mercredi, septembre 14, 2005
Canada may pass on fuel tax windfall to provinces
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canada's finance minister said on Tuesday the federal government could return its tax windfall from surging fuel prices to the country's provinces.
"We are looking at what our options might be to be of assistance to consumers," Ralph Goodale told reporters after a luncheon speech.
One option already tried would be to redirect any incremental federal sales taxes garnered from the surge in gasoline prices back to the provinces.
Last year, Ottawa redirected some C$150 million of extra sales tax revenue from a spike in gasoline prices to the provincial governments, to be used for purchases of medical equipment, Goodale said.
Goodale said simply cutting the federal tax on gasoline by a few cents would be of little value to consumers because it would get "gobbled up" by the gasoline retailing marketing machine and pump prices would quickly rise again.
"The consumer would be paying as much or more, the government would have less revenue and only the oil industry would be better off," he said.
Retail gasoline prices in Canada, a net exporter of oil, have surged in recent weeks, following Hurricane Katrina. The average price across the country jumped to a record C$1.26 a liter -- or about $4 a U.S. gallon -- before dropping back to C$1.10 on Tuesday, according to MJ Ervin & Associates Inc.
Industry analysis provided by Petro-Canada (PCA.TO: Quote), the country's fourth-largest oil producer and refiner by market value, said taxes generally account for 40 percent to 50 percent of retail gasoline prices in Canada, compared with 20 to 30 percent in the United States.
In the 1990s, Prime Minister Paul Martin, who was then finance minister, bumped up the federal excise tax by 1.5 Canadian cents to 10 Canadian cents a liter, earmarking the increase as a deficit-reduction tax.
Canada has had federal budget surpluses since 1997.
Ottawa also gathers a 7 percent sales tax on retail gasoline sales
The jump in fuel prices is also being felt by consumers who use oil to heat their homes. Some customers complain of receiving winter heating fuel contracts in which prices are 38 percent higher than last year.
Goodale said Ottawa was looking at ways to ease the price pressure, but he added that a federal program aimed at helping low-income Canadians cope with higher heating fuel prices a few years ago turned into a logistical nightmare.
"The principle was right, the administration was awful," he said. "We're examining the technique that was used in that old program and seeing if there's a way that you could actually administer it without the pitfalls."
Goodale declined to comment on a demand from a Quebec labor group that Ottawa surtax oil company profits stemming from higher gasoline prices.
"We are looking at what our options might be to be of assistance to consumers," Ralph Goodale told reporters after a luncheon speech.
One option already tried would be to redirect any incremental federal sales taxes garnered from the surge in gasoline prices back to the provinces.
Last year, Ottawa redirected some C$150 million of extra sales tax revenue from a spike in gasoline prices to the provincial governments, to be used for purchases of medical equipment, Goodale said.
Goodale said simply cutting the federal tax on gasoline by a few cents would be of little value to consumers because it would get "gobbled up" by the gasoline retailing marketing machine and pump prices would quickly rise again.
"The consumer would be paying as much or more, the government would have less revenue and only the oil industry would be better off," he said.
Retail gasoline prices in Canada, a net exporter of oil, have surged in recent weeks, following Hurricane Katrina. The average price across the country jumped to a record C$1.26 a liter -- or about $4 a U.S. gallon -- before dropping back to C$1.10 on Tuesday, according to MJ Ervin & Associates Inc.
Industry analysis provided by Petro-Canada (PCA.TO: Quote), the country's fourth-largest oil producer and refiner by market value, said taxes generally account for 40 percent to 50 percent of retail gasoline prices in Canada, compared with 20 to 30 percent in the United States.
In the 1990s, Prime Minister Paul Martin, who was then finance minister, bumped up the federal excise tax by 1.5 Canadian cents to 10 Canadian cents a liter, earmarking the increase as a deficit-reduction tax.
Canada has had federal budget surpluses since 1997.
Ottawa also gathers a 7 percent sales tax on retail gasoline sales
The jump in fuel prices is also being felt by consumers who use oil to heat their homes. Some customers complain of receiving winter heating fuel contracts in which prices are 38 percent higher than last year.
Goodale said Ottawa was looking at ways to ease the price pressure, but he added that a federal program aimed at helping low-income Canadians cope with higher heating fuel prices a few years ago turned into a logistical nightmare.
"The principle was right, the administration was awful," he said. "We're examining the technique that was used in that old program and seeing if there's a way that you could actually administer it without the pitfalls."
Goodale declined to comment on a demand from a Quebec labor group that Ottawa surtax oil company profits stemming from higher gasoline prices.
Trade surplus jumps, higher rates seen
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's trade surplus was bigger than expected in July due to booming oil and gas exports, boosting the chances of higher interest rates and a stronger Canadian dollar.
Statistics Canada said on Tuesday that the surplus jumped to C$5.82 billion in July from a slightly downwardly revised C$4.87 billion in June. This was well above the C$5 billion predicted on average by analysts surveyed by Reuters.
"These are good numbers for the Canadian dollar in particular, and will at the margin give the Bank of Canada comfort that the stronger currency is not wreaking havoc on the real economy...," said David Wolf, chief Canadian economist for Merrill Lynch.
The central bank hiked interest rates on September 7 for the first time in 11 months but as it examined the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the North American economy it left its options open as to whether it would do so again on October 18.
Economists said the trade numbers bode well for economic growth in the third quarter, with net exports continuing to contribute to gross domestic product.
Exports of C$38.04 billion in July were the third highest on record, compared with June's exports of C$37.24 billion. Crude oil exports rose 7.5 percent from June to C$2.5 billion and natural gas exports jumped 15.8 percent to C$3 billion.
The value of imports eased to C$32.22 billion from C$32.37 billion, due to a fall in prices as the Canadian dollar strengthened. Real imports actually increased by 0.6 percent. All the figures are seasonally adjusted.
Exports of forestry products fell 4.3 percent, the fifth consecutive month of declines, while automotive exports were virtually unchanged, Statscan said.
The value of imports of machinery and equipment fell 1.4 percent, the first such decline for this sector in 2005, Statscan said, but in real terms they actually rose modestly. Consumer imports fell 2.8 percent from June's record high.
