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During the month of August, when all friends are gone on vacation, a feeling of loneliness can soon make its appearance. That's why the site RentaFriend chose the summer to offer its services in the United Kingdom and France. Since last July on the other side of the Channel in recent days on the canvas hex, this website offers to rent an American friend in the true sense of the word.

For a subscription of 19 euros per month, or 54 euros per year, the site provides access to a database containing the profiles and contact information of 283,000 men and women worldwide. These people, they register for free, detailing their name, age, place of residence but also hobbies and passions. The 2500 subscribers can then contact them by email or telephone to offer them to accompany them to the restaurant, cinema, for a stroll, a VIP or travel.

The company to 8 euros per hour

If no tariff is imposed, the friend offers to rent usually a base price of 8 euros per hour. The latter, for which all costs are borne by the person who contacted him, pocketed the entire sum at the end of the day. The site itself, survives financially through paid subscription for access to the base coordinates. "The site is profitable," says founder Scott Rosenbaum.

According to the American version of RentaFriend, launched in October 2009, it has been the rental of their friendship their daily livelihood. "If you charge $ 20 an hour and you work three days a week, you can make $ 1,920 a month. If you work full time at the same hourly rate, you can reap USD 3,200 a month, "promises the site. "There is no obligation to be friends with anyone.You decide which bind with a friendship, how much you charge and how long you want to work. You make all the rules! You're the boss! ".

"A new way to meet people"

This type of site is already paying friendlies in Japan, where the archipelago are at least a dozen. RentaFriend exports so the project in Europe. From what to wear uncomfortable associations fighting against loneliness. "The idea of connecting people who feel alone with others is positive because the latter do not occur. But it would be better if it was not paid. The danger in this scenario to be in a relationship distorted trade, while the need to promote human relations, "says Peter Villelongue, association, St. Vincent de Paul who fight against the phenomenon.

"I think people do not fully grasp the concept.Nearly 90% of members are not alone, or depressed. The evidence shown, "defends Scott Rosenbaum facing controversy. "The most common use is that of finding a local friend to play the guide during a trip or looking for dialogue for learning languages. People buy the company, they lease time another person for a specific purpose. Scott Rosenbaum said he also "stunned" by the debate provoked by RentaFriend since its launch in Europe: "I thought the U.S. was prudish and that other countries were more relaxed," wryly creator of the site.

Pinned on the risks of sexual abuses, Scott Rosenbaum scans again the critics: "Every profile is manually checked and we have a system of alerts that words allow us to act. Anyway, there are thousands of website offering sex on the Internet.There is no reason for an individual to try on RentaFriend.

For the rest, Scott Rosenbaum is confident. "I was approached by organizations and private funds but for now, I'm not looking for investors. However, if someone is interested in buying, I'm willing to listen to offers, "he says. Meanwhile, the young man of 30 years is an international coverage by the end of the year. "People should open their minds and see the benefits they can derive rather than judge, consider til.

It is the birth of a new global leader in Internet gambling traded. The operator of online paris Austrian Bwin announced Thursday an agreement to merge with its British rival PartyGaming, a wedding to 1.7 billion dollars.

Bwin, listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange and specializes in sports already claimed the leadership position in Europe with a turnover of 373 million euros in 2009.

The second, quoted in London and more focused on poker and casino games, carried 309 million in sales last year. The new group will be listed in London and based in Gibraltar.

The shareholders will own 51.6% Bwin – those of PartyGaming else – but it redeems PartyGaming.The merger will be completed in the first quarter of 2011.

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The fireworks on July 14, is sacred in many municipalities, but not Mennecy. This town of Essonne is indeed one of the few to have made the choice to give up for budgetary reasons. "This is the third consecutive year that we do not celebrate the national holiday, says Elizabeth Vasseur, deputy mayor. It is a decision we made when we arrived responsibilities. Given the state of public finances, we have chosen to focus on building maintenance, or renovation of two schools being. Because we do not want to raise taxes, "she argues. The savings amounted to ten thousand euros. If people have stayed up Mennecy perhaps no worse the other 364 days of the year, few cities, however, he followed suit.

