And they should file as expected a firm offer today

The days to follow and continue to make their event batch in the order paper of the resumption of the "world". Yesterday, Claude Perdriel handed a letter of intent to Calyon (Credit Agricole CIB), Bank-Council working on the record of recapitalisation. It is stated still interested in a majority stake in the daily life of the night: his company SFA (also including "Le Nouvel Observateur" and "Challenge") would be for this purpose a holding company, which would be equipped with EUR 80 million and which would allow minority partners. This holding company would invest in "The world" by subscribing to a capital increase, which Claude Perdriel expects that it brings at least between two thirds and three quarters of the capital of the world group. However, he was not sure that this is sufficient: according to estimates circulating internally at the "world", the daily paper would be valued EUR 10 million, the world interactive 67 million euros. In total, all of the group, which also includes "Télérama", "The life" and the printing press would be valued EUR 140 million.

Claude Perdriel was to follow the letter of intent of a pré-offre, then a firm offer, but it is already clear that it will not hold the schedule defined by Calyon: presentation of the firm offers before this Friday, June 11, 19 hours. He hopes to submit an offer as soon as Monday or Tuesday. The names of the investors with whom the Group discussed has still not been unveiled. Just one know that it is a "related to the media sector" industrial group

The shade of Orange

The shade of Orange plane always, even if the telecoms operator has denied be partner. But Stéphane Richard, its Director General, continued yesterday to make the statements confirming his interest in "The world" the Symposium of NPA - "Le Figaro" (read below). Orange would be prepared to invest "a few tens of millions of euros" in the operation, but not in a logic of "financial bailout". The operator would be interested in a partnership around the interactive world, through a reconciliation of advertising sites authorities.

Wednesday evening, normally scheduled deadline, only the trio formed by Pierre Bergé, Matthieu Pigasse and Xavier Niel had filed a strong pré-offre to Calyon. Associated with each one third within a holding company called the free world, the three men committed themselves to invest EUR 100 million for "the world". And they should file as expected a firm offer today.

For its part, the Spanish press group Prisa asked a grace to September period ("Les Echos" of yesterday). A report which seems impossible in most of the shareholders of the group, taking into account the deadlines of cash in July. "All the potential candidates have had access to the"data room"since early may, but all is are not invested in the same way", note a close source from the folder.

The current shareholders of the "world" (staff societies, Lagardère, Pierre Lescure, Etienne Pfimlin...) have requested a postponement of the deadline to June 21, to give time to all stakeholders to refine their offerings. A monitoring Council scheduled for June 14 must pronounce on the calendar, while rumours of pressure from the Elysee are more and more insistent. Yesterday, the General Assembly of the RS (society of editors of the "world"), its representatives reported the remarks of Eric Fottorino writing in the morning Conference: the President of the Executive Board of the group testified he was summoned for an interview in the Elysee Palace with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his advisor Raymond Soubie early in the week. During this interview, President him would have expressed his opposition to the Bergé-Pigasse-Niel solution, evoking even potential State aid on the printing...