The top news headlines

The logs are exploding in the capital. With the cold polar current and higher hydrocarbons, chimneys begin to crackle louder. "The sales gallop since it's cold. We are running out of wood, a salesman explains the BP station on Avenue Paul Doumer (XVI). We sell the net logs from June to July, a quarter of a liter, 9.80 euros, with small kindlest handy for 4 euros. "A price high enough to not enjoy the warmth of the flames that occasionally and friendly . This is also the main motivation of the Paris market although this is changing. "We have no request to provide central Paris," said Sylvain Leonard, head of the wood logs Ile de France at the NFB (National Forest), through the joint venture Molinario NFB.  

European regulations

And contrary to popular belief, people in the capital can still make a fire in their fireplace. But on two conditions: "Do not bother neighbors and make two chimney swept every year: at the beginning of the start of the chimney and in the middle of the heating season," says Sylvain Leonard. While many consumers of central Paris have an approach of wood as approval, however in the Ile-de-France the consumer profile is different. Demand is steady and growing. "In the Ile-de-France, residential area, the consumption of wood logs grew by 30% over 12 months now with 30,000 cubic meters of wood delivered each year pay day loans. It starts to make a large volume, "says Sylvain Leonard. Main reason: consumption corresponds to an alternative energy source and complementary to traditional energy. "With the increase of oil, the wood is half the price of fuel oil and 30% cheaper than gas, says Sylvain Leonard. It's a bit more binding power of a wood boiler as this is an additional power source. "

Furthermore, with the next European regulations, it will become increasingly difficult to make fire by "open fire", that is to say, in a classic fireplace without insert. To limit the emission of particles, Brussels has banned the fireplace in large cities like Paris. "The interest of the pellet stove that adapt well to urban life becomes even more important, says Cyril Esnault, founder of the website Allobois.com. And can be plugged into any Internet magnet firewood. The Parisians are a third of our timber buyers, "says the manager. An energy source back to prehistory, which nevertheless still a bright future in the twenty-first century.

ALSO READ:

"The fires in Paris under certain conditions

SERVICE:

"All ads in the Ile de France with Explorimmo

FOLLOW THE REAL ESTATE ON FIGARO:

"Twitter: @ LeFigaro_Immo

The figures are record: 101,700 megawatts (MW) consumed by the French at 19 o'clock last night, a record that surpasses the previous day, to 100,500 megawatts. The previous record was 15 December 2010 to 96,710 megawatts. With each new wave of cold correpond a new historic peak of consumption to meet the increased need for hot water and heating.

Why do we save these records, while 2011 saw a decrease of 6.8% of electricity consumption in France? The sensitivity of electricity consumption to cold temperatures has increased over the last decade, the order of 70 MW per year, says the electricity transmission network (RTE), a subsidiary of EDF responsible for network of power lines. In addition, our electro-climate sensitivity is higher than our neighbors to each degree less, Europeans consume more today 5000 MW, of which only 2300 MW in France! In comparison, Britain consumes 600 MW for each degree lost, Germany and Italy 500 MW 300 MW.

This explains why the French electrical consumption was so low in 2011, the warmest year since 1900. Instead, the cold snap earlier this year led to a series of daily records: the scale of temperatures, the geographic scope (on the whole territory) and the duration of this wave creates a phenomenon of "cold accumulating," said Herve Mignon, Director of Economy, Planning and transparency in TEN.

More electric heaters, more devices

The origin of this particular sensitivity to cold in France: electric heating, which team nearly a third of homes and is installed in 80% of units built in 2009, according to the Environment Agency to control Energy (ADEME). "The electric heaters (except models with heat accumulation) contributes to peak electricity consumption observed around 19h," says this on his site. "It's a French specialty, says Francoise Clement, Information Officer at ADEME. We relied on electric heating, which makes us very dependent on climate. "

Easier and cheaper to install than central heating, it is elected by overwhelming in a country where electricity is more abundant than elsewhere. However, it may prove far more expensive to use, especially since many homes are poorly insulated. "The actual search for energy savings is still new in France, Clement says Françoise. We had no temperature control before 1975 and our expertise in high performance homes is still underdeveloped. "Now, the heat losses are significant: 25% to 30% through the roof, 25% by walls and 10% to 15% by windows.

