Socialist President Francois Hollande unveiled higher levies on business and a 75-percent tax for the super-rich on Friday in a 2013 budget aimed at showing France has the fiscal rigour to remain at the core of the euro zone.

The package aims to recoup 30 billion euros ($39 billion) for the public purse with a goal of narrowing the deficit to 3.0 percent of national output next year from 4.5 percent this year - France's toughest belt-tightening in 30 years.

But the budget dismayed business and pro-reform lobbyists by hiking taxes and holding France's high public spending at the same level rather than cutting it as Spain, Greece and Italy have done to chip away at their debt mountains.

With record unemployment and a barrage of data pointing to economic stagnation, there were also fears the deficit target will slip as France falls short of the modest 0.8 percent economic growth rate on which it is banking for next year.

"We do not want France to be delivered shackled to the markets as has happened to other neighbouring countries that have succumbed to the temptation of letting their budgets get out control," Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said of France's determination to stick to its deficit goal.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault dismissed fears about possible slippage, insisting the 0.8 percent growth target for next year was "realistic and ambitious".

Hollande's aim is to achieve the savings without hitting the purchasing power of low-income families. But France's main employers' group said the measures would backfire by weakening the competitiveness of French industry.

"Its stated aim is to prepare the future. But the way it is put together holds it to ransom by putting investment and employment at a serious risk," Medef President Laurence Parisot said in a statement.

With public debt at a post-war record of 91 percent of the economy, the budget is vital to France's credibility not only among euro zone partners but also in markets which for now are allowing it to borrow at record-low yields around two percent.

The government said the budget was the first in a series of steps to bring its deficit down to 0.3 percent of GDP by 2017 - slightly missing an earlier target of a zero deficit by then.

France's benchmark 3.0 percent 10-year bond was steady, yielding 2.18 percent after the announcement but some analysts remained sceptical.

"The ambitions that were flagged are very audacious," said Philippe Waechter at Natixis Asset Management. "I struggle to see how we'll find the growth needed in 2013 and afterwards."

Of the total 30 billion euros of savings, around 20 billion will come from increased levies on households and companies, with tax rises already approved this year to contribute some 4 billion euros to revenues in 2013. The freeze on spending will contribute around 10 billion euros.

EXODUS FEAR

To the dismay of business leaders who fear an exodus of top talent, the government confirmed a temporary 75 percent super-tax rate for earnings over one million euros and a new 45 percent band for revenues over 150,000 euros.

Together, those two measures are predicted to bring in around half a billion euros. Higher tax rates on dividends and other investments, plus cuts to existing tax breaks are seen bringing in several billion more.

Jean-Paul Agon, chief executive of cosmetics giant L'Oreal, warned in the run-up to the budget that the new super-tax, which compares to a euro zone average top rate of 43 percent, will make it harder to attract top executives.

Bernard Arnault, France's richest man and chief executive of luxury group LVMH, created a storm this month by declaring he had applied for Belgian nationality - but stressed he would continue to pay taxes in France.

Business will face measures including a cut in the amount of loan interest which is tax-deductible and the cutting of an existing tax break on capital gains from certain share sales - moves worth around four billion and two billion euros each.

Four months after he defeated Nicolas Sarkozy, Hollande's approval ratings are in free-fall as many French feel he has been slow to get to grips with the economic slow-down and unemployment at a 10-year high and rising.

Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici defended next year's growth target on French radio. But, highlighting the bet on growth underpinning the entire budget, he added that it was achievable "if Europe steadies".

Data on Friday confirmed France posted zero growth in the second quarter, marking nine months of stagnation, as a pickup in business investment and government spending was offset by a worsening trade balance and sluggish consumer expenditure.

Despite a rise in wages, consumers - traditionally the motor of France's growth - increased their savings to 16.4 percent of income from 16.0 percent a year earlier. In another setback, other data showed consumer spending dropped 0.8 percent in August.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook apologized Friday to customers for the widely criticized debut of his company's Maps app.

But to map developers, Cook could have simply said: "You’re welcome."

Apple's maps miscue has created a unique opportunity for lesser-known mapmakers to gain wider exposure. Several developers have reported spikes this week in downloads of their apps in Apple's App Store. Some have touted their services in blog posts or offered special promotions to capitalize on a rare moment when mobile phone users are seeking mapping alternatives.

