World and National News

NicOx is still in the red, but less. The pharmaceutical company announced on Thursday evening a net loss of 60.4 million euros in 2009, cons -73.9 million euros in 2008.

The operating loss amounted to 62 million euros against 79.2 million last year. Operating expenses were reduced by more than 20 million euros, to 66.7 milllion euros. "The majority of these expenses was related to research and development, including expenses related to the two regulatory submissions for naproxcinod, moderates the group.

Revenues NicOx stands at 1.1 million euros at December 31, 2009 against 3.4 million million a year ago.No revenue was recognized during the last quarter of 2009, NicOx said in a statement.

Finally, NicOx closing the year with cash of 148.3 million euros, up 42% through a capital increase generated net total proceeds of $ 94.6 million at the end of year.

NicOx provides no forecast for 2010 but says he will continue to spend this year preparing for the commercialization of Naproxcinod, which he expects to run a turnover of over one billion euros Payday Advance .

The company announced Wednesday it had granted Bausch & Lomb the exclusive worldwide rights of NCX 116, treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension, for a total of up to $ 169.5 million.

In exchange, investors reacted immediately: the NicOx shares rose almost 6%. Rebelotte Thursday with unehausse of 5.7%. Thus, actions cotent at closing 5.92 euros. The bar is close to EUR 6.

However, the exchange price is still below its levels there are still four months (the title was worth € 7.9) or June 2009 (it was over 10 euros) … or all of its first steps on the Paris stock exchange (the record stands at 39 euros). It was late 1999.

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Coup de theater in the German software company SAP. After learning, during a supervisory board that his contract was not renewed, the CEO, Leo Apotheker, has resigned with immediate effect Sunday night. He will be replaced as head of the group by the duo Co-CEOs Bill McDermott, who heads the field organization, and Jim Hagemann Snabe, responsible for product development.

"The new organization's executive committee will allow SAP to better align product innovation and customer needs.The new team will continue to lead SAP's strategy and focus on profitable growth, while offering innovations delivered in the course of 2010 to enhance the leading position of SAP in the market for enterprise software " says Hasso Plattner, co-founder and chairman of the supervisory board of SAP, in a statement no credit check payday loans .

Leo Apotheker was at SAP since 1998 and only the head of the company since April 2008. He is the founder of SAP France and was appointed Director General before the departure of his predecessor, Henning Kagermann, to ensure a smooth transition

He reproached his communication internally and externally and does not reflect the views of customers in its strategic choices.Especially, the directors have endorsed the delay by the group in the development of cloud computing, which is to enable small and medium-sized businesses access to software not installed on their networks, but via the Internet.

SAP reached in 2009 net profit down 4% to 1.8 billion euros.

A conference call will be broadcast on Monday at 14.30.

The Appeal of Ban Ki-Moon has been heard. "There is no doubt that we are facing a major humanitarian emergency and an equivalent effort in disaster relief is needed. I urge all members of the international community to assist Haiti in this hour of great need, "stated the secretary general of the United Nations (UN), after the violent earthquake that devastated the capital Port -au-Prince Tuesday. Since then, pledges poured in from around the world.

The United Nations said on Friday he had received 268.5 million dollars in aid pledges from many governments and businesses. To this sum, plus the $ 100 million that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has put on the table.At a press conference in Washington yesterday evening, its managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said this aid, which will be released "very soon" by the board of the IMF, would come from an extension of a existing loan to Haiti. The day before, the World Bank had pledged aid for the same amount.

Governments at the rendezvous

Among the twenty donors reported by the UN include Belgium (0.65 million), Sweden (0.85 million), China (1 million), Italy (1.46 million), Finland (1.8 million), Denmark (1.9 million), Switzerland (1.9 million), Germany (2.17 million), Netherlands (2.91 million), Spain ( 4.37 million), EU (4.37 million), Canada (4.8 million), Brazil (5 million), Australia (9.3 million), the United Kingdom (10 million ) and the United States (100 million).

In France, the Economy Minister Christine Lagarde has benefited from the presentation of his vows to the press this morning to ask the creditor countries of the Paris Club to cancel the entire debt of Haiti. The country still has 54 million euros to France, for example. Paris had already canceled unilaterally and unconditionally 4 million euros of debt, December 11 last. Christine Lagarde also appealed to Venezuela and Taiwan, two major creditors of Haiti who do not belong to this group.

