AFP - Squid Business

Les marchés mondiaux chahutés par le regain de tensions géopolitiques au Moyen Orient

Les cours du pétrole s’envolent, l’or est en forte hausse et les actions reculent nettement vendredi face au regain de tensions géopolitiques au Moyen Orient après plusieurs frappes aériennes contre l’Iran, visant son programme nucléaire et ses installations militaires.L’Iran figurant parmi les dix plus grands producteurs de pétrole au monde, les cours de l’or noir réagissaient fortement, l’anticipation d’une offre de pétrole en baisse faisant grimper les prix.Après s’être envolé de plus de 12% dans la nuit, vers 07H15 GMT, le cours du baril de WTI nord-américain bondissait de 5,60% à 71,85 dollars. Le baril de Brent de la mer du Nord grimpait quant à lui de 5,41% à 73,11 dollars.”Ce ne sont pas seulement les perspectives des exportations iraniennes qui sont préoccupantes, mais aussi le risque de perturbation du transport maritime dans le détroit d’Ormuz, dans le golfe Persique, une voie essentielle pour environ 20% des flux mondiaux de pétrole et une proportion encore plus importante du transport de gaz naturel liquéfié” (GNL), souligne Derren Nathan, responsable de la recherche sur les actions de Hargreaves Lansdown.”Environ un cinquième du GNL mondial transite par ce détroit”, précise Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyste de Swissquote Bank.Face aux vives tensions géopolitiques entre l’Iran et Israël, les valeurs dites “refuge” sont préférées par rapport aux actions, considérées comme des actifs risqués.L’or grimpait ainsi de 0,69% à 3.409 dollars l’once (31,1 grammes) tandis que les Bourses asiatiques et européennes s’enfonçaient en terrain négatif. Sur le Vieux continent, Paris lâchait 1,13%, Francfort 1,32%, Milan 1,50% et Londres 0,57%. Dans les derniers échanges en Asie, Hong Kong abandonnait 0,97%, Shenzhen 1,10% et Shanghai 0,75%. Tokyo a terminé en repli de 0,89%, Séoul de 0,87% et Taipei de 0,96%.Sur le marché des changes, vers 07H15 GMT, le billet vert avançait de 0,27% face à la monnaie unique, à 1,1553 euro pour un dollar. La devise israélienne chutait de 1,99% face au dollar, à 3,6284 shekels pour un dollar.”L’attention se porte désormais sur la forme que pourraient prendre les représailles de l’Iran”, commente Jim Reid, économiste de Deutsche Bank.”Si l’Iran se retient” de riposter, “on pourrait avoir un soupir de soulagement des marchés”, mais une forte réplique de Téhéran contre Israël “pourrait redéfinir les scénarios macroéconomiques pour le reste de l’année” et un emballement de la confrontation aurait “des implications mondiales”, a réagi Stephen Innes, de SPI Asset Management.La diplomatie iranienne a affirmé avoir le “droit légitime” de répondre à l’attaque, tandis que le guide suprême, l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a promis à Israël un sort “amer et douloureux”. Quant aux Etats-Unis, ils seront “responsables des conséquences”, a assuré Téhéran, bien que la première puissance économique et militaire mondiale, alliée indéfectibles de l’Etat hébreu, affirme ne pas être impliquée.Israël a expliqué aux Etats-Unis que frapper l’Iran était “nécessaire pour sa défense”, a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie américaine Marco Rubio, prévenant Téhéran de ne pas riposter contre “les intérêts américains”.Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu a dit que l’opération militaire israélienne durerait “autant de jours que nécessaire”.L’Iran a fermé son espace aérien mais la défense anti-aérienne fonctionne “à 100% de sa capacité”, a souligné la télévision iranienne. “Quoi qu’il en soit, beaucoup d’investisseurs préféreront probablement réduire leur exposition au risque avant un week-end qui s’annonce potentiellement très volatile sur le plan géopolitique”, estime Ipek Ozkardeskaya.La défense sur le devant de la scèneDans un contexte de tensions géopolitiques accrues, les valeurs de la défense étaient recherchées. A Paris, Thales prenait 0,88% et Dassault Aviation de 1,25%. A Londres, BAE Systems gagnait 2,57%. A Francfort, Rheinmetall avançait de 1,29% et Hensoldt de 2,55%, Saab de 2,07% à Stockholm et Leonardo de 1,88% à Milan.Les valeurs pétrolières en hausseA la cote européenne, les valeurs pétrolières sont portées par la forte hausse des prix de l’or noir. A Paris, TotalEnergies s’octroyait 1,90%, à Londres, BP gagnait 1,69% et Shell 1,99% et à Madrid, Repsol gagnait 1,18%.

