spending group in the first quarter. The jump in sales over the same period could not allay their fears and the stock closed on a fall of 8.23% to 530.70 dollars.

However Bank of America, which released before the opening, shows a decrease of 2.26% to 12.81 dollars.

Consumer prices, wages and industrial production …

The macroeconomic agenda was charged Friday: while being held in Washington, the second G20 meeting, where finance ministers debate the raw materials and global economic disorder, indicators released Friday were more reassuring, particularly with respect for inflation, current concern for markets.The consumer prices in the United States have maintained their strong growth in March, but according to the forecast of analysts. Excluding food and energy, inflation is called base stood at 0.1% in March compared to the previous month. The index of consumer prices grew 2.7% year on year. "Inflation remains moderate in the U.S.," commented Kimberly Dubord, from Briefing.com.

On the currency side, the dollar went back against the euro, the single currency bending under the weight of persistent speculation about a restructuring of the Greek debt. About 11:00 am in Paris, the euro bought 1.4448 dollars against 1.4488 dollars on Thursday night.Monday and Wednesday, the European single currency reached 1.4520 dollars, its highest since Jan. 14, 2010.

The financial sector heckled

As for values, the financial sector was the most penalized this week after an accumulation of bad news on Wednesday, the publication of JPMorgan Chase was a disappointment, especially, said Christian Parisot at Aurel BGC, because of "low increase the distribution of credit in the quarter and the poor performance of retail banking scandal affected by foreclosures. "

Other disturbing news has accumulated: the cost of foreclosures looks up sharply. GoldmanSachs downgraded the sector of U.S. banks. And, according to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. authorities are investigating the manipulation by the big banks during the crisis.Meanwhile, a Senate report has already questioned the functioning of the financial system in 2008. "From 2006-2007, Goldman Sachs has sold some CDOs to investors in Europe and Asia because those instruments could not find takers in the U.S. market," analysts summarize Aurel BGC.

Bank of America and Mattel to menu

It is in this tense environment that Bank of America filed this Friday its first quarter results. The largest U.S. bank by assets, posted a profit of $ 1.7 billion for the first quarter, down 39% over a year and below expectations, continuing to suffer from the mortgage and legal fees high.

Mattel also sacrificed in the exercise.The U.S. toy maker Mattel saw its net profit by 33% melting in the first quarter to 16.6 million, due to higher administrative costs and overhead, but the result is in line with market expectations. The stock gained 4.12% to 26.80 dollars.

The success of touch pads for the first time contributes to the decline in sales of computers. That is what the preliminary results of a study conducted by Gartner. The global PC market was 84.3 million units in the first quarter 2011, down 1.1% over the same period last year. These figures show a decline in sales of computers, first for 18 months. And this, when Gartner expected a rise of 3% for the first quarter of 2011.

"The low prices of consumer computers, which had long sustained growth, failed to attract buyers. Consumers have turned to the shelves and other multimedia devices in place, "says the study report, Gartner analyst, Mikako Kitagawa, noting however that the business market can limit the overall decline."With the launch of the iPad 2 in February, consumers turned to the purchase of alternative devices, or have simply chosen to buy a computer. We are studying whether this trend will have a long-term effect on the PC market. "

Declining sales due to currency

The general downward trend is however subject to disparities. If the European and Middle East is showing the first signs of decline "since the end of the recession in the fourth quarter of 2009, computer sales in Asia were up by 4.1% with 28.2 million computers for the first quarter of this year. Japan, devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, recorded the biggest drop in sales with -13 no fax needed payday loans.1% with only 4 million computers sold. In contrast, sales of computers in the Asia-Pacific are still growing.The Latin American market shows him the strongest momentum with an increase of 5.4% to 8.1 million units.

A lifetime of computers longer

"The consequences of events in the Middle East and Japan do not directly affect sales, but still a factor influencing the market in the short term, the findings by Gartner joins Jay Chou, senior analyst firm IDC Worldwide. "However, good quality computer products have become a reality today, with the advent of laptops, and more recently, multimedia tablet," he said in a statement. Bob O'Donnell, IDC wordlwide, is more reserved: "It is tempting to attribute the entire decline (the market) to the development of multimedia tablet, but we believe that other factors such as life longer PCs have had roles as important. "

Over the full year, Gartner predicts that sales of computers continue to "support" from their 2010 level. The upgrading of computer equipment should make it possible to support the market until late this year or early 2012.

