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Presidential in major cities Paris | Leeds | Lyons | Toulouse | Leeds | Sheffield | Liverpool | Bordeaux | Lille

"Te koop," panels "for sale" are hung at the windows of apartments in Rotterdam as those of great houses in Het Gooi, privileged region of local stars. "On average, a rest house for sale 159 days, 80 days against five years ago: the number of properties for sale has doubled, while prices continue to fall," said Roeland Kimman, spokesman for the NVM.

The first quarter of 2012 was the worst since 2008. The number of transactions fell by 15.6% over the last quarter of 2011. During the same period, the average price of a property fell 2.8%. In April, the fall was even 4.7% over one month. "Buyers are desperately short of confidence," says Eduard Vaandrager, agent in Keizerskroon Makelaars in Amsterdam.

Lower prices undermines consumer confidence, which weighs on consumption. The government attempted to revive the market by lowering the tax on property sales from 6% to 2%. In vain. "To stabilize the market, we should reform the estate tax credit," said Peter Boelhouwer, housing expert at the University of Delft. Arrested in France, Great Britain, Sweden and Norway this grant does not exist in Germany. "In the Netherlands, this has driven prices in the 1990s and early 2000. This is an expensive item – € 9 billion per year – but nobody dares to touch it, because 58% of Dutch owners are, "says the specialist.

Risk loans

Apparently favorable first-time buyers, this grant supports the richest: "Consider a person who borrows at 5% for a house of 600,000 euros. If it is in the tax bracket higher, it may deduct 52% of his monthly payments of taxes and pay only 15,000 euros per year, "says Eduard Vaandrager.

Despite the crisis, the government decided to maintain the subsidy, so as not to accelerate the fall in prices. But it now requires borrowers to repay their loan in 30 years maximum. This concludes a series of mortgages, that only allow full reimbursement of the loan and the sale of the property.

Comfortable in times of rising prices, borrowing against the value of the property become very dangerous when prices fall. "If the owner can not sell his property at the agreed price with the bank, he finds himself with a very large debt," says Ivo Arnold, a professor at the Erasmus School of Economics. As a result, owners waive sale. "Thank goodness that there has been no speculation, as in Spain!" Says Peter Boelhouwer.

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No miracle. Greece's gross domestic product will fall by "around 5%" this year, suffering a fifth year of recession, acknowledged Tuesday the Bank of Greece. The plunge "will be less pronounced than in 2011", where GDP fell 6.9%, concedes the national bank, but 0.5 points higher than it expected in March. And it is also necessary that the restructuring measures promised by Athens to be "implemented without delay."

Unemployment, says the Bank of Greece, will exceed 12% of the workforce this year, against 17.7% last year, while inflation will be around 1.2%. And the future of the country, which aims for this year a deficit of 7% of GDP and a reduction of its debt to 145.5%, against 9.1% and 165.3% in 2011, rests entirely on the recapitalization of its banks, thanks to 50 billion euros in aid provided by its creditors. They were accused last year a record loss of 27.9 billion euros.

For Panagiotis Tampoureas, director of development pole of the ATE bank in Athens, the estimate of the central bank "is still very optimistic." In his view, the continued decline in wages and consumption can only increase at half the recession yet.

If the Governor of the Bank of Greece, George Provopoulos, underscores, once again warned his country against the risk of leaving the euro area, it must consider the uncertainties posed by parliamentary elections on May 6 Although 36 parties have submitted bids, Greece will probably have to seek a coalition government between the conservative New Democracy and PASOK socialist.

Pension fraud

Will it have the means to stay the course of rigor? This is not won. The government has discovered 200,000 cases of fraud in pensions and social benefits over two years – enough to save over 800 million euros a year.

The Ministry of Labour has also identified 4,000 businesses that reported the imputed social contributions. And Greece, which combines a shortfall of 60 billion euros in unpaid taxes, is preparing to create an electronic record capable of correlating all transactions of taxpayers with the banks, credit insurance, hospitals and all public services. He could emerge from this year and significantly reduce tax evasion.

But the Greek authorities also face another reality of the crisis. In the first half of this year, calculates the European Commission, a thousand individual companies will put the key under the door every week in the country. This is the same economic base of Greece disappears. In 2010, there were indeed very small companies with 742,600 total 2.51 million employees, over 85% of total employment in the country.

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Benetton where history repeated scandals. There are a few more months, in November 2011, the Italian firm made history again by launching it's ad campaign "UnHate", featuring heads of state kissing low fee payday loans.

Alessandro Benetton, son and heir to his wife in 2006 in Venice.

