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If you want New York to live differently, then run to the Frieze Art Fair. Exciting and refreshing, this brand new contemporary art fair was modeled on its sister London that takes place in October, just before the FIAC in Paris, in Regent's Park fast payday loan no faxing. It really comes out of the box because it takes the visitor far north of Manhattan, on an unknown island, but accessible by ferry, bus or taxi.

Randall Island which hosts the Frieze Fair. Photo credits: FRIEZE ART FAIR NEW YORK

The war between the Galeries Lafayette and Casino about their joint venture Monoprix changes dimension. The two shareholders clash since January on the valuation of 50% held by Monoprix and Galeries Lafayette: 700 million euro under Casino, 1.95 billion according to the owner of department store chain. The battle now drift on managing and Monoprix on its pricing policy.

Jacques Dumas, counsel Jean-Charles Naouri, principal shareholder and CEO of Casino, sent an April 17 letter to Philippe Houze scathing, president of Galeries Lafayette and Monoprix CEO. He criticized "an excessive increase in food prices" at Monoprix. The price index of the sign, which compares its rates to the market average (set at 100), rose from 107.7 at the end of first quarter 2011 to 110 a year later.

"This abnormal increase explains a significant share of the increased turnover of Monoprix end of March 2012 (+5.9% yoy) and corresponds to the bulk of the growth in operating profit in the same period," according Casino, which accuses her partner of "sharp to distort fair assessment" of Monoprix.

Pointing to the risk that rising prices does escape the consumer and leads to lower sales of the profitability of Monoprix, Casino Philippe Houze asked to "give instructions to stop such practices and ensure a normal management Monoprix" . Clearly, "Monoprix must return to an index of 108 tariff, as provided in the medium-term plan established in November," decrypts a spokesman for Casino.

The group Saint Etienne "will implement all actions necessary to safeguard the interests of Monoprix and its shareholder rights" against the Galeries Lafayette, prevents mail. In 2007, Casino revoked leaders Franprix and Leader Price, accusing them of having raised prices to give him a high price for their minority interests in these signs.

Monoprix group will choose a side

Philippe Houze's entourage speaks of "baseless accusations" and ensures that the increases, required in July by Jean-Charles Naouri, date from the summer. Casino considers that the increase, justified initially, was too strong and it continued beyond the reasonable in January.

In a few weeks, the Commercial Court of Paris will examine the respective assignments of the two co-shareholders of Monoprix. Galeries Lafayette blame their partner to hinder the evaluation process of their 50% stake in Monoprix, Casino accuses his partner of having refused to let the end of March to Jean-Charles Naouri President of Monoprix, as provided for their shareholders.

Mail Casino is a part added to the defense and the prosecution of the group against the Galeries Lafayette. But it will impact the management of Monoprix. Officially, its chief operating officer, Stephen Maquaire, placed a copy of the letter of Jacques Dumas, retains the confidence of its two shareholders. But he must choose sides or not returning to an index rate close to 108.

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Lactalis and its milk producers finally bury the hatchet. After several months of tensions, the global dairy products (Lactel, President, Galbani) reached an agreement Monday with representatives of its 14,500 producers, who collect five billion liters of milk. It took the intervention of the Ombudsman for agricultural trade relations as they agree to contracts that govern their trade relations now. Several calls to order the Minister of Agriculture have also been required to bend Lactalis. Among its competitors, including Bongrain or Danone, contracts have already been cordoned off.

The stakes are high. This is to prepare the end of milk quotas by 2015. Contracting business relationships between manufacturers and milk producers has been decided by the law of modernization of agriculture. Until then, these relationships worked on oral agreements, valid from generation to generation, and producers were paid on a monthly basis.

Reorganization of the sector

After several meetings, Lactalis and its producers have agreed on an "operating agreement". The Laval group is pleased to have offered "one of (the contract) most successful of the profession." It mainly offers "free transferability of the contract", the "no-monthly-payment imposed deliveries and settlement of supplies of milk in two monthly installments."

Especially, Lactalis has water in his wine, because the group now recognizes organizations (POs) as partners in the negotiations low fee payday loans. So far, the group wanted Laval to negotiate individually with producers, who feared an unfavorable balance of power.

