In the year so far, total new car registrations are down 0.8
percent at 10.46 million vehicles in the EU and European Free
Trade Area (EFTA), according to figures from the European
industry association ACEA.The German market grew by 8.1 percent, while sales fell in
Britain, Spain, France and Italy.In September, Germany’s Volkswagen was the
biggest winner, helped by almost 20 percent sales growth at its
luxury brand Audi, giving the group a market share in the region
of 23.2 percent.BMW sales rose 6.8 percent, while Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand lost some market share.Korean brands Hyundai and Kia grew
by 18.7 percent and 27.1 percent, respectively, falling short of
Nissan’s 30.8 percent gain.By comparison, Honda saw its sales drop by 14.8
percent, and Mazda was also badly hit. Toyota
sales in the region dropped 9.2 percent.Sales at GM’s Opel fell 5.9 percent in September,
while Ford’s sales eased 0.3 percent.The three French brands Renault , Peugeot
and Citroen also all lost market share in September, and Fiat
group sales fell 7.8 percent.
Tags:
European
Sept
car
sales
up
11
pct
53 notes
* Election in April/May, polls favour leftBy Brian LovePARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - French left-wingers began voting
on Sunday to decide who will lead their challenge to unseat
President Nicolas Sarkozy in an election next year, with
moderate Socialist Party veteran, Francois Hollande the
favourite to win.In a U.S.-style primary, the first of its kind in France,
voters will choose between Hollande, who has never held a
national government post, and Martine Aubry, one-time labour
minister, architect of France’s 35-hour week and daughter of
the former European Commission President Jacques Delors.Opinion polls give Hollande a lead of six percentage points
over Aubry in a ballot that decides which of the two will run in
a presidential contest that the Socialists have not won since
Francois Mitterand was re-elected in 1988.The polls suggest French voters are ready to put the left
back in power after five years of conservative Sarkozy, who is
unpopular but widely expected to seek another five-year term.The left’s runaway favourite to become president had been
former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn
but his IMF career and presidential hopes were halted when he
was arrested in New York in May on charges of sexually
assaulting a hotel maid. The charges have since been dropped.The ease with which Hollande and Aubry have filled his shoes
suggests that many voters are simply weary of Sarkozy and his
economic policies.Voters living abroad or in some French overseas
territories were first to cast their ballots and the bulk of
almost 10,000 polling stations opened at
0700 GMT on mainland France. They were set to close at
1700 GMT , with p reliminary results are
expected a few hours later.CONCILIATORY NOTEHollande and Aubry sparred in the days before the primary
but Aubry seized on France’s World Cup rugby semi-final win over
Wales to sound a conciliatory note ahead of Sunday’s vote.”When it’s time for the post-match session, everyone parties
together,” she told reporters. “That’s how it’ll be on Monday.”She dismissed polls that show Hollande scoring 53 percent of
the vote to her 47 percent, preferring to highlight declarations
of support from several prominent environmentalist politicians.In a primary inspired by the momentum that carried Barack
Obama to the White House, the Socialist Party has organised a
two-round contest where anyone who pays a euro and declares
allegiance to left-wing values can vote.More than 2.6 million people voted in the first-round last
Sunday, when anti-globalisation hardliner Arnaud Montebourg
scored a surprise 17 percent.Hollande, who promised in the ensuing days to crack down on
banks and financial market excess, has consolidated his position
versus Aubry by securing the support of the four contenders
knocked out in round one, including Montebourg.Hollande, seen by many as more centre-left, won 39 percent
of the first-round vote, versus 30 percent for Aubry, often
labelled as a more old-school Socialist. The four candidates
knocked out — including Segolene Royal, Hollande’s former
companion and mother of his four children — got close to 30
percent.But both Hollande and Aubry share the main tenets of a
Socialist Party manifesto that promises to scrap 50 billion
euros of tax breaks that mostly went to the wealthy under
Sarkozy, using half of this money to fund state jobs and promote
growth, with the rest to cut the deficit.Sarkozy, who took power in 2007 after 12 years of Jacques
Chirac, has yet to declare a re-election bid.Opinion polls show him trailing either Hollande or Aubry in
the election which takes place in two rounds on April 22 and May
6, followed weeks later by a parliamentary election.
