En Afghanistan, afflux de candidatures à un emploi au Qatar

Lorsqu’il a entendu que le Qatar allait recruter quelques milliers d’Afghans pour des emplois allant de chauffeur de bus à agent d’entretien, Mohammed Hanif, comme des milliers d’autres hommes, s’est rué vers un centre d’enregistrement des candidatures, avec l’espoir de s’envoler vers l’émirat gazier.Le gouvernement taliban a annoncé la semaine dernière avoir passé un accord avec Doha pour recruter des travailleurs afghans, qui ont commencé mardi à déposer leurs dossiers.Selon les autorités talibanes, cet accord, qui porte sur 3.100 postes, doit permettre de lutter contre le chômage dans lequel le pays de 48 millions d’habitants est englué.En deux jours, les centres d’inscription ont fait face à un afflux de demandeurs d’emploi et le ministère du Travail s’attend à recevoir plus de 15.500 dossiers.A Kaboul, 8.500 personnes se sont portées candidates, a indiqué à l’AFP Samiullah Ibrahimi, porte-parole du ministère du Travail et des Affaires sociales.A Hérat (ouest), ils étaient environ 2.000 à tenir entre leurs mains leur dossier de candidature et à attendre en file indienne, formée exclusivement d’hommes, au centre d’enregistrement.Là, ils doivent montrer un passeport, une carte d’identité et des documents attestant de leur expérience professionnelle, explique Abdul Wasse Faqiri, un représentant de l’entreprise Sadat Ghafoori chargée d’enregistrer les candidatures.Parmi les postes affichés: ingénieur électricien, technicien automobile, agent d’élevage laitier, cuisinier, chauffeur de bus, agent de voyage, agent d’entretien…”J’ai des compétences en mécanique automobile et en cuisine et les diplômes qui vont avec”, affirme Mohammed Hanif. Venu plein d’espoir à Hérat depuis la province voisine de Badghis, il “remercie” les pays qui “aident” les Afghans à trouver du travail.- Doha plutôt que Téhéran -Bien qu’il ne le reconnaisse pas, à l’instar des autres pays du monde sauf la Russie, le Qatar entretient des relations avec le gouvernement taliban.Des discussions sont en cours avec l’Arabie saoudite, les Emirats arabes unis, Oman, la Turquie et la Russie pour faciliter le recrutement d’autres travailleurs, a déclaré mardi le ministre du Travail et des Affaires sociales, Abdul Manan Omari.Cela, d’après le vice-Premier ministre chargé des Affaires économiques Abdul Ghani Baradar, “aura sans aucun doute un effet positif sur la situation économique et réduira le chômage”.Selon la Banque mondiale, près de la moitié de la population afghane vit dans la pauvreté et le taux de chômage (plus de 13%) touche près d’un quart des jeunes (15-29 ans).Nour Mohammed, un autre habitant de Badghis, espère lui être recruté dans l’hôtellerie ou la restauration.”Nous appelons tous les pays arabes (à imiter le Qatar) car l’Afghanistan est un pays pauvre (…) et parce que la situation en Iran et au Pakistan est très mauvaise”, relève-t-il, en référence au durcissement des conditions de vie des réfugiés afghans dans ces deux pays.Depuis le début de l’année, près de deux millions d’Afghans en ont été chassés ou expulsés et ont regagné leur pays.- Conditions de travail -Kaboul n’a pas indiqué comment et où seraient logés les travailleurs afghans au Qatar.L’émirat du Golfe, où les étrangers représentent environ 90% des plus de trois millions d’habitants, est critiqué pour son bilan en matière de droits humains et pour les conditions de travail de certains migrants. Après avoir été montré du doigt pour le nombre de décès accidentels sur les chantiers de la Coupe du monde de football de 2022, qui se chiffrerait par milliers selon des défenseurs des droits humains — ce que conteste Doha –, le Qatar a fait valoir une réforme de la législation du travail.Il a notamment démantelé la “kafala”, un système de parrainage qui faisait des salariés des quasi propriétés de leurs employeurs, introduit un salaire minimum (1.000 rials, soit environ 240 euros) et des réformes en matière de santé et de sécurité.”Je pense que si je vais là-bas, je gagnerai quelque chose”, espère Mohammed Qassam, 37 ans, venu de la province d’Uruzgan pour s’enregistrer à Kandahar (sud).”J’ai longtemps cherché du travail mais il n’y a rien”, regrette ce détenteur d’un diplôme de la faculté d’Education. “Ici, je devrais me contenter d’ouvrir un petit magasin ou un stand.”

