L’Elysée poursuit Ryanair pour une pub avec Sarkozy et Bruni/ Ryanairin häämatkamainos suututti Sarkozyn/ Sarkozy objects to Ryanair ad 29, January 2008

 

(with Ryanair, all my family can attend my wedding)

quelle publicité!! LOL

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Nicolas Sarkozy a décidé de poursuivre en justice la compagnie aérienne Ryanair pour une publicité montrant le président de la République et sa compagne Carla Bruni, annonce l’Elysée.

Dans un encart publicitaire publié lundi dans Le Parisien et vantant ses opérations promotionnelles, Ryanair utilise une photo de Nicolas Sarkozy et de l’artiste italienne côte-à-côte et fait dire à Carla Bruni: “Avec Ryanair, toute ma famille va pouvoir venir assister à mon mariage”.

“C’est un usage abusif de l’image du président de la République, et le président de la République a donc donné instruction à son conseil pour que cette affaire reçoive les suites civiles nécessaires”, a déclaré le conseiller en communication de l’Elysée, Franck Louvrier.

(Source: Yahoo!)

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Ranskan presidentti Nicolas Sarkozy harkitsee oikeustoimia lentoyhtiö Ryanairin mainoksesta, jossa käytettiin Sarkozyn ja tämän tyttöystävän Carla Brunin kuvaa.

Ranskalaisen Le Parisien -lehden maanantaina julkaisema mainos markkinoi alennuslentoja “kaikkiin tilanteisiin”.

“Ryanairilla koko perheeni pääsee häihin”, Brunin pään yläpuolella olevassa puhekuplassa lukee.

Sarkozyn edustajan mukaan presidentin kuvaa on käytetty mainoksessa loukkaavasti, minkä vuoksi tämä on antanut tehtäväksi selvittää oikeustoimien mahdollisuuden. Ryanairin edustaja pyysi jo maanantaina anteeksi humoristiseksi tarkoitetun mainoksen aiheuttamaa mielipahaa.

Sarkozy vihjasi aiemmin tässä kuussa, että on aikeissa avioitua Brunin kanssa.

(HS:stä)

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked his lawyer to take legal action against low-cost airline Ryanair for using a photo of him and girlfriend Carla Bruni in an advertisement, a spokesman said Monday.

The Ryanair ad, published Monday in the French daily Le Parisien, shows the smiling couple with a comic book speech bubble coming from Bruni’s saying: “With Ryanair, all my family can come to my wedding.”

Sarkozy adviser Franck Louvrier said the French leader is requesting the immediate removal of the ad, although it was not immediately clear if he would also seek damages. He said Sarkozy’s office considers the ad “an improper use of the president’s image.”

Ryanair Holdings PLC, in a statement, said: “It was a humorous comment on a matter of great public interest in France. We apologize sincerely for any offense caused.”

The romance between the recently divorced president and the supermodel-turned-singer has captured headlines since they went public with their relationship in December.

Sarkozy, who turned 53 on Monday, has hinted that marriage is on the cards with Bruni, 40, though he has not revealed a date.

It is not the first time Ryanair, Europe’s biggest low-cost airline, has used politicians’ likenesses without permission. The company has used photos of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in past ads.

The Irish budget airline last year reportedly settled a lawsuit filed by Sweden’s ex-Prime Minister Goran Persson out of court after using Persson’s photo picture without his consent.

(Source: Yahoo!)

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Société Générale: la pression monte sur le PDG Daniel Bouton/ Paris to ‘block any Societe bids’ 29, January 2008

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La pression montait mardi sur le PDG de la Société Générale, Daniel Bouton ,poussé à la démission par plusieurs dirigeants politiques, alors que les petits actionnaires dénoncent un possible délit d’initié après d’énormes ventes de titres par un administrateur de la banque.

Le trader Jérôme Kerviel , accusé d’avoir fait perdre 4,82 milliards d’euros à la banque, a été mis en examen lundi soir notamment pour “abus de confiance”, “faux et usage de faux” et laissé en liberté sous contrôle judiciaire, contre l’avis du parquet.

La Société Générale s’est constituée partie civile dans cette enquête mardi.

L’attention se porte désormais sur le PDG de la banque, Daniel Bouton. Le président Nicolas Sarkozy, a lancé la charge lundi soir, estimant qu’une telle crise ne pouvait “pas rester sans conséquences”.

“On est dans un système où, quand on a une forte rémunération qui est sans doute légitime, et qu’il y a un fort problème, on ne peut pas s’exonérer des responsabilités”, a-t-il affirmé.

Mardi, la ministre de la Justice, Rachida Dati, a aussi estimé que la responsabilité de M. Bouton pouvait “être engagée”.

