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The French prefer cats to dogs. This is what emerges from the latest survey by TNS-Sofres on behalf of Facco (Employers' Federation of manufacturers of prepared foods for dogs, cats, birds and other pets).

The number of cats is increasing (923,000 in 4 + years) to reach today 10.96 million topics at the expense of the dogs. The strengths of these are still in decline (- 488,000 in 4 years) and amounted to 7.59 million.

However, this view does not reflect a lack of love for the canine species from the French. It is rather an awareness of the responsibility that owning a dog that would be the main reason.  

Masters of free and responsible

Masters of increasingly responsible if one judges also by the rate of sterilization and that the investigation highlights that increases steadily year on year to 32.5% of the total population of dogs (or + 3 points compared to 2008) and 74.2% in cats (+ 2 points).

18.3% of non-dog owners believe that it can cause "problem when they go on a weekend or holiday." This may explain why the small breeds, the "boilerplate" are increasingly the coast.

The investigation revealed that Facco "dogs live mostly in homes of average size [in] rural areas, in houses with gardens. There are more often than in the past someone at home during the day. Cats, they are found mostly in medium-sized families living in rural areas in houses with gardens. "

The other reason cited for not acquiring a dog is "the commitment it represents over several years" for 11 no fax payday loan.8% of respondents.

Older, supposed to have more time, not "crack" not easier for a dog. The survey observed an underrepresentation of the age group over 55 years. "This age group made up largely of retired, healthy, and with a comfortable purchasing power, is a traveling public, which focuses on outdoor recreation and is therefore looking for a flexibility, "note the analysts Facco.

Cost and maintenance: a pattern little mention

And although some purebred dogs reach very high price to buy (up to 4000 euros), as also the care and maintenance budget is also taken into account, provided, "the cost of acquisition and maintenance of the animal is not a discriminating factor as a result of non-possession is cited as most important by only 2.9% of non-owners, "notes the survey yet. 

The maintenance cost to maintain healthy animals do not appear as a brake, it is also parallel to remind the French are only about 4% to ensure their pets by taking out a contract for Animal Health allowing reimbursement of veterinary fees for accidents or illness.

A rate that is struggling to "take off", France accused in this area lags behind compared to the UK where the rate of health insurance for 30% of animal owners, and … 80% in Sweden.

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As soon as the telecom regulator (ARCEP) she reiterated that Free Mobile fulfilling its obligations in terms of coverage, the network of the new telephone is again controversial. He knows since Friday morning strong disturbances that affect customer communications. The magnitude of the incident remains unknown, Iliad, the parent of Free, refused to give details. But for France Telecom, under contract to Free Mobile, it would be a "major incident".

Disturbances may be caused by the failure of one of the two "signaling equipment" Free Mobile needed to find the phones.

Orange wants to keep his distance. The incumbent is linked to Free Mobile "a roaming agreement" which allows customers to use the Free Orange network in areas where Free has not yet developed its own coverage. "Free us informed in the late morning of an incident on its network equipment. This incident is in no way related to the contract of homelessness in Orange network, "said a spokesman for France Telecom.

No "quality testing service"

The incident revived the controversy over the quality of service of the fourth mobile operator. Tuesday, Arcep confirmed before an Assembly committee that Free Mobile covered at least 27% of the French population, a regulatory requirement for anyone holding a mobile telephone license. The regulatory authority, however, that it had made "coverage tests" and not "test quality of service."

For other telephone companies, possess Free Mobile Network "cheap" or "empty". They accuse him and his relay off voluntarily and not to develop its infrastructure to rest on those of Orange, better and more extensive. It is estimated that over 90% of calls made by customers Free pass through its network.

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The tension is still up a notch on the site ArcelorMittal Florange in Moselle. About 300 steelworkers blocked since Thursday morning the release of shipments of the site for the restart of two blast furnaces, at a standstill for several months. At a central works council (CEC), management has confirmed the arrest of these furnaces in the second quarter. She said it was a "temporary suspension" and that the situation for the third quarter would be considered "in the month of May." The group, which invokes a slowdown in demand, provides a target restart facilities "as soon as market conditions permit".

Far from being reassured, the unions are convinced that management has signed the "death warrant" of Lorraine site, with imports of Russian steel to fuel its business outside furnaces.

"The management was committed to restarting our blast furnaces if Dunkirk was unable to feed, here, in steel," the mill hot strip mill, which produces steel for automotive technology, said Edward Martin , responsible CFDT. "And now she announces in CEC purchase of 60,000 tons of metal" to a "competitor" Russian laments there. Broccoli for Walter, FO, this purchase "constitutes an admission that Florange not restart."