Volunteer rescuers describe horror at India plane crash site

Volunteers who rushed to help after a passenger jet crashed into a residential neighbourhood of India’s Ahmedabad city described Friday the intense fireball they faced — and the challenge ahead to identify the bodies of at least 265 victims.Bharat Solanki, 51, was working at a fuel station when the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — carrying 242 passengers and crew — took off from nearby Ahmedabad airport around lunchtime on Thursday.Less than a minute later it ploughed into a residential area, bursting into searing flames with what residents described as an ear-splitting blast.All but one aboard the plane was killed, and at least 24 others died on the ground.Solanki and a couple of friends rushed to the site.”We saw bodies everywhere — they were in pieces, fully burnt,” he said, recalling the horror of the scene.”We took out dead bodies”, he said, adding that he also helped bring out those injured from the medical hostel and nearby buildings that the plane smashed into.”Everywhere just bodies, parts, body parts. The bodies were totally burnt. It was like coal.”- ‘Didn’t get a chance’ -Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash site on Friday morning, called it a “scene of devastation”.He was seen peering up at a fire-blackened multi-storey building with the plane’s wheels and tail embedded in a wall.Authorities have set up DNA testing for relatives of passengers and those killed on the ground to identify the scorched bodies and body parts.It may be weeks before a final death toll is confirmed. Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking after visiting the crash site on Thursday, said the plane was carrying 125,000 litres (27,500 gallons) of fuel.The “temperature was so high that one didn’t get a chance”, he said.Air India said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London’s Gatwick airport, as well as 12 crew members.Sona Prakash, who was close to the residential blocks of the medical accommodation, described how the “hostel was destroyed”, adding that “so many doctors were injured, so many died”.Another witness, 35-year-old labourer Patani, who uses only one name, said those around him thought a bomb had gone off before they realised it was a plane crash.”There was black smoke everywhere, plumes of smoke”, added Vinod Bhai, another labourer.”The sky was only black, that’s how much smoke was there.”Forensic teams are searching for the black box flight recorders that will detail the last moments of the flight for crash investigators.

Iran Guards chief killed in strike outspoken opponent of Israel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran Friday, was a veteran officer close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei known for his tirades against Israel and its US ally.”If you make the slightest mistake, we will open the gates of hell for you,” the white-beared general warned Tehran’s arch foes during a tour of an underground missile base in January.Born in 1960 in central Iran, Salami joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1980 at the start of the devastating eight-year war launched by then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.He spent most of his career in the Guards, a parallel military set up after the 1979 overthrow of the Western-backed shah to defend the goals of the Islamic revolution.The force is now 125,000-strong strong, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, although Iran has never released any official figure.Salami rose through the ranks to become head of the Guards’ aerospace division, and was placed on Washington’s sanctions blacklist.He served as the corps’ deputy commander for nine years before being promoted to the top job in 2019 as part of a major reshuffle.Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of Tehran’s foreign policy and Salami repeatedly alluded to calls for Israel to be wiped from the map.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should “learn to swim in the Mediterranean Sea” in readiness to flee, he said in a 2018 speech.The Revolutionary Guards played a central role in Iran’s forward foreign policy in the Arab world, which saw Tehran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah lead Gaza and Lebanon into war with Israel.The twin conflicts were accompanied by the first-ever direct exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel last year and were to lead to the much bigger wave of Israeli strikes on Iran on Friday, one of which killed Salami.