Pour le président de la commission des Finances du Sénat, le centriste Jean Arthuis, Daniel Bouton ne peut “pas faire autrement que partir”.

Plus prudente, la ministre de l’Economie, Christine Lagarde, a jugé qu’il revenait “aux administrateurs” de décider du maintien ou non du PDG à son poste. Mme Lagarde, qui a reçu mardi le gouverneur de la Banque de France et les président et délégué général de l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), doit être auditionnée en début de semaine prochaine par la Commission des Finances de l’Assemblée nationale.

A gauche, le ton était plus conciliant: la députée PS Elisabeth Guigou a estimé qu’il ne fallait “rien faire qui fragilise la Société Générale” tandis que Michel Sapin, secrétaire national du PS à l’Économie et à la Fiscalité, a invité à “éviter la politique du bouc-émissaire”.

Daniel Bouton, 57 ans, à la tête de la banque depuis 1997, avait présenté la semaine dernière sa démission au conseil d’administration. Ce dernier l’avait refusée, lui donnant pour mandat de “remettre le groupe sur la voie de la croissance rentable”.

M. Bouton a affirmé lundi que sa démission était toujours sur la table.

Un conseil d’administration “ordinaire”, “prévu de longue date”, doit se tenir mercredi, a-t-on appris auprès d’un administrateur. L’ordre du jour n’a pas été précisé.

De son côté, le Premier ministre, François Fillon, a prévenu que le gouvernement “ne laissera pas la Société Générale être l’objet de raids hostiles”.

En outre, les soupçons de délit d’initié sont venus s’ajouter aux critiques sur le management depuis que l’AMF a indiqué lundi qu’un des administrateurs de la banque avait vendu un énorme paquet d’actions Société Générale en janvier.

Selon l’AMF, cet administrateur américain, Robert A. Day, a vendu à la Bourse de Paris pour 85,7 millions d’euros d’actions le 9 janvier puis pour 40,518 millions d’euros le 18 janvier, le jour même où les premiers soupçons de “fraude” sont apparus.

Après plusieurs centaines d’actionnaires lundi, l’Association des actionnaires minoritaires (Adam) a demandé à l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) l’ouverture d’une enquête pour informations trompeuses et sur d’”éventuelles opérations d’initié”.

La Société Générale a affirmé que M. Day, comme les autres membres du conseil, “n’était pas informé des pertes de trading de J. Kerviel” avant de vendre ses actions.

(Source: Yahoo!)

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French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said his government will defend stricken bank Societe Generale against any hostile takeover bids from rivals.

Mr Fillon’s comments come as the lender continues to struggle in the aftermath of a trading scandal that cost it 4.9bn euros ($7bn; £3.7bn).

He added that the government was also “very attentive” against any attempt to destabilise Societe Generale.

Speculation that the bank could be a takeover target sent its shares up 9%.

“The government will not let Societe Generale become the object of hostile raids from other banks,” said Mr Fallon.

Despite the prime minister’s comments, analysts said the lender was vulnerable both to takeover, and also the poaching of key staff.

“Societe Generale is prey – nothing will be as it was,” said Mac Pagezy, president of recruitment firm Eurosearch and Associes.

‘Change the captain’

The prime minister’s comments come after other senior French politicians have increased the pressure on Societe Generale’s embattled chairman and chief executive Daniel Bouton.

“Societe Generale is in a crisis situation,” said Economy Minister Christine Lagarde in an interview on French television.

“In a difficult moment, the board members are there to decide if the person in charge is the best placed to run the ship when it is pitching a bit, or whether they should change the captain.”

Mr Lagarde also reiterated the government’s annoyance that Societe Generale – France’s second largest bank – did not inform it about the scandal until a day before it was publicly announced.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has already said that the bank’s senior managers had to accept their share of responsibility for the action of the bank’s alleged rogue trader – Jerome Kerviel.

‘Unauthorised deals’

Prosecutors are now appealing against Monday’s decision by judges to release the 31-year-old on bail.

Mr Kerviel is being investigated for breach of trust, falsifying documents and breaching computer security – but not the more serious charge of fraud.

His lawyers say Societe Generale is using him as a scapegoat to cover up the bank’s wider losses caused by bad US sub-prime mortgage debt.

Societe Generale says Mr Kerviel had a unauthorised position, or a bet, worth about 50bn euros on the future direction of European shares.

That was more than the bank’s value – about 35bn euros – and about the size of France’s entire annual budget deficit.

To avoid that potentially catastrophic loss the bank had to unwind Mr Kerviel’s trades, but that still cost it 4.9bn euros.

Societe Generale said Mr Kerviel’s background in handling the administration of trades enabled him to fool those monitoring traders’ activities.