A decree endorsing the creation of these organizations should be published shortly. OP local and regional associations of POs could coexist. Meanwhile, we must "work structuring" of these future producer organizations, Franck believes Guehennec, coordinator of the producer group Lactalis. "This is what one looks forward," he added.

Producers may elect by April 30 whether to integrate the OP. Still, many discussions always take place at industry level, such as on indicators for each company to fix the price of milk.

The agreement between Lactalis and its producers comes at a time of profound change in the sector, phase concentration, particularly in cooperatives. The number of farms (75,000 in total in France) is expected to decline over the coming years. Experts estimate that between 4,000 and 5,000 farms are disappearing each year as part of alliances, dispositions or retirements. These movements should also allow the emergence of true French champions.

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Nostalgic for 7 on 7, the emission of TF1 mythical 1980s and 1990s, will closely follow the two election night of 22 April and 6 May 2012 BFMTV. They gather Anne Sinclair, current director of the Huffington Post website France, and Ruth Elkrief, the editor of the news channel. Anne Sinclair was presented 7 on 7 September 1987 to June 1997. After retiring from the small screen, the show, renamed Public, was presented by Ruth Elkrief from 1998 to 2000.

This is Anne Sinclair herself who suggested to Alain Weill, CEO of NextRadioTV, the parent of BFMTV, to attend both evenings, confirms the latter. "Many of these talents will come together on two evenings BFMTV," he adds.

18 am to midnight, special editions of April 22 (first round of the presidential election) and May 6 (second round) will be led by Alain Marshall, host of "20 hours" on the news channel. It is surrounded by two great figures of the chain Olivier Mazerolle and Ruth Elkrief, faithful since the launch of BFMTV on TNT in 2005.

Anne Sinclair will discuss some of the columnists on the board including Alain Madelin, Luc Ferry, Dély Renaud, Eric Brunet, Jacques Seguela, Jean-Francois Kahn, Caroline and Christopher Fourest Jakubyszyn, the managing editor of the RMC radio, other NextRadioTV subsidiary.

Organizing publicity stunts

The partnership between the Huffington Post and BFMTV France is practically limited to the presence of Anne Sinclair easy payday loans. The site will broadcast the images of BFMTV well, but not participate in the device's web news channel.

Despite a plateau prestigious BFMTV no exception to the calling with "a priority to live in the campaign headquarters of various political parties and a priority to images," said Alain Weill.

The arrival of Anne Sinclair on the set of BMFTV is one of the "success stories" in which the chain is familiar. For his first presidential campaign in 2007 BFMTV, whose hearings were still confidential, was observed by organizing the debate between Ségolène Royal and François Bayrou between the two towers.

In seven years, the small chain of information has emerged in the French media landscape. Created from scratch in 2005, today it is the first in France with an audience share of 1.6% in February, according Médiamétrie. An audience twice that of its rival on DTT, i-TV, a subsidiary of Canal +, however, created in 1999.

The third news channel, LCI, TF1 subsidiary, has no occasion to interfere in the match as it is broadcast on DTT, cable and satellite.

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Unicredit closed Tuesday, piteously, the ball of the annual results of European banks. As expected, the first Italian establishment has suffered a massive loss of over € 9 billion. After years of too-rapid expansion, the bank decided to move his record to steel wool, to "have no surprises in the future," according to Director General, Federico Ghizzoni. This momentary dip of Unicredit in the shallows of the European ranking – the institution displays the worst performance of the sector just after Dexia – illustrates the new hierarchy of banks.

2011 will remain above all marked by the sharp inflection, from the summer, the crisis in the euro area. Institutions of the countries attacked – Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Greece of course – all bear the scars. They charged a double shock: degradation of their national sovereign debt and recession in their economies against the backdrop of austerity. In this grim context, the first two Spanish banks, Santander and BBVA, have their own in the game With their exposure to emerging markets, they show profits down "only" 35% to 5.4 billion and 3 billion euros, despite a national real estate market devastated.

The challenge of regulation

Second great lesson of the banking hierarchy 2011: the resistance of so-called universal institutions, which rely on local networks, possibly spread over several countries, and financing activities and investment. The success of British giant HSBC and Standard Chartered, whose results have respectively increased by 28% and 12% in one year, illustrates this situation. The resilience of the French BNP Paribas, proud of its profit more than 6 billion euros and its three major European networks, is another variation. Conversely, the Swiss UBS and Credit Suisse, highly dependent on performance of their teams of traders and bankers, driving out of this year huge market turmoil. Their profits were down 44% and 62%.