In terms of monetary policy, economists are now debating whether the Bank of Canada is likely to hike rates once before the end of the year or whether it will do so in October and on December 6.
"We remain amazed that our markets remain priced for one hike, and that's it over the foreseeable future," said Marc Levesque, chief fixed-income strategist at TD Securities.
He said an October rate hike is by no means a done deal but the drag from the stronger dollar on exports seemed to be waning.
RBC Financial Group assistant chief economist Derek Holt sees hikes in both October and December.
"This report should continue to soothe the Bank of Canada's concerns about the impact of the Canadian dollar on Canada's international trading activity," he said.
The Canadian dollar strengthened to C$1.1790 to the U.S. dollar, or 84.82 U.S. cents, at 11:15 a.m. (1515 GMT), from around C$1.1840, or 84.46 U.S. cents, shortly before the data were released.
Canadian bond prices rose despite the prospect of higher interest rates, which generally prompts selling of debt.
Statistics Canada said on Tuesday that the surplus jumped to C$5.82 billion in July from a slightly downwardly revised C$4.87 billion in June. This was well above the C$5 billion predicted on average by analysts surveyed by Reuters.
"These are good numbers for the Canadian dollar in particular, and will at the margin give the Bank of Canada comfort that the stronger currency is not wreaking havoc on the real economy...," said David Wolf, chief Canadian economist for Merrill Lynch.
The central bank hiked interest rates on September 7 for the first time in 11 months but as it examined the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the North American economy it left its options open as to whether it would do so again on October 18.
Economists said the trade numbers bode well for economic growth in the third quarter, with net exports continuing to contribute to gross domestic product.
Exports of C$38.04 billion in July were the third highest on record, compared with June's exports of C$37.24 billion. Crude oil exports rose 7.5 percent from June to C$2.5 billion and natural gas exports jumped 15.8 percent to C$3 billion.
The value of imports eased to C$32.22 billion from C$32.37 billion, due to a fall in prices as the Canadian dollar strengthened. Real imports actually increased by 0.6 percent. All the figures are seasonally adjusted.
Exports of forestry products fell 4.3 percent, the fifth consecutive month of declines, while automotive exports were virtually unchanged, Statscan said.
The value of imports of machinery and equipment fell 1.4 percent, the first such decline for this sector in 2005, Statscan said, but in real terms they actually rose modestly. Consumer imports fell 2.8 percent from June's record high.
In terms of monetary policy, economists are now debating whether the Bank of Canada is likely to hike rates once before the end of the year or whether it will do so in October and on December 6.
"We remain amazed that our markets remain priced for one hike, and that's it over the foreseeable future," said Marc Levesque, chief fixed-income strategist at TD Securities.
He said an October rate hike is by no means a done deal but the drag from the stronger dollar on exports seemed to be waning.
RBC Financial Group assistant chief economist Derek Holt sees hikes in both October and December.
"This report should continue to soothe the Bank of Canada's concerns about the impact of the Canadian dollar on Canada's international trading activity," he said.
The Canadian dollar strengthened to C$1.1790 to the U.S. dollar, or 84.82 U.S. cents, at 11:15 a.m. (1515 GMT), from around C$1.1840, or 84.46 U.S. cents, shortly before the data were released.
Canadian bond prices rose despite the prospect of higher interest rates, which generally prompts selling of debt.
La troposphère paie, au prix fort, la croissance de la Chine
Il y a trop, beaucoup trop, de dioxyde d'azote (NO2) au-dessus de la Chine. Entre 1996 et 2004, la concentration de ce polluant dans la troposphère une couche d'air, épaisse d'une dizaine de kilomètres environ, qui enrobe la Terre a crû d'environ 50 % au-dessus des régions orientales, les plus industrieuses, de l'empire du Milieu.
Sur la même période, les teneurs de NO2 enregistrées au-dessus de l'Europe occidentale et de l'Amérique du Nord ont, au contraire, globalement baissé. Irritant pour les voies respiratoires, le dioxyde d'azote est aussi impliqué dans des mécanismes chimiques qui aboutissent à la formation d'un autre toxique, l'ozone (O3).
Ces conclusions, publiées début septembre dans la revue Nature , découlent des observations de deux satellites de l'Agence spatiale européenne (ESA), Envisat et ERS2, tous deux équipés d'un spectromètre optique. Ces travaux montrent que l'impact de la croissance chinoise s'est directement traduit par une forte augmentation de polluants "dont la concentration est directement liée à la combustion de ressources fossiles" , explique Claire Granier, directrice de recherche à l'Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL) et coauteur de l'étude.
La surveillance, sur le long terme, de la teneur en polluants dans les couches basses de l'atmosphère sur d'aussi vastes zones est inédite. De tels dispositifs ont en revanche été déjà mis en place pour mesurer les variations saisonnières de l'épaisseur de la couche d'ozone stratosphérique.
Si elles peuvent sembler logiques pour le néophyte, les conclusions de ces travaux sont jugées "surprenantes" par Mme Granier. En effet, explique-t-elle, "certaines publications, sur la foi des statistiques officielles chinoises d'émissions, ont récemment laissé entendre que la tendance était au contraire à la baisse" . "L'un des enseignements qu'il faut en tirer , poursuit Mme Granier, est qu'il est nécessaire de renforcer les efforts déjà faits sur les calculs d'émissions. Cela est vrai pour la Chine mais aussi pour les autres pays."
La dégradation de la situation est directement à mettre en relation avec le trafic routier puisque le parc automobile chinois a plus que doublé au cours de la dernière décennie. Parallèlement, l'amélioration relevée en Europe occidentale les concentrations troposphériques de NO2 ont baissé d'environ 20 % correspond au rajeunissement du parc et aux mesures prises par les constructeurs : installation de pots catalytiques, amélioration de la combustion du carburant, etc.
En Amérique du Nord, la situation est moins claire. Alors que certaines zones connaissent une baisse des taux de NO2, d'autres semblent au contraire enregistrer une hausse. Aucune explication claire n'est proposée par les auteurs. Selon Claire Granier, d'autres observations seront nécessaires pour comprendre ces fluctuations.