According to management, 500 employees of ArcelorMittal are affected by the shutdown of blast furnaces, the other 2300 employees working on site production tools downstream. "We try to find a solution for each employee" affected, said Hervé Bourrier, CEO for France.

The 200 high school students Guillaume Apollinaire, Thiais, Bossuet at Meaux and Turgot in Paris are attentive. They participate in the third Foundation Forum Responsible growth, on globalization and increased competitiveness of France.

Students and teachers were involved in discussions of the working group chaired by Benoît Habert, Deputy Director General of the Dassault Group. A dozen celebrities, including Denis Kessler, CEO of Scor, Jean-Louis Beffa, chairman of honor of Saint-Gobain, Michel Camdessus, former IMF chief, Henri Guaino, special adviser to the president, were interviewed . "Globalization is. It is binding on us. We must adapt, "says a student of Turgot. "Companies do not take enough young alternately. Quotas should be established, "lamented a student of Guillaume Apollinaire.

"We have focused our thinking on improving the competitiveness of the nation and the attention paid to youth. We selected ten proposals that meet three criteria: be applicable across France, presenting a highly leveraged and have a low or no cost, "explained Christian Poyau, Foundation President Responsible Growth, and Benoît Habert , Chairman of the Working Group.

The Foundation recommends that the fight against illiteracy, which affects 20% of French 15 years, a national cause. She wants to develop proficiency in English for age groups entering the labor market by 2020. She favors a reduction of social security the first two years of first use. "The charges would be eliminated in the first year and reduced by 50% the second year. This could be financed by a puncture of the tax shelter on overtime, "say members of the working group.

National Loan

Other tracks are made for improving the competitiveness of France, as the issue of a national loan of more than 100 billion euros in return for a commitment on the golden rule in 2014. The state may borrow only to invest in the economy. Responsible Growth also advocates a reduction in labor costs by funding lower payroll taxes by half for the 50% increase in the rate of VAT and half by the efficiencies of the social model.

Decided to develop links with Education, Responsible Growth Friday sign a partnership agreement with the three academies in the Ile-de-France (Paris, Versailles, Créteil) so that teachers teaching in colleges and high schools and guidance counselors can do internships in companies of all sizes and all sectors. A hundred of them, including the Figaro Group, supporting the initiative.

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The surprises could affect 100,000 to 200,000 homes. According to Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France, households may not be taxed so far include paying the income tax this year. The head is the second austerity plan announced by the government last November and froze the tax scale.

Previously, the tax brackets, which forms the basis for taxation, were reviewed annually to reflect inflation increases the cost of living. By freezing for at least two years tax brackets, all persons whose incomes rose in 2011 could potentially be affected by the reform if they are left with taxable income greater than 5963 euros, the threshold first tranche of 5.5%. For the government, the money will have to pay these homes will be relatively low because the IRS does not claim the tax payment when it is less than 61 euros. Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France underlines that the sudden imposition could have more serious consequences for households as much aid as those granted to the school canteen and transport are related to the absence of taxation. Some families might therefore lose those benefits.

Changing slice

Another mechanical effect of freezing the scale, other households may already taxed, them, cross the threshold of the top tax bracket and thus having to pay more. This extra tax is not yet visible on the view that taxpayers received early this year to pay the first third. The surprises will come in September, when paying the balance. According to calculations of national union unified tax (Snui) quoted by the newspaper, the increases will be spread from 1.17% for a wealthy couple with no children at 12.57% for a single. The government expects in any case additional EUR 1.7 billion of tax revenue for 2012 and double that for 2013.

Finally, the richer will also be affected, because the scale of the solidarity tax on wealth (ISF) has also been frozen. The government expects 44 million of additional wealth tax in 2012 and 88 million more in 2013.

* The normal situation after indexing takes into account an inflation rate estimated at 2.1% in 2011.

LE FIGARO. – Despite the progress of the Brussels summit in Cannes and G20, the euro area is still in turmoil. What is the right long-term EU strategy to ward off these attacks on the euro?

Edouard Balladur. – Efforts by the Franco-German cooperation is commendable, but it must go further. The Europe of 27 is too broad and diverse, it is little more than a big market for the euro area, it has a single currency, but it is struggling to make quick decisions and does not have a policy exchange decided by a governmental authority. For twenty years, I defend an organization of Europe by combining circles States according to the skills shared. It is urgent to implement and begin to better organize the euro area.If the ECB was implementing this massive deterrence, speculation would fall and we would cease to move from crisis to crisis paydayloan.

