On Sunday afternoon a week ago, Bruno Lafont, the chief executive of Lafarge took a call from Wolfgang Reitzle, the chairman of Swiss cement company Holcim, seeking to merge with its French rival. He had bad news.

DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN, his presidential hopes shattered by a sex assault scandal that rocked his homeland, returned to France to a frosty public reception and unease among his political allies.