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The German car market shrank in April for the fifth consecutive month, falling 32% on a year which remains linked to the ruling of the scrappage scheme in the country.

Adjusted data the number of working days, the new car registrations fell by 10.2% compared to April 2008 before the entry into force of the support plan for the sector.

In the first four months of this year, new car sales in Germany fell 25%, show figures released Tuesday by the federation VDIK foreign carmakers.

"Initial estimates show that new orders for our members are at the same level as in April 2008, what I consider to be the first sign of spring in the car in Germany," said Volker Lange, President the VDIK, in a statement.

The budget of five billion euros allocated by Berlin to scrap bonus was exhausted from last September, causing a drop in orders weighing gradually on registrations in the months that followed.

Germany, Europe's biggest car market, is not the only country affected by this phenomenon: in France, registrations have slowed significantly in April, displaying only a 1.9% increase over one year , against 17.9% in March.

In the U.S., sales of new cars rose by about 20% last month compared to April 2009.

M6 posting a 2.1% increase in advertising revenue of the chain in the first quarter for an increase of about 10% in March, the trend has continued into April.

The television group saw its total consolidated turnover increased by 10.3% over the period, to 361.1 million euros thanks to a jump of 16.7% of non-advertising revenues, which for the first time, represent more than half the total.

The action takes 0.66% to 19.82 euros at midday, the published figures that exceeded analysts' expectations, and the pan-European media index falls by the same magnitude.

The increase in advertising revenue channel in the first quarter, despite declines in January and February, following a 1.5% increase in fourth quarter 2009, the first in a year and a half.

The chief executive Nicolas de Tavernost, told Reuters after the meeting of the group's advertising revenues had increased M6 of "approximately 10% in March.

"The pace is good in April. This is not very different," he said, noting that the visibility was still low.

RESUMPTION OF ADVERTISING MARKET

TF1 will publish its figures for its part May 11In mid-April, its chief financial officer had indicated that TF1 should have recorded a double digit growth in advertising revenue in the chain in the first quarter. He had reported a continued recovery of the market and favorable comparisons.

In the first quarter of 2009, TF1 had indeed suffered a fall of 27% of its advertising revenue, while M6 had limited its decline to 11%.

ZenithOptimedia (Publicis Group) reduced to 1% in April (against 1.5% previously) its growth forecast for the TV advertising market in France in 2010, after a decline of 10.3% in 2009.

M6, which shows a net cash of 553.2 million euros at end-March, has sold its stake in February from 5.1% in Canal + France to Vivendi for 384.2 million euros.It distributes about half of its shareholders in the form of a dividend of 1.50 euro per share, bringing the total to 2.35 euros.

Nicolas de Tavernost confirmed to shareholders that the group had slightly increase the cost of grid M6 in 2010 was 303.5 million euros in 2009.

He told reporters that his group would invest between 50 and 100 million euros in the general entertainment channel which will occupy the channel "bonus" which M6 – as TF1 and Canal + – will be entitled to termination of the distribution of television Analog scheduled November 30, 2011.

Nicolas de Tavernost said this estimate, which depend on the volume loss of the chain and the market, accounted for all the losses accumulated prior to becoming a recipient – which took three years to W9.

The pattern of M6 has reaffirmed its interest in a TNT channel in addition to W9, while TF1 completes acquisition of TMC and NT1 Groupe AB for 192 million euros.

But it Bolloré Lagardère announced in March the sale of Virgin 17 for 70 million euros.

The National Assembly passed the night of Monday to Tuesday, the French plan for emergency aid to Greece, 16.8 billion euros in bilateral loans over three years, of which 3.9 billion in 2010, A total of 110 billion announced Sunday by the EU and the IMF. Unusually, the UMP and the Socialist Party voted together for the loan at 5% for the financial rescue of Greece. Only members PCF and the Left Party, and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Arise the Republic, former UMP), voted against.

The bill amending finance (Budget Act) was passed by show of hands without amendment, after an evening of discussion. The text is now starting a shuttle to the Senate for final approval, probably Thursday. France, like other European countries and the IMF, must move fast to fight against market speculation on the Greek debt.It also requires Greece to honor the time for repayment of its debt on May 19 The contribution of France represents 20.7% using the EU (80 billion euros, plus 30 of the IMF, ie 110 in total). This contribution has been multiplied almost by three this weekend at the meeting of economic ministers of the euro area.

In his speech to the Assembly, the Minister of Economy Christine Lagarde said she would be "extremely vigilant" about the implementation of austerity measures taken by the Greek government in return for the aid plan concluded Sunday Brussels (deletion of the thirteenth and fourteenth month in the civil service, VAT increase, decrease in the departure of the retirement age …). "It is not a gift or grant. It lends at a rate of about 5% fixed rate," said the minister.

Read also: aid to Greece, the best deal from lenders

"To discourage speculators"

Unsurprisingly, the UMP has fully supported the government: "It is a plan whose scope will help deter speculators," said the spokesman for the UMP for the Budget, Jerome Chen, welcoming the first major policy decision of the euro area ".

Even more rare, the Socialist Party (PS) also voted with the government and his majority: "I do not support the government, I support Greece and I support the euro. We're not there in a left-right debate We're here in a European debate and policy debate, "said the former first secretary of the PS, François Hollande.