For the celebrations of July 14 remains a symbolic moment for which the municipalities continue to invest in broadly stable, despite the severity of wind hovering at the national level. In Paris, the budget devoted to one of the biggest fireworks of the Hexagon is constant since 2001. An investment of € 500,000 by July 14 to 30 tons of powder and 30 minute show. "In the current economic climate, we did not want that expense increases, say to the City of Paris. But it seems important to properly celebrate this national event. " Same story in a smaller city, Chalon-sur-Saone (71), where the budget for fireworks is roughly the same from year to year, despite a desire for renewal: "Our budget is constant for 5-6 years, explains Cédric Sementi, responsible for the event.But we chose this year to remove the sound of fire to prolong the duration of the show. " In total, 14 July festivities will be spread over five days in Chalon whole through the operation "Summer Sonatas" paydayloan.

The fireworks, creator of the social bond

Jacques Couturier Organization, which has won this year's market fireworks in the city of Paris, his explanation for this relative constancy: "The fireworks created a social bond that we all need in times crisis, analyzes its founder. Increasingly, we are asked to create fireworks outside the July 14, for example recently at the Championnat de France cyclist Vendee. Especially since the resources allocated to the festivities usually remain small relative to the overall budget of Commons.In Sceaux (92) – which does more than fireworks on July 14 for 10 years, preferring the fires of St. John – the various festivities cost about 200,000 euros to the municipality, with a total budget of 30 million. "This costs in a city hall, which is most likely to suffer from the crisis, are the social or educational expenses," said Philip Lawrence, Mayor of Sceaux.

Among Europe's leading fireworks, Lacroix-Ruggieri, there is however a slight decline in budgets. The amounts invested were stable in 2009, but budgets have contracted by about 5% this year. "All budgets ranges from 2000 euros to 500,000 euros, have been involved," says Jean-Michel Dambielle, Director General Operational Group. And if the national holiday of July 14 is still with us, removal of business tax still worried the bomb."The fiscal autonomy of municipalities will decrease their budgets might be affected, analysis Picard, CEO of Group F, creator of the fireworks in Paris in 2008. Will we still saved? We'll see next year. "

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Eighty days after the explosion of the platform Deepwater Horizon BP, while 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude continue to flee each day in the Gulf of Mexico, the Administration faces Obama in the oil industry courtrooms.

Latest twist, a Louisiana appellate court has imposed a setback Thursday at the White House. On 22 June a judge in New Orleans overturned the six-month moratorium on new offshore drilling more than 150 meters deep, decreed by the Obama Administration. The magistrate ruled the gel arbitrary, decided by him without consideration for its regional economic impact. The executive has therefore appealed and lost again on Thursday.

Thirty drilling platforms in the Gulf these are now hostage to this legal battle.The cost of leasing a drilling platform is estimated at 1 million per day. As a result of thirty platforms in the Gulf, the bill accumulated over three months would amount to 2.7 billion dollars for companies exploring the deposits of the Gulf. The extension of the moratorium could put 50,000 employees out of work in Louisiana and the neighboring oil states.

Go drill "elsewhere"

Along with judges, elected Republicans deposit burst of bills or amendments to overturn the moratorium. For its part, the British government also said to be opposed to a freeze of all offshore drilling and focuses on a case by case basis. "We will not allow drilling until we have no assurance that the plans for all wells (…) represent what can be done better," says the UK Department of Energy.

Already, several U.S. companies threaten to go elsewhere to drill. "If the moratorium is maintained, we will have to redirect our resources to other parts of the world we are authorized to work," says one at Exxon Mobil, the first American company. In the U.S., the oil sector is characterized by the presence of a multitude of small companies, which bore alongside the majors. Thus, Swift Energy, based in Houston, told AFP that she was going to drill more in Texas, on land, at the expense of its operations off the coast of Louisiana.

In California, oil companies had rejoiced the green light to drill offshore, given by Barack Obama just days before the spill.The disaster has brought back the White House on this concession to the oil lobby for support of allied Republicans in Congress on the draft energy law discussed step by step for over a year. The company Venoco, which had projects off California, will focus on its land drilling. Problem: the volumes available in the ground are much lower than those buried under the ocean floor.

Following the adoption of Australian tax on the profits of mining companies, the big names in resume their expansionist movement. Thus, the head of Rio Tinto's Sam Walsh, said further negotiations with the regulators in different countries to complete the planned reconciliation with rival BHP Billiton. Moreover, the multinational was considering expanding its new site for the Pilbara with an investment of 10 billion dollars. The Anglo-Australian group wants to increase its annual production of iron ore of 330 million tons within five years, against 230 million today.