The challenge of regulation

Deutsche Bank is a notable exception: despite its similar profile, the champion Frankfurt has completed a very successful year. Up 86% year on year, the result exceeds 4 billion euros. Market valuations of the front runners as broadly these capabilities beneficiaries. HSBC leads the pack with a value of 122 billion euros, while Santander, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank weigh respectively 58, 45 and 36 billion in stock.

If Dexia puts the finishing touch of color to the landscape reshaped by the financial crisis. The little French-Belgian bank, run contrary to common sense for years, has lost 11.6 billion euros in 2011. A disaster that financial regulators do not want to hear. To guard against this, they launched a vast banks race to the recapitalization, which will mobilize the entire sector in 2012.

Friday, teams of Deutsche Bahn and SNCF, already associated with the Paris-Frankfurt, will celebrate the opening of a common line between Frankfurt and Marseille – bypassing Paris – via the new Rhine-Rhone. An opportunity to show the harmony that exists today between the two companies.

Because the prospect of greater competition in Europe has clearly brought the views of the two incumbents, long time rivals. Rüdiger Grube, CEO of the German group, pointed out Tuesday in Paris to a gathering of journalists. "There are still a year I would not have thought that we would Guillaume Pepy (SNCF's CEO, Ed) and I agree on all issues!" "We support all the necessary standardization of equipment, the market opening, the creation of a European regulator's rail …, "he says.  

An ally against Brussels

What has happened, then that could heal the scratches between the two competitors? One and one can actually help in their fight on the organization of competition in their respective markets. In France, Guillaume Pepy wants to emulate the French system of railways on that of the Rhine. And what better lawyer than Rüdiger Grube, CEO of Deutsche Bahn up as a model, could he find to plead this cause? SNCF had the starring role: it umbrella in a joint holding company, the infrastructure manager – in this case Réseau Ferré de France which is among other guarantor of opening the network to new entrants – and the commercial exploitation . The French government, following the Focus on the railway have explored ways to put right a French model of breath last November, expects copies of various stakeholders at the end of this month payday loan lenders.

And on the other side of the Rhine, Rüdiger Grube has also found an ally in France to defend his case in Brussels. For the German model does not satisfy the European Commission. It believes that a pooling group manager of infrastructure and operational activities does not guarantee a fair treatment in respect of competing rail companies of the DB. Last year, the Commission has even raided the headquarters of the DB to investigate possible abuse of dominant position in the supply of electricity to private operators.

Views on Thalys

The discussion between SNCF and DB go beyond the single issue of governance of the rail. For Rüdiger Grube, they could also be extended on the ground and running. Deutsche Bahn admitted and have designs on Thalys, TGV serving Belgium, Holland and Germany, which he holds 10% interest alongside the SNCF (62%) and Belgian railways (28%). "Staying at 10% does not suit us. We're in discussions internally about whether we should go out or go for a 50/50, "said Grube. And beyond in coming decades, the CEO of DB, well imagine a merger of the two groups. "Right now, it's too early but when liberalization has advanced. In twenty or thirty years … "

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The smallest city in the United States seeks inhabitant (s) and buyer (s). Don Sammons, the only resident of the town of Buford, in the State of Wyoming, decided to put his entire town for auction on April 5 for the price of $ 100,000 or about 76,000 euros. The sale includes a house with three bedrooms, a gas station, a shop that also serves as a post office, a garage, a school dating from 1905 and the postal code of the city (82 052).

Don Sammons who came to settle there in the 1980s, the city acquired in 1992 with his wife and son. Its only inhabitant who is also the mayor confides in his welcoming gas station nearly 1,000 customers a day in summer and 100 winter. But at the time of retirement, after the death of his wife and his son had deserted the scene, he believes it is now time to move on.  

An abandoned village of Limousin for sale

The future buyer will not complain about the neighborhood. Located at 2400 meters altitude and windswept, the small town of 4 hectares, bordered by the Rocky Mountains, was deserted after the railroad that served the was deflected. Buford claims the title of the smallest city in the United States. There is also no surprise that it is in Wyoming. With a population of 563,626 inhabitants in 2010, the State of West is the least populous country and has the lowest density with just over two per square kilometer. But according to the website of Buford, the city has not been abandoned. Founded in 1866, a time she counted 2,000 inhabitants and has also seen a few past personalities including U.S. President Ulysses S.Grant who visited in 1869. Butch Cassidy, the famous outlaw immortalized on screen by Paul Newman's even been arrested after pointing a trade.