In parallel, the use of electrical appliances has been steadily improving. In the living room consoles, computers and televisions are increasingly hungry for electricity, as well as kitchen equipment, such as coffee makers and electric robots. "The spirit of cocooning" increases in household demand, explains Françoise Clemente: "We like to equip themselves, we want to be like home."

We must add that the growing electricity demand with economic growth and the continued increase in population. In its latest forecast balance, RTE still see electricity consumption to grow by 1.1% by 2015. Then, assuming an improvement in energy efficiency in buildings, consumption could increase by 0.6% per year by 2030.

During the crisis, tensions continue. The markets had another busy day, Thursday: doubts about the ability of the euro area to overcome the debt crisis have sealed the shares. They weighed on bonds issued by France and Spain led to a further surge in rates especially Spanish and Italian in the secondary market – the debt of "opportunity." The French rate also rose, to a lesser extent, before new Italian bond purchases by the ECB do a general relaxation.

European capitals are still struggling to unite, despite these new turbulence. Or because of them. Thus, the debate on the role of the European Central Bank it off again with a vengeance payday loans.The ECB's independence is considered an insuperable line in a country that is traumatized by hyperinflation of the 1930s. For Berlin, the only way to restore confidence in the euro area is to institutionalize fiscal discipline. Changes in the European treaties must strengthen the powers of Brussels to punish offenders, said Angela Merkel.

The Chancellor reiterated Thursday its opposition to further action by the ECB. "The European treaties such as we see them do not give the ECB the opportunity to resolve these problems," she says.

CEO and American colossus original Welsh, Howard Stringer, missed the turnaround as promised by Sony. For the fourth consecutive year, the electronics group of Tokyo will be in the red. A loss of 90 billion yen (841 million) is expected for the fiscal year ended March 31, instead of a profit.

The various decisions of closures, massive layoffs and alliance with Samsung in flat panel LCD TVs have been failures. Certainly, the fate of the Japanese groups persists. Penalized first by the great earthquake that froze production in the archipelago, they now face a strong yen, measures to save energy drastic floods in Japan and Thailand.Production of television sets will also be halved, falling to 20 million units per year instead of 40 million Payday advance.

For seven years, the business of television is losing. It will be in the red for the eighth consecutive year. And should head out of water in 2014. In this context, the new challenge that has been made in mobile phones seem to be a bit risky. Sony has decided to resume participation in its joint venture with Ericsson joint smartphones.

Of course, the sun never sets on the group. But it is the issue of replacing Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony since 2005, that arises. His predecessors have missed the shift to digital music. Left him spun the televisions and internet tablets. A market where it will arrive late.

His successor will probably be a Japanese.

How to make a hitch to his dog kibble? Appeal to teachers, as do the manufacturers for ages in their advertisements, not enough. It is also pet the pooches in the grain. Nestle, the world leader in animal nutrition with Purina (Friskies, Fido, Felix …), is launching this week at the Austrian television advertising directed at the first of the canine race! A 23-second spot that touts its brand Beneful. The brand hopes to honor "the unique relationship between dogs and their masters."

The matter was taken very seriously by Nestlé. The group uses its team of specialists in animal behavior, based in Missouri. They have identified the sounds that dogs, whose hearing is two times finer than that of humans, are particularly susceptible.Beneful spot, which features a dog bowl in front of her and his mistress, and has a grinding noise similar to that of a dog toy, a barely audible hiss of humans and a fairly high-pitched signal. Dogs are supposed to react differently to advertising based on their "individual experience" and the games they are used with their master, provides Nestlé. Last year, Nestlé Purina was pioneered in Germany with scented billboards that opened the appetite of dogs for a walk.

Black week for France 2 and 3. Despite program schedules reviewed in depth, mayonnaise is difficult with the public. The two main public channels were last week is below their hearing before the summer is far from the promises made in September. According to figures from Médiamétrie, France 2 wins on the week with an audience share that does not exceed 13.3%, while France 3 is below 10% (9.4%). In September 2010, France 2 then peaked at 15.2% audience share, while the monthly regional channel still showed a 10.2%.