The Germans did not they always raised an objection of inadmissibility outright the idea?

Do they have a reasonable expectation of it together without the 2 trillion dollars that would discourage speculation? Why is opposed to the expanded role of the ECB? The fear of inflation? The risk is much less in a world of globalization based on a competition that lowers prices.

Some defend the "other policy" and openly talk about protectionism. This crisis gives them she right?

On the contrary, it gives them wrong. History has decided: to maintain our role in the world, defend the ability of our business, secure our energy, we need to reduce deficits.

Since one or two years, the French no longer have to wonder whether they should go to a cash or a tax office when they have a tax problem. They now have a single contact. This is the most visible result of one of the largest state reforms undertaken since 2007: the merger of Taxation and the Treasury in a branch of public finance (DGFIP).

This is especially symbolic that this government has succeeded where the team Jospin failed to combine the two tax authorities. In a survey of the merger, commissioned by the Senate Finance Committee, the Court of Auditors said that the reform was carried out on time and that its success is "an achievement in change management."

But the Court also notes that the merger would have been cheaper. "All were first restructuring cost.The question is whether the bill was not too high, "said Philippe Marini yesterday, the president of the UMP Senate Finance Committee during a hearing of the protagonists of the case to the commission.

Between 2008 and 2012, 12,000 jobs have been removed to DGFIP. Despite this, the payroll has been stabilized in 2011 and decline only in 2012 to reach 4.95 billion euros. "From 2008 to 2010, the workforce was reduced by 3%, while the wage bill increased by 1%" Nicole Bricq summarized yesterday, the rapporteur of the commission PS. When asked by Le Figaro, Philippe Parini, the Chief of DGFIP, believes that this performance is good.But yesterday at the hearing, the Court judges were more skeptical.

209 million of additional costs

In the report following its investigation, the Court regrets that the general rule in the civil service, which means that half of the savings from job cuts to be redistributed in additional payments to agents, has been exceeded in DGFIP in 2010 ( 62 guaranteed approval cash advance loans.5% of redistribution) and 2011 (54.8%).

In detail, the Court expressed surprise that the merger premium of 350 euros per year, originally created for the sole agents affected by restructuring, has been granted in 2008 to all members of the DGFIP. Then it has been perpetuated from 2009 and then increased to 500 euros this year. Total cost from 2007 to 2012: 59.5 million euros.However, in addition to this premium, the agents of the DGFIP benefited from the harmonization of remuneration from the top.

"No merger can not be done with a harmonization of salaries to the bottom" replied yesterday a senior official of Bercy, noting that the harmonization alone had accounted for half of the 209 million additional cost of the merger.

"We take the fact of having paid the premiums," added Philippe Parini. "In total, over the whole period of the merger, from 2008 to 2012, we distributed to agents 52.3% of the savings related to job cuts. It is little more than the norm. Overruns in 2010 and 2011 and punctual and will be made up later, "he said in Le Figaro.

Senators of the committee members are themselves worried about the consequences of yesterday's job losses to DGFIP.They fear a decline in the quality of service.

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Moody's brandishing the sword of Damocles. The rating agency, which last week confirmed the AAA rating of the French debt, is now planning to revise its position on the "stable" outlook for this post. "Over the next three months, Moody's will monitor and evaluate this perspective in the light of progress made by the government to implement the measures announced to reduce the budget deficit," she says in a statement.

If the prospect should be revised to "negative", this would imply that Moody's would likely lower the rating over the medium term, most often at a maturity of three to twelve months.And France would become the new big country, after the United States to lose its prestigious rating that allows it to borrow on the current market conditions very favorable.

A budget supervision

In reaching its decision, Moody's analyze the ability of the French government to meet its budget commitments. She stressed that if the financial strength of the French government remains very high, it "has weakened since the economic and financial crisis worldwide has led to a deterioration in its debt ratios, which are now among the lowest in AAA-rated. "In addition, "France could face a number of challenges in the coming months, such as the need for additional support to other European countries or its own banking system, which could increase significant commitments that must support the country's budget. " The remark came just after the adoption by the members of the guarantees provided by the French in the process of dismantling the Franco-Belgian bank Dexia.

Moody's said that this review is part of its annual financial statements for France and it is not yet a decision on the rating of the country. But after this warning, the marathon budget to the Assembly for consideration of the budget 2012, which begins on Tuesday, should be closely watched.France 2 last night, Prime Minister Francois Fillon warned it would take "new measures" austerity if France did not record a "minimal growth of 1.5%" in 2012 because the proposed budget is "built on a projected 1.75% growth, but it works with a minimal growth of 1.5%."

