- October 29, 2011

In the first five days of strike by cabin crew of Air France, the company is organized to provide as announced 80% of its flights. The company has temporarily restricted on Saturday morning to 100 passengers the ability of its medium-haul flights Orly. Consequence: passengers can wait a little and minor delays can be saved.

This management method was chosen to avoid having to put down passengers for lack of a sufficient number of hostesses and stewards. "It blocks the flights a minimum. Is completed according to the presentation of the crews as and when. But we have managed so far to complete the flight and make them go as planned, "says the director of Air France at Orly, George Daher. A strategy that annoys some customers. "We were placed on a waiting list by explaining that there was not enough staff.

Sony headphones for movies and 3D games - October 21, 2011

The immersion is total. Sony caused a sensation at the Salon of video games Porte de Versailles in Paris, showing for the first time in France, his helmet virtual reality video games and movies in 3D.

By this headset, the viewer looks at the images as if they were in the middle of a movie theater in front "of a screen 19 feet wide and 20 meters away," providing its designers. Perception is indeed surprising. Two small screens (in the technology known as OLED, the most advanced flat panel displays) replace the glass of each pair of glasses. As each screen projects an image of the other complementary to each eye, the viewer has the perception of stereoscopic vision. Refreshing images done in record time (0.01 seconds), giving an impression of fluidity. Immersion increases when the music and the sounds coming out of headphones.Better than a stereo sound quality was improved (as 5.1, for the purists). Suitable for a game console PlayStation 3, Sony headphones, codenamed HMZ-T1, provides a home theater payday loans for bad credit.

Price from 800 euros

Technology has made progress since the first generation of virtual reality goggles in the late 1990s, designed by the American group including Silicon Graphics.

In the show, to demonstrate the immersion in video games, Sony has coupled his special helmet to the video game Uncharted 3: the illusion of Drake, launched exclusively for the PS3. With a gesture of the hand on the joystick, and the gun is triggered, another movement, the landscape of the game is running.

This revolutionary headset will be sold in mid-November. But technology has a price, very high in this case: 800 euros.What Sony does not expect to sell hundreds of thousands on the occasion of Christmas.

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Philips eliminates 4,500 jobs - October 18, 2011

"Unfortunate but inevitable to become a company agile and competitive," with these words that Franz Van Houten, CEO of Philips since last April, has justified the 4500 job cuts (about 140,000 worldwide) announced Monday by the group. These job cuts are the result of a plan to reduce the cost of 800 million euros that the Grupe has put in place.

During the third quarter, Philips saw net profit of 85% melting, falling to 76 million euros, sales almost stable at 5.3 billion euros.

The decrease results from Philips is attributable to a decline in margins in almost all its businesses, affected by higher raw material prices and a loss of 54 million euros in the only television division.

The Netherlands announced in April the creation of a joint venture with Chinese TPV, which was to hold 70%. The operation is more complicated and time than expected to implement. Philips announced on Monday again consider all options for this activity, including abandonment, in the event that negotiations with TPV unsuccessful.

Conservative prospects

Among the plus side, the management has sought to highlight the sales growth in developing countries and the good of his health and Lighting divisions. The turnover of the latter rose by 8% over the period, including one worn by 32% growth in sales of LED. But as for the rest of the group, margins were sealed by higher raw material costs.

The group is also very prudent for future prospects.Thus, sales of its health division, specializing particularly in medical imaging, depend largely on government decisions for Buget hospitals.

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France-Soir, a newspaper who wrote the history of the press - October 15, 2011

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the graphic.

Few newspapers have a history as brilliant and desperate that France-Soir. A heroic birth, with the brilliant Pierre Lazareff transforms, at the end of the war, a newspaper born in the underground resistance, Defence of France, in large tabloid. Shattering debut, with prints that quickly reach over a million copies. Illuminated by a succession of prestigious feathers. A slow but inexorable fall, punctuated by numerous changes in ownership.