Tags:
UPDATE
1French
left
picks
presidential
runner
Hollande
favoured
Martos said two veteran officers responded to a call of shots fired at the station at about 2:20 p.m. Witnesses said the man had assaulted his girlfriend and he may have shot a gun.The officers said they approached the man, who became belligerent and initially wheeled away from them, Martos said.The man then swung back and wheeled toward officers, pulling a gun out of his waistband, Martos said, and ignored commands to drop the weapon.”The suspect then raised and pointed his handgun at officers,” Martos said in a statement. “Fearing for their life, the officers shot the suspect.”Martos said the officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard department policy in officer-involved shootings.
Tags:
Man
in
wheelchair
shot
to
death
by
Phoenix
police
57 notes
“The net profit reduction was caused by a loss on
discontinued operations related to disposal of (power company)
OGK-3 shares, amounting to $560 million,” it said in a
statement.Revenue rose by 24 percent to $7.3 billion from $5.9 billion
in the first half of 2010, Norilsk said in the statement.Revenue from metals sales also rose by 24 percent
year-on-year to $6.96 billion, it said.
Tags:
Russias
Norilsk
says
first
half
profit
down
22
pct
58 notes
NTC fighters in pick-up trucks raced towards the scene in
the Abu Salim neighbourhood, a centre of support for Gaddafi.
The two sides exchanged automatic and heavy machinegun fire, the
Reuters witness said.Local residents said the group of armed men had appeared in
Abu Salim earlier and had begun chanting pro-Gaddafi slogans.NTC fighters said fighting had also broken out in the nearby
Hadhba neighbourhood.”Gaddafi told them in a message last night to rise up after
Friday prayers,” said an NTC fighter, Abdullah. “That’s why
these few people have come out and are causing this problem.”Gaddafi has released a number of audio recordings calling on
loyalists to fight the new government which ousted him from
power when its forces captured Tripoli two months ago.”I urge all Libyan people to go out and march in their
millions in all the squares, in all the cities and villages and
oases,” he said in one such message earlier this month.”Go peacefully … be courageous, rise up, go to the
streets, raise our green flags to the skies,” Gaddafi said.
Tags:
UPDATE
1govt
and
proGaddafi
forces
fight
in
Tripoli
37 notes
* Shares up 2 pct since start of year vs 15 pct fall in
benchmarkTOKYO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Japan’s Fast Retailing
forecast a 16 percent rise in annual operating profit for this
financial year, on higher sales at its domestic Uniqlo outlets
and expansion of the budget clothing chain both at home and
overseas.Asia’s top apparel retailer is working to boost its presence
overseas to offset slowing growth in Japan from a shrinking
population, persistent deflation and increased competition from
retailers selling budget clothing.Fast Retailing said on Wednesday it expects 135.5 billion
yen ($1.8 billion) in operating profit for the year to August
2012, exactly in line with the average estimate in a poll of 20
analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. It also forecast same-store
sales to gain 5 percent.For the past business year, the retailer booked a 12 percent
drop in operating profit to 116.4 billion yen, after sales at
Uniqlo shops in Japan, which account for nearly three-quarters
of Fast Retailing’s group sales, fell 6 percent.Operating profit increased 33 percent to 11.8 billion yen in
the June-August quarter, marking the first year-on-year rise in
six quarters for the firm run by Japanese billionaire Tadashi
Yanai.Japanese department stores and clothing sellers have been
hurt by increased worries over the strength of the country’s
economic recovery, in contrast to general retailers and
convenience stores that have posted robust profits over the past
six months on higher post-quake demand for food and household
goods.Japanese retail sales tumbled in August to their first
annual decline in three months, emphasizing consumer fears that
a historically strong yen and European economic problems may
hurt Japanese firms, leading to curbs on bonuses and salary
hikes.Fast Retailing shares are up about 2 percent since the start
of the calendar year, outperforming a drop of about 15 percent
in the Nikkei benchmark . It’s stock ended 2.7 percent
lower on Wednesday before it released its results
Tags:
UPDATE
1Japans
Uniqlo
parent
predicts
16
pct
gain
in
operating
profit
button