The ras-le-bol rises among users of TGV Nantes / Angers / Le Mans / Paris. And also the response … The members of the collective defense of Subscribers Line Atlantic (Ladala) took a new step in their protest movement against the repeated delays of the station, on the line leading to the capital. The trick to reach the railway portfolio. To do this, they have not hesitated to launch a "ghost TGV" massively by booking every seat of a TGV line in question. Of seats they will not play of course. Each member buying between 5 and 10 seats, 800 seats have already been blocked, all classes, as pointed out this morning on RTL Pascal Mignot, the representative of the collective.

Reaction except the SNCF, the train should travel empty, which would result in a serious shortfall. Because the protesters are concerned subscribers, a status that gives them access to places for a mere $ 1.50. And the date chosen is not trivial since the 250 members of Ladala have set Wednesday, May 16, the eve of Ascension Day and the weekend so great starts.

Greece of tickets

This is not the first time Ladala tries to voice his displeasure. Mid-March, the group had launched a strike of tickets and passes, along with daily rallies in trains and on platforms. Faced with the continuing delays and lack of financial consequences for the SNCF, the association thus increases the pressure, also taking on its website a statement of the duration of the movement, and delays on this line quick guaranteed personal loans.

Faced with the accumulation of failures since the schedule changes in December 2011, their demands are clear: rate freeze on packages (over 500 euros per month), on-time to avoid disputes with employers, indemnity 2.5 euros per 10 minutes late, and got 150 euro for subscribers to compensate for failures of January, February and March. In total, officials estimate that the collective duration of 14 hours cumulative delays over this period.

Side of the Authority of the quality of service in transport (AQST, dependent on the Ministry of Ecology), although the figures show a surge in failures since November, with up to 30% of trains delayed . But since February, the trend seems to be improving. Apparently not enough to calm those subscribers, still wearing a badge "subscribers on strike," which also launched an online petition and sent a letter to presidential candidates. Denouncing a 18% increase in travel time on an ordinary trip to Le Mans / Paris, they have finally created a Twitter account inviting followers to list all the failures of the Atlantic line. An initiative that has been emulated the Creusot subscribers and Amiens have since joined the movement.

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From our correspondent in Moscow The Russian oligarchs are slightly fewer in 2012 and earn a little less money than last year. But this year is the emergence, in the first place in the ranking of the 200 richest, a virtual unknown in France, Alisher Usmanov, who caused a sensation.

With its $ 18.1 billion of personal wealth (13.7 billion euros), the man closest to the provincial notary that the flamboyant raider jumped five places in the ranking compiled by Forbes newspaper, and dethrones the other metal tycoon Vladimir Lissine, relegated to second place overall (about 12.1 billion euros). The steelmaker Alexei Mordashov (Severstal) completed the podium of the largest fortunes of the country (11.6 billion euros).

For its part, the very Francophile Mikhail Prokhorov, who just getting into politics and was third in the presidential election, going from third to seventh place, losing a year to the next 4.8 billion dollars (10 billion euros of total assets).

World record for the number of billionaires per capita

Best known for his West London home of Beechwod, acquired for $ 96 million, and its 25% stake in Arsenal football club, Alisher Usmanov has become one of the most discreet but also the most influential Russia, where wealth is acquired always at the intersection of business and politics. He has assisted the Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, and his wife to make a fortune.

Alisher Usmanov, who spent six years in prison for fraud in his country, now runs the company Metalloinvest. But the businessman has also been careful to diversify its business, particularly in the media and new technologies. In 2009, he has invested nearly a billion dollars in Facebook, took a stake in the site Groupon online sales. Alisher Usmanov has also media group Kommersant.

The Vedomosti reminded Friday that Russia holds the world record number of billionaires per capita (96 143 million), before the United States and Singapore. The journal regrets that contrary to Western mentality, money has become the ultimate horizon of Russian society, including the acquisition to be held by "any means", including "violating the law" .

In 2012, the wealth of the 200 richest Russian, however, declined by $ 52.3 billion, with a total of nearly $ 446 billion (338.6 billion euros).

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Our Berlin correspondent Continuing uncertainties related to the euro crisis will not prevent the German economy to continue its momentum insolent. The five major economic research institutes across the Rhine released Thursday of predictions on the rise: they are forecasting growth of gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.9% this year, against 0.8% previously, and anticipate a accelerated growth of around 2% in 2013.

In their spring report, institutes, very famous in Germany and analyze which twice a year the country's economic health, expect a 3.1% rise in exports for 2012 and a further increase of 5.1% exports next year.

