Fraude aux billets pour le Colisée de Rome: 20 millions d’euros d’amende

Le gendarme italien de la concurrence a annoncé mardi avoir infligé une amende de 20 millions d’euros à la société gérant la billetterie du Colisée de Rome et six tour-opérateurs, accusés d’avoir contraint les touristes à acheter les billets les plus chers.Une enquête avait été ouverte en juillet 2023 après que le gendarme de la concurrence eut constaté qu’il était “pratiquement impossible” d’acheter en ligne les billets de base pour visiter le célèbre amphithéâtre romain, le monument le plus visité d’Italie.Ces sept sociétés auraient mis en place un système d’achat en masse des billets au tarif de base, les moins chers, par l’intermédiaire d’instruments informatiques, les rendant ainsi indisponibles pour les touristes qui souhaitaient les acheter sur internet.Les sociétés en question proposaient en revanche aux touristes des billets beaucoup plus chers  – comprenant par exemple des guides, l’option coupe-file… – pour accéder au Colisée.L’amende principale, d’un montant de sept millions d’euros, a été infligée à CoopCulture, qui a géré de 1997 à 2024 la billetterie officielle du Colisée, “parce qu’elle a contribué, en connaissance de cause, au phénomène de l’indisponibilité grave et prolongée des billets d’accès au Colisée au prix de base”, a dénoncé le gendarme de la concurrence dans un communiqué.Les six  tour-opérateurs sanctionnés sont Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited et Musement S.p.A., précise le communiqué.Selon les derniers chiffres officiels publiés par le ministère de la Culture, qui concernent l’année 2023, le Colisée a été de loin le monument le plus visité d’Italie avec 12,3 millions de visiteurs, devant le Panthéon de Rome (5,19 millions) et le musée des Offices de Florence (5,13 millions).

Philippines adds speedy warship to maritime arsenal

The Philippines took possession of the first of two corvette-class warships with “advanced weapons and radar systems” on Tuesday as it faces growing pressure from Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.The arrival of the 3,200-ton BRP Miguel Malvar is part of a two-ship deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2021.Its sister ship, the BRP Diego Silang, was formally launched in Ulsan, South Korea, last month but has yet to begin the journey to the Philippines.Corvettes are small, fast warships mainly used to protect other vessels from attack.The arrival of the ship marked “a critical step toward developing a self-reliant and credible defense posture”, the Philippine defence department said in a statement.It follows months of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety despite an international ruling its assertion has no merit.”(The) Miguel Malvar is here today not only to serve as a deterrent and protector of our waters but also as an important component in joint and combined operations” with allies, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro said at a Subic Bay naval base ceremony.The deal for the two ships was first unveiled in 2021, five years after Hyundai Heavy Industries had won a contract to build two new frigates for the Philippine Navy.The military said last month that the two corvettes would “significantly enhance the country’s naval capabilities amid growing security challenges in the West Philippine Sea”.On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard separately welcomed the donation of 20 Australian surveillance drones its commander said could extend its vessels’ coverage area by a “significant distance”.Using drones will “save fuel and it will be less risky for our people”, Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan said at a ceremony in coastal Bataan province.The Philippines has been deepening ties with allies and more aggressively pushing back on Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022.In December, Manila said it planned to acquire the US mid-range Typhon missile system in a push to secure its maritime interests.Beijing warned such a purchase could spark a regional “arms race”.Last week, the United States said it had approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, though Manila said the deal was “still in the negotiation phase”.