Anglo American is activated

The Anglo-South African Anglo American sells, in turn, coal mines in Australia to a consortium of South Korea's Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and POSCO, and the Australian Cockatoo Coal for 500 million dollars.Finally, Banpu, Thai producer of coal, wants to increase its shareholding in the Australian Centennial Coal, up 80% to $ 1.7 billion.

Many projects had been put between brackets, because of the uncertainty surrounding the new tax taxing up to 30% profits of mining groups.

The CAC 40 increased his earnings to 16 hours. After posting an increase of 0.90% at mid-session, the index rose in Paris now more than 2%, 2.15% exactly 3521 points. Investors have been reassured after the European Central Bank has revised upward its forecast for eurozone growth this year.

The benchmark index of Paris had shown a steady increase at the close Wednesday after three consecutive sessions of decline, thanks to the reassuring remarks from Ben Bernanke, the Fed chief. Other major European markets have also hoisted the green flag.

The finding is similar to other financial markets: the German Dax climbed 1.09% to 6049 points, the Spanish Ibex rose 2.80% to 9117 points, the Milan Stock Exchange gained 1.11% to 19,123 points.Rising British Footsie is more limited: + 0.64% to 5118 points.

Early this morning, Asian stock markets have posted positive counters. The indices are displayed in positive territory while a series of good gives figures of heart from investors.

The euro is ironed beyond $ 1.2.

U.S. growth is reassuring, Ben Bernanke also

Published yesterday, the Fed's Beige Book confirmed an increase in economic activity in the United States without signs of inflation, reinforcing the idea that the Fed is in no hurry to raise interest rates. The Federal Reserve announced it was expecting a GDP of 3.5% for 2010 and "somewhat" more in 2011. In May, the Fed was between 3.4% and 4.5% for 2011.

Its chairman, Ben Bernanke, said he will remain attentive to the evolution "of the situation abroad.His comments are aimed at Europe in turmoil budget. He said however, "reassured by the answers of Europeans," holding that they have developed a "substantial program.

The economic indicators of importance

In France, industrial production in France fell 0.3% in April, but production of the only manufacturing industry continued to grow, according to figures released Thursday CVS-CJO by INSEE.

In Frankfurt, while it is held by the Governing Council, Jean-Claude Trichet, head of the European Central Bank, will deliver the Bank's decision on interest rates to 1% today. A status quo is preferred.

Like every Wednesday, the weekly claims for unemployment benefit in the United States will be published at 14.30. The figures on foreign trade in April will be known at the same time.Then, 20 hours, investors will follow the budget execution figures for the month of May

Japan remains the second largest economy after the United States, while the revised official figures and show a growth of 5% in the first quarter of 2010.

France Telecom, one agrégateurplus a producer

Value-laden France Telecom, which held its annual meeting Tuesday, it appeared necessary to adapt its strategy contained in the competitive environment and has therefore become more assertive as a reader and as a producer, said Wednesday Stéphane Richard, his manager General at the General Assembly cheap pay day loans.

In addition, the telecom authority (Arcep) on Wednesday defended a regulatory context to counterbalance the dominance of France Telecom in the telephony market in France.

The securities yield 0.36% to 15.3 euros.

Air France-KLM: 1,22% + 9,85 eurosSelon information Figaro, Ethiopian Airlines is about to sign an agreement with Star Alliance to join the alliance dominated by Lufthansa. Air France is being shaken to its network and the most profitable.

Total: -1% to 37.73 euros oil group participates in the construction of a solar concentrator 100 megawatts in Abu Dhabi, the largest in the world.

The above shares retreat amid plummeting BP shares, which fell by 15% to the London Stock Exchange on Thursday morning – they dropped 15.8% yesterday on the U.S. markets. In its wake, Technip down 1.3% to 47.25 euros.

Renault: + 3.38% to 30.26 euros change in the financial department head.Thierry Moulonguet will be replaced by the CEO of RCI Banque.

Imerys: + 1.99% to 41.07 euros The Strategic Investment Fund (ISF) announced Wednesday the fall departure of chief executive Gilles Michel, who will join the group of industrial minerals and construction materials, including it should become CEO in 2011, to succeed Gerard Buffière.