Even Cook suggested on Friday that consumers should try other mapping services while Apple improves its own.

Analysts say mapmakers could stand to benefit from Apple's misfire in two ways. Apple may decide to partner with them to help fix gaps in its new application, or iPhone users may discover other maps by chance while looking for new options and continue using the applications.

"People used to be happy with the maps on their phones," said John Musser, founder of ProgrammableWeb, which tracks mobile app developers. "Now clearly people are frustrated with Apple maps and looking for alternatives, so there are opportunities for the smaller guys."

That opportunity arose last week when Apple unveiled its new mobile operating system, iOS 6. The platform did not feature the popular Google-built maps app. Instead, Apple released its own Maps app, which has been criticized for mislabeling cities and landmarks and not providing transit directions, among other things. Google is reportedly working on a version of its Maps app for iOS 6, but that is still months away.

The flaws with Apple Maps have sent iPhone users scrambling for other mapping options. Some have taken to Twitter to publish their discoveries.

One Twitter user wrote on Wednesday: “iOS 6 Maps silver lining: I discovered @LumaticInc’s elegant ‘City Maps” app for public transit. Huge step up from transit on Google Maps.”

Another wrote: “Dear frustrated #iPhone5 Apple maps users, I use @Telenav and @Scout on #iPhone4S -- they’re your map friend :)”

The negative reaction to Apple Maps has given the startup Lumatic the kind of exposure that no amount of marketing could have achieved, said the startup's chief executive, Scott Rafer.

The company creates mobile maps for pedestrians, cyclists and public transit users in 27 cities. But over the past week, Rafer said that frustrated iPhone users have sent him their zip codes and asked if Lumatic can add their town to its mobile maps.

"I want to exploit the hell out of this," Rafer said. "There is a crazy opportunity for us."

Some developers are hoping to capitalize on the attention by offering special promotions. This week, TeleNav said it would extend a free offer for its premium mapping app, called Scout, which offers turn-by-turn instructions with or without cellular reception. The app normally costs $25 in Apple's App Store.

"It seems to be working well," said Dariusz Paczuski, vice president of products for TeleNav. "We've seen downloads increase over the past few week."

Other companies have sought to remind iPhone users that they also offer a mapping service.

Bing proclaimed on its blog this week that its "apps have the essential search and mapping functionality you need.” And Foursquare released an update of its iPhone app this week, calling it "The Perfect Map." In a blog post, Foursquare said "we can also give you tailored suggestions instead of one size-fits-all results."

Foursquare did not mention Apple's Maps or other map developers by name. A Foursquare spokesperson said its updated app "has been in the works for a while."

Musser, of ProgrammableWeb, suggested that mapmakers -- both big and small -- should do everything they can to take advantage of this sudden public attention on mobile navigation.

“Put on your marketing hat and get out there and think of all the ways you can promote your app,” he said. “There’s never been a better time to get your name out there.”

Starting next month, more than 1 billion shares of Facebook will be released from lock-up restriction over a short span of two weeks or so. Many of those shares belong to current Facebook employees and it’s a good bet they are going to sell in large numbers, putting new pressure on the stock.

Investors have been bracing for this tidal wave and seen it coming for some time. They have bid up the stock of Facebook anyway, ever since Facebook moved in early September to protect its share price with assurances that Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t soon be selling any of his truckload of shares and that the company would withhold 101 million shares. Zuckerberg also helped by finally communicating about things during a public appearance.

But the employee problem for Facebook’s stock will continue even after some of its employees cash-in this fall. Facebook’s employees have had to sit on the sidelines since the May IPO, watching the value of their shares plummet while early Facebook investors cashed out nicely. Facebook did do its employees a huge favor by giving them restricted stock units instead of options, meaning they still have lots of value, but for the most part, the many Facebook employees who came in after November 2010 aren’t at the moment making life-altering money; employees who joined up this year got few RSUs. The operational challenge for Facebook is how to retain its talented employees and keep them from feeling they would be more likely to make their Silicon Valley fortune elsewhere because Facebook’s big valuation gains are a thing of the past.