Israel launches major strikes on Iran, Tehran vows ‘bitter’ revenge

Israel pounded Iran in a series of air raids on Friday, striking 100 targets including Tehran’s nuclear and military sites, and killing the armed forces’ chief of staff, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and top nuclear scientists.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a “bitter and painful” fate over the attacks.The Israeli military said later that Iran launched 100 drones towards Israel in response and that its air defences were intercepting them outside Israeli territory.US President Donald Trump told Fox News he had advance notice of the Israeli strikes which Israel’s military said involved 200 fighter jets. Trump also stressed that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear bomb”.The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Tehran not to attack its personnel or interests.But Tehran said the United States would be “responsible for consequences” as Israel’s operation “cannot have been carried out without the coordination and permission of the United States”.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, taking aim at the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists.The strikes would “continue as many days as it takes”, the Israeli leader said, adding later that the initial wave of strikes were “very successful”.The Israeli military said its intelligence gathering showed Iran was approaching the “point of no return” on its nuclear programme.The strikes killed Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported.State media said residential buildings in Tehran were hit as well, killing a number of civilians including women and children.Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists killed in the attacks.- Flights suspended -Air traffic was halted at Tehran’s main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq and Jordan also closed their airspace and suspended flights.Israel declared a state of emergency and closed its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying Israel was braced for Iran’s expected retaliation.”Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.An Israeli military official said the army believed Iran had the ability to strike Israel “any minute”.Oil prices surged 12 percent while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump’s warning of a “massive conflict” in the region.Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.Trump said he believed a “pretty good” deal on Iran’s nuclear programme was “fairly close”, but said that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement.The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation on Monday with Netanyahu, but said: “I don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it.”Trump quickly added: “Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”- ‘Within reach’ -US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran not respond to Israeli strikes by hitting US bases, saying Washington was not involved.”Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Rubio said in a statement.Prior to Friday’s attack, Iran had threatened to hit US bases in the Middle East if conflict were to erupt.With the violence raising questions on whether a sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran will still take place on Sunday in Oman, Trump said however that Washington is still “hoping to get back to the negotiating table”.Confirming Natanz among targets, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said it was “closely monitoring” the situation.”The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said.- ‘Extremist’ -Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees Iran as an existential threat.Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza.Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time.Aside from Hamas, Israel is also battling Iranian proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen.The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations.Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as “extremist”.In response, Iran said it would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location.”The world now better understands Iran’s insistence on the right to enrichment, nuclear technology, and missile power,” the Iranian government said following the strikes.Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close, though still short, of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Israel launches major strikes on Iran, Tehran vows ‘bitter’ revenge

New Mongolian PM takes office after corruption protests

Trump makes G7 summit return in Iran crisis

President Donald Trump, whose second term has been devoted to going it alone, makes his return to the Group of Seven in crisis mode after Israel attacked Iran.The G7 summit starting Sunday in the Canadian Rockies town of Kananaskis marks the first major global gathering of Trump’s second term, in which he has been even more brash in shattering diplomatic norms.Looking to avoid a dust-up, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had set the agenda on largely uncontroversial themes such as building global supply chains for critical minerals.That agenda could now be upended as Israel launched a massive military campaign against Iran on Friday, saying it was taking pre-emptive action against its adversary’s contested nuclear program.The Trump administration has closely aligned the United States with Israel, taking aim even at close allies who criticize its offensive in Gaza.But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly defied Trump, who hours earlier had called for a diplomatic solution and whose friend and roving envoy Steve Witkoff had been due to hold new talks with Iran on Sunday just as the G7 opened.A senior Canadian official said there would be no attempt at the G7 to reach consensus on a joint communique on the issues of the day and that leaders instead would be asked to endorse “short, action-oriented statements.””Of course it would be desirable for a summit statement to be issued, but as the summit is being held in a very complex international situation, I believe that the unity of the G7 should be given the highest priority,” Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.- New leader in ’51st state’ -The last time Trump attended a G7 summit in Canada in 2018, he stormed out early and took to social media to disassociate the United States from the statement and brand then-prime minister Justin Trudeau as “dishonest and weak.”The bad blood never ended, and Trump on returning to office mockingly said Canada should be the 51st US state.Trudeau handed over the premiership in March to Carney, a former central banker who told Trump firmly in the White House that Canada was “never for sale.”Like Trump, “Trudeau liked being the center of attention,” said John Kirton, founder of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.Trudeau at least at first was seen as “young, handsome and — I’m quoting others — hot. Carney is none of these things,” Kirton said.Carney has instead patched up with Trump through his analytical skills and competence, Kirton said.Trump also has an incentive to keep the peace in Kananaskis — the United States will lead the G7 in 2027.”He doesn’t want to kill the G7 golden goose before he can produce the ‘biggest, best summit ever’ for the whole world stage two years from now,” Kirton said.- ‘America First’ -The G7 club of major industrial democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was formed in the 1970s to coordinate economic policy and grew in scope to take on some of the world’s security hotspots.Trump since returning to the White House has upended the global economic system by imposing tariffs and has sought to negotiate with Russia over Ukraine — an issue that will also figure prominently when he heads to a NATO summit in The Hague a week after Canada.The US president can be expected to push back in Kananaskis if allies seek to moderate him, said Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.”He does not view these organizations as ways to deepen and expand American power and influence. He sees these fora as constraining America,” she said.Europeans will observe Trump at the G7 to see how he treats their alliance, said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”Our allies and partners in Europe are really questioning the US commitment and they are asking themselves, is this a relationship that is going to be maintained?”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to attend the G7 and hopes to meet Trump. The two clashed bitterly at the White House on February 28 but Trump since then has voiced frustration at Russia’s reluctance on peace overtures.In a key step distancing himself from Trudeau, Carney has also invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Relations sharply deteriorated after Trudeau publicly accused India of masterminding the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.burs-sct/dhc