France-Soir has become the first French daily Liberation from. Acquired by Hachette in 1949, the newspaper saw its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. He crossed the bar of a million copies in 1953-1954, while France mired in the wars of decolonization in Indochina first, then to Algeria.The French go to the front and France-Soir draws more than 1.5 million copies. A banner on the front proclaims: "The only daily selling over a million copies."

By dint of scoops of hard-hitting headlines and large photographs, France-Soir is a reference. "Pick the world in a day and throw it to the men every morning," the newspaper endorsed this definition of journalism by Joseph Kessel, who covered the trial of Petain and Nuremberg. The anthology pieces by Lucien Bodard, Françoise Giroud, Jean Philippe Labro Ferniot or alongside the venomous "Gossip gossip of" Carmen Tessier, the soap with rose Angélique, marquise of angels and the "facts div" sordid as the Dominici affair. The cocktail is perfect.

At the height of his fame, France-Soir is working out up to 400 journalists and eight editions per day.Sales over two million copies in November 1963, after the death of John F cheap pay day loans. Kennedy and after the November 1970 General de Gaulle.

The tide is turning in the 1970s. When Lazareff died in 1972, the daily press is beginning to be shaken up by radio and television. The editorial line is less clear. Like its competitors, France-Soir tabloid to balance between the Anglo-American general and the newspaper. Frequent changes of shareholders from that time do not help matters. The "avid reader" Robert Hersant, which then has to Le Figaro, took control of France-Soir in 1976. First bleed to the editor that loses 80 of 200 journalists … But in 1983, the distribution still falls to 400,000 copies.

Following is a series of stimulus packages and restructuring.Between 1982 and 2004, eleven editors will succeed at the bedside. In 1998, Yves de Chaisemartin, who told Robert Hersant the keys to Socpresse, the paper goes tabloid significantly lowering the selling price. But the title is seriously deficient. It changed hands in 1999, 2000 and 2002. Philippe Bouvard, who has officiated in the newspaper between 1973 and 1989, then back at the helm. France-Soir +, refocused on television and sport, does not return to its glorious past.

Bloodless, without cap, France-Soir is placed in receivership in late 2005. The following year, the newspaper was bought by the developer Jean-Pierre Brunois. Journalists on strike brandishing leaflets "Bal tragic in court: 80 dead." Inspiration always comes from English tabloids. But the newspaper has lost the recipe for success.The two stimulus packages Alexander Pugachev, who acquired the newspaper in 2009, failed to reverse the trend.

Exchange: 216 billion euros went up in smoke - October 3, 2011

The market decline occurred in August and September did go up in smoke the equivalent of 216 billion euros over the market value of CAC 40 companies since January 1. During the one day of 22 September, falling 5.25% of the benchmark index of the Paris Stock Exchange has removed 40 billion euros, as much as the market capitalization of the size groups of EDF and L'Oreal!

Today, all forty major French companies weighed on the stock exchange the equivalent of 794 billion euros. This figure may seem high to the uninitiated, but it is actually little more than the book value of assets of companies entering the CAC 40.The fall in prices has reached such proportions that the largest industrial groups in the rating on the stock exchange deal at the price of factories, stocks of goods or land on which are built warehouses or stores.

3D movies are no longer on the rise - September 21, 2011

A reversal? 3D movies, which have attracted a global craze with the release of Avatar two years ago, no longer win the accession with the French public. This is the conclusion of a survey conducted by the online trade magazine Le Film French, and Allociné UP3D this summer with a sample of 11,867 respondents aged 15 to 64. Against all odds, the audience would have preferred to see 80% 2D 3D movies … because of the price (35%), discomfort glasses (25%), the images are too dark (15%) or the migraine (15%) or simple rejection of the 3D (10%), the study said. Even better, viewers have seen impose regret this format and not being able to only 27% choose to see the film in 2D.

Moreover, only 20% of viewers are satisfied with the quality of 3D against 57% who are not.Finally, the audience was quick to tell the difference between films shot in 3D directly and adjustments made after a shooting in 2D. 40% of respondents are low marks for quality movies converted to 3D in extremis.

