World News – International Headlines, Stories

The U.S. stock markets have remained on the defensive on Friday. At closing, the Dow Jones lost 0.21% to 11,233.68 points. The S & P 500 loose 0.26% to 1158.82 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index yield of 0.75% on its side 2441.58 points. U.S. financial markets were closed yesterday, while the country celebrated Thanksgiving. The day before, Wall Street finished in the red.

On this day of "Black Friday", the markets were open for half a session. This day, like every day after Thanksgiving, sounds the start of the race for Christmas gifts across the Atlantic. In this time of economic downturn, observers will be attentive to the behavior of U.S. consumers during this high mass consumption.

Tensions on the debt market

On the macroeconomic front there is no major indicator on the agenda.U.S. investors as their European counterparts, should focus on the developments of the debt crisis in the eurozone.

Tensions remain very strong in the market for government bonds. The performance of the Italian debt in two years reached a new peak since the creation of the euro, exceeding 8%, after an auction of short-term borrowings Italian who saw Rome used a record performance.

In the aftermath of mini-crisis summit between France, Germany and Italy, supposed to "support and ensure the sustainability of the euro", the concern persists. Operators complain German blockages on the tasks of the European Central Bank (ECB). France advocates a more determined it to buy the debt of troubled countries. Germany refuses outright. The issue of Eurobonds is at the center of the debate.

Employment, austerity and growth. The election program of the Popular Party (PP) is turned almost exclusively to the economy. Of six chapters, only the last two – and foreign policy institutions – are not related to the crisis in Spain.

Entitled "More company, better government," the program is inspired by a moderate liberalism and makes a message in the form of virtuous circle. A mantra repeated endlessly the conservative Mariano Rajoy, president of the Popular Party, which won an absolute majority in Sunday elections: change will generate trust, for growth and employment, which in turn will promote a return to financial balance.

Entrepreneurs appear to be the better off. Alone should benefit from tax cuts. For others, the austerity will be the rule.

The meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel with British Prime Minister Cameron, far from marking a reconciliation, a deed the differences between the two countries on the edges of Europe. Despite the cordial declarations of the two heads of government, differences on the issue of saving the euro continues. "Germany's interests, Britain has its own," acknowledged David Cameron at the end of the meeting cash advance.

The issues are still there and no solution in sight, the Chancellor conceded. Britain still refuses the idea of ​​a tax on financial transactions, supported by Paris and Berlin, because it severely handicap the City of London. On the issue of greater involvement of the European Central Bank to resolve the crisis of the euro, which promotes London, the German chancellor has proved inflexible.

Barely more than one agent in two has passed. Participation in professional elections in state civil service fell 51% against 70% in previous elections. This dip can be explained by the Ministry of Education (more than half of voters), where the number of voters has plummeted to 38.5%. Participation has also maintained or slightly increased.

Several unions of education have questioned the electronic voting used for the first time. Besides errors "classic" in sending the professions of faith or the constitution of electoral lists – that private voting some candidates! – Bugs, especially complex and lengthy procedures have discouraged or computer agents prevented some from voting.The FSU, crumbling a bit, but still by far in the lead for Education (40.6%, double the UNSA and three times the CFDT and FOR), the judge "malfunctions" so many they constitute a "denial of social democracy." According to the CGT, "for 10% of the workforce, the conditions were not met in order to vote." Tens of thousands of voters have not received the code allowing them to vote.

Demobilization

"The elections were conducted generally without real difficulty," scans the Minister of Public Service, citing the use of "modern" and "environmentally responsible". François Sauvadet "rejects the word" failed ". Participation is also the result of the decision of each agent to vote or not. " The officers had "one week to decide," says one colleague in Education, Luc Chatel.Favor of electronic voting and … up, the CFDT and Unsa also note that if teachers are not mobilized, principals or administrative officers of Education have been more involved, as postal workers, while they also voted on the Internet. The vote for the first time, contract – which the unions have not always paid great attention – may also explain the poor performance against.

