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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 business cards.

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.

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

After finishing the day in the green yesterday, gaining 1.50% to 2984 points, the CAC 40 tackles the session close to balance, falling symbolically 0.04%% to 2982.86 points on Wednesday, pending an important decision of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed). After a two-day meeting, the institution is expected to announce measures to support the U.S. economy. The wait seems high, especially since the day before, the International Monetary Fund has raised the specter of a recession in the world by launching "a strong call to action" at the announcement of its lower growth forecasts for the global economy. This should amount to 4% for both 2011 and for 2012, 0.5 points less than the 4.5% announced in April.However, "given the weakness in economic indicators, it is almost certain that the Fed will do something but it is difficult to know exactly what," noted economists from Capital Economics.

Investors should in all cases be cautious on the Old Continent, especially after the deterioration of the Italian sovereign debt on Tuesday, which must be added the absence of a clear response from the area in the euro area on the Greek crisis. The conference held the day before between the Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos and the heads of mission of the "troika" of the creditors of the country has still not been completed. Only "good progress has been made," the European Commission ruled in a statement. Yet it must release the next tranche of aid and vital in Athens 8 billion euros.The Greek authorities are pressed by their foreign creditors to accelerate the reduction of budgetary expenditures, while the other side, protesters denounced the daily ravages of austerity.

Brazil could help the euro area

In addition, the Greek daily Kathimerini Athens unveiled Tuesday would consider holding a referendum on the continuation of Greece in the euro area to strengthen its legitimacy in its management of the debt crisis. A bill prior to the referendum would be discussed in the coming days, the newspaper said, quoting unspecified sources.Athens, however, denied such a referendum.

While the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) had indicated last week the possibility of supporting the euro area by increasing their holdings of bonds, the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, confirmed this position at Barack Obama on Wednesday at a meeting in New York.

On the macroeconomic front, the United States, home resales for the month of August are expected in 16 hours as the weekly inventory of crude oil at 16.30.

In Britain, the public finance figures for August are expected.

In Italy, the current account balance for the month of July will be published.

In Japan, foreign trade figures for August will also be unveiled.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro remained stable against the dollar Wednesday after Greece has reported "satisfactory progress" with the troika of creditors, but the markets remained nervous awaiting the announcements of the Fed . Around 8 am, the European currency was worth 1.3703 dollars against 1.3702 dollars the night before.

As for oil, it was down Wednesday morning in a market desperate to face the crisis of debt in the euro area, pending a decision by the Fed to promote economic recovery of the largest consumer of crude in the world.In early electronic trading, a barrel of "light sweet crude" for October delivery gave up 53 cents to 86.38 dollars per barrel of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery lost 37 cents to 110.17 dollars.

Values ​​to follow

• Banking

After the degradation of Italian sovereign debt, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas, which are exposed, will still be observed.

Attention will also Dexia, which would have allowed for 25 billion euros in loans toxic entities in 5500, according to Liberation.The additional cost of these credits was estimated at 3.9 billion euros at the end of 2009.

• Bouygues

The group filed with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) the prospectus of the takeover of shares of € 1.25 billion announced on August 31, at 30 euros per share.

• Saffron

The aerospace equipment mandated banks Mediobanca and UBS to bid for the Italian manufacturer of aircraft engines Avio, reports the newspaper front page.

• Canal +

The Competition Authority decided Wednesday to withdraw the decision to authorize the merger of satellite packages CanalSat and TPS, completed in 2007, finding that Canal Plus had "failed to comply with a number of commitments" made to avoid misuse its dominant position.Groupe Canal Plus also sees a fine of 30 million euros.

• JCDecaux

According to Les Echos, the group won an exclusive contract advertising on two subway lines in Chongqing in China for a period of 15 years, but did not disclose financial details.

• Le Noble Age

The company announced in a press up all its results in the 1st half (34% to 3.68 million euros for the net) and confirmed the increase in its forecast of EBITDAR margin ( Operating income before depreciation, amortization and rent) at cruising speed greater than 27% by year end.