Solidarity initiatives of companies

But generosity is not the sole preserve of large institutions and governments. NGOs and associations are at the forefront, both on the field and at the collection of donations. Calls for assistance have increased over the past three days.In addition to individuals, many companies have personally responded to these appeals, as after the tsunami that hit Asia in late 2004. Numerous initiatives have been announced, including France.

The Post, for example, will publish in the coming days, a tone of solidarity with the victims of the earthquake. The price of 1 euro includes a donation of 44 cents to the Red Cross. EADS and its subsidiary Airbus has decided to lend the association Action against hunger a jumbo A 340 to help the Haitians. The aircraft must take off from Lyon on Friday afternoon, with on board 150 cubic meters of material health and telecommunications, as well as pockets of water. Following the call of Industry Minister Christian Estrosi Wednesday, the French pharmaceutical industry donated 56,000 emergency treatment for relief teams visiting Haiti.Finally, the French airline Air Caribbean said this morning that it would introduce flights at special rates for Port-au-Prince, from the airport in the Haitian capital will be reopened to commercial flights.

The challenge of rebuilding

Such generosity is not without challenges. This effort requires international coordination, said Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Start quack, the EU acknowledged on Friday having been informed "by the press" of the international conference for reconstruction and development of Haiti, announced yesterday by France. "I am not aware" of the conference, said the spokesman of the High Representative of EU for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, during a press briefing in Brussels.

Yet, as Bernard Kouchner, the appointment is already taken.The conference, which would join the United States, Brazil, Canada and other countries, could be held in March, said the Foreign Minister this morning.

Haiti, a country to its knees

• Population: 9.8 million (UN estimates 2008)

• Gross national income (GNI) per capita: $ 560

• Poverty: 78% of the population lives on less than $ 2 per day and over 50% with less than $ 1 a day

• United Nations Development Program (UNDP): 146th rank among 177 countries worldwide

• Life expectancy: 59 years for men, 63 for women

• Infant mortality rate: 60 per 1,000 births

• Aid for Development: The World Bank has granted 273 million dollars in financial assistance to Haiti since 2005, through the International Development Association (IDA).

(Source: World Bank)

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British Airways won a first victory against his crew. The British airline, which deemed it illegal to vote on a strike by its employees last Monday, just win the case on Thursday. A British judge of the High Court in London took the view that the strike, scheduled from December 22 to January 2, was not legal.

According to the interim ruling issued Thursday, irregularities were committed during the vote in which employees were asked to vote on the principle of the strike. The judge ruled that the company disputed the fact that such employees being dismissed have taken part in the poll.

The management of British Airways welcomes the victory. "We are delighted for our customers that the threat of a strike at Christmas has been lifted.It is a decision that will be welcomed by hundreds of thousands of families in the United Kingdom and around the world. "

The conflict is not over

This decision does not preclude the union Unite, causing the motion to proceed to another vote. For employees in anger, the movement will only end if the negotiations succeed. But for now, discussions are taking the wrong direction.

The direction of the British airline and representatives of Unite had met on Wednesday but failed to agree on a compromise. British Airways refuses to reverse the changes already implemented such as reducing the number of crew members on long distance flights and short haul.

If such a work stoppage occurs, it would be the first strike at British Airways since 1997, and the longest in the history of British aviation.The company would lose big on this account since the holiday season to carry one million passengers on Flight 7000.

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The world of computers, Hewlett Packard (HP) released Monday at the close of Wall Street, results for the fourth quarter of fiscal offset. The annual net profit fell by 8% to $ 7.7 billion, although the last quarter, it is up 14% year on year to 2.4 billion dollars. Earnings per share (EPS) stood at $ 1.14, in line with analysts' expectations. Revenues, which had already been announced, is 30.8 billion over the quarter, down 8%.

These results compare with those published by other industry giants such as Dell Computer, which introduced a quarterly profit drop of 54% and a revenue and EPS below expectations.

"The company will return to growth in 2010," said HP CEO Mark Hurd, commenting on these results the financial television channel CNBC.Of slowing demand, the group had announced six months ago the abolition of 6,400 jobs, mainly in the products division.

The group confirmed its outlook for the year shifted from October to September, which just started, with sales rising, between 118 and 119 billion dollars, earnings per share excluding exceptional items of between 4.25 and 4.35 dollars.

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