Mechanical consequence of the demobilization of troops of Education, FSU – so far the first union of all the public service of this state, but almost exclusively among teachers – see the gap is closing with its competitors low fee payday loans.It drops to 20.9% of the votes (19.1% including private school teachers under contract, for the first time integrated into the social dialogue bodies of the state).

The reformists up

His pursuers, rather than reformist protesters, progress: FOR 17.8% (16.2% with private school teachers), the UNSA with 16.7% (15.3%), with 12.6% CFDT (14.5%). Then come the CGT with 13.4% (12.8%), Partners with 6.5% (6.2%), CFE-CGC with 6.3% (5.8%) and the CFTC with 1, 6% (3.9%). FO heels and the FSU and even seems able to catch up. However, the CFTC could disappear from the list of allowed unions to negotiate and sign agreements for all the officials, failing sufficient score.

But these results should be taken with a grain of salt: more than 300 000 registered agents are still missing the call, about 2 million.Are integrated nor France Telecom nor the Department of Justice, who will vote Nov. 22. In the first case, it was always intended, in the second the vote was postponed at the last minute because they have been properly prepared.

They do not include either the results of the Ministries of Economy and Budget, who had not finished stripping, yesterday afternoon. What added a little more sense of improvisation and confusion. At some point – even among union leaders – questioned whether Bercy did not take pleasure in soap the plank at the Department of Civil Service, at the forefront of this election. In the week already, as the "flop" of participation seemed to indicate the climate was tense between 101 and 110 rue de Grenelle – seat of the Ministry of Public Service and that of the National Education.

ALSO READ:

"Elections unprecedented in the public

"Redistribution between public service unions

The job market managers resist. The latest memo on the economy of the APEC (Association for the use of frames), the hiring intentions of companies in the fourth quarter continued to grow: 53% of them plan to recruit at least one part by the end of the year, up 4 percentage points higher compared to the previous year.

But at the same time, uncertainty is palpable among the companies planning to recruit, 69% are "certain" to do so, a drop of 9 points from the previous quarter."Is this a sign of an early reversal? "Asked Pierre Lamblin, director of studies and research.

Side areas, drive continues for the time in IT, engineering, R & D, consulting and auditing, while the bancassurance and construction are down.

Managers faced with the more long-term unemployment

Another notable fact, if managers are still less affected by unemployment than the general population (3.9% against 9.3%), the long-term unemployment is rising (14% between June 2010 and June 2011). Among these long-term unemployed, half over 50 years.

"I want to focus on those most vulnerable by a yoyo economy," said Marie-Françoise Leflon, the new President of ACOA.

Already hiring intentions graduates are down 41% of companies looking to hire in Q4 target young graduates, a drop of 6 points in one year. In the present context, profiles confirmed directly operational have more popular with recruiters.

ALSO READ:

"More managers were increased in 2010

"The use of frames is in good

SERVICE:

"Find jobs for executives with Cadremploi

The human resources department of Air France is under pressure. Three cabin crew unions (PNC) filed a strike notice for the weekend of All Saints, Saturday 29 October to Wednesday, November 2.

The unions believe that their company "wants to charge PNC" his "poor economic performance." They denounce downsizing that "degrade their working conditions." The strike affects all flights from Orly, Roissy and Marseille.

This was already burning the cloth between the management of Air France and its flight attendants. Seven unions had filed a notice of four days in late July, one of the busiest of the year. Finally, the threat was not carried out.

The hostesses and stewards who work on short flights and medium-haul are directly affected by the restructuring plans announced by Air France to regain ground in a market dominated by low-cost airlines payday advance. Air France seeks to improve its productivity by organizing more such flights by plane and rotation by offering volunteers a more intense pace of work. This time, a new rating system hostesses and stewards with their heads cabins, instead of "inspectors controllers" would have set fire to the powder.

