EUROPEAN UNION: EU finance ministers commit the rescue of Portugal

The EU finance ministers gave the green light Monday to a rescue plan for Portugal, which provides 78 billion euros in joint loans with the IMF in exchange for austerity.

"The ministers agreed unanimously to grant financial assistance in response to the request of the Portuguese authorities," they announced in a joint statement issued at a meeting in Brussels.

The conditions of the assistance plan had been established at the beginning of the month: the country must receive the Europeans and the International Monetary Fund, amounting to two thirds / one third, 78 billion euros in loans over three years.

In exchange, he must take further austerity measures, restructure and strengthen the capital of its banks, to privatize and reform the health system in particular and the administration, with the goal of clean and replenish public finances.

According to the forecasts so far by the Portuguese government, the public deficit should thus be reduced by 5.9% this year to 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013.

The program is "ambitious" but "preserves the most vulnerable groups of society," stressed the EU finance ministers on Monday.

He "will tackle the challenges with determination budgetary, financial and structural facing the Portuguese economy" and "will also help restore confidence and protect the financial stability of the euro area," they insist, calling on "all Political Parties (Portuguese) to ensure a rigorous application and fast program.

After resisting for several months of pressure from financial markets, Portugal in April became the third country in the euro area to seek external financial assistance.

Before him, he had to put up last year of rescue for Greece (110 billion) and Ireland (85 billion).

Green light finance ministers seemed acquired after the announcement last week from the support of Finland, hitherto uncertain.

The True Finns, a right wing nationalist who won 19% of the votes in the elections of April 17, had in fact repeatedly stated their opposition to assistance to Portugal.But they finally decided to join the government.

Finland is one of six countries in the euro area receiving the highest possible credit rating on its ability to repay its debts (AAA), making it a crucial partner for the bailouts in Europe.

The Joint Ministerial Statement also includes a condition imposed by the Helsinki agreement, namely that "the Portuguese authorities will seek to encourage private investors to maintain their exposure" in the country, "based on voluntary ".

Even before the implementation of internationally austerity measures taken so far by Lisbon to try to calm the markets, lower wages and increase in VAT in particular, have made the plunge into recession Portugal where he was released in late 2009 .

The Portuguese GDP shrank by 0.7% in the first quarter, having already fallen 0.6% the previous quarter, according to statistics released last week.

The Portuguese Minister of Finance had said in early May that the new measures related to international aid plan could lead to economic contraction of 2% in 2011 and 2012, an upturn is expected only in 2013.

The leftist candidate, Ollanta Humala, led the first round

The leftist candidate Ollanta Humala will play the second round of presidential elections in Peru, but the identity of his rival, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Keiko Fujimori, is still very uncertain, according to projections and partial official count on Sunday night.

The former Lieutenant-Colonel Humala, 48, who was beaten in the second round in 2006, obtained 27% of the vote, according to partial results announced by the electoral body (ONPE) with 43% of the votes counted, around 22:30 local (0330 GMT Monday).

But much indecision reigned over his rival for ONPE, former Wall Street financier and former Liberal prime minister (2005-06) Pedro Pablo Kuczynscki, 72, came in 2nd place with 23.6% voice.

Behind him, Keiko Fujimori, the populist right-wing member of 35 years and daughter of former authoritarian President of the years 1990-2000 now imprisoned Alberto Fujimori obtained 21.8% of votes.

According to the polls to exit polls, on the contrary that Fujimori would face Humala in the second round: she would surpass Kuczynski 1.8 to 3 points, according to the institutes.

"They gave us dead, and here we resurrect!" Kuczynski began his supporters in Lima, calling for patience.

According to some pollsters, Kuczynski could be caught, as the late arrival of voting provinces, supposed him to be less favorable.

But a reliable picture of the second round, June 5, might not emerge for several days, as in 2006, due to a slow count of official recounts.

"Everything leads us to believe that we will be in the second round," he told his supporters Humala Sunday night, giving them an appointment "on July 28th (the date of nomination) to the Presidency, for a big change, a major redistribution wealth ".

"We are in the second round!" Keiko Fujimori also provided at the center of Lima, to a crowd chanting "Chino" Chino "," nickname of his father.

A possible second-round Humala Fujimori has been described by analysts as heralding a sharp polarization of political life: "Humala is the leftmost, the rightmost Keiko, the two models are authoritarian," has said AFP has Luis Benavente Group opinion of the Catholic University of Lima.

He put a face to face left-nationalist candidate, accused by his opponents of being close to President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela illiberal, and the daughter of a former head of state autocratic prison for massacres of civilians during the repression of the guerrillas of the 90s, and corrutpion.

A choice "between a dark past and a leap into the void," said Alejandro Toledo, the centrist former president (2001-06), distanced with 15.4% of votes.

For the Nobel Prize for Literature Mario Vargas Llosa, Alberto Fujimori defeated for the presidency in 1990, the duel would be "a disaster".