Debate raging in the big Hollywood studios

The Médiamétrie, which just made the trade magazine Cinema side a study on the digitization of cinemas, also notes "that public disaffection for 3D and shortness of admissions." But stresses Aurélie Rix, director of the film to Médiamétrie, "operators are still in the 3D and digital opportunity to bounce back by opening their screens with other forms of entertainment and projections such as concerts or sporting events.Enough to return to the class rooms of viewers who had abandoned the big screen. "

Film Studies and French Médiamétrie fall even more steeply that the debate has raged all summer in the big Hollywood studios face the same public resistance which gradually moving away from 3D screens to return to the conventional screen. In its edition of August 12 the very serious Wall Street Journal noted that if 70% of revenues from Alice in Wonderland 3D projections came in 2010, however, 57% of viewers were content to the 2D projection of the last Harry Potter Business Card Holders. There were only 45% choose the 3D much for The Green Lantern and Kung Fu Panda, and 47% for the last Pirate of the Caribbean.In comparison, Avatar, despite the lack of 3D displays of the time, had achieved 75% of its revenue projections through 3D.

Minimize the reversal of consumers

This loss occurs even Hollywood has doubled its number of 3D productions for 2011 compared to the previous year. As many as 16 films planned for this year. Not least because the three main sponsors of the American cinema – Francis Ford Coppola (Twixt), Martin Scorsese (Hugo) and Steven Spielberg (Tintin and the Secret of the Unicorn) – announced rotate in 3D. Not to mention that Ridley Scott is preparing its new Alien, named Prometheus. They try to minimize this reversal of consumers claiming the quality of films.In essence, they recall that a bad movie is always a bad film and even 3D viewers the sanction as such.

Add to this the fact the United States the number of cinema admissions fell by 9% over the first six months of the year and the animated films, privileged territory of the 3D n ' have much more coast than in the past. Rio de la Fox, Paramount and the Rango Hop Universal have jointly made fewer entries than Shrek 3, four years ago, noted the New York Times last May.

What lead to the skepticism of financial markets, the Wall Street Journal, the stock market would have penalized companies specializing in 3D technology, such as RealD. All indicators that are forcing studios to rethink their strategy for production and slow down.Bad news for manufacturers of 3D TV, 3D content eager to boost their sales to come.

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Total discovered oil off French coast - September 10, 2011

The seabed French hide many treasures. Among them, the black gold. Total announced Friday a hydrocarbon discovery off the coast of French Guiana No teletrack payday loans. An oil rig exploration, which was installed in March to 150 km off the coast of Cayenne, allowed the discovery.

The Vendée Globe skippers looking for sponsors - September 8, 2011

This is unprecedented in the history of the Vendée Globe, which will start the 7th November 10, 2012 from Les Sables d'Olonne. At 14 months of departure, half of the expected plateau of the skippers in this race around the world solo, nonstop and without assistance, has not found sponsors to support them.

In detail, the organizers of the event have so far received confirmation of the participation of twelve sailors, including Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec), Vincent Riou (PRB), Kito de Pavant (Bel) or Armel Le Cléach yet '(Banque Populaire).However skippers also titled (thirteen in all) that Jeremiah Beyou (last winner of the Solitaire du Figaro), Yann Elies, Jean Le Cam, Raphael Dinelli (four Vendée Globe on the clock) or the revelation of the last Vendée, the British Sam Davies, is currently docked for lack of partners.

"You can imagine without the Vendée Globe sailors who all have unique or promising career," says Denid Horeau, Race Director. Given the urgency of the situation the organizers (SAEM Vendée) and its partners (the food company Sodebo, the General Council of Vendée and the town of Les Sables d'Olonne) organized a demonstration on Thursday that aimed to évémentielles agency relationship, prospects and sports."We hope that this current waiting list quickly becomes a list of registered voters," insists Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the FFV (French Sailing Federation).

No need to budget staggering

Although it is difficult now to convince the business community to mobilize in the sports sponsorship budgets in times of economic crisis and financial uncertainty, the race around the world (known as the Everest of the Seas) intends to assert its assets.