ALSO READ:

"Air France flight testing a" bio "between Toulouse and Orly

"EasyJet response to Air France in provinces

"Air France to Marseille, a revolution

"AF 447: the last words of the crew

Six months after the end of the disastrous false spy case, the flowchart of Renault is unrecognizable. The large "household" began on April 11, according to the findings of an internal audit of the dysfunctions of the company during this crisis. That day, under government pressure, many players in this fiasco had been removed. Led by Patrick Pelata, number two, since replaced by Carlos Tavares. But also members of the famous security service, the chief executives, Jean-Yves Coudriou, the legal director, Christian Husson, and Secretary General, Laurence Dors.

This is also the same date as the foundation of the current organization had been thrown, with the creation of a Deputy Director of Superpost for president, told Mouna Sepehri, comprising the General Secretariat, and the law.Meanwhile, the Human Resources Directorate was attached to the CEO.

This structure was subsequently refined in late July, after a report by Alain Bauer, Alain Juillet and Eric Delbecque, all three experts on economic security. They advocated to link security to delegate to the presidency and create a structure of security control – inspection – dependent on the CEO.

This reorganization is clearly intended to prevent the excesses of winter – where the direction of Renault had managed the business with an incredible amateur, without resorting to the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI) – can reproduce easy pay day loans.Carlos Ghosn, the CEO, why close all security issues with him, as they were once buried in the depths of the organization, and has mounted a much more professional.

Prevent skidding

Friday, the new recruits were officially presented. Among the main changes, Eric Le Grand, head of security at the Post supports this function at Renault. Jean-Marc Berlioz, former head of the General Inspectorate of the National Police, who was also an adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy and Hortefeux of the Ministry of the Interior, is entrusted with the inspection of the security service. He will report to the CEO, as the direction of internal audit, and that of ethics, whose boss is being recruited.

Communication, finally, was renewed.It is also the responsibility of Mouna Sepehri, who was charged in April to reflect "the lessons of the crisis" in this area. We remember the disastrous intervention of Carlos Ghosn on TF1, saying it was evidence "multiple". The management of this service returns to Florence Goldfiem, a former journalist. She will be responsible for bringing the "serenity" and "pride" to the group, and improve the image of Carlos Ghosn, dented by the crisis. Oil and its relations with the French elites and policies, which have little support, while "helping him to refine his understanding of French culture," says one in-house.

The directors of Dexia and states have approved most of the steps needed to dismantle Dexia. Belgium has proposed the purchase to 4 billion euros in Dexia Bank Belgium (DBB), letter of intent attached to the communiqué issued after the board in support. A similar document should also have been initialed on the negotiations with the Deposit and Postal Bank on the financing of local authorities.But according to two sources familiar with the conditions of an agreement between Dexia and Caisse des depots were not met on Monday.

A week ago, however, after an operation of mediation between the parties led by René Ricol, the Deposit and Dexia had agreed on the outlines of the deal: the CDC should buy Dexia Municipal Agency The vehicle refinancing loans from Dexia's long-term form of bonds, for a price estimated at 250 million euros. So business savvy. But the data have changed in the day Saturday, Dexia reassessing its estimate to 380 million.This morning, without targeting specific operation Dexma, Pierre Mariani reaffirmed its determination to defend the interests of the bank and its shareholders.

Another crystallizes the tension between the French public institution and its subsidiary to 20%: the definition of liability guarantees granted by the latter to the former in connection with the operation. Due to insufficient data, the investment committee of the Caisse des depots, while conscious of the urgency has given an advisory opinion but negative on the operation hours of the board of the Franco-Belgian bank.

Simple adventures of a complex negotiation and tense? Recalled to the rescue Saturday night, Rene Ricol has at least reconfirmed the terms of the consensus snatched the previous weekend. The subject should again grow rapidly.We need it to maintain the balance of the scheme to dismantle and symmetry of the actions of both sides of the Franco-Belgian border.

The restaurant may have for their charges. As part of the review of legislation strengthening the rights, protection and consumer information, the National Assembly voted Monday to require an amendment to the professionals to reveal the freshness of their products. These should be systematically identified by an asterisk in the menus, instead of dishes made from frozen food, vacuum-based or canned.