For Jérôme Kerviel, the horizon is not entirely clear. His appeal is expected in June 2012. At trial, the former Societe Generale trader was sentenced Oct. 5, 2010 for fraud, breach of trust, forgery and uttering forged documents and five years in prison, three farm, and 4.9 billion euros in damages. The stakes are huge for him, if his conviction was upheld, he could not escape from the prison, having been detained one month and ten days in custody.

Olivier Metzner, remained the only lawyer after a parade of big names in Paris, he prepares the deadline today and this time decided to stay quiet.When the scandal broke, there was much media-presentation, signing, even before his trial, a book, The Gear, memoirs of a trader (Flammarion), in which he denounced "the reality of banking practices."

"Someone basically nice"

Today, thirty years working for a computer consulting firm located in Levallois, near Paris. The boss of this company, expert in court and knowledge of his brother and his first attorney, had befriended the young Breton and had welcomed home after the blast caused by the scandal. "All the people who approached basically found someone nice. He tries to do well in his way. And it's someone you can trust, "assured RTL in 2010 Jean-Raymond Lemaire, his employer.

The scandal January 24, 2008 when Societe Generale announced a record loss of 4.9 billion. Suspicion immediately converge on the trading Delta One desk model that would have concealed astronomical risk positions taken on the markets. At trial, Jerome Kerviel ensures that the bank had encouraged him to take such risks and had then "unwound" these positions in spite of common sense.

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New tough session in Paris. After opening close to balance (-0.11%), ACC widened its losses in the afternoon, in response to the speech from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke. The index rose from 3045 to 3015 points in minutes. But investors quickly resumed: a comprehensive plan was not finally ends probable.Le CAC down 1% to 3087.64 points.

Earlier, the index feature of the Paris market was disappointing not welcome the publication of the second estimate of U.S. GDP in the second quarter. It rose 1% annual rate over the previous three months, said the Commerce Department, revising and down 0.3 points his first estimate of growth in the spring published in late July.Analysts had forecast a less pronounced rate revision, to 1.1%, according to their median forecast.

In Frankfurt, the Dax-30, very bumpy this week limit case and ends with a drop of 0.84% ​​to 5584.14 points after losing more than 3% in séance.À the London Stock Exchange, the FTSE- 100 finished virtually unchanged: it loses 0.02% to 5129.92 points.

Fed pushes to place an ad in September

Highly anticipated speech of the President of the U.S. central bank, Ben Bernanke does not reassure investors. In fact, Bernanke has pushed the September announcement of concrete measures to support the U.S. economy. The central bank is expected to meet more fully next month, he indicated, to "discuss more fully" in the policy.Ben Bernanke also called on U.S. lawmakers to take fiscal stimulus, saying they have more flexibility than the institution.

As for currencies, the euro lost some ground against the dollar after the speech of Ben Bernanke. Around 16:30, the European currency was worth 1.4359 dollars against 1.4441 to 15 hours. As for the oil markets, I Brent North Sea for October delivery was trading at 110.25 dollars on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in London, down 37 cents, while in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a barrel of "light sweet crude" (WTI) for the same maturity lost 35 cents to 84.95 dollars.

In the euro area, regardless of major macroeconomic news.This morning, the companies manufacturing have revised their forecasts down slightly investment for this year and expect a 14% increase (against 15% previously).

The bank's head Cac 40, Peugeot sinks

Essilor International: -0.30% to 52.97 euros

Essilor International in the first semester a turnover of 2.06 billion euros, up 6.9%, the band announced via a press release issued in the edition of Les Echos to appear Friday.

Financials

The ban on short selling financial stocks on Thursday was extended to France, like Italy, Spain and Belgium, and the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) said it would review its position by late September.

This decision only briefly managed to reassure investors.If this decision technique to limit selling pressure on the sector, it does not address the fears that persist on European banks and their exposure to countries in need. After posting the largest gains of the Paris stock in early trading, financial stocks are once again very attacked: Societe Generale lost 2.82% to 21.33 euros, BNP Paribas was down 2.33% at 33, 56 euros, Credit Agricole down 1.41% to 6.419 euros while Natixis closed the show the worst performance (-4.51% to 2.686 euros).