Markets stage mild rebound but Trump tariff uncertainty reigns

Asian and European markets battled Tuesday to recover from the previous day’s tariff-fuelled collapse, though Donald Trump’s warning of more measures against China and Beijing’s vow to “fight to the end” raised concerns of a spiralling trade war.Equities across the world have been hammered since the US president unveiled sweeping levies against friend and foe, upending trading norms, sparking talk of a global recession and wiping trillions of company valuations.Investors fought to claw back some of those losses as they try to assess the possibility that Washington could temper some of the tariffs. Tokyo traded up more than six percent — recovering much of Monday’s drop — after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held talks with Trump.However, the US leader’s threat to hit China with an extra 50 percent tariffs — in response to its 34 percent retaliation in kind — ramped up the chances of a catastrophic stand-off between the two economic superpowers.Trump said he would impose the additional levies if Beijing did not heed his warning not to push back against his barrage of tariffs. China fired back that it would “never accept” such a move and called the potential escalation “a mistake on top of a mistake”.If Washington “insists on a tariff war and a trade war, China will definitely fight to the end”, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Tuesday.”Pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right way to deal with China,” he said.In light of the turmoil gripping markets, Trump told Americans to “be strong, courageous, and patient”.While uncertainty rules, investors in most markets took the opportunity to pick up some beaten-down stocks.Tokyo jumped six percent, with Nippon Steel rallying just as much after Trump launched a review of its proposed takeover of US Steel that was blocked by his predecessor Joe Biden.Hong Kong gained more than one percent but was well short of recouping Monday’s loss of more than 13 percent that was the biggest one-day retreat since 1997.  Shanghai advanced 1.6 percent after China’s central bank promised to back major state-backed fund Central Huijin Investment in a bid to maintain “the smooth operation of the capital market”. Sydney and Mumbai added more than two percent, while Manila gained three percent. Seoul and Wellington also edged up.London, Paris and Frankfurt rose more than one percent, having dropped more than four percent Monday.- Worse to come? -The advances followed a less painful day on Wall Street, where the S&P and Dow fell but pared earlier losses, while the Nasdaq edged up.Others however were not as fortunate. Taipei shed four percent to extend the previous day’s record loss of 9.7 percent, while Singapore was off more than one percent.Trading in Jakarta was briefly suspended soon after the open as it plunged more than nine percent as investors returned from an extended holiday, while the bourse in Vietnam — which has been hit with 46 percent tariffs — shed more than six percent.Bangkok sank five percent as it also reopened after a holiday, with losses tempered by the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s decision to ban short-selling on most stocks.Analysts warned that things could get worse. “If none of the announced tariffs are reversed by deal-making in the next four weeks or so, the global economy risks entering an ‘oil price shock’ type crisis by mid-year,” said Vincenzo Vedda, global chief investment officer at DWS.Pepperstone’s Chris Weston said it was unlikely that China will scrap its countermeasure, “so we assume a high risk that Trump will follow through with an additional 50 percent tariff rate”.And JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told shareholders: “Whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth” and likely increase inflation.The trade war has also put the Federal Reserve in the spotlight as economists say it could send prices surging. Bank officials are now having to decide whether to cut interest rates to support the economy, or keep them elevated to keep a lid on inflation.”Because the tariffs announced thus far are higher than previously expected, we think the risk is now skewed toward more rate cuts by year-end,” said Nuveen chief investment officer Saira Malik. “Our probability-weighted guidance has increased from a total of four Fed cuts through 2025 and 2026 to 6.6 cuts.”- Key figures around 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 6.0 percent at 33,012.58 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5 percent at 20,127.68 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.6 percent at 3,145.55 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 1.5 percent at 7,815.00Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0944 from $1.0904 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2766 from $1.2723Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.16 yen from 147.83 yen Euro/pound: UP at 85.74 pence from 85.68 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $60.60 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $64.11 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.9 percent at 37,965.60 (close)

Prominent US academic detained on Thai royal insult charge

A prominent American academic was detained on Tuesday and charged with insulting Thailand’s monarchy, his lawyer told AFP, in a rare case of a foreign national falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste law.Paul Chambers, who has spent more than a decade teaching Southeast Asia politics in Thailand, is in pre-trial detention awaiting a decision on his bail request, lawyer Wannaphat Jenroumjit said.”He denied the charge,” Wannaphat told AFP.Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family are protected from criticism by the lese-majeste law, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.The Thai military filed a complaint earlier this year against Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in northern Thailand, over an article linked to an online discussion. He was informed of the charge last week and told to report to a police station in the northern Phitsanulok province Tuesday to formally respond.”We have to check all details, but the defendant said he didn’t do it and I believe the law will protect him,” Wannaphat said. Chambers told AFP last week he felt “intimidated” by the situation, but was being supported by the US embassy and colleagues at his university.Charges under Thailand’s royal defamation law have surged in recent years and critics say it is misused to stifle dissent. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) told AFP it is “rare” for a foreign national to face such charges.International watchdogs have expressed concern over its increasing use against academics, activists, and even students.One man in northern Thailand was jailed for at least 50 years for lese-majeste last year, while a woman got 43 years in 2021.And in 2023 a man was jailed for two years for selling satirical calendars featuring rubber ducks that a court said defamed the king.