The city is a bargain when compared to other cities recently implemented vente.Un little further north, in the neighboring state of Montana, the town of Pray is for sale for a whopping $ 1.4 million or just over one million euros. Another opportunity to be seized, this time closer to home, the hamlet of Courbefy, in Haute-Vienne, will be auctioned in May for $ 330,000 Euros.

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It is a return that is breathtaking professionals malls. Two years ago, Simon Properties, the U.S. leader "malls", was sold to Unibail-Rodamco seven assets in Poland and France for 715 million euros. Mid-January, the American land, listed since 1993, sold to Immochan the 49% stake in a joint venture operator of shopping centers in Italy. After these operations, it had more activity on the Old Continent. Withdrawal then analyzed as a movement of distrust of Europe, a territory considered unattractive, with the sovereign debt crisis and a shaky consumer.

Surprise return to Europe

Thursday, Simon has taken everyone by announcing in reverse repurchase, to 1.5 billion euros, 28.7% of Klépierre to BNP Paribas, which will retain 22.2% for at least a year. A real strategic move, given the size of Klépierre: present in thirteen European countries with 271 units, the French property cashed 945 million in rent in 2011. "We are the largest European donor of H & M, McDonald's or Sephora," illustrates Laurent Morel, the chief executive of Klépierre.

Simon does not mention the real reasons for his return to Europe. "The euro-dollar exchange with a strong U.S. currency had to play because it made the operation less expensive for Simon," says one industry expert. Laurent Morel another analysis: "If Simon did all these movements is that he certainly believes that investment in our society is much more than its previous operations in Europe." In any case, the king of American shopping centers, became the first shareholder of Klépierre, do not plan to make up the numbers. Now it is his boss, David Simon, who will chair the supervisory board of the French property. The management team of Klépierre, it remains in place. But in a year when BNP Paribas may sell its 22%, the financial analysis firm Aurel BGC believes that Simon will launch a takeover bid.

The French property will therefore have to deal with this actor unknown to the public but is very heavy. Last year, for example, Simon achieved a turnover of 4.3 billion dollars (3.2 billion) against 1.26 billion euros just for Unibail, the first European property of commercial real estate. Same imbalance in market capitalization: Simon weighs $ 41 billion, against 13.5 billion for the French leader. Is that the small American company created in the early 1960s by two brothers, Melvin and Herbert Simon, to operate a commercial center in Indianapolis, has come a long way. By dint of takeovers and mergers, it became an operator who owns nearly 330 shopping centers, located in the vast majority in the U.S.. With a few locations in Asia, including Japan.

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Hard times for the 380. After the case of microcracks detected in the wing of the superjumbo, Airbus will he deplore a new problem, this time in the "nose" of the device? The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is interested in any case the rivets of radom, that is to say the cover that protects the radar of the aircraft.

The authority may decide to issue in the coming weeks an airworthiness directive (AD) requiring the change of six rivets aluminum rivets titanium stronger. The 19 airlines that operate the world's fleet of 69 A380, eight months have to do this for an average of 3:30. Clearly, they would have time to schedule it as part of their regular maintenance schedule.

After the decision to order the Efsa a general inspection of the planes of A 380 in service and production, totaling one hundred aircraft, the image of the A380 takes another blow. However, this type of airworthiness directive is very common in aviation. All aircraft receive throughout their careers.

Two types of directives

"The FAA, U.S. aviation safety authority, has issued more than 830 airworthiness directives for Boeing B 747 in forty years," says one at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse. "For an airplane, receiving such a directive is as ordinary as to think about changing the wiper blades on your car or an oil change," says one.

The Aesa issues two types of directives: the current, AD, and urgent, called "emergency AD." In the case of microcracks, the two directives were common. The agency goes up a notch when it considers that the subject can affect flight safety. In this case, companies have little time to react, sometimes not even 24 hours.

In the case of rivets, flight safety is affected in any part, Airbus insists. The manufacturer points out that these are not structural elements. Six rivets 40 to 50 by radom "are not likely to blow up" the unit cover.

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