French Members Banks, which begin Thursday in open discussion of the draft law regulating banking and finance, also want to discuss with the Government of the German measure to ban naked short selling.

Societe Generale gained 1.28% to 31.15 euros.BNP Paribas, 1.97% to 43.15 euros, Credit Agricole, 2.41% to 8.39 euros.

EADS: + 3.28% to 17.79 euros Eurofighter has launched negotiations with Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy to convince these countries to invest 10 billion euros in next phase of production of its combat aircraft.

Moreover, during the Berlin Air Show, Louis Welsh, the executive chairman said he was "delighted if we could forge a partnership with Embraer, the Brazilian counterpart, said FinanzNachrichten.

The form that could take this partnership has not been specified. In the past, EADS has held a minority stake in Embraer, which he sold in 2007.

The Auchan retail group and its Taiwanese partner Ruentex preparing to list their Chinese activities on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.A first for the family business.

Changes in recommendations

Lafarge and Saint-Gobain wins Lafarge 4.03% 48.65% to euro and Saint-Gobain is 4.48% to 31.63 euros. Citigroup raised its recommendation from "hold" to "buy" on the two values.

Vinci: + 1.87% to 37.25 euros ING has started tracking the purchase, with a target price of 44.20 euros.

Until now, the French have not felt the effects of policy, expenditure control has been conducted since 2007. For the general revision of public policies (RGPP) merely cut in the organization of the state, culminating with the non-replacement of staff on two retiring. After the controversy arose in Spring 2008 when Bercy had failed to dent the map "families," the executive had resigned himself to not touch, or marginally so, the expenses of intervention, ie policy social and wider economic (costs targeted exemptions, housing subsidies, RSA, assisted contracts …) and subsidies (crops, including transport).

Today, given the magnitude of deficits, the government changed its tune.In framing the letter he sent to all departments, Francois Fillon requires a 10% decline in value of intervention expenditure in the period 2011-2013. "To meet the target of freezing government spending-load of debt and pensions, we can not content ourselves to work on the only day operation of departments," said Baroin's entourage, the Minister Budget. In fact, operating expenses, such purchases, computers or real estate, representing less than 20 billion euros, while the operating expenses weigh 67 billion. The Prime Minister had already announced a cut of 10% within the past week. Measurement confirmed in the letter of framing.The extension of this plane to political intervention will save 6 billion more to the state by 2013.

Difficult choices

Remains now to determine exactly where the cuts will take place. Discussions between Bercy and the ministries that will lead to arbitrage mid-June, tight ahead, as the operating expenses are political. Social expenditures account for half wicket. For them, it will take "specific reforms," according to the letter of framing. Minister of Youth, Marc-Philippe Daubresse however assured Wednesday that the criteria for awarding the RIAA will not be changed. The other half of the expenditure is made up of sectoral aid.Transport (including rail network of France), agriculture, housing and culture are on the front line.

"More generally, all departments will freeze all spending," insists one at Bercy. Including, therefore, that of Defence, while the military budget law provided an increase in appropriations. But everything should be done to ensure that capital expenditure are chipped to a minimum.

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U.S. stock markets are a small step forward Wednesday. The Dow Jones ahead of a timid 0.06%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.24%. The previous day, the Dow Jones gained 0.23% and the Nasdaq 0.81%. In Asia this morning, the same trend with the Nikkei in particular that ended on a positive note (1.74%).

Apple Earnings blaze

The technology sector benefited from the announcement after market, a 90% surge in net income of U.S. computer maker Apple in the first quarter. Inflated by including a doubling of sales of iPhones, the company's net earnings to net apple exceeds $ 3 billion in the second quarter of its fiscal offset. Turnover was up 49% to 13.50 billion dollars.Apple shares climbed 5.64% to 258.38 dollars.

Also in the technology sector, Yahoo! also published after the close a net profit group share in the first quarter more than doubled on year to more than 310 million dollars. In contrast, the turnover has been disappointing. It increased only 1% to just under $ 1.6 billion. Result: the shares fell sharply from 5.77% to 17.32 dollars.