Stalls which raise the question as to whether the two chains have changed their schedule from top to bottom than the choice of new issues.France 2 and a string of setbacks on almost all of its new developments that would allow him to raise the level of 15% of audience share. The cultural program "preview" of Elizabeth Tchoungui, broadcast on Wednesday night in the second part of the evening, not taking off the 2.8% audience share on average over the first three editions. This does not represent more than 350,000 viewers. Worse, the average of this time slot falls from the hearings the first six months of the year. From January to June, met this box on average 1.2 million viewers and 9% audience share.

Too much competition

Similarly, the issue of Jean-Luc Delarue ("Family Reunion") is satisfied, on its first three editions, as 800,000 viewers on average for an audience share of 9%.Harder was the prime time last Saturday: "Sing Off, 100% Voice," which was to sign the renewal of the entertainment on France 2, has amounted to an audience share of 8.9% far from the figures usually produced by Patrick Sébastien, which peaked at 22.4%.

Finally, even the new programs of the day are not recipes. And "Hello-Good-bye," the sweet reality show on France 2, is far from the usual average of the chain on Saturday afternoon, or "Would you be a good expert," with Julien Courbet at 17 hours, has collected an average of 640,000 viewers. As the only major success of the chain is the current political program "Words and deeds" that convinced nearly 5 million people in prime time during the primary socialist."We did a lot of change and innovation on France 2 and now we set the grid on a daily basis. It is a spine that is being built, Claude-Yves Robin argues, the CEO of the chain, which defends its choice. The public needs to find its new benchmarks. "

France 3 next week, was saved by the sure value of the string, the series more beautiful life which, with its special evening on Tuesday, has almost reached 20% audience share. What correct very poor performance from the movie Carmen (only 6% Saturday night) and poor scores in some of the new issues of the chain. In Focus, the novelty of Cyril Viguier, "Friday on a plateau," which, on average, over its first three editions, totaling 500,000 viewers and only 4.9% of the audience. Or a score of half that of Mireille Dumas, at the same time, flirted with 9% of the audience.Even the program "Thalassa" modernized off easily. It was not until the last issue to find the audiences last year, around 9.7%. However, François Guilbeau, the head of France 3, prefers to remind "the excellent score of 19/20" with a new formula peaks at 17.3 audience share. "Moreover, he says, all our new programs are progressing. Ever, a program that installs not succeed the first time. Competition is too strong. We have the choice between innovation or re still the same programs. France 3 has chosen innovation. "Only the movie nights in the chain, éditorialisées by Frederic Taddei, are well above the average, to 11.4%.

ALSO READ:

"Pflimlin" France Televisions needs stability "

"France TV devotes 20% of its budget to the creation

SNCF never ceases to celebrate 30 years of its TGV. After the launch last May of a train specially decorated, a new celebration takes place Saturday night in the Gare de Lyon in Paris. The President of the SNCF Guillaume Pepy, and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development, will attend a particular video show projected on the facade of the Gare de Lyon which left the first TGV, the September 22, 1981.

A few figures summarize the tremendous success of the first high-speed train developed by Alstom to accommodate all age groups, mobile executives, young, old … In all, nearly two billion passengers have taken in 30 years. 83% of French people have traveled at least once on board the TGV, which now serves 230 stations.

But the station pulled the alarm a few years ago commercial success, the TGV is not an economic powerhouse.The accounts of the industry are deteriorating, the fault, including the tolls the operator must pay to Réseau Ferré de France, the operator of the system for the use of high-speed lines. Today, nearly 30% of high-speed lines in circulation are not profitable. Guillaume Pepy regularly reminded that the company can no longer afford to invest in next-generation trains no fax payday loans.

The future railway landscape

Several projects of new lines are under way: the Rhine-Rhone, just opened, the Tours-Bordeaux, Brittany or the Loire region, not to mention the circumvention of Nimes and Montpellier. But others are virtual as the Paris-Caen. The success of the TGV has indeed given to the regions want to have "their" TGV.But the question of funding problem and use increasingly common in public-private partnership, a financing involving the state and communities in building a private group, is not a panacea.

After the festivities, Focus on the rail, a kind of rail Grenelle oragnisé by the Department, will again bring together industry players at round tables austere. Objective: To shape the future landscape railway … and give the French the prospect of other celebrations in the coming decades.