The spokesman Benoit Hamon PS, which is not a member, however, said that his party voted "aid to Greece but not the austerity plan" imposed on the Greeks.PS The President of the Committee on Finance, Jerome Cahuzac, and other elected officials have also asked for a rate of 5% too high for them: "We made a little profit on the backs of the misery of a people "(Christian Eckert, PS).

Facing the CPF and twenty deputies Left Front voted against the plan, "because it comes with creditors who have put Greece in a terrible situation by extending loans at high rates ( Jean-Pierre Brard).

On the right, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Arise the Republic, former UMP) also voted "against the false rescue plan that has any plan to scuttle". He believed that the austerity imposed on Greece would "kill" save this country without the euro, calling for the release of the single currency Athens.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs is the subject of a complaint in partnership to shareholders filed by law firms Zamansky & Associates and Lovell Stewart Halebian Jacobson, officials said in a statement last Monday.

Read also: Goldman Sachs, the trickster, the goat and pigeon

Both firms have filed "a complaint in partnership April 30 in federal court in New York (Southern District) on the part of investors who bought shares of Goldman Sachs from January 2, 2007 and April 16, 2010" when Constable American Stock Exchange (SEC) filed a complaint against the bank, argued the statement.

The SEC filed a complaint against Goldman Sachs and one of its employees, French Fabrice Tourre, accusing them of deceiving customers by selling them financial products backed by very risky market in U.S. housing, which has collapsed in 2007.

According to several American media, American Justice has in turn opened a criminal investigation against the bank but has not yet decided to complain.

Flights arriving and departing from Ireland were canceled between 1200 GMT 6:00 ET Tuesday, May 4, due to the arrival of a cloud of volcanic ash dense, particularly from Iceland said on Monday the Civil Aviation Authority of Ireland (AAI). The British aviation officials have also decided Monday to shut down part of the Scottish airspace, a measure that should be extended on Tuesday in Northern Ireland.

The decision to cancel flights "is based on the risk to passengers and crew adrift south of the ash cloud caused by northeast winds," said the Authority. Civil protection in Reykjavik Iceland, contacted by AFP said they had observed no change in the activity of the volcano which is still Eyjafjöll eruption.It only spits ash and small quantities, "she said.

In contrast, France does not expect to close its airports, said Tuesday Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of Sustainable Development and Transport. "There are no plans to close in France, nor do I believe in the whole of Western Europe, the current state of the weather. There is no fear to have," assured the minister on France Inter.

The cloud of ash has cost 1.26 billion euros

About the management of air transport at the height of the crisis in April, the minister said the authorities had acted on behalf of the "safety of passengers, not on behalf of the precautionary principle. "We did not use the precautionary principle but simply dangerous to the safety of passengers. This was done with great caution," he said. "If it happens again, we now have the means of analysis.We now know a little better understanding of this type of situation, "he added.

For Chantal Jouanno, Secretary of State for Ecology, airports could be closed "if necessary. But it is too early to tell." "It depends on the concentration of particles in clouds," she said on LCI: "On the last episode, what we have seen, contrary to what the experts told us at the outset, namely that no reactor could not go through this type of cloud, in reality, if there is a level of tolerance. "

The paralysis in air traffic in Europe following the eruption of the volcano, which lasted nearly a week in April, caused a loss of 1.26 billion euros for the airlines, according to Association International Air Transport Association (IATA), and caused chaos on transport on the European continent.More than 100,000 flights have been canceled and then over eight million passengers were stranded.

The Thales group has been sentenced by a tribunal in Paris to repay hundreds of millions of dollars in litigation on Taiwan frigates, said Monday the AFP Thales and a source familiar with the matter confirmed a report in Le Figaro.

By this decision, the arbitral tribunal (three judges selected by agreement by both parties) condemns Thales to repay overpaid commissions to middlemen to get the contract for sale of six frigates to Taiwan by France in 1991.

"The award was notified today (Monday, editor's note) to Thales in Paris by an international tribunal. Thales was ordered to pay damages.It is notified of a total and we will specify in the evening figures concerning Thales ", told AFP a spokesman of the group.

According to Le Figaro, Thales will pay 591 million dollars, a sum plus interest and costs of arbitration, which should be about one billion dollars.

Article 18 of the contract "Bravo", codename file frigates, explicitly prohibited from paying intermediaries under penalty of restitution payments made in Taiwan.

But an investigation by a Swiss magistrate found that substantial sums had been paid by Thomson-CSF (now Thales) to intermediaries whose principal, Andrew Wang, had been asked to persuade Taiwan to choose the French ships. The Swiss court has blocked 520 million belonging to Mr.Wang.

This discovery has led Taiwan to enter an arbitration tribunal in 2001 for the reimbursement of fees.

Although Thales has been a leader in the contract "Bravo", 70% of the contract frigates returned to the Directorate of Naval Construction (DCN), a public company and whose intervention in the contract was guaranteed by the state.

According to several sources familiar with the situation who spoke before the decision notified on Monday, if convicted of Thales, the state would have to pay 70% of the total sum claimed to Thales.