Switzerland was launched three years ago the tender for the renewal of its fleet, now consisting of F-5E / F Tiger built by the American Northrop, whose older copies have been flying since 1976.

She originally planned to order up to 33 devices.

The Minister of Industry and Energy Eric Besson confirmed Wednesday that the price of gas and electricity for individuals would be maintained until the presidential election, despite the attacks to justice and GDF Suez of other gas suppliers. Asked about RMC and BFM TV about the continued freeze gas prices to presidential, Mr Besson said: "Yes. The Prime Minister made this decision and he made it clear to the national representation . (…) In any case for individuals. "

"We have a simple thesis is that the increases should be extremely limited so as not to influence the purchasing power," he noted, without being able to specify whether this also applied to the gel subscription. For electricity, Mr. Besson is back in a statement to AFP on the remarks made earlier on the air. "It will increase slightly, probably," he said on BFM TV and RMC. "I do not know (when) we will discuss this with EDF."

Asked by AFP, the Office of the Minister of Energy said: "Eric Besson reaffirms that in accordance with the arbitration of the Prime Minister, electricity rates applicable to individuals are frozen until 1 July 2012, and no decision is expected to increase. "

"We note the intention of the Greek authorities to hold a referendum," write the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a joint statement.

"We believe that this agreement is the best for Greece.We have every confidence in Greece to honor the commitments made to the euro area and the international community. "

José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy added that they spoke with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and said that the referendum question would be discussed on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Cannes, which runs from November 3 to 5.

The Greek parliament adopted Thursday night by items, with the only voice of the majority Socialist, the new law austerity contested by the opposition and on the street by the unions. The Prime Minister, George Papandreou, welcomed the vote in a letter read by the Speaker of Parliament, and announced the deregistration of one Socialist MP and former Labour Minister Louka Katseli, which marked its difference by voting every items except 37, the freezing collevtives sectoral conventions.

At the request of the opposition, a registered ballot was held about twenty articles of the law's most controversial, or in addition to Article 37, those providing for new wage cuts and layoffs in the placement of some 30,000 people in the public sector. All members of the opposition present, 144 out of 146 voted against the second day of a general strike against these measures by the unions, and massive anti-austerity rallies interspersed with incidents.

The rest of the articles was adopted by a simplified procedure following the roll call vote, while the law had already adopted "in principle" on Wednesday night. A new formal vote "throughout the text" has been postponed to a later meeting, said the Chairman. The Ministry of Finance said earlier that it was only a formality.

The adoption of this law, required by the creditors of the country, European Union and International Monetary Fund fell "national responsibility", so that the country "avoid bankruptcy" by receiving a new tranche of international loans, said M . Papandreou. He also found that the country gained in strength and to negotiate in the EU and the euro area for a resolution of the problem of its indebtedness.

"We need better regulation and better capitalization of banks," he said.

"Everyone will not like this, but it is the best way there is no escalation of the crisis caused by a collapse of the banking system."

"The cause of this crisis is too much debt, but we must fight the danger of contagion. We must simply recognize that banks currently have more trust towards each other, so the market Banking is not working as it should.The best way to combat this is a better recapitalization. "

Import growth as exports slowed last month.The accentuation of the debt crisis in Europe and the slower growth in the U.S. explain this trend, which could enhance the Chinese authorities in the conflict on the level of the yuan.

"The rising exchange rate of the renminbi could limit the margin of export growth", has also speedily regretted Lu Peijun, deputy director of China Customs, at a press conference.

"China still faced inflationary pressure imported relatively strong and the terms of trade deteriorate as well," he added.

Exports grew by 17.1% last month compared to September 2010, after a growth rate of 24.5% the previous month, according to data released Thursday by the Office of Customs.

At the same time, imports increased by 20.9% yoy against 30.2% in August.

The surplus in the trade balance of China and stood at $ 14.5 billion in September, against 16.3 billion average expected by economists and after 17.8 billion in August.This represents less than half of the surplus in July, which amounted to 31.5 billion.