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It is primarily a symbolic gesture of solidarity. Representatives of the G20 participated Thursday in a teleconference to discuss the situation of Japan, without drawing any conclusion. And 23 hours, another conference will bring together finance ministers and central bank governors of G7 countries (U.S., Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and United Kingdom) on the same subject. However, no concrete decision is expected.

This, according to French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, to "see how it reacts on the financial plan." One way to reassure markets that have lost their cool this week. But Japanese Finance Minister, Kaoru Yosano, said that his country is not sufficiently destabilized to a G7 intervention, whether monetary or repurchase shares, or necessary at this time.The IMF is also reassured: "Japan is a rich country that has all the financial resources" to meet the challenges caused by the earthquake of March 11, believes the international monetary institution.

The Bank of Japan injected on Thursday morning, 6,000 billion yen (54 billion euros) into the financial system, raising its market support to 34,000 billion yen (309 billion) since Monday. The course of the yen resist these massive injections of liquidity. After reaching its highest level since World War II, Tuesday night at 76.36 yen to the dollar, the Japanese currency fell slightly yesterday at 78.89 yen, but remained at a very high risk for exports Driving the Japanese economy.If he betrays a repatriation of Japanese capital invested abroad, it can also have a negative impact on the deficit financing of some G7 countries, including the United States easy pay day loans.

Japanese Minister of Economy denies the existence of these remittances, blaming "speculators" betting on a nonexistent movement. But in the eyes of many observers, this move would be real, from the insurance, even if "there is currently no evidence, as outlined in the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

Agencies reassured

The Tokyo Stock Exchange, which had rebounded 5.6% on Wednesday, went back down, losing 1.44% on Thursday in closing, as most Asian markets, which show, it seems, less confident that the European stock markets, which rebounded 2.20% to 2.43% in Frankfurt and Paris, while Wall Street opened sharply higher, more than 1% after three days of declines.

In Tokyo, threatened by a power outage at a large scale, it is considered too early to make the accounts. Barclays Capital counts the costs of the earthquake between 130 and 150 billion euros, while that AIR Worldwide estimates that $ 34.6 billion (24.6 billion euros) that the check will pay the insurance.

But rating agencies Fitch, Moody's, Standard & Poor's, usually so quick to degrade the troubled country, keep their confidence.Fitch said the "huge savings" of the archipelago. Moody's insists that "Japan is a rich country that has proven in the past that he could recover from a disaster."

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While China has already provided support to European countries struggling with debt problems, such as Spain or Portugal, it could again give them a boost. The central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, said on Friday that "despite difficulties in some European countries, China supports strong to overcome their budgetary difficulties and succeed in their economic recovery."

Moreover, Zhou Xiaochuan said China is "very confident in the euro area and its ability to overcome the crisis. What about European countries in difficulty, the governor said: "We have confidence in their economic prospects." A response to the wave of downgrades by Moody's sovereign these days, that hit Greece and Spain.

China pledged last year to support the euro zone countries face the rising cost of sovereign debt, worsened by U.S. rating agencies. The Spanish daily El Pais had reported in early January that the Chinese government planned to buy six billion euros of debt in Spain. In December, the Portuguese daily Jornal de Negocios wrote that Beijing was ready to buy five billion euros of debt Portuguese. At the end of last year, the chief economist of the bank Natixis, Patrick Artus, had considered buying Chinese Greek debt to several hundred million euros. Beijing has never confirmed any of these amounts.

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Nigeria, Kuwait and the UAE will increase their oil production by April to offset higher prices, with additional 300,000 barrels per day, according to the Financial Times. Amid civil war in Libya, which translates into a fall of 60% of daily oil production in the country, oil companies and U.S. banks have ceased all activities in the country of Gaddafi. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Morgan Stanley, which bought oil for his customers, has severed all business ties with Libya. ConocoPhilipps longer exports a drop of 46,000 barrels it produced each day in the country, along with Exxon Mobil and BP.

Meanwhile, speculation on oil markets in full swing. Traders expect a continuation of the surge in the number of Paris to the increase reaches a level never reached.The record price for summer 2008 – when WTI traded at $ 145 – could be beaten faxless cash advances. For now, the WTI is trading at more than $ 105 a barrel after rising nearly 14% since the beginning of the year. As for Brent, it is trading at nearly $ 115 after a dramatic 25% since January.

Already at the pump, gasoline prices beat their record highs. A liter of unleaded 95 has sold 1.506 Euro per liter, exceeding its record of 1.497 euro reached in June 2008, according to records released yesterday by the Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC). As for diesel, the fuel most consumed in France, its price rose to 1.351 euro per liter, the highest since August 2008.