According to experts, the debt crisis, however, continue in the coming year to weigh heavily on several partners from Germany within the European Union. The measured optimism is thus based on export growth in Asia, the U.S. and in emerging countries.

Divisions on the role of the ECB

As in 2011, domestic consumption should also support strong growth. Institutes predict an increase in domestic consumption of 0.9% for the current year and 1.3% in 2013. It should rely heavily on investments in housing construction, up 2.3% in 2012 and 5% next year, according to these forecasts.

The Germans, who fear that their savings melt due to the risks of inflation in the euro area, are turning increasingly to the housing market, which has risen significantly in recent months.

Result: unemployment should continue to decline, but at a more measured pace. The number of unemployed is forecast at 2.6 million annual average for 2012. End of 2010, the number of unemployed had risen in the symbolic three million, for the first time since German reunification.

The five major German economic institutes have confessed their divisions on the role of the European Central Bank (ECB), in a report that contrasts with the usual image of a Germany grimly determined by monetary policy. They note in particular that the ECB faces a "dilemma" because governments have so far "rested on the assumption that the ECB will always take over in case of need." Some will see a rally in the implicit position of France, which advocates a more active role of the ECB.

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"We know what's wrong and we know how we will fix it." Philip Clarke, Tesco's boss for a year, has compiled a table Wednesday uncompromising problems that led the UK's leading retailers' bottom of the escalator. " As at Carrefour, what are the activities of the brand in its home market, the UK, who sin the most. For the first time in twenty years, profits in the country decreased (- 1%), offset by an increase of 18% of profits abroad. More worryingly, sales at comparable areas (excluding new stores) fell 1.6% in the last quarter, yielding market share to competition. "A year which can not be proud," the president lashes.

After thanking the boss of UK operations, Philip Clarke resumed them live. In shirtsleeves and red tie, like the logo of his sign, the native of Liverpool who has spent his entire career at Tesco, where he began putting teen-shelf, announced a plan to invest 1 billion pounds (1.2 billion) to revive the case.

Stores gray and poorly maintained, frequent breaks in radius, fresh products that are not always too high prices, inadequate staffing and unhelpful … Consumers have taken a dislike Tesco, which was regarded as, ten years ago, a model followed for all major retailers.

The opening of the contract

Contrary to popular belief, it is quite possible to take out a life insurance contract on behalf of a minor child. Indeed, the prohibition of insurance death benefit over the head of a child under 12 does not apply to life insurance, accidental death which is merely incidental.

However, a certain formality must be observed. Indeed, if the child is under 12, signature of both parents is required for opening and administering the contract. If one parent is not able to exercise parental authority (because he was deposed or died), the guardianship judge must confirm this subscription.

The contract must have a fixed term, not for life. In practice, we may retain such a period of 8 or 10 years. The contract will anyway renewable annually thereafter.

Namely: by age 12, the child must give consent by signing the contract.

The beneficiary clause

Until age 16 the insured minor, the beneficiary clause can only be "my legal heirs." However, from the age of 16, the minor can write the beneficiary clause of his choice, within 50% of the contract value. Insurers in this follow the requirements of the Civil Code.

Life insurance has in this respect a great advantage. Indeed, it prevents the insured to dispose of its funds from 18 years of age, if his parents consider it necessary or desirable. Simply that the beneficiaries of the contract (ie the child's parents) accept the benefit. In this way, even his majority, the child can not withdraw funds without the consent of his parents.

Our advice is to avoid abuse, it is best to set an age limit (eg 25 years) and write this clause with the help of a notary no fax payday loans.

The power of the contract

Long-term investment, the contract of life insurance is ideal for building up capital to fund future education or entry into working life of the child. Accumulated savings being in his name, he will not be necessary to make him a gift: it avoids the payment of fees, at least until the contract is powered by small amounts.

Namely: Pour a donation of a life insurance contract does not relieve the duty of declaring whether it exceeds the framework of a simple donation of use.

Small streams by large rivers, it is advisable to establish a regular savings on the contract. The greater flexibility is allowed: it is possible to suspend, resume, increase or decrease payments freely.

On what media invest the savings?

Some caution is in order if of course the capital comes from an inheritance or gift. The European funds in this case is ideal.

However, if a regular saving is in place, it may be wise to invest some of the equity markets. This is especially true if the child is small: with an investment horizon exceeding sometimes 10 or 15 years, the potential market declines may be offset by gains. In addition, management options that offer the best life insurance now allow secure savings as needed.

Our advice: choose a flexible and scalable contract, so your child can keep when they become adults and take advantage of its prior fiscal.

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