In an interview with Le Figaro, the CEO of Crédit Agricole (-1.41% to 6.419 euros) said the group had "significant cash reserves" and "has no difficulty in financing" .

Conversely, other cyclical stocks, car manufacturers, will gradually take after opening the largest declines in the Paris stock exchange.Peugeot (-0.62% to 19.36 euros) which bought between 12 and 22 August last, about 2% of its capital amounting to 92,010,000 euros, folds to 2.03 %, to 19.01 euros. Renault wins its 0.46% to 26.32 euros.

Total: -0.73% to 32.5 euros

Total expected to present a reorganization in the fall of scale of its operations downstream, with a planned merger of its refining and petrochemicals, according to Les Echos, citing union sources.

As for oil, prices were mixed Friday morning during electronic trading in Asia, in a sluggish market, before the highly anticipated speech of the head of the U.S. central bank (Fed).In morning trading, a barrel of "light sweet crude" for delivery in October gave 10 cents to 85.20 dollars per barrel of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery took 19 cents to 110.81 dollars.

Note that APRR and Bel Cheese (1.24%, to 163 euros) will publish their interim results after market close.

The speech will be delivered to a very limited audience, but it will be heard by the entire financial world. The head of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, will speak on Friday afternoon (French time) to his counterparts at the traditional central bankers in Jackson Hole Symposium, Wyoming.

While the U.S. economy slows dangerously, investors expect a tough response from the Fed. But they may be disappointed because, faced with two problems, the central bank runs out of ammunition.

Misdiagnosis

First, Ben Bernanke erred in economic diagnosis. He underestimated his own admission, the low growth in the first half and was counting on a rebound in demand in the second, which for now does not materialize.Problem with its main policy rate at zero since December 2008, the Fed has little room to revive again the supply of credit. Some members of the Monetary Committee refuses to go further. Among the reluctant, Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Fed. It is estimated that on August 9 promises to continue until mid-2013 interest rates unusually low, the Fed made a mistake: the promise deters businesses and individuals to borrow quickly as they know that the rates are not nearly up.

So what can Ben Bernanke promised? The resumption of purchases of long-term bonds the Treasury is the preferred option by the markets. But given the high level of inflation, the method is risky.In addition, low interest rates leaves little hope that this new "quantitative easing" has a significant effect on credit supply.

Ben Bernanke should focus on technical measures. The Fed could cut the compensation of bank reserves. It would be a way to push banks to lend rather than storing their cash with her. The second measure seeks to change more or less gradually the composition of its balance sheet, which reached 2.7 trillion dollars. To maintain long-term rates as low as possible, the Fed may decide to increase the proportion of its balance sheet invested in long-term securities, while reducing the one placed in short-term securities. The decline in long rates will encourage companies and individuals to refinance their debts and support the real estate.

Apple has made off with digital music. The group of Cupertino recurrence in video on demand (VOD). United States, its download platform iTunes controlled the first half of 2011, 65.8% of movie sales online, says a study by the Institute IHS Screen Digest. According to it, video on demand and downloading films have generated $ 229 million in revenue over the period.

Within a year, Apple has gained almost a point of market share. In parallel, the number two market, the platform Zune Video Marketplace Microsoft lost 2.3 points to 16.2% market share. The disappointment is huge for Sony, whose PlayStation Store will not pick up more than 4.4% of revenues from online video, against 8.2% market share in the first half of 2010.

Only Wal-Mart, with its platform Vudu and Amazon have increased over the period.They control 5.3% (+4.3 points) and 4.2% (0.2) of the market. Both players have recently muscled their offerings in the online video, is launching a range of streaming, or by signing new agreements with Hollywood studios.

"The expansion of the market share of iTunes is a remarkable result in view of increased competition from aggressive rivals some" notes Arash Amel, senior researcher in charge of digital media at IHS. The Apple platform was driven by the growth of the park iPad, special offers on movies and the ability to stream movies from a wireless terminal on a screen Apple TV, IHS analysis.