La rémanence du NO2 dans la troposphère est de seulement "quelques jours" . En d'autres termes, il suffirait de faire cesser, pendant ces "quelques jours" , toute combustion de ressources fossiles ou de biomasse pour voir disparaître l'excédent troposphérique de NO2. Cela explique pourquoi les plus forts taux sont localisés près des côtes, note Mme Granier.
D'autres polluants également issus de la combustion sont, eux, beaucoup plus stables. Par exemple, le monoxyde de carbone (CO) persiste plus de deux mois dans l'atmosphère après son émission. Il est donc susceptible de se diffuser très loin de sa zone d'origine. Aucune carte tendancielle n'est aujourd'hui disponible sur le CO, mais un satellite américain, AM-1, lancé en décembre 1999 et équipé d'instruments ad hoc (expérience Mopitt) permet depuis peu d'observer le comportement de ce polluant dans les basses couches de l'atmosphère. Les premières cartes devraient être disponibles d'ici "deux à trois ans" , estime Mme Granier.
Sur la même période, les teneurs de NO2 enregistrées au-dessus de l'Europe occidentale et de l'Amérique du Nord ont, au contraire, globalement baissé. Irritant pour les voies respiratoires, le dioxyde d'azote est aussi impliqué dans des mécanismes chimiques qui aboutissent à la formation d'un autre toxique, l'ozone (O3).
Ces conclusions, publiées début septembre dans la revue Nature , découlent des observations de deux satellites de l'Agence spatiale européenne (ESA), Envisat et ERS2, tous deux équipés d'un spectromètre optique. Ces travaux montrent que l'impact de la croissance chinoise s'est directement traduit par une forte augmentation de polluants "dont la concentration est directement liée à la combustion de ressources fossiles" , explique Claire Granier, directrice de recherche à l'Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL) et coauteur de l'étude.
La surveillance, sur le long terme, de la teneur en polluants dans les couches basses de l'atmosphère sur d'aussi vastes zones est inédite. De tels dispositifs ont en revanche été déjà mis en place pour mesurer les variations saisonnières de l'épaisseur de la couche d'ozone stratosphérique.
Si elles peuvent sembler logiques pour le néophyte, les conclusions de ces travaux sont jugées "surprenantes" par Mme Granier. En effet, explique-t-elle, "certaines publications, sur la foi des statistiques officielles chinoises d'émissions, ont récemment laissé entendre que la tendance était au contraire à la baisse" . "L'un des enseignements qu'il faut en tirer , poursuit Mme Granier, est qu'il est nécessaire de renforcer les efforts déjà faits sur les calculs d'émissions. Cela est vrai pour la Chine mais aussi pour les autres pays."
La dégradation de la situation est directement à mettre en relation avec le trafic routier puisque le parc automobile chinois a plus que doublé au cours de la dernière décennie. Parallèlement, l'amélioration relevée en Europe occidentale les concentrations troposphériques de NO2 ont baissé d'environ 20 % correspond au rajeunissement du parc et aux mesures prises par les constructeurs : installation de pots catalytiques, amélioration de la combustion du carburant, etc.
En Amérique du Nord, la situation est moins claire. Alors que certaines zones connaissent une baisse des taux de NO2, d'autres semblent au contraire enregistrer une hausse. Aucune explication claire n'est proposée par les auteurs. Selon Claire Granier, d'autres observations seront nécessaires pour comprendre ces fluctuations.
La rémanence du NO2 dans la troposphère est de seulement "quelques jours" . En d'autres termes, il suffirait de faire cesser, pendant ces "quelques jours" , toute combustion de ressources fossiles ou de biomasse pour voir disparaître l'excédent troposphérique de NO2. Cela explique pourquoi les plus forts taux sont localisés près des côtes, note Mme Granier.
D'autres polluants également issus de la combustion sont, eux, beaucoup plus stables. Par exemple, le monoxyde de carbone (CO) persiste plus de deux mois dans l'atmosphère après son émission. Il est donc susceptible de se diffuser très loin de sa zone d'origine. Aucune carte tendancielle n'est aujourd'hui disponible sur le CO, mais un satellite américain, AM-1, lancé en décembre 1999 et équipé d'instruments ad hoc (expérience Mopitt) permet depuis peu d'observer le comportement de ce polluant dans les basses couches de l'atmosphère. Les premières cartes devraient être disponibles d'ici "deux à trois ans" , estime Mme Granier.
Les oiseaux migrateurs propageront-ils la grippe aviaire ?
Le virus mortel de la grippe aviaire, qui sévit dans plusieurs pays d'Asie, pourrait être propagé par les oiseaux sauvages au Moyen-Orient, en Europe, en Asie du Sud et en Afrique." C'est une mise en garde passablement alarmiste qu'a adressée, le 31 août, l'Organisation pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) des Nations unies.
Les oiseaux provenant de Sibérie où le virus H5N1 a été récemment détecté pourraient, à terme, transporter le virus vers la mer Caspienne et la mer Noire. Ces régions, ainsi que les pays balkaniques, pourraient offrir au virus une porte d'entrée vers l'Europe centrale", poursuit la FAO. Et de se dire "préoccupée par le fait que les pays pauvres du sud-est de l'Europe, où les oiseaux sauvages se mêlent à ceux du nord de l'Europe, seraient dans l'incapacité de détecter et de gérer d'éventuelles flambées de grippe aviaire."
L'Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments (Afssa) se montre plus rassurante. Sur le territoire national, estime-t-elle dans un avis rendu public le 25 août, le risque de contamination d'élevages domestiques par des oiseaux migrateurs est "modéré pour les élevages en plein air de canards, faible pour les élevages en plein air de l'espèce Gallus gallus -poulets-, inconnu pour les autres productions -gibier, pintades, dindes, autruches- " .
Qui croire ? Les oiseaux de passage sont-ils, ou non, de possibles passeurs de virus ? La carte des grandes voies migratoires de l'avifaune fournit, pour l'Europe et la France en particulier, quelques éléments de réponse.