Facebook’s answer is to keep shoveling more shares to current and new employees. Andrew Bary, who wrote the current Barron’s cover story arguing that Facebook’s stock was worth $15, has been thinking about what these new shares will do to Wall Street’s consensus estimate for Facebook’s 2013 earnings of 63 cents per share. Writes Bary:

“Facebook issued $1.4 billion of restricted stock in 2011, or nearly $500,000 per employee. So far this year, the company has doled out $1 billion of restricted stock. Facebook’s reported stock-based compensation expense—based on the amortization of several years of stock grants—could total 20 cents a share next year. Subtract that from the 2013 consensus earnings number, and the shares trade at 50 times earnings. At $15 they would still be valued at a rich 35 times earnings.”

It may well be that Zuckerberg has painted himself in a corner. He plans to keep paying the people he needs to figure out how to boost revenues with more and more shares. But the earnings dilution could continue to sink the stock. Even if Wall Street never accounts for the earnings dilution, Facebook employees will continue to have a boatload of shares to sell. Bary seems to have gotten Facebook’s investors focused on this issue. The stock is down 5% in pre-market trading.

WASHINGTON -- Discover Financial Services will refund $200 million to more than 3.5 million credit card customers and pay a $14-million civil penalty after a federal investigation determined that the company used deceptive marketing tactics to sell payment protection plans and other add-on services, two regulatory agencies announced Monday.

Scripts for Discover's telemarketers "contained misleading language likely to deceive consumers about whether they were actually purchasing a product," the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.

The telemarketers downplayed important information about the add-on services and spoke quickly when they discussed prices and terms, the agencies said of the findings of their joint investigation.

In addition to a payment protection plan -- which allowed customers to stop making payments for up to two years in case they lost their job, were hospitalized or were dealing with another qualifying event -- the investigation covered programs dealing with credit score tracking, identity theft protection and Discover's Wallet Protection, which helped cancel cards if they were lost or stolen.

The telemarketing practices misled customers about whether there was a charge for the products, with language "implying that the products were additional free 'benefits,' rather than products for which a fee would be applied to their accounts," the agencies said.

Telemarketing scripts also often suggested customers would not be charged for the products until after they had reviewed written materials. But those materials were not provided until after Discover had processed the purchase of the products.

In some cases, customers were enrolled in the programs without their consent.

"We have worked hard to earn the loyalty of our card members, and we are committed to marketing our products responsibly," said Discover Chief Executive David Nelms. "As always, we will continue to strive to deliver the highest standards of customer service and satisfaction."

Discover agreed in a consent order to provide $200 million in refunds to customers who were charged for at least one of the products from Dec. 1, 2007 to Aug. 31, 2011. The refunds will depend on when the product was purchased and how long the customer kept the product, the agencies said.

In general, all customers who purchased the products will be refunded at least 90 days' worth of fees for the product, except those who affirmatively made use of the payment protection. About 2 million Discover customers will get all the fees they paid returned, minus any refunds they already received.

Discover also agreed to pay the $14-million civil penalty, to stop the practices and to submit to an independent audit.

The Discover refunds are the second major enforcement action involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created by the 2010 financial reform law.

In July, Capital One agreed to refund $150 million to credit card customers and pay $60 million in civil fines for deceptive marketing practices by the bank's call center vendors.

Apple today said it had sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 smartphones during the opening three-day weekend of sales, a 25% increase over last year's launch of the iPhone 4S.

"Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a Monday statement.

The 5 million includes units sold through its own retail stores, those through its carrier partners' stores, and the ones that were delivered Friday or Saturday from pre-sales on its online store which started Sept 14.

Apple began selling the iPhone 5 early Friday, Sept. 21.

Analysts noted that the 5 million, while up from the three-day total of 4 million last year, fell short of their bullish estimates.

"The iPhone 5 three-day volume missed our estimate of 6 million to 6.5 million, which we believe is driven by availability as many stores that we contacted this weekend were sold out in the first 24 hours," said Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, in a note to clients today.

Brian Marshall, a financial analyst with ISI Group, noted that his opening weekend estimate had been 6 million to 8 million.

Shortages were expected -- Apple has always had trouble meeting demand at iPhone launches -- but even Cook cited the problem today, confirming that Apple had run through its stock.

"While we have sold out of our initial supply [emphasis ours], stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date," Cook said. "We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone."