On Tuesday, the financial sector, for its part, was carried by the strong quarterly results from investment bank Goldman Sachs (1.26% to $ 162), whose future remains clouded by fraud prosecutions undertaken by securities regulators in the United States and Great Britain.The firm has more than doubled its net profit in the first three months of the year to nearly 3.5 billion dollars.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro was slightly lower Wednesday as investors watching the talks between Greek officials and teams from the EU, IMF and ECB on aid to Greece due to start Wednesday after a successful bond sale by Athens yesterday. By mid-afternoon, the European currency was worth 1.3401 dollars, down 0.16%.

Today on Wall Street, investors will monitor the traditional weekly crude inventories will be published in late afternoon.

New rebound in the case Lagard?re / Wyser-Pratte. Guy Wyser-Pratte, said the activist investor who hold 0.53% stake in Lagardere, has won the support of governance expert RiskMetrics Group (formerly ISS Proxy Advosry Services) in his critique of the structure of the media group.

Support size, because boards of RiskMetrics are followed by institutional investors. But they represent 78.51% of the capital of Lagard?re (50,51% of foreign institutional investors and 20% French).

Rejection of proposals by the management and the board

But on Monday, the general partners and managers of Lagardere SCA voted against the amendment of articles of the company – a company limited by shares to a company – in a proposed resolution before the next general meeting Guy Wyser-Pratte.A decision that is "not surprised" to advise shareholders of the activist. "The opposite would have been more democratic," he quipped.

Last Friday, the group's supervisory board had rejected outright the two main proposals of the Franco-American investor to relax the sponsorship of the Lagard?re group. For now, Arnaud Lagardere, the manager-partner of Lagardere, which holds all powers of decision with 10% of capital. Partnership status allows to use external financing without losing control of the company.

RiskMetrics 'agree' with Wyser-Pratte

Thus, the shareholder advisory firm RiskMetrics looking for arguments Guy Wyser-Pratte: "We agree with his criticism of the sponsorship per share.

"The presence of dissent to the supervisory board of Lagard?re would be beneficial to the long-term shareholder value," she said in a statement. In any case, any election "reflects the intention of the limited partners to adopt a different status," said the company. Verdict on 27 April at the general meeting of shareholders.

On Monday, the shares are granted Lagard?re 0.46%, to 31.51 euros in a market equilibrium.

Wyser-Pratte had accused Mr Lagardere's "mismanagement", accusing him of preferring to "go play tennis in running the company." Arnaud Lagardere leads the group since the death of his father Jean-Luc Lagard?re in 2003.

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Queen of fiscal orthodoxy, Germany wants the EU to acquire a European Monetary Fund, modeled on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Such a body in the euro area would cope with crisis situations, such as it is currently because of Greece.

"For the stability of the euro area, we need an institution that has the experience of the IMF and similar powers to intervene," said Sunday Wolfgang Schauble, Minister of Economy in the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

The European Commission said in the wake it supported such a proposal. "We are working closely on this issue with Germany, France and other member states of the EU," said European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn in the Financial Times Deutschland published Monday.

A "FME" (European Monetary Fund) would most Europeans treat their own problems. The Germans, like other member countries of the euro area, in fact, reject the idea of an IMF intervention in favor of Greece. "The euro area tends to be able to solve its problems alone. Accept financial aid from the IMF would, in my opinion an admission that the countries of the euro can not solve all their problems alone, "said Wolfgang Schauble argued in the German Sunday newspaper.

Above all, Berlin, traditionally hostile to an integrated European fiscal policy, said a WEF would finally impose its partners more lax fiscal discipline any Germanic."According to the German conception of the thing, the plan [to reform European economic policy, Ed] could include significant penalties for countries in the eurozone would fail to discipline their public finances," writes the Financial Times, which is based on statements by senior European officials.

"Effective sanctions'

Alexander Dobrindt, general secretary of the CSU, the Bavarian wing of the German Conservative Party, says the same thing. "We must now consider how we are going to better control the future state of the eurozone as Greece and to make sanctions effective," he said in the Bild am Sonntag, dated Sunday.

Other proposals for European economic government move. Belgium proposes the creation of a European agency debt.This institution could issue and manage debt of member countries, giving rise ultimately "a single European market for government debt," wrote Prime Minister Yves Leterme in an article published in Le Monde and the Financial Times Deutschland. Luxembourg offers his hand to the establishment of a European rating agency.