L'Europe occidentale est traversée par un axe de migration qui, partant d'une aire géographique s'étendant de l'ouest de la Sibérie à la Scandinavie, file vers le sud-ouest en survolant au passage la France pour rejoindre l'Afrique. C'est cette route qu'empruntent plusieurs espèces de canards (dont le canard siffleur Anas penelope et la sarcelle d'hiver Anas crecca ) et d'oies (comme l'oie rieuse Anser albifrons ), mais aussi divers échassiers (tels que le combattant varié Philomachus pugnax ) et passereaux (bruants, pouillots...), fuyant à tire-d'aile les frimas nordiques. Certains hivernent en Europe, d'autres poussent jusqu'au-delà du détroit de Gibraltar.
Le risque d'introduction directe du virus par des oiseaux sauvages, à partir des foyers asiatiques, sur le sol français, est toutefois jugé de "nul à négligeable" par les experts consultés par l'Afssa. La plupart des migrateurs observés dans nos contrées proviennent en effet de la partie la plus occidentale de la Sibérie.
"DIABOLISATION"
" Les flux d'oiseaux migrateurs de Sibérie orientale, de Chine et de Mongolie ont lieu plutôt vers l'Océanie, l'Asie du Sud-Est et l'Inde, ceux de Sibérie occidentale plutôt vers la mer Caspienne, la péninsule arabique, le Sinaï, l'Ethiopie et plus généralement l'Afrique" , précisent les mêmes experts.
Le danger, souligne Frédéric Archaux, ornithologue au centre de Nogent-sur-Vernisson (Loiret) du Cemagref (Institut de recherche pour l'ingénierie de l'agriculture et de l'environnement), serait que l'épizootie continue de gagner du terrain, en remontant vers le nord ou en se déplaçant vers l'ouest. "Le risque de voir arriver en Europe des oiseaux sauvages originaires de zones contaminées serait alors beaucoup plus sérieux", explique-t-il.
Mais la crainte principale est celle d'une introduction indirecte du virus, à partir de zones d'hivernage africaines. Ce risque, considèrent les experts, est "réel" . De multiples espèces nichant en Europe prennent leurs quartiers d'hiver en Afrique. C'est le cas des deux espèces d'hirondelles communes en France, l'hirondelle de fenêtre (Delicon urbica ) et l'hirondelle de cheminée (Hirundo rustica ), de la cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia, du martinet noir ( Apus apus ), du coucou gris (Cuculus canorus ), ou encore de petits passereaux des marais comme le phragmite des joncs (Acrocephalus schoenobae nus ).
"Des flux importants de populations d'oiseaux d'Europe occidentale, appartenant à des espèces très diversifiées, migrent vers des zones africaines où elles peuvent cohabiter pendant l'hivernage avec des populations d'oiseaux d'Europe de l'est, de Russie et d'Asie, rendant l'intercontamination possible, notamment lors des rassemblements autour des plans d'eau", décrit le groupe d'expertise réuni par l'Afssa. Un brassage à grande échelle peut alors se produire.
Des campagnes de baguage menées par le Centre de recherches sur la biologie des populations d'oiseaux (CRBPO) ont montré, relate Frédéric Jiguet, spécialiste de la biodiversité au Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, que des sarcelles baguées au Mali pouvaient être retrouvées en Sibérie, à quelque 10 000 km de distance, à vol d'oiseau.
Encore faudrait-il que des volatiles malades, contaminés par un virus hautement pathogène, soient capables d'effectuer de longs et harassants trajets. Une éventualité jugée "très peu probable" par l'Afssa . "Il n'a, à ce jour, jamais été décrit dans les conditions naturelles d'oiseaux sauvages vivants et porteurs sains de virus aviaires hautement pathogènes" , indique-t-elle.
Tous les cas identifiés jusqu'ici concernaient des animaux morts. Seuls des virus faiblement pathogènes au demeurant déjà présents chez les espèces d'avifaune autochtones ont été isolés chez des oiseaux sauvages vivants. "Jusqu'à preuve du contraire, le virus de la grippe aviaire est une souche domestique. Les oiseaux sauvages en sont les victimes, pas les coupables", observe Michel Gauthier-Clerc, vétérinaire à la station biologique de la Tour-du-Valat, fondation de recherche installée en Camargue. Selon lui, il convient plutôt d'incriminer "les exportations de volailles mal contrôlées", ou encore "le trafic d'oiseaux sauvages".
Beaucoup de chercheurs partagent cette opinion. L'hypothèse d'une propagation du virus par les oiseaux migrateurs relève de simples "conjectures" que n'étaye aucune étude scientifique, estime Martin Williams, ornithologue à Hongkong. "La propagation en Asie du H5N1, argumente-t-il, ne correspond pas aux itinéraires ni aux périodes migratoires." Et de redouter une "diabolisation" des oiseaux sauvages, qui mettrait à mal les efforts entrepris pour préserver certaines espèces.
Son collègue sud-coréen Nial Moores, président de Birds Korea, met en garde les autorités contre "le risque d'abattre des millions d'oiseaux sauvages inutilement".
Pour en avoir le coeur net, l'Union européenne a décidé de mettre en place une surveillance épidémiologique renforcée, pour une quinzaine d'espèces sauvages canards, mouettes, goélands et petits échassiers considérées, en fonction de leur origine géographique, de leur nombre et des risques de contact avec les élevages domestiques, comme les plus menaçantes.
Les oiseaux migrateurs propageront-ils la grippe ?
Depuis la nouvelle alerte au virus de la peste aviaire, les experts réexaminent la carte des voies migratoires. Le risque d'introduction en Europe est jugé
de "nul à négligeable" pour les espèces venues d'Asie. Mais il est "réel" pour celles qui côtoient des volatiles malades lors de leur hivernage en Afrique
Katrina: Bush admet sa responsabilité
Le président George W. Bush a admis avoir sa part de responsabilité, mardi, pour la lenteur des secours portés aux victimes de l'ouragan Katrina.
Selon lui, l'ouragan a mis en lumière de sérieux problèmes dans la capacité de réponse des États-Unis, à tous les niveaux du gouvernement. « Dans la mesure où le gouvernement fédéral n'a pas entièrement correctement fait son travail, j'en assume la responsabilité », a-t-il déclaré en conférence de presse, au sortir d'une rencontre avec le président irakien, Jalal Talabani.