It says Mr Kerviel invented deals that, on paper, balanced out his bets.

(Source: BBC News)

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Ugly Betty/ Ruma Betty 25, January 2008

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Ugly Betty est une série télévisée américaine adaptée par Silvio Horta et Salma Hayek de la telenovela colombienne Yo soy Betty, la fea.

Betty Suarez n’est pas spécialement belle, mais elle est douce, intelligente et travaille dur. Dans un monde régi par les apparences, ses qualités sont invisibles. Pourtant, le Président de Meade Publications l’engage pour devenir l’assistante de son fils, Daniel, récemment promu à la tête du prestigieux magazine Mode. Il espère ainsi obliger son futur successeur à s’intéresser davantage à son travail plutôt qu’à la gent féminine. Si au début leur association est explosive, ils vont bientôt devenir une paire redoutable…

(Source: Wikipedia)

Site Officiel (en anglais)

Site non-officiel (en français)

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Ruma Betty (engl. Ugly Betty) on yhdysvaltalainen draama-komedia.

Sarjassa seurataan Betty Suarezin (America Ferrera) ja tämän päätoimittajapomon Daniel Meaden (Eric Mabius) elämää MODE-muotilehden toimituksessa ja sen ulkopuolella. Ruma Betty perustuu Fernando Gaitánin käsikirjoittamaan kolumbialaiseen telenovelaan Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999–2001). New Yorkin ympäristöön sarjan ovat muokanneet Silvio Horta, Salma Hayek ja Ben Silverman. Hayek vierailee myös itse sarjassa Sofia Reyesin roolissa.

(Wikipediasta)

Ruma Betty Nelosen sivustolla

Ruma Betty ABC:n sivustolla (englanniksi)

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Ugly Betty is an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea (“I am Betty, the ugly one”),^[2] also simply known as “Betty la fea” (“Ugly Betty”) written by Fernando Gaitán (also author of Café, con aroma de mujer). It is adapted into a New York City setting by creator/developer Silvio Horta and co-producers Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman, whose production companies Silent H, Ventanarosa and Reveille respectively partnered with ABC Studios to create the hour-long program for US audience. Hayek has appeared on the show as Sofia Reyes, in addition to playing a cameo role as an actress on a fictional telenovela watched by the main character’s family in the pilot episode.

The show is filmed like a traditional network drama (with motion picture film), rather than the videotape production of the original series. Ugly Betty’s second season is now airing.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Official website

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Nokia CEO Kallasvuo: “No lifetime jobs in open competitive market” 24, January 2008

 

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Nokia will not reconsider its decision to close down the mobile telephone factory in the German city of Bochum. According to Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the factory’s outdated equipment and Germany’s high labour costs are an impossible equation in a situation of tighter competition.
“In spite of numerous attempts we have not found a sustainable solution for the Bochum factory. It is difficult to imagine that anything new would be found in discussions with personnel, that would change our decision.”

Mobile phone sales are growing fastest in Asian and African countries, where the average income is low.
Nokia calculates that the average price of a mobile telephone has declined by 35 per cent in a five-year period.
Kallasvuo believes that competition will continue to intensify in the future, and he does not believe that replacing the antiquated production equipment at the Bochum plant would solve the impossible equation.
“Securing Nokia’s competitiveness and profitability will ensure our investment in the future. We are making many investments into new areas of business. It is a question of responding to intense competition, and preparing for even tougher competition.”

In its published set of values, Nokia says that a goal of its philosophy of corporate responsibility is to bring people closer together and to increase a sense of community. Nokia’s corporate activities are supposed to reflect a culture of caring.
“In all of our internal discussions on values I have emphasised that no company operating in open competition can guarantee lifetime employment.”
Nokia plans to prove its sense of responsibility in the way that it handles the aftermath of the closing of the Bochum plant.
“We are ready for innovative solutions to help the personnel, and the city of Bochum.”
Kallasvuo did not want to reveal yet what these innovative solutions might be.

Nokia’s management has discussed the fate of Bochum for many years. From 1994 the company has invested EUR 600 million into converting the old television factory into a mobile telephone factory.
The extensive automation at the factory has minimised the need for personnel in order to keep labour costs under control. The factory produces large series of mid-range handsets.
Bochum accounts for six per cent of Nokia’s mobile phone production. Labour costs of the factory account for 23 per cent of the labour costs of all of Nokia’s production.
The biggest expense in the production of mobile telephones are materials and components. Of the remaining expenses, 70-80 per cent of the costs in Germany are labour costs.