They are obviously many: 1.7 million viewers for the start in Les Sables, or the arrival in the village, some 466 hours of television (which highlight the boats and the names of their sponsors), near 59 million Internet users after the race …."Since our commitment to sailing in 1998, media coverage amounted to more than 82 million euros," says Pascal Cadorel, communications director of the family group Sodebo, which also sponsors Thomas Coville. As for his reputation, it was multiplied by 18 over the same period. Return on investment, media coverage, mobilizing tool in-house employees: Vendée Globe partners have increased their arguments persuasive and have wanted to attract new investors.

"No need to get on the Vendée Globe with staggering budgets. Even small projects can impact winning, "repeated Christopher Chabot, CEO of Akena Verandas, which posted 25 million euros in sales when it is committed to sailing in 2004.Today Arnaud Boissières sponsor, the group is No. 1 manufacturer of conservatories from individuals and has 700 employees. "This is the works council who insisted that we continue the adventure in sailing," said he. That's why he campaigned for SMEs to join the adventure and trying experience of sailing sponsorship.

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Concern about banks penalize the Paris Bourse - September 5, 2011

The CAC 40 plunges into the red Monday. The benchmark index of the Paris Stock Exchange, which closed Friday on the day of a severe fall of 3.6%, falling 3.64% to 3037.72 points in mid-session after opening down 2.41% to 3072.51 points. The movement is the same in the rest of Europe in London, the FTSE-100 index lost 1.90%, in Frankfurt the Dax was down 2.96%. Madrid and Milan unleash respectively 3.09% and 3.04%.

The health of European banks up to the center of attention. The President of the French Banking Federation (FBF), François Perol, recognizes this Monday, in an interview with Les Echos, that if "bank liquidity in euro is not a problem," "the dollar is more refinancing tense. "Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, in turn repeats, in an interview published Monday in Germany, criticized the request of a European bank recapitalization. "We think in general it is necessary to recapitalize European banks so that they are strong enough to withstand the risks associated with the debt crisis and low growth," she told the weekly Der Spiegel.

The chief executive of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann, in turn, poured oil on the fire by saying that some European banks would not survive if they were to reassess the sovereign debt of their accounts at market price.Recapitalization forced the European banking sector could in turn send the wrong signal to markets, in this case the loss of faith on the part of authorities in the ability of measures to succeed, however, said Josef Ackermann .

Societe Generale lost 7.96% to 20.40 euros (largest decrease in the ACC). The bank is also penalized by the U.S. federal agency oversight of mortgage that has filed a complaint Friday against 17 major international financial institutions which include the French bank, for a total loss of $ 41 billion in bonds linked to subprime .

In its wake, BNP Paribas lost 7.33% to 30.97 euros, Crédit Agricole 6.22% to 5.80 euros and 4.85% at Axa 10.01 euros. Natixis lost 5.05% to 2.57 euros.The aerospace equipment Safran (-2.78% to 26.25 euros) will make its entry into the CAC 40 index, while the bank Natixis is about to leave, said Friday the Scientific Council of the indices of NYSE Euronext. The changes take effect Sept. 19.

Bad signals on growth

In addition to banking problems, the first global economy has fueled fears of a global slowdown by announcing Friday it had no jobs created in August. Following this announcement, Wall Street closed on a sharp drop of more than 2%. U.S. markets will do on Monday with European stock any procedure they will remain closed for Labor Day (Labor Day observed every first Monday of September)."Wall Street remains closed doors, it seems unlikely that operators take the slightest risk," said Chris Weston, an analyst at IG Markets.

In China, HSBC index of purchasing managers in the Chinese sector services slowed to an unprecedented low in August. Seasonally adjusted and calculated by the Institute Markit, it fell to 50.6 after 53.5 in July

No other indicator may move the indices are expected on Monday. One highlight of the week will be the release of the Beige Book Fed on Wednesday night, which will be the summary of economic conditions in regions in the United States no fax payday advance.

No recession expected in Europe

The side of the euro area, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, has tried to reassure investors.Traveling in Australia, he said that the European economy would experience in the coming months a "moderate growth" without going into recession. "We do not anticipate a recession in Europe. The latest forecasts from the European Commission show that the growth will be at the meeting, although this growth will be moderate, it is true, "he said in Sydney.