Les journalistes lui ont aussi demandé si les Américains devaient s'inquiéter de la capacité du gouvernement à gérer un nouvel attentat terroriste, à la lumière des échecs de la gestion de Katrina. « Sommes-nous capables de faire face à un grave attentat? C'est une question très importante et c'est dans l'intérêt national que nous trouvions ce qui s'est passé pour pouvoir offrir une meilleure réponse », a affirmé le président.
En outre, M. Bush doit prononcer un important discours à la nation, jeudi, depuis la Louisiane. Il sera notamment question de la reconstruction des États dévastés.
La popularité de George W. Bush a chuté aux yeux des Américains, qui critiquent la lenteur de son administration à réagir après le passage de l'ouragan.
Des « villes temporaires » pour les rescapés
Par ailleurs, près de 200 000 rescapés de l'ouragan devraient être logés dans des « villes temporaires », selon l'Agence fédérale de secours d'urgence (FEMA).
La FEMA compte rassembler des maisons mobiles pour bâtir ces villes, qui pourront accueillir jusqu'à 25 000 personnes chacune. Les rescapés pourraient avoir à habiter ces villes temporaires pendant une période allant jusqu'à cinq ans.
Le coût de telles constructions n'a pas encore été estimé.
samedi, septembre 10, 2005
HP to cut 6,000 jobs in Europe: union
PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will shed 6,000 jobs in Europe with more than half the cuts in France, Germany and Britain, a union official said on Friday.
"They will start informing staff in all the countries in the coming week. But the information was given to the European works council at a meeting here," said Marc-Antoine Marcantoni of the European Metal Workers Federation in Brussels.
He said some 1,250 to 1,300 jobs would go in France and 145 in Belgium.
A spokesman for HP at its headquarters in Palo Alto, California said the company had no comment. The group has a total of around 151,000 employees.
A spokesman for HP in Britain confirmed a meeting of the European works council had taken place in Brussels.
The news emerged as European finance ministers were meeting in Manchester, England, where Britain's Gordon Brown urged action to make Europe a "high growth, low unemployment" area instead of a continent plagued by low growth and high unemployment.
It also came one week before a German election that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to lose, in part due to voter dissatisfaction with high unemployment.
"We will do all we can as unions to prevent forced redundancies and plant closures. We also want to negotiate on a central level so that the company cannot play one country off against another," Marcantoni said.
A Hewlett-Packard spokesman in Germany said he could not comment on the report until next week when the local works council would be informed. In France the company also declined to comment until next week.
Hewlett-Packard has plants or offices in Grenoble, Isle d'Ableau and Sophia-Antipolis in France, Boebingen, Herrenberg and Ratingen in Germany and Bracknell, Bristol, Erskine, Glasgow, Reading and Swindon in the UK.
It also has sites in Brussels, Amstelveen in the Netherlands, Milan, Barcelona and Dublin and Galway in Ireland.
An official at the city hall of Grenoble, where 2,100 staff work at Hewlett-Packard, said there were fears the U.S. group would close sites completely.
"We do not have exact figures but we know that we will be hit hard because the sites of Grenoble and Isle D'Ableau have support activities," said Delphine Chenevier.
BIGGEST CUTS SINCE MERGER
Hewlett-Packard said in July it would slash about 10 percent of its work force in a sweeping move by new Chief Executive Mark Hurd to cut costs by $1.9 billion a year and compete better in cutthroat computer and printer markets.
The cuts are the biggest since former CEO Carly Fiorina slashed roughly 15,000 jobs after HP's $19 billion acquisition of rival Compaq Computer in May 2002.
Analysts have pressed HP for further job cuts or to spin off its lucrative imaging and printing group or divest its personal computing business, where costs are still higher than Dell's
(DELL.O: Quote, Profile, Research).
But Hurd has separated the printing and PC units, which were combined under Fiorina, suggesting that so far he has chosen to keep working on the PC business.
The company has already trimmed jobs at its lucrative imaging and printing business. In May about 2,000 workers in that unit accepted voluntary severance packages.
(Additional reporting by Gilles Castonguay in Brussels, Franklin Paul in New York, Noah Barkin in Berlin, Dan Lalor in London and Dominique Rodriguez in Paris)
"They will start informing staff in all the countries in the coming week. But the information was given to the European works council at a meeting here," said Marc-Antoine Marcantoni of the European Metal Workers Federation in Brussels.
He said some 1,250 to 1,300 jobs would go in France and 145 in Belgium.
A spokesman for HP at its headquarters in Palo Alto, California said the company had no comment. The group has a total of around 151,000 employees.
A spokesman for HP in Britain confirmed a meeting of the European works council had taken place in Brussels.
The news emerged as European finance ministers were meeting in Manchester, England, where Britain's Gordon Brown urged action to make Europe a "high growth, low unemployment" area instead of a continent plagued by low growth and high unemployment.
It also came one week before a German election that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to lose, in part due to voter dissatisfaction with high unemployment.
"We will do all we can as unions to prevent forced redundancies and plant closures. We also want to negotiate on a central level so that the company cannot play one country off against another," Marcantoni said.
A Hewlett-Packard spokesman in Germany said he could not comment on the report until next week when the local works council would be informed. In France the company also declined to comment until next week.
Hewlett-Packard has plants or offices in Grenoble, Isle d'Ableau and Sophia-Antipolis in France, Boebingen, Herrenberg and Ratingen in Germany and Bracknell, Bristol, Erskine, Glasgow, Reading and Swindon in the UK.
It also has sites in Brussels, Amstelveen in the Netherlands, Milan, Barcelona and Dublin and Galway in Ireland.
An official at the city hall of Grenoble, where 2,100 staff work at Hewlett-Packard, said there were fears the U.S. group would close sites completely.
"We do not have exact figures but we know that we will be hit hard because the sites of Grenoble and Isle D'Ableau have support activities," said Delphine Chenevier.
BIGGEST CUTS SINCE MERGER
Hewlett-Packard said in July it would slash about 10 percent of its work force in a sweeping move by new Chief Executive Mark Hurd to cut costs by $1.9 billion a year and compete better in cutthroat computer and printer markets.
The cuts are the biggest since former CEO Carly Fiorina slashed roughly 15,000 jobs after HP's $19 billion acquisition of rival Compaq Computer in May 2002.