Kallasvuo does not want to make any public estimates on the costs of closing down the factory – a move which will make 2,300 employees redundant.
“This kind of a solution is never cheap, especially in Germany.”
Nokia’s decision has sparked widespread anger in Germany, including boycotts of Nokia phones. Kallasvuo says that he is surprised at the severity of the reactions.
“We did not get our message through early enough. Considering that the reaction was so strong, something could have been done better.”
According to a poll commissioned by the magazine Stern, 68 per cent of Germans feel that the closure of the Bochum factory has seriously damaged Nokia’s reputation.

Kallasvuo spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel by telephone on Monday. He describes their conversation as constructive.
“The Chancellor sought to look at what is best for Germany, and I looked at what is best for Nokia in the long term. Now German federal administration, the state administration, and Nokia need to work together.”

After the closure of the Bochum plant, the only mobile telephone factory that Nokia will have in a country with high income levels will be the one in Salo in the southwest of Finland.
“There are no plans with respect to Salo, nor are there any thoughts about shutting down production. We also use Salo for experimental production.”
A large part of Nokia’s research and development work in mobile telephony is in Finland.

(HS:stä)

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Suomi Ranskan linjalla EU:n puolustuksessa/ Vanhanen in Paris: Finland and France largely agree on EU defence 24, January 2008

 

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Suomella ja Ranskalla on “samansuuntainen tahtotila” EU:n puolustuksen kehittämisessä, pääministeri Matti Vanhanen sanoi keskiviikkona tavattuaan Ranskan presidentin Nicolas Sarkozyn.

“Mutta Ranskalla on pidemmälle meneviä visioita.”

 

Heinäkuussa EU:n puheenjohtajana aloittava Ranska on jo ilmoittanut, että se haluaa panostaa kaudellaan Euroopan unionin itsenäisen puolustuksen kehittämiseen.

Ranska on perinteisestikin ollut EU:n oman puolustuksen kehittämisen kannalla, kun taas esimerkiksi Britannia on pitänyt tärkeimpänä Nato-yhteistyötä ja Yhdysvaltain ja EU:n yhteistyötä. Ranska kuuluu Natoon, mutta tyytymättömyys Yhdysvaltain suureen valtaan puolustusliitossa on hiertänyt Nato-suhdetta.

Vanhasen mukaan Suomea kiinnostaa EU:n kriisinhallintatoiminnan kehittäminen ja siihen osallistuminen.

Pääministeri sanoi kannustaneensa Ranskaa työskentelemään puheenjohtajuuskaudella myös sen eteen, että EU pääsisi aloittamaan neuvottelut uudesta yhteistyösopimuksesta Venäjän kanssa tänä vuonna. Neuvottelut ovat siirtyneet muun muassa Venäjän ja Puolan kiistojen vuoksi.

 

Vanhanen kommentoi myös keskiviikkona julkaistua EU-komission ehdotusta kansallisista ilmastotavoitteista. Niiden mukaan Suomen pitää nostaa uusiutuvien energiamuotojen osuutta 38 prosenttiin vuoteen 2020 mennessä. Osuus on nyt 28,5 prosenttia.

“Tavoite on haastava, mutta ei kohtuuton tai poikkeava muiden maiden tavoitteisiin verrattuna”, Vanhanen sanoi.

Hän kiitteli lisäksi sitä, että energiaintensiivinen teollisuus kuten paperiteollisuus oli jätetty kiintiöiden ulkopuolelle.

(HS:stä)

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Finland and France have a “state of will going in the same direction” on the development of European Union defence, said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) on Wednesday after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris. “But France has further-reaching visions”, he added.

France, which takes over the rotating EU Presidency in July this year, has said that during the six-month term at the helm, it wants to focus on the development of an independent defence capability for the EU.
France has traditionally been in favour of an independent EU defence, whereas Britain, for instance, has favoured cooperation between the EU and NATO, and close defence ties with the United States.
While France is a member of NATO, is also outspoken in its dissatisfaction with the far-reaching influence that the USA holds in the Western alliance.
Vanhanen said that Finland is interested in developing and participating in EU crisis management activities.
The Finnish Prime Minister also said that he had urged France to promote the launch of negotiations for a cooperation treaty with Russia during the French EU Presidency.

Commenting on the proposal of the European Commission for national targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Vanhanen said the goals were challenging, but not unreasonable from Finland’s point of view.

He was also pleased that energy-intensive industries, such as the paper industry, had been left outside the quota.

During his visit, Prime Minister Vanhanen also met with French Prime Minister François Fillon, as well as Christophe de Marger, director-general of the energy company Total, and Christian Noyer, governor of the Bank of France.

Total is a partner in a natural gas project in the Barents Sea, and Vanhanen expressed the hope that Finland might be able to share in the massive investment.

(HS:stä)

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