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Households eligible for the allocation of the new school will have received today. The family allowance were announced in early August that this financial boost to low-income families would be paid to the beneficiary households between 19 and 21 August at the latest.

Last year, about 5 million children and 2.8 million households had received this benefit, an average of 300 euros per child. "We do not yet know the exact number of beneficiaries, because some families must provide proof that they will have to re-entry. But a year on year, this figure varies very little, "says one to the National Family Allowances Fund (CNAF). In 2010, the CNAF had counted only 600 beneficiaries over from the previous year. A few weeks ago, Roselyne Bachelot noted that it had mentioned the figure of 4.6 million recipients.

Increase of nearly 7% of the cost of school

In 2011, the allowance for school was revalued by 1.5% to reflect inflation. Depending on the age of the child eligible under 18 if in school, the aid received varied from 284.97 euros to 311.11 euros per year. But the annual increase covers only a small part of the rising cost of school.

According to the Association of Family France, it rose by almost 7% since last year. For a student of the sixth, the only school supplies back to around 187 euros. Involved, the general inflation of around 1.9% a year in France, and the sharp rise in prices of raw materials, pulp and paper in particular is currently selling at record prices.

The Asian market does not yield to panic. After closing up slightly Wednesday, several Asian stock markets are divided down Thursday, but less pronounced than Wall Street and in Europe the day before. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 is again in the red, falling 1.04% to 8945.12 points after finishing up 1.05% yesterday.

Of the places in China, Hong Kong the Hang Seng 1.45% yield while the composite index of Shanghai Stock Exchange rose 0.68% to 1134.65 points. In Seoul, the Kospi index is left in the green, up 0.71% to 1819.14 points after plunging by 4% in early trade.

Investors remain concerned, however, fearing another recession in the United States and a spillover of the crisis of debt in the eurozone payday loan lenders. The gold and reached new records, crossing first the maximum 1800 dollars.It was worth 1814.50 dollars in the morning before going down to 1785 dollars. Another safe haven, the yen appreciates, and is worth 76.63 dollars, against 76.83 the previous day.

Oil also set off again down in Asia. Yet he had resisted the panic the day before with the announcement of a dramatic and unexpected decline in crude inventories in the United States. In morning trading, a barrel of "light sweet crude" lost 79 cents to 82.10 dollars and that of Brent North Sea fell by 1.10 dollars to 105.58 dollars.

.

A true campaign speeches. Cambodia before the French together in a vast lounge of the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh, the prime minister Saturday launched a violent charge against the left, without ever naming it: "Those who believe that the idea that one could 'de-globalization' history and the comfort of a domestic policy alone, without external stress, maintain a dangerous illusion, "he said, while some voices in the PS and the Greens in particular to call for ecological and social conversion of the production system. "Globalization is a fact, not a hypothesis," has dealt François Fillon, taking the opportunity to refine their profile politician "lucid" which tells the "truth" to the French.

"You who live in the Asian continent, you know what is meant by globalization and the (…) changes it brought with it," he said to an audience that the UMP would attract and retain the perspective the presidential election of 2012 (hence the creation Wednesday of a Secretary of State for French nationals abroad, at the ministerial reshuffle).

Fillon promised to fight against the risk of decline

The prime minister also criticized the "lack of responsibility" for "those who advocate, under a mask of generosity, the return to funding expensive." "Between the spring of election promises and fall of the exercise of power, the reality is responsible for breaking down dead leaves of inconsistent programs," he added, lyrical.

While calling for more than "partisanship," the Prime Minister continued his charge against the advocates of protectionism. "Those who want to get France out of the euro, if unfortunately they came to business, they would endanger our economy, our social model, in the name of a false idea of ​​national sovereignty", he attacked. Against these "lax or populist proposals" which "we pose the risk of decline," Fillon promised he would fight "all (his) forces."