Analysts have pressed HP for further job cuts or to spin off its lucrative imaging and printing group or divest its personal computing business, where costs are still higher than Dell's
(DELL.O: Quote, Profile, Research).
But Hurd has separated the printing and PC units, which were combined under Fiorina, suggesting that so far he has chosen to keep working on the PC business.
The company has already trimmed jobs at its lucrative imaging and printing business. In May about 2,000 workers in that unit accepted voluntary severance packages.
(Additional reporting by Gilles Castonguay in Brussels, Franklin Paul in New York, Noah Barkin in Berlin, Dan Lalor in London and Dominique Rodriguez in Paris)
Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Funding in Personal Injury Cases
Overview
Pre-settlement lawsuit funding usually comes in the form of non-recourse cash advances, provided to the injured person in return for a promise to repay the advance after the lawsuit settles or a victory in court. As this is "non-recourse" funding, an injured person does not have to repay the advance if they are unsuccessful in the lawsuit, and only has to repay up to the amount of their share of the settlement in the event that the settlement is smaller than anticipated. Due to the risk involved in issuing a non-recourse funding, the fees associated with pre-settlement funding can be significant. There are legal, ethical, and practical issues which should be taken into consideration, if you are considering applying for pre-settlement funding.
How Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Funding Works
An injured person contacts a company that offers pre-settlement lawsuit funding, sometimes at the suggestion of an attorney. The finance company contacts the lawyer who is handling the case, and obtains information about the case. Based upon that information provided, the loan company estimates the value of the likely eventual settlement or verdict, and offers a cash advance to the injured person based upon that estimate. The fee may be a flat fee, or a monthly fee that accrues each month the loan is outstanding. When the case settles, or the defendant pays after losing in court, the loan and associated fees are paid to the finance company.
These advances are offered as non-recourse funding, which means that an injured person has no obligation to repay if the lawsuit is lost. Similarly, if the ultimate settlement or verdict is smaller than anticipated, the amount that must be repaid never exceeds the amount of the injured person's share of that verdict or settlement. For legal reasons, these advances are not characterized as loans.
Amounts available vary significantly, depending upon the nature of the case and the company involved. Many companies offer pre-settlement funding amounts between $500 and $25,000. A few offer amounts up to $100,000. Fees also vary depending upon the company and the type of case. Some companies will fix the fee for the advance up front. Others will charge a monthly fee for each month between the time the funding is issued and when it is repaid, sometimes as high as 15% per month.
When Is Pre-Settlement Funding Appropriate?
Litigation can take a very long time. Sometimes, cases drag on for years. While cases are pending, even where an injured person's attorney is paying all of the legal expenses associated with the litigation, the injured person has to have enough money to get by. If the injured person is unable to work, has reduced income, or has expenses associated with care or disability, it may not be possible to wait until the end of the lawsuit before obtaining funds.
Given the fees involved in pre-settlement funding, it is important for injured people to consider any available alternatives. This type of financing should ordinarily be the last resort. The fees are premised upon the risk to the lender associated with non-recourse lending, but keep in mind that these companies choose their cases carefully in order to minimize risks, and if they offer you an advance they believe that you will receive money from your lawsuit. If you decide to obtain pre-settlement funding you should check with several companies, in order to obtain the most favorable terms.
Ethical Issues
A question that perhaps seems obvious is, why can't injured people simply borrow money from their lawyers? The answer is that state bar associations recognize that when a lawyer becomes a creditor to a client, a conflict of interest is created that may interfere with the attorney-client relationship.
Sometimes an attorney won't want to sign any contract with a settlement financing company, and some states prohibit lawyers from signing onto liens of the type necessary to secure this type of funding. As a result, typically companies require that the injured person sign the contract, and that the attorney sign an acknowledgement of the client's instruction that the loan and associated fees be repaid from any eventual verdict or settlement.
At least one state (Florida) prohibits lawyers from participating in the settlement funding company's evalaution process. Absent lawyer invovlement, it is unlikely that a finance company would be able to obtain enough information about a case to risk issuing non-recourse funding.
Legal Issues
In order to avoid usury laws (laws against charging excessive rates of interest), the funds you receive from a pre-settlement funding company will not be described as a "loan". For example, the advance might be described as a "cash advance", 'investment", or as "venture capital". Technically, as the contract is not to repay the amount received but is instead a promise to pay a portion of any eventual verdict or settlement (which may never occur), these amounts are not loans. No matter what happens, a person who receives pre-settlement funding keeps the full amount of the advance.
A Michigan court recently held invalid a lawsuit funding contract where the defendant's liability had been established, holding that as the plaintiff was certain to recover some amount of money the funding company's advance was no longer contingent, and thus that the plaintiff only had to repay the principal (without interest) under Michigan's usury laws. While other states may draw different conclusions from similar facts, it remains necessary that the amount be in some manner contingent - otherwise, it is a high interest loan.
An Ohio court similarly discharged a plaintiff's obligation under a lawsuit funding contract on the basis of a common law doctrine called "champertry" - a prohibition against the sale of a party's interest in a lawsuit. The court's rationale was that lawsuit funding company sought to profit from the injured woman's case, that lawsuit funding could create a disincentive to settle a case, where the plaintiff would have to pay the entire amount of the settlement to the finance company. A response to the first argument is that if it is acceptable for an attorney to profit from an injured person's case, why should it not be permissible for a finance company? A response to the second argument is that had the woman not received the funding, she may have been forced to settle the case for far less than its value.
Another concern might be that lawsuit funding might encourage plaintiffs to file frivolous lawsuits. This, however, does not consider the fact that lawsuit funding companies want to be repaid, and thus aren't likely to offer funds to plaintiffs who don't have strong cases justifying substantial awards. Similarly, it will often be in the strongest cases that a plaintiff is most in need of money before the conclusion of a lawsuit, and the absence of sources of funding can force premature and inadequate settlements.
Conclusion
Pre-settlement lawsuit funding should be considered as a last resort, after all other funding options are exhausted. Due to the high cost of this type of funding, any decision to accept an advance should be made very carefully. When seeking pre-settlement funding, it makes sense to check with several companies, to obtain the lowest possible fees.