Droits de douane: la Malaisie va envoyer à son tour une délégation à Washington

La Malaisie va envoyer à son tour une délégation à Washington pour entamer des discussions sur les tarifs douaniers, a déclaré mardi le Premier ministre Anwar Ibrahim.Au terme des annonces américaines qui ont provoqué une onde de choc dans le monde, la Malaisie se voit imposer des droits de douane de 24% sur ses exportations.Tout en reconnaissant qu’il y avait peut-être peu de marge de manœuvre, M. Anwar a estimé qu’il existait encore de la place pour ajuster l’application de ces nouveaux droits de douane.”Nous ne croyons pas en la diplomatie du mégaphone”, a déclaré M. Anwar dont le pays assure cette année la présidence tournante de l’Asean (Association des nations de l’Asie du Sud-Est). “Dans le cadre de notre diplomatie douce (…) nous enverrons avec nos collègues de l’Asean nos responsables à Washington pour entamer le processus de dialogue”.L’Indonésie, qui se voit appliquer des droits de douane de 32% a également annoncé jeudi dernier son intention de dépêcher des négociateurs à Washington.Les dix États membres de l’ASEAN, qui comptent les États-Unis comme principal marché d’exportation, sont parmi les plus durement touchés par les taxes décrétées par le président américain Donald Trump.”Les échanges commerciaux entre la Malaisie et les États-Unis sont depuis longtemps un modèle de bénéfices mutuels. Nos exportations soutiennent non seulement la croissance locale, mais aussi des emplois de qualité partout aux États-Unis”, a déclaré M. Anwar.”Cette relation commerciale a bien servi les deux pays, mais ces mesures (droits de douane, nldr) pourraient finir par nuire à tous”, a-t-il ajouté.Les ministres de l’Économie d’Asie du Sud-Est et les gouverneurs des banques centrales tiendront une réunion jeudi à Kuala Lumpur pour se pencher sur la question des droits de douane.

China vows ‘fight to the end’ as Trump warns 50% more tariffs

China vowed on Tuesday to “fight to the end” against fresh tariffs of 50 percent threatened by US President Donald Trump, further aggravating a trade war that has already wiped trillions off global markets.Trump has upended the world economy with sweeping tariffs that have raised the spectre of an international recession, but has ruled out any pause in his aggressive trade policy despite a dramatic market sell-off.Beijing — Washington’s major economic rival but also a key trading partner — responded by announcing its own 34 percent duties on US goods to come into effect on Thursday, deepening a showdown between the world’s two largest economies. The swift retaliation from China sparked a fresh warning from Trump that he would impose additional levies if Beijing refused to stop pushing back against his barrage of tariffs — a move that would drive the overall levies on Chinese goods to 104 percent.”I have great respect for China but they can not do this,” Trump said in the White House.”We are going to have one shot at this… I’ll tell you what, it is an honour to do it.”China swiftly hit back, blasting what it called “blackmailing” by the US and vowing “countermeasures” if Washington imposes tariffs on top of the 34 percent extra that were due to come in force on Wednesday.”If the US insists on going its own way, China will fight it to the end,” a spokesperson for Beijing’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday.In a mounting war of words between Beijing and Washington, China’s foreign ministry also Tuesday condemned “ignorant and impolite” remarks by US Vice President JD Vance in which he complained the US had for too long borrowed money from “Chinese peasants”.The ministry said that “pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right way to deal with China”.Beijing urged Washington to instead “adopt an attitude of equality, respect and mutual benefit” if it wanted to engage in talks.- Market turmoil -A 10 percent “baseline” tariff on US imports from around the world took effect Saturday, and a slew of countries will be hit by higher duties from Wednesday, including the levy of 34 percent for Chinese goods as well as 20 percent for EU products.Trump’s tariffs have roiled global markets in the last days, with trillions of dollars wiped off combined stock market valuations in recent sessions. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng collapsed by 13.2 percent on Monday — its worst day since the Asian financial crisis — before paring back some of those losses on Tuesday.But stocks in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam — a key export hub — sank on Tuesday, as they resumed trading after bank holidays.In financial powerhouse Singapore, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told parliament his government was “very disappointed by the US move”.”These are not actions one does to a friend.”Trump doubled down Monday, saying he was “not looking” at any pause in tariff implementation.He also scrapped any meetings with China over tariffs, but said the United States was ready for talks with any country willing to negotiate.After equities took a hammering in Shanghai, China’s central bank issued a statement before trading resumed Tuesday to underline it was standing behind a sovereign fund as it buys up exchange traded funds to stabilise the market. With investors seeking any relief from the ruinous trade war, stocks in Tokyo leapt Tuesday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested in an interview with Fox News that Japan would get “priority” in negotiations over the US tariffs “just because they came forward very quickly”.Scores of countries have sought talks, Bessent said, adding “through good negotiations, all we will do is see levels come down”.- ‘Don’t be Weak!’ -While meeting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first leader to lobby Trump in person over the levies, Trump said: “There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations, because there are things that we need beyond tariffs.”EU trade ministers were in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the bloc’s response, with Germany and France having advocated a tax targeting US tech giants.”We must not exclude any option on goods, on services,” said French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin.The 27-nation bloc should “open the European toolbox, which is very comprehensive and can also be extremely aggressive”, he said.While markets continued its wild ride, Trump told Americans: “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid!”.The 78-year-old Republican believes the tariffs will revive America’s lost manufacturing base by forcing foreign companies to relocate to the United States, rather than making goods abroad.But most economists question that and say his tariffs are arbitrary.JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned of coming inflation, adding “whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth”.burs-oho/hmn