While the UMP is constantly mock the PS program considered "dated," Fillon drove the nail in praising the reforms carried out in four years: a guarantee "of international adjustment," he praised " we have continued to act to reinvigorate our economy, to capitalize on innovation to secure our social model, to contain our costs, "he added."None of these reforms has not been easy, he said. But I am convinced that their legitimacy will prevail, because the French feel that the new world will be uncompromising for nations that choose the easy (…) With the approach of elections, disputes conducive to systematic and utopias of all kinds, we will maintain our line of truth and realism ambitious. "

(From our special correspondent in Cambodia)

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In recent days, European health authorities are engaged in a real police investigation and a race against time to trace the trail of a new epidemic. Prime suspect: a bacterium Escherichia coli, accused of causing bloody diarrhea and kidney complications. Yesterday, Europe accounted for 1 000 patients in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria. In France, six suspects, three of which the Germans are under investigation. All had lived in Germany. Fifteen deaths are regrettable in Germany, one in Sweden.

Where is the health survey? Is this really the cucumber?

At first, the deadly bacteria was traced to imported Spanish cucumbers in Germany. But the German authorities admitted Tuesday that the latest tests showed that the vegetable was not the offending bacteria.

Only the stool of patients contain Escherichia coli enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC). The hypothesis of a contamination plant is however maintained. Tomatoes and salad greens are suspected. The question remains: the vegetables have been infected in Spain, Germany, during transport?

Next Monday, all European health ministers meet in Luxembourg for an update. Francois Grossetete MEP, said "the need to label products to determine their origin."

What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)?

HUS is a severe complication, sometimes fatal, infections of the digestive bacteria Escherichia coli enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) types of E. coli that produce Shiga toxin. After 3-7 days of incubation, these infections are revealed by diarrhea, which may be bloody.Nine out of ten patients recover within ten days. HUS occurs in 10% of cases, linked to the spread of the toxin. It is characterized by acute renal failure, anemia and thrombocytopenia (low platelets). This complication is fatal in 3-5% of cases, a patient care on two renal sequelae. One hundred cases are reported each year in France, mainly in children under 15 years.

How to transmit these infections?

Cattle that are healthy carriers, are the main natural reservoir. Transmission to humans is most often through ingestion of undercooked beef (hamburgers, for example) or products containing raw milk. Water and other foods like vegetables contaminated by feces, can also be a source of infection. A direct human transmission is possible.Many serotypes of EHEC are identified, the most common is O157: H7.

What previous epidemics?

The first two outbreaks due to these producers shigatoxin coli were reported in 1982 in the United States. In total, about fifty people were infected with E. coli O157: H7 via hamburgers. In 1996, Scotland, over 500 people who were victims of the same serotype, also by eating beef. The largest epidemic was recorded in Japan in 1996. More than 9400 cases and 12 deaths had been identified, contaminated radish sprouts. In 2000, Canada, 2000 cases of infection were identified among the 4600 inhabitants of the town of Walkerton.In this area of ​​intensive farming of cattle, the infection was transmitted by drinking water.

What precautions should I take?

In general, these bacteria are destroyed by heat, "two minutes at 70 degrees or 100 degrees a minute," says Professor Patrick Berche, microbiologist (Necker Hospital, Paris). Currently, there is, in his view, no reason not to eat raw vegetables. "The only precaution is to wash your hands before and after preparing raw vegetables, and wash vegetables and fruit, possibly with hot water," he insists.

What is special about the current epidemic?

The first is the serotype in question, O104. "It's fantastic, I have not had a case several years ago, said Professor Edouard Bingen (Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris), whose laboratory is associated with the National Reference Center for E.coli-Shigella. This serotype O104 has been the source of an epidemic in the United States in 1994. "It's odd to have a highly virulent strain and immediately resistant to powerful antibiotics such as cephalosporins," adds Dr Berche. Moreover, the current epidemic affects mostly women, while the hemolytic uremic syndrome usually involves children. A difference that, according to Professor Bingen, may be related to the origin of infection: the hamburger more often, raw vegetables in this case.