Pre-settlement lawsuit funding usually comes in the form of non-recourse cash advances, provided to the injured person in return for a promise to repay the advance after the lawsuit settles or a victory in court. As this is "non-recourse" funding, an injured person does not have to repay the advance if they are unsuccessful in the lawsuit, and only has to repay up to the amount of their share of the settlement in the event that the settlement is smaller than anticipated. Due to the risk involved in issuing a non-recourse funding, the fees associated with pre-settlement funding can be significant. There are legal, ethical, and practical issues which should be taken into consideration, if you are considering applying for pre-settlement funding.
How Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Funding Works
An injured person contacts a company that offers pre-settlement lawsuit funding, sometimes at the suggestion of an attorney. The finance company contacts the lawyer who is handling the case, and obtains information about the case. Based upon that information provided, the loan company estimates the value of the likely eventual settlement or verdict, and offers a cash advance to the injured person based upon that estimate. The fee may be a flat fee, or a monthly fee that accrues each month the loan is outstanding. When the case settles, or the defendant pays after losing in court, the loan and associated fees are paid to the finance company.
These advances are offered as non-recourse funding, which means that an injured person has no obligation to repay if the lawsuit is lost. Similarly, if the ultimate settlement or verdict is smaller than anticipated, the amount that must be repaid never exceeds the amount of the injured person's share of that verdict or settlement. For legal reasons, these advances are not characterized as loans.
Amounts available vary significantly, depending upon the nature of the case and the company involved. Many companies offer pre-settlement funding amounts between $500 and $25,000. A few offer amounts up to $100,000. Fees also vary depending upon the company and the type of case. Some companies will fix the fee for the advance up front. Others will charge a monthly fee for each month between the time the funding is issued and when it is repaid, sometimes as high as 15% per month.
When Is Pre-Settlement Funding Appropriate?
Litigation can take a very long time. Sometimes, cases drag on for years. While cases are pending, even where an injured person's attorney is paying all of the legal expenses associated with the litigation, the injured person has to have enough money to get by. If the injured person is unable to work, has reduced income, or has expenses associated with care or disability, it may not be possible to wait until the end of the lawsuit before obtaining funds.
Given the fees involved in pre-settlement funding, it is important for injured people to consider any available alternatives. This type of financing should ordinarily be the last resort. The fees are premised upon the risk to the lender associated with non-recourse lending, but keep in mind that these companies choose their cases carefully in order to minimize risks, and if they offer you an advance they believe that you will receive money from your lawsuit. If you decide to obtain pre-settlement funding you should check with several companies, in order to obtain the most favorable terms.
Ethical Issues
A question that perhaps seems obvious is, why can't injured people simply borrow money from their lawyers? The answer is that state bar associations recognize that when a lawyer becomes a creditor to a client, a conflict of interest is created that may interfere with the attorney-client relationship.
Sometimes an attorney won't want to sign any contract with a settlement financing company, and some states prohibit lawyers from signing onto liens of the type necessary to secure this type of funding. As a result, typically companies require that the injured person sign the contract, and that the attorney sign an acknowledgement of the client's instruction that the loan and associated fees be repaid from any eventual verdict or settlement.
At least one state (Florida) prohibits lawyers from participating in the settlement funding company's evalaution process. Absent lawyer invovlement, it is unlikely that a finance company would be able to obtain enough information about a case to risk issuing non-recourse funding.
Legal Issues
In order to avoid usury laws (laws against charging excessive rates of interest), the funds you receive from a pre-settlement funding company will not be described as a "loan". For example, the advance might be described as a "cash advance", 'investment", or as "venture capital". Technically, as the contract is not to repay the amount received but is instead a promise to pay a portion of any eventual verdict or settlement (which may never occur), these amounts are not loans. No matter what happens, a person who receives pre-settlement funding keeps the full amount of the advance.
A Michigan court recently held invalid a lawsuit funding contract where the defendant's liability had been established, holding that as the plaintiff was certain to recover some amount of money the funding company's advance was no longer contingent, and thus that the plaintiff only had to repay the principal (without interest) under Michigan's usury laws. While other states may draw different conclusions from similar facts, it remains necessary that the amount be in some manner contingent - otherwise, it is a high interest loan.
An Ohio court similarly discharged a plaintiff's obligation under a lawsuit funding contract on the basis of a common law doctrine called "champertry" - a prohibition against the sale of a party's interest in a lawsuit. The court's rationale was that lawsuit funding company sought to profit from the injured woman's case, that lawsuit funding could create a disincentive to settle a case, where the plaintiff would have to pay the entire amount of the settlement to the finance company. A response to the first argument is that if it is acceptable for an attorney to profit from an injured person's case, why should it not be permissible for a finance company? A response to the second argument is that had the woman not received the funding, she may have been forced to settle the case for far less than its value.
Another concern might be that lawsuit funding might encourage plaintiffs to file frivolous lawsuits. This, however, does not consider the fact that lawsuit funding companies want to be repaid, and thus aren't likely to offer funds to plaintiffs who don't have strong cases justifying substantial awards. Similarly, it will often be in the strongest cases that a plaintiff is most in need of money before the conclusion of a lawsuit, and the absence of sources of funding can force premature and inadequate settlements.
Conclusion
Pre-settlement lawsuit funding should be considered as a last resort, after all other funding options are exhausted. Due to the high cost of this type of funding, any decision to accept an advance should be made very carefully. When seeking pre-settlement funding, it makes sense to check with several companies, to obtain the lowest possible fees.
Les Etats-Unis et l'Arabie saoudite signent un accord bilatéral
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Les Etats-Unis et l'Arabie saoudite ont signé vendredi un accord bilatéral qui ouvre la voie à l'entrée de la monarchie pétrolière à l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) d'ici la fin de l'année, a annoncé le bureau du représentant américain au Commerce.
L'Arabie saoudite ouvrira davantage ses marchés aux marchandises et services américains et rendra plus transparentes sa réglementation relative aux conditions de travail dans le pays pour les sociétés étrangères.
Dans ce cadre, l'Arabie saoudite a promis de ne pas appliquer les aspects du boycott d'Israël demandé par la Ligue arabe qui concernent les sociétés américaines qui font du commerce avec Israël.