Markit, the company that carries out the PMI, however, said on Monday that growth in private activity in the euro area slowed more than expected in August, falling to its lowest level in two years, reinforcing fears of a return to recession by the end of 2011. The composite index, which summarizes the activity in the service sector and manufacturing fell to 50.7 points against 51.1 points in July, according to a second estimate.

For his part, Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank said it is "imperative" to implement the decisions taken by Heads of State and Government of the euro zone in July to resolve the debt crisis.

The euro fell to 1.4127 dollars, its lowest level in three weeks. For their part, oil prices were down in electronic trading in Asia, depressed by the poor figures on employment in the United States. A barrel of "light sweet crude" for delivery in October lost 59 cents to 85.86 dollars per barrel of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery 74 cents to 111.59 dollars.Saft takes off

EDF: -2.77% to 20.37 euros

The Italian Minister of Industry, Paolo Romani, said Sunday he would meet Monday Proglio about the power company Edison.

ArcelorMittal: -4.67% to 13.46 euros

Peabody Energy and ArcelorMittal announced Monday it had extended until September 27, the period during which the short bid for $ 5 billion (3.53 billion euros) on the Australian Macarthur Coal.

Zodiac: -1.94% to 54.05 euros

The group said it had completed the acquisition of the American Heath Tecna and have reached an agreement with its banks to raise 300 million euros the amount of an existing credit line.

Schneider Electric: -6.01% to 41.35 euros

The French government intervened with the company to freeze a plan for the removal of one.000 temporary positions, the daily Liberation in its Monday edition, but the group has firmly denied to AFP such a plan.

Saft: 4.81% to 22.87 euros (largest increase in the SBF 120)

The American automotive supplier Johnson Controls will pay $ 145 million (102 million euros) to the French specialist in batteries as part of an amicable agreement ending their joint venture in the automotive industry, announced Friday the two groups in a joint statement.

Alstom: -5.16% to 29.21 euros

The group signed a 66 million euros with Iraq to build a power plant in the province of Nineveh in the north, said the Iraqi Minister of Electricity.

France Telecom: -1.67% to 12.36 euros

TPSA its Polish subsidiary has announced to contest the fine of 128 million euros that inflicted the European Commission.

After market, environment and Dried Assystem unveil their first-half results.

Irene could cost tens of billions - August 28, 2011

The bill may be steep Irene. The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, has evaluated this Sunday on the NBC television network damage caused by Hurricane "billions of dollars, even tens of billions of dollars." According to an alternative estimate delivered by the consulting firm Kinetic analysis, the hardware cost of this storm is expected to rise between five and ten billion dollars, most likely around seven billion. Just to the North Carolina and South Carolina, two states already affected by the hurricane, the amount of losses expected to reach between 200 and 400 million.

Above all, this damage should be responsible in large measure to the State, businesses and individuals, when insurers should take on a lesser share of the burden, said Chuck Watson, one of the leaders of Kinetic Analysis told AFP."Most of the structural damage will be caused by the rising water because of rain and coastal flooding. Yet this type of damage is not covered by private insurance, "said he.

The same applies to losses caused by the cessation of activity in areas relevant to the coast, or the cost incurred by the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Thus, New York, usually hectic, has been transformed this weekend into a ghost town, most shops have closed up shop and residents have been urged to stay home. But there is no damage reported, insurance should not pay a dime to compensate their members.

Insurers expected to be down

Insurance companies, however, should see their value fall Monday at the New York Stock Exchange.On Friday, insurers Allstate and Travelers had fallen to the lowest levels for two years, investors anticipate the costs incurred by the hurricane for those companies.

The amount of the invoice should still be less than initially estimated. Thus, Kinetic analysis was planned on Friday that a tornado could generate over 12 billion euros of damage if it hit New York at the height of its intensity. Finally, she was demoted to a mere tropical storm, with winds still 100 km / hour. These amounts are in any case of a different order of magnitude as the colossal damage of about $ 100 billion registered during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.