ALSO READ:

"The station wants to reconcile with its customers

"Sarkozy wants a more competitive rail industry

»IN PICTURES – What will look like the next train?

The discount is as brutal as sudden. While markets were expecting a deterioration of the Italian debt by Moody's, its rival Standard & Poor's (S & P) has the first shot. On the night of Monday to Tuesday, the U.S. rating agency downgraded a notch credit ratings long and short term attributed to the third European economy A/A-1 against A + / A-1 + before. She also maintains a negative outlook on the evolution of the country's economic activity. Rome was quick to respond, criticizing a decision "dictated" by the media and "distorted by political considerations."

Above all, the rating agency believes to have taken someone a traitor. "There is nothing in this sudden degradation defends Martin Winn, Vice President of the London office of S & P, noting that the Italian debt had already been placed under negative outlook on May 21.A decision which in the eyes of the agency at least, appears as "a very clear indicator," said Norbert Gaillard, an economist and specialist rating agencies. In fact, a negative outlook indicates that degradation can occur at two-year horizon, says Norbert Gaillard yet. Unlike a "supervision order", indicating a probability of discount "stronger in the next three months."

Quagmire of the magazine Italian Greek

The question is whether the markets have built-or not-this "indicator". And there, the doubt remains: "Normally this should be the case," suggests Norbert Gaillard.Adding that markets were also able to consider a positive outcome for Italy, when Moody's, which was placed on negative watch Rome in June, was given "one more month" to determine a deterioration in the adoption of an austerity plan for Rome in mid-July.

However, even if investors are mild at first, the degradation of Standard & Poor's suggests a bleak future on the other side of the Alps. "There are now three notches score difference between Moody's and Standard & Poor's, which is huge," says Norbert Gaillard. He said Moody's may well be tempted to turn degrade the Italian debt, "especially to preserve its credibility." With in this case, "a risk of panic 'markets.

In addition, S & P has not ended with Italy, since the rating agency maintained its negative outlook on the economy Alps.Now, if Moody's was focused on the austerity measures, its competitor seems only need a high debt, a fragile political situation, or a sluggish growth prospects for taking action, counting up Norbert Gaillard. Questioned on this point, Martin Winn mentioned merely "a probability of 33% of a further deterioration in the next two years." As negotiations dragged on over Greece, which still awaits its next tranche of EUR 8 billion, Italy is transformed into a dangerous powder keg for the rest of the euro area.

ALSO READ:

"The exposure of banks to Italy not worried yet

"The note of Italy in the sights of agencies

"" More no country is immune to degradation "

The U.S. stock markets have opened sharply lower on Monday. In early trade the Dow Jones loose 1.23% and the Nasdaq -1.54%. European divisions over the records of the debt crisis and the rescue of Greece, and political tensions in the United States expected to weigh on investor sentiment. Friday, after a feverish new session, Wall Street had ended in the green on the wire.

Investors will be particularly attentive to the speech of President of the United States, Barack Obama. The U.S. president should propose a new tax plan today to 1.5 trillion dollars over the next decade. The plan also intends to cut the deficit in Washington from 3000 billion over the next ten years, said Sunday night a senior administration official.Worried that his program pushed by Congress, Bush called this weekend to support the Republicans, to avoid "dead end". President Barack Obama presented a plan Thursday night use of 447 billion dollars intended to provide a "shock" to the U.S. economy. He warned the Americans Saturday that they would provide "pull their weight" to reduce the country's budget deficit. The United States must indeed make 1.2 trillion dollars in savings by the end of the year. Barack Obama wants to target primarily the rich and businesses. In this sense, it must provide to Congress today a tax on incomes above taxpayers, those earning over a million dollars a year.

Summit meeting in Greece

Concerns about the situation in Greece should also still produce adverse effects on Wall Street.Following a two-day meeting, Friday and Saturday in Wroclaw, Poland, EU finance ministers decided to postpone their decision until October on a loan of 8 billion euros in Athens. The European finance ministers have also made little progress on the implementation of the second aid package to Greece about 160 billion euros, of which the principle was arrested on July 21. The presence of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner will not change. Accused of delay in implementing measures to reduce the deficit, Greece must show its good will.