Ryad s'est également engagé à respecter les règles de l'OMC dans ses relations commerciales avec la totalité des 148 membres de l'OMC, et notamment avec Israël.
L'Arabie saoudite est l'une des dernières puissances économiques à ne pas être membre de l'OMC. Plusieurs membres de l'Opep, des Emirats arabes unis (EAU) au Venezuela, sont membres de l'OMC
L'Arabie saoudite ouvrira davantage ses marchés aux marchandises et services américains et rendra plus transparentes sa réglementation relative aux conditions de travail dans le pays pour les sociétés étrangères.
Dans ce cadre, l'Arabie saoudite a promis de ne pas appliquer les aspects du boycott d'Israël demandé par la Ligue arabe qui concernent les sociétés américaines qui font du commerce avec Israël.
Ryad s'est également engagé à respecter les règles de l'OMC dans ses relations commerciales avec la totalité des 148 membres de l'OMC, et notamment avec Israël.
L'Arabie saoudite est l'une des dernières puissances économiques à ne pas être membre de l'OMC. Plusieurs membres de l'Opep, des Emirats arabes unis (EAU) au Venezuela, sont membres de l'OMC
Katrina: une première victime politique
La Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a enlevé la responsabilité du dossier Katrina à son directeur Michael Brown, vendredi. Il a été remplacé par son numéro deux à l'agence fédérale américaine de gestion des situations d'urgence, le vice-amiral de la Garde côtière, Thad Allen.
M. Brown, première victime politique de l'affaire Katrina, était l'objet de sévères critiques pour sa gestion déficiente de la crise dans les États touchés par l'ouragan.
De plus, ses qualifications, ainsi que celles de quatre autres hauts responsables, ont été sérieusement remises en question par des médias américains. Selon le magazine Time, il aurait même exagéré sa feuille de route dans sa biographie officielle.
Mardi, des parlementaires démocrates ont lancé une pétition pour demander le départ de M. Brown de la tête de la FEMA. Celui-ci se plaint d'être devenu le bouc émissaire des médias.
Le secrétaire à la Sécurité intérieure, Michael Chertoff, a défendu sa décision en affirmant que le retour du patron de la FEMA à Washington se faisait dans l'optique d'éventuelle nouvelle crise à gérer au pays. Selon lui, il n'est pas question de limoger M. Brown
Toutefois, M. Chertoff s'est montré prudent sur le travail de M. Brown, estimant qu'il avait fait « tout ce qu'il pouvait » pour coordonner la gestion de la crise. À l'opposé, il a jugé que son remplaçant avait fait « un boulot exceptionnel » depuis le début de la crise.
Un bilan moins lourd que prévu
Le bilan des victimes de Katrina à La Nouvelle-Orléans pourrait être inférieur aux premières estimations, selon le directeur de la sécurité intérieure de la ville. Il a indiqué que le nombre de cadavres retrouvés est pour l'instant relativement inférieur aux estimations de 10 000 morts.
Actuellement, pour les quatre États concernés - Louisiane, Mississippi, Alabama, Floride -, le bilan provisoire officiel s'établit à 329 morts. Quelque 25 000 sacs mortuaires ont été acheminés dans la région.
Entre 10 000 à 15 000 personnes seraient actuellement encore à La Nouvelle-Orléans. La ville comptait 485 000 habitants avant l'ouragan, et 1,4 million de citoyens avec sa banlieue.
Quelque 14 000 militaires en charge de la sécurité dans la ville sont autorisés à utiliser la force pour évacuer les récalcitrants, en raison des conditions sanitaires précaires dans la ville inondée.
Le Congrès ouvre ses coffres
Jeudi soir, le Sénat américain a accédé à la demande du président Bush, qui réclamait le déblocage de 52 milliards de dollars pour venir en aide aux victimes de Katrina. La nouvelle enveloppe porte à 62,5 milliards la somme consacrée jusqu'ici par Washington à cette catastrophe naturelle.
De plus, Washington a demandé à l'OTAN d'accroître ses opérations en matière de logistique et de transport pour acheminer vivres et matériel aux victimes de Katrina. Plus de 90 pays ont offert personnel, vivres et matériel aux États-Unis, qui tentent maintenant de contrôler ce flux d'aide internationale, un véritable défi logistique dans les zones dévastées.
Le président Bush a également décrété une journée de prières et de deuil national, le 16 septembre prochain, à la mémoire des victimes de l'ouragan.
En outre, en soirée, les grands réseaux de télévision américains ont diffusé un téléthon pour amasser des fonds. Plusieurs vedettes de la chanson et du cinéma y participaient, dont le comédien Jack Nicholson, le groupe U2 et l'artiste canadien Neil Young.
Les Américains veulent reconstruire ailleurs
Devant l'ampleur de la dévastation à La Nouvelle-Orléans, les Américains estiment en majorité qu'il faudrait songer à reconstruire la ville ailleurs.
Selon un sondage de la maison Ipsos, 54 % des Américains interrogés estiment que les zones résidentielles inondées de La Nouvelle-Orléans devraient être abandonnées et reconstruites ailleurs, au-dessus du niveau de la mer.
L'enquête confirme aussi la chute de la cote de confiance du président George W. Bush, qui est passée à 39 % ces derniers jours. Près des deux tiers des répondants estiment par ailleurs que le pays se dirige dans la mauvaise voie et que le gouvernement américain était mal préparé à faire face aux conséquences du sinistre.
Ce sondage a été réalisé par la firme Ipsos pour le compte de l'Associated Press du 6 au 7 septembre auprès de 1000 personnes. Sa marge d'erreur est de ± 3,5 %, 19 fois sur 20.
Houston espère vider l'Astrodome d'ici dimanche
Au Texas, où plus de 250 000 personnes ont trouvé refuge après le passage de Katrina, les autorités mettent les bouchées doubles pour loger, soigner et aider ces gens, dont une partie importante ne retournera pas de sitôt en Louisiane.
À l'Astrodome de Houston, où près de 15 000 sinistrés avaient été logés, il ne reste maintenant qu'environ 2000 personnes. Les autorités de l'État espèrent avoir complètement vidé le stade d'ici dimanche.