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Markets take a breather. After four sessions chained up in a row, the CAC 40 lost 0.25% to 3153.52 points. The volumes remain thin. About 2.7 billion changed hands on the great values ​​of the Paris stock exchange. Operators have benefited from the strong performance of the last day to reap a share of profits.

Lack of energy also in other major European markets, which ended in a disorganized. In London, the FTSE fell symbolically 0.06%, while in Frankfurt the Dax was up 0.30%. Of the European indices, the Euro Stoxx 50 slipped 0.50%.

Wall Street was also on the reserve. In session, the Dow fell by 0.26% and 0.35% Nasdaq clawing. Investor caution was reinforced by the expectation of several major events.In Europe and the United States.

For specialists in Barclays stock, the markets were essentially "focused on the voting Slovakia for the ratification of the European Financial Stability Fund." Slovakia is the last of 17 countries in the euro area to decide. In order for this tool, designed to help fragile countries in the euro area to work, the votes of 17 countries in the euro area is needed.

Opening of the ball results on Wall Street

Febrile, investors have minimal response to green light by the Troika, comprising the creditors of Greece, the release "early November", a new tranche of the loan in Athens, vital for the country low interest rate personal loans.

The outgoing president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, also dampened investor optimism.He said that "for three weeks, things have deteriorated, the crisis has become systemic."

The launch of the quarterly earnings season in the U.S., added to the uncertainty, while the U.S. economy is idling.

As usual the aluminum giant Alcoa will open the show of these announcements after the close of Wall Street. These publications will tell more about the economic outlook of the world's largest economy, which continue to worry the markets.

Bank stocks up

In Paris, as in the rest of Europe, however, the banking sector continued its forward march.José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday that he would "proposals" concrete to the European Commission on the recapitalization of European banks.

Credit Agricole SA has gained 1.12%, BNP Paribas was up 2.96% and 5.28% Societe Generale. Operators, disoriented and obviously out of inspiration, wore special attention to the beliefs of analysts. Vallourec (-1.42%) and Aéroports de Paris (-0.85%) have seen their recommendation downgraded by JPMorgan and Essilor (-3.83%) by Morgan Stanley.

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The Louvre is just a trial balloon. Haier, the giant Chinese electronics and appliances, a partner in the last Asian Film Festival in Deauville, is found now official sponsor of the exhibition "The Forbidden City in the Louvre," while the group Fosun, active in the steel industry, mining, property development, distribution and services, financed the catalog.

"This is the first time that we sponsor an event abroad. Traditionally Chinese companies involved in the financing of aid to natural disasters, earthquakes or floods. They argue that very few art events. But we made several acquisitions in Europe and you want to get closer, "says Jane Zhang, director of brand and strategy Fosun.

This, indeed, holds 9.5% of Club Mediterranean.It has also invested in a chain of jewelry and fashion accessories in Greece. Haier, meanwhile, set up last year, the seat of his European office in Paris. For one as for the other, cultural patronage that they are discovering can be a powerful tool to better integrate. But the payments remain a state secret.

Open the Forbidden City

As many as 350,000 Chinese visited the Louvre last year. The country is now the fifth largest foreign tourists to the museum, behind the United States, Brazil, Italy and Russia. So Wan Jie, head of Artron, specializing in printing, which was not 50 years, is very interested in the Young Patrons Circle of the Louvre.All they need to pay 2,000 euros per year if they are under 40 years beyond 5000 to be included, says Christophe Monin, head of development and sponsorship of the museum.

"The demand from wealthy individual to the corporate philanthropy is very strong in Asia, but their goal is to first do something for their country," says Nathalie Sauvanet, BNP Paribas. In its own way, Chen Dongsheng, president of Taikang Life Insurance, is a pioneer in China. He is a founding member of the China Social Entrepreneur Foundation and one of the best friends of the owner of Fosun, Guo Guangchang. He believes that "companies need to focus on modern culture."

It is also believed that Wang Yamin, deputy director of the Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It does not hide it, the Louvre gives him ideas. The palace is full of treasures that can not hardly watch the public.They are crammed into the reserves of the City. If he succeeded in attracting Chinese businesses, it could more easily escape by appealing to the state. The tourists would stay longer when on the site. "The Forbidden City needs to develop cooperation with private companies," he pleads.

Christophe Monin, for whom "patronage is essential today," just waiting to help. But in the meantime, the Louvre would like to create a Chinese version of its multimedia guide … he hopes to be financed by entrepreneurs from the Middle Kingdom.