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It's another year of strong recruitments in France that EDF plans for 2011. The group announced this morning that 4600 recruits (including 1,500 management posts), mostly young people, against 4300 last year. Meanwhile, about 3,800 departures were recorded last year at EDF and ERDF and 3750 are expected this year, giving a net job creation of 850 jobs.

The energy giant is facing a dual challenge: firstly, it must accompany the resumption of nuclear development in the world, extending the life of plants, and new construction projects of thermal power plants or hydraulic. On the other hand it must deal with a pyramid that will lead to retirement from 25 to 30% of workforce in France by 2015.A proportion that rises to half the actual maintenance and operating in the fields of manufacturing, engineering and distribution.

"We are since 2007 on the movement of medium and long term, with an increase in growth rate of our assignments. Over a period of five years and by 2013, the group has recruited 15,000 people in France.Increase the lifetime of nuclear power plants involves indeed predict trades at 15, the profiles necessary to recruit and train, "said Marianne Laigneau, HR group EDF.

Hiring energy group – which currently has 170,000 employees worldwide and 240 jobs – mainly concern the nuclear pole (engineering and operations), with around 2440 vacancies, but also R & D (70), the hydraulic (300), thermal (100), while that ERDF (the distribution center) will proceed to 1400 hires.

Marianne Laigneau also confirmed the group's commitment towards alternation. EDF is proposing this year 2400 offers alternating at all skill levels. Including personnel already in training in 2010, "more than 4,700 staff are currently in the group," she recalls.

The death of a teenager who ate at Quick in January led to a decline in attendance of fast-food chain, said Sunday its CEO Jacques-Edouard Charret. "The drop in attendance of about 30% of our restaurant Avignon Cap Sud (where the teenager had eaten) remains unchanged since the beginning of the case," he says in an interview in Paris . "On all of our franchisees, we also note a lack of interest, but it is weaker," he says. The fast food chain has more than 350 fast food in France.

"It will take us much time and effort before returning confidence," says the CEO of the sign, which recognizes that "as with any food crisis of this kind, it will take several months before s' in return. "The company also announced Thursday a strengthening of its sanitary measures, with the creation of a quality label, a hardening of the scoring system and better training of its employees and managers free credit score.

Quick had raised some ten days the possibility of a "local fault" in his restaurant in Avignon, in view of the first results of the investigation into the death of the teenager. It has already been established that the death was related to the meals the day before by the young man of 14 years. The prosecutor opened an investigation against X for manslaughter, citing serious breaches of hygiene. The victim's parents have become civil parties.

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Prices of existing homes in Paris and in historic areas of major French cities are expected to grow by over 10% in 2011 compared with 2010, according to the note of real estate market trends released Wednesday by the Notaries of France.

"The market in central Paris and the historic districts of large cities a province, like Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux and Montpellier, evolve beyond 10%," write the solicitors in this study "An early 2011 dynamic but then what? ". For these scholars, the sharp rise in prices should also continue in 2011 in the small and large crown in Paris but "but with a change of less than 10% over the year."

Fewer transactions in 2011

In the rest of the province, the increase will be more moderate in 2010, ranging between 3% and 5% are forecasting notaries.According to the National Federation of Real Estate (Fnaim estate agents), prices of existing homes in France are expected to rise 3% to 6% this year after increasing last year's average of 1.5% for all land and a record 15.7% in Paris. In 2010, the real estate market has regained its former volumes of the years between 2000 and 2007, from 590,000 sales in 2009 to nearly 800,000, "real estate investment appears more secure than investment in the financial market" , welcome notaries.

However the number of sales in the former is expected to reach in 2011 a sales volume of less than 2010, they say.Indeed, the tax reform proposed by the government "may cause short-term positions and erratic behavior among some owners vendors, with temporary reduction of risk placed on the market and price pressures."

Among the tracks thrown in as part of the reform of taxation on property, the head of state spoke in mid-January the idea of taxing capital gains realized on the sale of a principal residence, up by tax-free. Rising prices continued early in the first quarter of 2011. Based on preliminary contracts (sale agreement), notaries confirm the estimate of their colleagues in Paris at the end of last year, indicating that the average price of apartments in Paris in the first quarter will exceed the 8,000 euros / m2.In the provinces, mainland prices also rise, particularly in Bordeaux and Rennes (+15% yoy), in Nantes and Lyon (5 to 10%), while Lille and Toulouse know in the first quarter of price stable (0-5%).

(With AFP)

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