Year over year, the trade surplus appears to 180.3 billion dollars.

"Export growth in September was much lower than the expectations of the markets, reflecting the global economy coughs, and we expect this trend to slowing exports will continue in the coming months" , Analysis Wang Hu, of Guotai Junan Securities in Shanghai.

"The narrowing trade surplus and a slowdown in imported inflation could ease the pressure on Beijing to accelerate the appreciation of the yuan," said Du Zhengzheng for its part, an analyst with China Development Bank Securities.

Economists, relayed by western politicians, believe that the Chinese currency is undervalued, giving an advantage to the products 'made in China' on the international markets.

In Washington, the Senate passed a bill Tuesday that could force Beijing to raise the price of its currency under penalty of imports of Chinese goods taxed. China denounces protectionism in disguise and an obstacle to world trade rules. (See)

The trade surplus of China vis-à-vis the United States, however, remained unchanged from August to September, 20 billion.

Vis-à-vis the European Union, it decreased to $ 12.9 billion against 14.8 billion in August.

The euro, which rated approximately 1.3350 dollars, is notably supported after the commitment by Germany Wednesday to help its banks if necessary.

Be announced by the ECB at 24:45 GMT at the end of the meeting of its board of governors for the last time led by Jean-Claude Trichet? The issue is discussed.

The market economists expect a simple majority in monetary status quo – the main rate by the ECB would remain at 1.5%.But the voices of a growing number were heard to ask for a lower cost of money while the signs are increasing of a faltering economic recovery and as the financial crisis – bonds and bank – escalates .

However, inflation continued to rise in September in the euro area. It reached 3.0% annual rate, its highest level in nearly three years, against 2.5% in August, is already well above the objective of the ECB. However, the essential mission of the Central Bank of 17 countries in the euro area is to maintain prices at a level slightly below 2%.

If the ECB does not reduce the cost of credit, it could announce other support measures.Among the measures expected by the market, increased liquidity, recovery of tenders 12 months used for the last time in late 2009, handed to the current tastes of the program to purchase bonds (covered bonds).

According to a Reuters poll conducted last week, 56 of 75 economists said to anticipate a continuation of interest rates, but 13 anticipate a decline of 25 basis points in September and even predict a reduction of 50 points.

For example, JP Morgan Chase is expected to drop 50 points in the cost of money.

The single currency has lost about 10% against the greenback since its peak of 1.4550 dollars in late August, but is above the low point of his nine-month dollar hit 1.3145 this week.

Carmignac Gestion WANTS THE RATES TO ZERO

After raising rates twice this year in April and July, the ECB changed its stance at its September meeting and opened the door to future cuts.

She said that the risks to inflation were no longer on the upside but were "broadly balanced".

Since then, inflation was announced at 3%, but the signs of a slowdown have been confirmed.The U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs and others now provide even a "mild recession" for the eurozone in the fourth quarter.

Economist Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF) Tom Rogers believes that the ECB will reduce its rate to less than 1% if the economy falls into recession.

In a full page advertisement in the Financial Times on Wednesday, the French manager Carmignac Gestion, with assets under management amounted to 55 billion euros, asked Jean-Claude Trichet to go further and to reduce rates to zero.

"Goodbye, we do not regret it!" We read in the box presented in the form of a letter to the President of the ECB."This is your last chance to leave on a positive note."

According to many economists, it would be the next President of the ECB, Italian, Mario Draghi, Jean-Claude Trichet decides to lower the house money before taking office.

They feel that if Mario Draghi had to take such action in its first monetary policy meeting in November, it might then be portrayed as a supporter of lower rates.

This would imply, however, that Jean-Claude Trichet left as the last measure of his eight-year term rate cuts in a context of high inflation: such a decision contrary to fundamental principles of the ECB, would be enough to ruffle the supporters of the 'budgetary orthodoxy.

Some as Carmignac criticized the ECB for not doing enough to fight against debt crisis in the euro area, but others, like the Bundesbank, the ECB's view that has already gone beyond its limits and it puts independence at risk.