To try to convince the Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos has to go today as the yoke of the major creditors of the country, calling for new savings measures.According to his ministry, Evangelos Venizelos will submit to the verdict of the "troika" representing euro area and the International Monetary Fund on a conference call scheduled just after the close of European stock. An interministerial meeting is then scheduled to "specify concrete decisions" to be taken, said on Sunday the Greek Minister.

On Monday, the only indicator of expected importance in the U.S. NAHB housing index is to be released in 16 hours. The main highlight of the week in the U.S. is expected Tuesday and Wednesday with the Fed meeting. Investors expect the institution to take steps to maintain the downward pressure on interest rates and long-term and in turn gives a boost to growth.

The euro against the dollar worth

On the foreign exchange market, the euro accentuated his decline against the dollar on Monday.The euro bought 1.3653 dollars against 1.3797 dollars on Friday night. He fell last week below the threshold of $ 1.36 for the first time since February. Oil prices are also in the red. Around 12:30 in Paris, a barrel of Brent North Sea crude for November delivery traded at 111.75 dollars in London, giving 47 cents from Friday's close. In electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a barrel of "light sweet crude" (WTI) for October delivery gave up $ 1.19 to 86.77 dollars.

Also note, share repurchases by companies have reached record levels over the quarter.They are for non-financial businesses of $ 475.2 billion in the quarter (annual rate) against 277.9 billion dollars for the full year 2010 specialists note Aurel BGC.

Values ​​to follow

The side of values, the general manager of movie rental service Netflix announced on the blog of the company splitting its activities on the internet streaming movies and delivery of DVDs by mail.

Boeing expects to receive "hundreds" of new orders and commitments for the 737 version of its remotorisée in the coming months, told Reuters Randy Tinseth, vice president of Boeing Commercial.

according to reports from CNBC, United Technologies is in talks with Goodrich Corp. to buy the company at a price of 125 dollars per share.

Moreover, according to the Sunday Express, Best Buy would have discussed the prospects of its business in the UK with its shareholders.

GE Transportation, a subsidiary of the giant General Electric announced it would invest $ 200 million to develop manufacturing of locomotives in Texas and Pennsylvania.

Commitments at risk of Kweku Adoboli have increased to 10 billion dollars (7.2 billion euros) according to the Sunday Times. Arrested on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the trader in London the Swiss bank UBS has been detained by a judge Friday. May request bail at a subsequent hearing Thursday.

UBS said Thursday an estimated loss of 1.5 billion euros due to fraudulent transactions of its employees. Since then, the bank did not provide details on the mechanisms in question. The extent of fraud appears, however, reach gigantic proportions: it would be spread over three years since October 2008, without apparently the slightest alarm it caused internally. UBS warned regulators Swiss and British have launched a joint investigation.The bank has set up a parallel internal investigation unit called "Project Bronze" and instructed one of his best traders in derivatives, Jason Barron, to unwind positions Kweku Adoboli. While the fraud would have been discovered in the day Wednesday, all commitments have been liquidated Adoboli Friday.

Supposedly low-risk operations

The trader, who was promoted to his post in 2008 from the back office services, was a member of a small team of five people at Delta One desk. Their mission: to invest large sums to the equity of the bank's alleged market changes, via financial instruments called ETF (exchange traded funds). Generally, low profits emerged from these supposedly low-risk operations at very high volumes.Adoboli of the fault could have come from a lack of coverage of his Paris, which would have resulted in a spiral of losses since the collapse of financial markets this summer.

New to fear layoffs

The extent of the scandal poses serious threats to the future of UBS. While the bank has launched a 3500 plan job cuts, new job cuts are feared. The approximately 6000 employees of the investment bank in London feared an outright shutdown of their business, which should show a loss on the year while UBS as a whole should remain the beneficiary. Despite calls for resignations in Switzerland, head of UBS, Gruebele Oswald replied that he did not intend. "If you ask me whether I feel guilty, I say no," he told the newspaper Der Sonntag.

Concerned about its reputation with its clients it manages fortunes, UBS wrote them a letter Saturday to try to reassure them. "We fully understand that this incident may worry, says the bank. We are very disappointed and we also assure you that UBS is taking the matter very seriously and makes every effort to resolve it quickly. Your assets are safe with us. "

ALSO READ:

"INTERVIEW:" We can not detect all financial fraud "