Purpose of the maneuver: to promote "consumer health" and "quality of the restoration" of the tables of the Hexagon, said on its website Fernand Sire, UMP deputy from the Pyrenees-Orientales, which supported the text. For the elected "too many pubs and restaurants now offer the ready-made without anyone being informed," he told Le Parisien, Aujourd'hui en France.

Consomation specialist and director of Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (Credoc), Pascale Hébel finds that the measure is likely to weigh on the business of many restaurants. "The French, especially the elderly, are very attached to the charge, and only a minority is aware of the place of the frozen" in their plates, she said. However, according to Roland Heguy, president of the Trades Union catering and hospitality (UMIH), "the 120,000 catering outlets in France, 20,000 are working with really fresh."

The frozen ostracized

Unlike the director of Credoc, Roland Heguy not worry unduly for the industry: "Unfortunately, he let go, people know they eat frozen food" restaurant. However, he deplored the "suddenness" of the measure, "the lack of dialogue" upstream.Above all, this roundabout way to banish the frozen, "which is not a poison," he insists. For him, "the problem is that there is no differentiation between the professionals who use industrial products, and those who are cooking their dishes with fresh ingredients, but sometimes the freeze" to avoid wasting .

If this argument will not necessarily appeal to health authorities, Roland Heguy also argues that a duty of freshness is already in the state label of "master restorer" created in 2007. "Until now, restaurants have won in 2000, knowing that we have agreed a target of 7500 by 2015," says the president of the UMIH.

To him, the copy is to be reviewed. A meeting of "consultation" has also been programmed with Frédérique Lefebvre.To the Secretary of State for consumption, it will be to "find ways" to implement a device "extremely innovative". For Pascale Hebel, communication about this will have a major impact for the sector. "Pragmatic", it believes that "we must not demonize the semi-prepared or frozen, as they democratize and improve their quality."

For professionals, it will shake to play knowing that the season will be difficult. Comprising 240 stores retail chains and restaurants, the federation Procosa sounded the alarm earlier this month, judging impossible mission to find his activity levels before the crisis next year. After a difficult summer, marked by a decline in sales of its members of more than 4%, the best table on a 1.5% increase for 2012. This amendment "anti-frozen" do not leave indifferent.

"After three years of starvation wages, marked by wage freezes or increases in general very limited, 2012 could confirm the recovery that began this year," said Bruno Rocquemont, responsible for investigating compensation at Mercer France.

According to the survey (1) conducted by the consulting firm in human resources, business plan for most occupational categories increased by 3% (median) budget increase (collective and individual), against 2.5 % in 2011. The exceptions are the workers (+2.8%) and senior (2.9%). But in any case, it would exceed the average inflation of 1.7% in 2012 by the government.

End of the wage freeze

Two major trends. On the one hand an almost complete disappearance of the wage freeze, a measure widely implemented at the height of the crisis.However, 4% of companies plan to freeze the workers and managers.

In addition, the company forecasts reflected the "sacrosanct" rate increase of 3%, which was applied during the years before the crisis erupted instant credit report.

In addition, both groups seem to be emerging. First, the majority, has given the 3% salary increase. A second, more prudent, considering between 2.1% and 2.5%.

The survey was conducted between March and mid-July, ie before the great economic and financial events of the summer (crisis in the euro area, downward revision in growth for 2011 and 2012, falling stock markets …), Mercer, again, questioned 142 of the 329 companies in its original sample.

"Eight out of ten believe that these events will bring them to scale back their budgets for salary review.This reduction could be 0.5 point fall. In contrast, companies planning to date, a wage freeze, are still a small minority, said Bruno Rocquemont. In this context, we have to closely follow the mandatory annual negotiations (NAO), which launched just been given in some societies and that will continue into March. "

(1) survey of 329 companies, mostly French subsidiaries of multinational corporations.