Stocks, dollar mixed tracking Fed, tariffs, results

Major stock markets and the dollar traded mixed Thursday as traders weighed a cautious Federal Reserve, strong tech earnings and new US tariffs.The US central bank held interest rates steady Wednesday and refrained from suggesting it would cut them any time soon as inflation stays stubbornly high in the world’s biggest economy.Ahead of US jobs data Friday, focus was on company earnings, with energy giant Shell plus automakers Renault and BMW reporting profit slumps after Microsoft and Facebook owner Meta posted better-than-expected earnings.The two American giants saw their share prices soar in futures trading ahead of Wall Street’s reopening Thursday and results from Amazon and Apple.”US markets are expected to enjoy a buoyant open thanks in no small part to the bumper earnings seen from Meta and Microsoft,” noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at trading group Rostro.The latest developments on the tariffs front saw Trump announce a deal that sees 15 percent levies on South Korean goods and a commitment from Seoul to invest $350 billion in the United States.The president Thursday said his sweeping tariffs were making the US “great & rich again”.It came after he revealed that India would face 25 percent tolls, coupled with an unspecified penalty over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian weapons and energy.Trump has also signed an executive order implementing an additional tax on Brazilian products, as he lambasts what he calls Brazil’s “witch hunt” against his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, on coup charges.Traders are keeping tabs on talks with other countries that are yet to sign deals with Washington ahead of Trump’s self-imposed Friday deadline.After a broadly negative session Wednesday on Wall Street, Asian markets struggled.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Manila, Wellington and Jakarta closed lower, while Tokyo, Taipei, Mumbai and Bangkok climbed.London was higher around midday in the UK, while eurozone indices Paris and Frankfurt steadied.The yen retreated against the dollar after the Bank of Japan decided against hiking interest rates, while lifting economic growth and inflation costs. The BoJ cautiously welcomed the country’s trade deal with the United States.- Key figures at around 1045 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 9,189.22 pointsParis – CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,852.55 Frankfurt – DAX: FLAT at 24,261.38Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.0 percent at 41,069.82 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 24,773.33 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.2 percent at 3,573.21 (close)New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 44,632.99 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1434 from $1.1409 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3220 from $1.3239Dollar/yen: UP at 149.98 yen from 149.50 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.50 pence from 86.15 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.5 percent at $69.67 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $72.05burs-bcp/ajb/rl

Trump says tariffs are making US ‘great & rich’ again

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country “great & rich again” as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.”Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.”ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” he added.A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners — the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world.South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States — significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce.But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state.The 15 percent rate on Seoul — Washington’s key security ally — was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union.He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of “$100 billion worth” of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources.Seoul’s presidential office said tariffs on automobiles — one of Seoul’s key exports — would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America’s biggest economy.But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products.- Canada trade threat -He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil — and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular — for what he has termed a “witch hunt” against former president Bolsonaro.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend “the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States.”Among Trump’s latest announcements were a 25 percent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday — slightly lower than previously threatened — after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact.India would face an unspecified “penalty” over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said.”I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” he added.Canada’s trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.”Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”- ‘Big day for America’ -He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad.It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry.As Trump’s deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords.The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost all trading partners — citing unfair trade practices.This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated.The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline “will not be extended” any further.So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions.While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels.Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth.

Trump says tariffs are making US ‘great & rich’ again

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country “great & rich again” as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.”Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.”ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” he added.A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners — the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world.South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States — significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce.But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state.The 15 percent rate on Seoul — Washington’s key security ally — was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union.He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of “$100 billion worth” of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources.Seoul’s presidential office said tariffs on automobiles — one of Seoul’s key exports — would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America’s biggest economy.But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products.- Canada trade threat -He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil — and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular — for what he has termed a “witch hunt” against former president Bolsonaro.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend “the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States.”Among Trump’s latest announcements were a 25 percent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday — slightly lower than previously threatened — after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact.India would face an unspecified “penalty” over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said.”I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” he added.Canada’s trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.”Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”- ‘Big day for America’ -He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad.It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry.As Trump’s deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords.The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost all trading partners — citing unfair trade practices.This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated.The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline “will not be extended” any further.So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions.While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels.Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth.

Pakistan opposition leader given 10 years for Imran Khan protests

The opposition leader in Pakistan’s parliament was among more than 100 people convicted Thursday over nationwide protests in support of Imran Khan in 2023, his party said. A statement from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) said six members of parliament, a senator, and a provincial MP, were given 10-year sentences, a week after several others were also convicted. Among them was Omar Ayub Khan, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, who did not attend the protests.He was convicted at an anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Faisalabad of abetting violence and conspiring to incite riots and arson.”We are going to challenge this in the upper court,” PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan told reporters. “Such verdicts are bad for democracy and the country altogether.”The party officials have been on bail during the trial and have not yet been taken to jail.Nationwide protests that targeted sensitive military installations erupted on May 9 when Khan was briefly arrested in the capital, Islamabad.Khan, who was prime minister between 2018 and 2022, has been in jail for nearly two years on charges he says are politically motivated. His supporters and senior party leaders have also faced a severe crackdown, with thousands rounded up and Khan’s name censored from television.Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, the London-based spokesman for PTI said the latest sentences were “a black day for demoracy”.”Convicting opposition leaders one after another is not a good omen for any democratic system, and it will seriously damage our already fragile democracy,” he said.