The euro area may therefore have to await further signs of a slowdown, or a decline in inflation, to get a breath of fresh air in the form of lower rates.

The carnage continues for oil refineries. Total after Dunkirk in 2010 and Petroplus to Reichstett (Bas-Rhin) in June, the American petrochemical company LyondellBasell announced Tuesday plans to close its refinery in Berre, in the Bouches-du-Rhone, which it considers unprofitable .

The site employs 370 employees in a petrochemical complex in 1270 employees will lose 120 million euros a year depending on the direction. But the group failed to sell it. No less than "85 entities around the world were approached during the sale process, to no avail.The refinery has in fact been no bid "has he explained. This ensures that only 370 jobs are directly affected refining risk. But unions argue that the loss of jobs could extend to the entire complex.

In response, nearly a thousand employees voted in a general meeting Tuesday the start of a "strike hard" for 48 hours. Wednesday, the entire petrochemical complex was shut down. Between 200 and 300 employees are present for locking, according to unions. The next general meeting is scheduled this Thursday at noon. Those decisions involved a year to the day after the start of great social movement that paralyzed almost all French refineries and caused a fuel shortage.

General meetings in nine out of ten sites

And the risk of a new scale strike is beginning to emerge.The movement of employees of LyondellBasell could spread, even if solidarity is shy at the moment. Employees of nine of the ten French refineries have held general meetings on Wednesday. And could lead to possible actions. But for now, only employees of the Total refinery at Donges, Loire-Atlantique, voted in favor of an immediate movement but symbolic: a decline in production to a minimum flow for 24 hours.

On the side of the Total refinery in Gonfreville l'Orcher, near Le Havre, general meetings were also held. But only a third of the participants voted in favor of a strike and the unions did not consider the results sufficient to initiate an action. A Fos-sur-Mer, in the ExxonMobil refinery, there was no general meeting.

The situation could change Friday.A meeting of employees of the four sites in the area of ​​Berre be held and could lead to possible actions. If the strike is decided, it could spread to other refineries.

France lost 12 refineries in 40 years

The future seems to darken French refineries from year to year. There were 23 in the late 70's, there are no more than 11 still active today. And the closure of the Berre could add to this sad list. Refineries "are in excess production capacity, and do not have sufficient opportunities" because of "demand is very sluggish," said Jean-Louis Schilansky President of the French Union of Petroleum Industries (Ufip). It will even "operating loss of several hundred million euros" in 2011, a trend in "neighbor" of 2009, when they lost 1 billion euros, "he added.According to Les Echos, refining margins, which represent the difference between the price of refined products and their production costs, decreased by 60% between 2008 and 2009. And are now at a "crisis level".

French refineries were in effect in 2010, almost 82 million tonnes of petroleum products like gasoline, diesel or fuel oil. But demand remains well below capacity. Consumption in France in 2010 reached 33.6 million tonnes of diesel and 8.2 million tonnes of gasoline. "Since 2007, there was a drop in consumption in Europe related to energy conservation, and the phenomenon is exacerbated by economic crises," said Constancio Silva, an economist at the French Petroleum Institute-New Energies.

"The divestitures or closures inevitable"

He said the refiners were not able to adapt to changes in demand.They suffered from the rise of the French nuclear fleet. This has indeed led to a decline in demand for heavy fuel oil, which was used previously to operate power plants.

In addition, refiners have invested in the 70 and 80, in units of gasoline production, then the fuel most consumed in France. But they were surprised by the explosion in demand for diesel, accentuated by a favorable tax and lower consumption of diesel engines. The sale of diesel fuel currently represents 75% of fuel sales in France. Motorists consume 33 million tons, but French production capacity amounts to only 20 million. Refineries hexagonal therefore find themselves being forced to export 30% of its production of gasoline, including the United States where, again, demand has slowed.According to the Professional Committee of oil, gasoline sales abroad have in fact fallen by 20%. And Parellel, oil companies are forced to buy diesel fuel abroad, which increases their expenses.