White attributed the lower-than-expected sales to weak inventory, and said Apple could have sold more than the 5 million iPhones if it had had them.

Marshall, however, said that it was greater-than-expected demand, not a planning snafu on Apple's part, that drove the out-of-stock situation. "With retail shortages and 'available to ship within 3-4 weeks' on the Apple Store, we view this as primarily demand-driven and believe supply constraints are better than feared," he said in a note to clients.

Marshall also pointed out that the 5 million does not count in-transit iPhone 5s -- those that have been paid for, shipped from China, but not yet delivered -- which he estimated to be in the millions.

Whatever the cause -- too-short supply or heavy demand -- both analysts forecast significant sales of the iPhone 5 this quarter, which ends Sept. 30, and the year's final quarter.

"Apple clearly has a blockbuster on its hands," said White.

Cook also claimed that 100 million devices -- iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches -- had been upgraded to iOS 6 since the Sept. 19 debut of that operating system.

That was four times the 25 million devices upgraded to iOS 5 in the first five days of its availability in early October 2011. "We believe this suggests reports of dissatisfaction with Apple's new Maps application will not be a deterrent to adoption [of iOS 6]," said Marshall.

Apple's dumping of Google Maps and replacing it with its own mapping and navigation technology has raised a ruckus among customers and many pundits, and prompted rivals to run television ads poking fun at the inaccuracy of Apple's Maps app.

As of early Monday, Apple's online store showed a "3-4 weeks" delay between ordering and shipping a new iPhone 5. One Computerworld staffer who ordered a 16GB Verizon iPhone 5 on Sept. 21, for example, was told that the smartphone would not arrive until Oct. 23-29. Another, who pre-ordered on Sept. 14 just hours after Apple ran out of stock, is to receive his 64GB AT&T iPhone 5 on Sept. 28.

White acknowledged the supply issues, but believes they will improve over time.

"There's always yield issues with a new product," said White, who called the display module the "gatekeeper" of supplies. "That and the labor to assemble these things," he said in an interview. "But [the shipping] delays will come down before the end of the year. They'll be back to one to two weeks, maybe to just one week by the end of the year."

Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- Two Islamist militias have agreed to close their bases in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, state news and a source said Saturday.

A third base will be shut on Sunday, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The state-run LANA news agency said the militias, which it identified as Bou Salim Martyrs and Ansar al-Sharia, will also disband.

The move comes after hundreds marched in the nearby city of Benghazi and took over the headquarters for Ansar al-Sharia. Individuals from the radical Islamist group are accused of having been involved in the attack last week that left four Americans dead.

Protesters demanded an end to all security activities of armed groups operating outside the official command of the army or police.

Mohamed al-Magariaf, president of Libya's General National Congress, later told reporters that a joint security office would be established to bring together the army and the various brigades backed by the government. Militias outside that office will not be allowed to operate, he said.

As militia members fled the headquarters in Benghazi, demonstrators torched a vehicle and took over the group's building without firing a single shot.

Army General Naji al-Shuaibi said the citizens, whom he referred to as "revolutionaries of the February 17 uprising," later asked that the Ansar al-Sharia headquarters be handed over to the Libyan army.

Some protesters also gathered at locations that house forces loyal to the national authority, he said, including the headquarters of the Rufallah al-Sihati battalion. Gunfire could be heard there, but it was not clear who was responsible.

At least four people were killed and 70 were injured in clashes at the Rufallah al-Sihati brigade headquarters, LANA reported.

Al-Magariaf thanked the protesters for helping evict "armed groups." He also said the Rufallah al-Sihati brigade was actually "under the command of -- and committed to -- the national authority," the case appeared to be one of mistaken identity. Magariaf asked demonstrators to stop their activities and go home.

On the night of September 11, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was one of four Americans slain after a group assaulted the U.S. Consulate in the eastern Libyan city.

Seen as the birthplace of the revolution that led to the death of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Benghazi has in recent months been beset by security issues.

Initial reports indicated that, ahead of the consular attack, Ansar al-Sharia had organized a protest to decry an inflammatory film that mocks the Prophet Mohammed and also protest the United States, where the film was privately produced.

On Thursday, Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur said eight detained in connection with that assault include members of Ansar al-Sharia, though he added that not all the attackers came from one specific group.