Nearly 20 million Peruvians voted without incident on Sunday to elect a successor to Alan Garcia (center right) after a campaign dominated by the urgency of sharing the record growth (+ 8.78% in 2010), which has forgotten the way 34% of people living in poverty.

Toledo, conceding defeat, said Humala "was able to channel the anger of Peru", for this growth without distribution of profits.

Humala, who fought in the 90 Maoist guerrillas, is very popular in the Andean regions underdeveloped.

Since 2006, he moderated his rhetoric and anti-liberal marked his distance from Chavez, whose support had probably cost him the victory five years ago.

The Peruvians also renewed their unicameral parliament. According to the partial count, it comes out fragmented, with Humala's party in the lead, followed by Keiko Fujmori.

GERMANY: The energy giant RWE attacked the moratorium on nuclear

Bang nuclear Germany. RWE, the German number 2 in the nuclear sector (and number 3 worldwide), filed a complaint Friday against the government's decision to temporarily close two of its reactors. The energy giant considers illegal moratorium on nuclear introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel, March 18.

An approach that could negate one of the most popular government decisions in recent weeks.Supporters of the anti-nuclear issue in Germany and elsewhere in the world had found the appropriate response after the nuclear catasprophe occurred in Japan as a result of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March.

"Our reactors meet all the safety conditions imposed by German law. So there is no legal argument for closing them," said RWE in a press release posted Friday morning.Contacted by FRANCE 24, the company declined to give details.

Under the moratorium, the German authorities had decided to close for three months the eight older reactors still in operation, including two owned by RWE.

The world's No. 1 does not follow RWE

The attack against RWE is German public opinion against the grain. The anti-nuclear message has indeed gained strength in recent days. On Sunday, the Greens, the Social Democrat allies of the SPD, have also won a historic election victory in Baden-Württemberg, the Land (administrative region German, Ed)'s richest countries.Success largely due to the sling anti-nuclear environmentalists.

"It's a brutal approach [to file a complaint, Ed] who points out that RWE has no regard for the public interest and public opinion and thinks only of profits," laments Karsten Smid, M . Nuclear Greenpeace Germany.

A complaint that also throws in trouble the other industry players, including E. ON, the world's No. 1 nuclear power. The latter, which had to close two reactors, decided Friday not to complain."We discussed at length this morning and we believe it is not possible in the context of emotion today to have a reasonable debate on this issue," says FRANCE 24 Christian Drepper, spokesman for E . ON.

A poorly conceived moratorium

However, the Spokesperson of E. We understand the legal process of its competitor. "We also have doubts about the legality of the decision to close the reactors," he adds.

Moreover, everyone seems to agree on this point: the moratorium is poorly conceived. It is based on a law that allows closing the reactors that if "an immediate danger to human life.""On the one hand, the immediate danger is not proven, and secondly, if a reactor is considered dangerous, it must be shut down, not only for three months," said the AFP Morlok Martin, professor law at the University of Düsseldorf.

A rookie mistake of the government of Angela Merkel? For the head of Greenpeace Karsten Smid, Berlin has either acted in a hurry without thinking or voluntarily created a way for the nuclear lobby to challenge that moratorium.

CHINA: Fearing a wave of revolt, Beijing promised to fight against inflation

Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday that his government's priority was to fight against inflation and a recognized public discontent, while setting a growth target of 8% for 2011, in a speech to parliament.

"We have to consider price stability as the priority of our macro-economic control," said the head of government before the nearly 3,000 delegates to the NPC, met for ten days in the Chinese capital, according to the translation his official speech in French.

He described the price rise and inflation expectations "problems which are closely the standard of living of the population, the overall situation and stability of the country."

The aim of rising consumer prices, which reached 4.9% in January over one year was set at "4%" for 2011, against 3% last year, while the objective of growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was maintained at 8%.

China's GDP in 2010 became the world's second largest behind the United States, surpassing that of Japan.

This year, the Chinese government "will continue to pursue a policy of recovery", but by reducing the budget deficit will be contained in "about 2% of GDP."

Priority spending will be devoted to "rural development", "to improve the level of the population and develop the social sectors," according to this discourse that determines the main directions for the country's official year.

"Some issues are subject to strong reactions among the population have not been completely resolved," admitted the Prime Minister.

"The educational resources and lack of quality medical and their distribution is uneven," he detailed.

"The property prices have experienced an excessive increase in some cities," continued Mr.Wen wants to boost the construction of social housing.

He further stressed that "social contradictions raised by the illegal requisition of land and demolition of illegal houses have multiplied," that "food security is poor" and that "some sectors are vulnerable to corruption."

China also wants to continue to "improve the formation mechanism of RMB exchange rate," considered undervalued by its major trading partners, but without making any specific commitments.

Always fight against inflation, it wants to implement "a prudent monetary policy" by limiting to 16% increase in money supply M2 (broad money comprising currency in circulation, deposit accounts and accounts of savings).

The National Popular Assembly (ANP) is the largest parliament in the world. She just basically endorse Communist Party projects and the government.

This body meets only once a year in plenary session for ten days in March.