In this context, "ultimately, disposals or closures will be inevitable," says the Ufip. Pessimism that refuses to admit the unions. In response to the closure of the Berre, CFDT and CGT federations in the industry, oil chemistry yelled "stop the slaughter." "This announcement is unacceptable. For it is not linked solely to the problems of weak refining margins and the inadequacy of the means of production with the market, the surplus of gasoline and diesel deficit" Have they denounced.

According to them, refinery closures meet market logic and a lack of investment.The FNIC-CGT calls "a multi-year investment" on the basis of the report of the French Institute of Petroleum, which presented June 22, through investment, featured tracks of development for French refineries.

An argument shared by Thomas Porcher, PhD in economics author of "A barrel of oil against 100 lies." He said the lack of investment to change the production structure of French refineries explains their lack of profitability. "Despite the record profits from the price effect of rising oil prices, these investments were ousted in favor of a preference for investments in refineries near the mining areas. This is the case Total in Saudi Arabia with the Jubail refinery example. It can produce low-cost, because of its proximity to the deposits.But it is especially with a modern production system to adapt the ratio diesel / petrol desired. The problem of refining French could no longer be similar "to a lay-sector" including the means of production have become unsuitable as a problem of competitiveness. While the first causes the second "he says.

Heads of Mission of the troika of creditors will return to Athens, Greece "in early next week" to complete talks for the release of the next tranche of loans to the country, said Tuesday the Department of Finance at the end a teleconference between representatives and the Minister.This conference gave rise "to a satisfactory progress" in negotiations, said a ministry statement, stating that the minister, Evangelos Venizelos, will also continue its discussions with donors in the country "this weekend in Washington at the annual meeting of the IMF. "

These negotiations are intended to avoid a default on Greece in need of loan from the euro area and the International Monetary Fund to cover its financing needs from the end of October. In Brussels, the European Commission made from advanced, indicating that negotiations were possible to find common ground and confirming the return of the troika. During the conference, following a first round Monday, "Good progress has been made," the Commission ruled in a statement.Technical discussions will continue over the next few days in Athens, she added, as also the statement of the Greek Ministry.

Of these negotiations depends on the payment in October – vital for Greece – the sixth round of eight billion euros of the loan in May 2010 in the euro area country and the IMF. A source of the Greek Ministry of Finance, negotiations Tuesday were to endorse the measures agreed between Greece and its creditors to achieve the planned budget savings and accelerate structural reforms that Athens has promised to perform in exchange for his rescue bankruptcy.

The European Commission has not confirmed this information and did not provide details in a statement. The department has for its part not mentioned in either agreement.A cabinet was nevertheless restricted announced Wednesday morning that the Greek media are waiting for a green light to launch the measures agreed with creditors, centered on the compression of the public sector.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou would explore the possibility to consult the public in a referendum on how best to tackle the debt crisis, or remaining in the euro area, either by abandoning the single currency, a Greek daily said Tuesday.The Prime Minister would be based on a favorable outcome for the euro to continue its drastic austerity policies applied at the request of the creditors of the country, the euro area and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the daily Kathimerini said, Citing "sources" unidentified.

A text of the bill was under development, understands the everyday., No confirmation could be obtained from official sources on Tuesday morning. The Greek Ministry of Finance on Tuesday denied that information. "It makes no sense," said a source at the Ministry of Finance told AFP. Given the scale of protests in Greece last spring, Mr.Papandreou announced June 19 the holding of a referendum in the fall to concentrate on "the great changes that the government aims for the country", including political reforms as the functioning of parliament, the electoral system as well as an overhaul of the judicial system.

According to opinion polls, the Greeks have lost confidence in their political and judicial system, which has never been able to stem the endemic corruption in the country. The information on a proposed referendum on the euro are published at the time the Minister of Finance negotiates fiercely with the troika of the country's creditors seeking the implementation of austerity measures decided in July (fewer staff, reducing public expenditure) before paying the next $ 8 billion euros of the loan in May 2010 to avoid bankruptcy the country.