Barrage de Top 14: Clermont au défi de la ferveur bayonnaise

Mondial des clubs: Doué, Mastantuono, Estevao, Mora, nouvelles stars au casting

Oui, le plus brillant d’entre eux, l’Espagnol Lamine Yamal, manquera à l’appel, mais le Français Désiré Doué, le Brésilien Estevao, l’Argentin Franco Mastantuono et le Portugais Rodrigo Mora seront les jeunes pépites à découvrir dès samedi lors de la ruée vers l’or du Mondial des clubs.. Doué, le créateur endurant Son doublé agrémenté d’une passe décisive sur la plus grande scène qui soit, en finale de la Ligue des champions, a largement contribué au sacre implacable du Paris SG contre l’Inter Milan (5-0) et fait de lui une nouvelle star, alors qu’il cirait encore le banc parisien six mois plus tôt. Alors, quoi de mieux que la première Coupe du monde des clubs, pour asseoir ce nouveau statut ? La fatigue au bout d’une longue saison et peut-être aussi le risque d’une compréhensible décompensation après cette performance historique seront des vents contraires, mais le Français de tout juste 20 ans, désigné meilleur jeune joueur de la C1, impressionne autant par son physique d’acier que par sa créativité technique et ses dribbles chatoyants. Il aura les clés de l’attaque du PSG, en attendant le rétablissement d’Ousmane Dembélé, qu’il dépasse au nombre de ventes de maillots.. Mastantuono, l’élégantMeneur de jeu ultra-talentueux, doté d’une patte gauche à rendre zinzin l’adversaire, Franco Mastantuono ne peut évidemment que rappeler ses deux plus illustres prédécesseurs argentins en la matière, Diego Maradona et Lionel Messi, avec néanmoins toute la prudence requise s’agissant des comparaisons. De fait, il est néanmoins acquis que sa précocité lui a déjà permis de faire mieux que ses aînés, en devenant le plus jeune joueur de l’histoire à disputer un match officiel avec l’Albiceleste, à 17 ans 9 mois et 22 jours, la semaine passée contre le Chili. Autres records battus: il est devenu, en février 2024, le plus jeune buteur (16 ans, 5 mois et 24 jours) de l’histoire de River Plate et fin avril le plus jeune buteur lors d’un “Superclasico” contre Boca Juniors, avec un coup franc de 30 mètres qui a fait le tour du monde. Et c’est le Real Madrid qui se frotte déjà les mains d’avoir fait signer le joyau pour quelque 45 millions d’euros, son arrivée étant prévue pour janvier 2026.. Estevao, le funambule L’ailier brésilien n’a que 18 ans, mais fait bonheur de Palmeiras depuis bientôt deux ans. Virevoltant gaucher habitué à évoluer du côté droit, celui qu’on surnomme… “Messinho” a ce sens du dribble irrésistible qui rappelle aussi le Neymar des meilleurs jours, avec cette même capacité à déboussoler les défenses adverses en partant d’assez loin au milieu de terrain. Le phénomène au visage encore adolescent connaît une trajectoire météoritique, qui l’a déjà conduit en équipe du Brésil, avec quatre premières sélections honorées cette année. Chelsea ne s’y est pas trompé en déboursant environ 51 millions de dollars pour s’attacher ses services. Et les Blues d’espérer éviter de croiser sa route lors d’un potentiel quart de finale contre Palmeiras.. Mora, l’as de la rouletteAu Portugal aussi, on est sûr de tenir l’héritier de Cristiano Ronaldo. Il s’appelle Rodrigo Mora et a plutôt des faux airs de… Lionel Messi, avec sa rapidité balle au pied, son centre de gravité assez bas et son style explosif et déroutant balle au pied, à l’image de cette roulette en rotation vouée à devenir une marque de fabrique. Irrésistible depuis six mois avec le FC Porto, en témoignent ses 10 buts et 4 passes décisives en 23 matches de championnat, il peut se targuer de posséder déjà un titre majeur avec la sélection nationale, puisqu’il vient d’être sacré en Ligue des nations pour sa première convocation chez les A. De quoi susciter les convoitises, dont celles du PSG, alors que sa clause de résiliation a été fixée à 70 M EUR.