Ligue 1: à Lens, des retards à l’allumage coupables

Battu à Marseille la semaine dernière, Lens a pâti d’une mauvaise entame, fâcheuse tendance apparue ces dernières semaines qu’il voudra effacer dès vendredi (20h45) à domicile contre Le Havre lors de la 20e journée de Ligue 1.Les avertissements auront donc été vains. Après plusieurs matchs débutés trop timidement mais sans conséquence à Sochaux en Coupe de France et contre Auxerre en championnat, les Sang et Or ont été punis par Marseille (3-1).Samedi dernier, lors du tant attendu duel entre les deux équipes qui suivent le Paris Saint-Germain, premier, les Lensois ont perdu le match dans le premier quart d’heure en encaissant deux buts.”On n’était pas vraiment dans les duels, concède Mamadou Sangaré. Dans ce genre de match, il faut vraiment l’être. Les 20-25 dernières minutes, on a bien réussi à maîtriser cet aspect-là, mais ce n’était pas assez pour remporter la victoire.”Dès la fin du match, son partenaire du milieu de terrain Adrien Thomasson regrettait le “manque d’agressivité” global.Cette défaite a coûté la première place aux joueurs de l’Artois mais ne remet pas en cause leur saison magnifique: ils sont deuxièmes (43 points) avant de recevoir Le Havre, mal classé (15e, 20 pts), ce qui leur offre une chance de se relancer immédiatement.À condition de réussir leurs premières minutes et résoudre un problème déjà identifié par Pierre Sage ces dernières semaines.”Ça met du sens derrière des choses qu’on envisageait négativement envers l’équipe, et aujourd’hui, on sait qu’on doit progresser dans ce domaine, commente l’entraîneur. On a déjà évoqué des solutions possibles mais visiblement leur mise en pratique n’a pas été assez efficace pour que cela ait des effets sur notre début de match.”- L’absence de Baidoo préjudiciable -Les changements contraints par l’absence du roc Samson Baidoo ont aussi expliqué les atermoiements de la défense face au club phocéen.”C’est un problème de coordination, de confiance, de repères, il y a plusieurs paramètres qui influencent notre début de match”, précise Sage.Mais avec une semaine d’entraînement supplémentaire, les Artésiens doivent avoir appris à se passer du jeune Autrichien, pas non plus disponible face au Havre.En son absence, Sage reconduira-t-il Malang Sarr dans l’axe avec à sa gauche Matthieu Udol et Ruben Aguilar un cran plus haut?Quoi qu’il en soit, l’aspect physique importera tout autant si ce n’est davantage que l’aspect tactique, pour une équipe qui a notamment construit son succès sur une pression constante sur l’adversaire, une intensité supérieure dans les duels, et un mouvement collectif sans ballon très coordonné.”On a complètement bousculé notre organisation, et surtout on n’a pas appliqué des principes de jeu qui étaient les nôtres, analyse Pierre Sage. L’association de ces deux déficits fait que l’adversaire en profite. La leçon est importante: on ne peut pas se renier autant et il faut croire en nos principes.”Pour faire de la défaite à Marseille un simple accident de parcours et non un essoufflement dans le temps.

Trump nominates former US Fed official as next central bank chief

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is nominating Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor, to be the next US central bank chief.Trump’s decision caps a closely watched search for a successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom the president has repeatedly lambasted for not cutting interest rates more swiftly.”I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down,” Trump added.Powell’s term at the helm ends in May, although it remains to be seen if he will also step down from the Fed’s powerful board of governors.The president’s selection ends a race that had narrowed to four contenders — Warsh; current Fed governor Christopher Waller; Rick Rieder of BlackRock; and Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett.Trump said in separate social media posts that he did not pick Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, as Hassett was “indescribably good” in his current role. Waller and Rieder would “all would have been outstanding” too, he said.- Senate hurdle -Warsh will need to be confirmed by the US Senate, facing questions by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle amid growing concerns about threats to the Fed’s insulation from politics.Trump’s recent attempt to oust another Fed Governor, Lisa Cook, and his administration’s investigation into Powell over renovation costs at the bank, have sparked worries about Fed independence.If independence were eroded, this could have ramifications for the world’s biggest economy, experts warn.Warsh must now get through a Senate Banking Committee hearing, “maintaining the confidence of both markets and the president in the process,” said economist Samuel Tombs of Pantheon Macroeconomics.After which, Warsh must pass a confirmation vote in the Senate with a simple majority.But Republican Thom Tillis, who sits on the banking committee, has vowed to oppose the confirmation of any Fed nominee — including the next chairman — until the probe against Powell is resolved.The top Democrat on the panel, Senator Elizabeth Warren, warned Friday that Warsh’s nomination “is the latest step in Trump’s attempt to seize control of the Fed,” urging Republicans to also block it.Although Trump’s Republican party holds a Senate majority, some lawmakers’ concerns about the Powell investigation have cast doubt on how smooth-sailing the confirmation process would be.- Economic challenges -Warsh, who is from New York, has recently stepped up his criticism of the Fed, endorsing many of the policy positions of Trump and his administration.He used to be a mergers and acquisitions banker at Morgan Stanley, and is currently a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.In Trump’s first term, the president considered Warsh for the Fed chair position as well — replacing Janet Yellen — but eventually chose Powell.As Trump continues to call for lower interest rates to boost the economy, all eyes will be on how Warsh defends the bank’s independence in the face of politics.The next Fed chairman will need to convince markets and policymakers that he is upholding the bank’s dual mandate of stable prices and low unemployment independently of political pressure.Even without Trump’s pressure, the Fed’s job has become increasingly challenging as US tariffs over the past year have fueled worries of stubborn inflation, while the employment market has cooled.The situation leaves Fed policymakers walking a tightrope as they adjust interest rates, deciding if they should keep levels higher to curb inflation or lower them to shore up the economy.With the labor market likely deteriorating in the coming months and inflation expected to tick down, the next Fed chief could “uncontroversially to reduce rates,” Tombs said.But he added that the jury is still out on whether Warsh will “pander to the president” if persistent inflation called for higher interest rates.

Britain’s Starmer seeks to bolster China ties despite Trump warning

Visiting Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday Britain has a “huge amount to offer” China, after his bid to forge closer ties prompted warnings from US President Donald Trump.Starmer’s trip is the first to China by a British prime minister in eight years, and follows in the footsteps of other Western leaders looking to counter an increasingly volatile United States.Leaders from France, Canada and Finland have flocked to Beijing in recent weeks, recoiling from Trump’s bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against NATO allies.Trump warned on Thursday it was “very dangerous” for Britain to be dealing with China.Starmer brushed off those comments on Friday, noting that Trump was also expected to visit China in the months ahead. “The US and the UK are very close allies, and that’s why we discussed the visit with his team before we came,” Starmer said in an interview with UK television. “I don’t think it is wise for the UK to stick its head in the sand. China is the second-largest economy in the world,” he said. Asked about Trump’s comments on Friday, Beijing’s foreign ministry said “China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win results”.Starmer met top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, on Thursday, with both sides highlighting the need for closer ties.He told business representatives from Britain and China on Friday that both sides had “warmly engaged” and “made some real progress”.”The UK has got a huge amount to offer,” he said in a short speech at the UK-China Business Forum at the Bank of China.The meetings the previous day provided “just the level of engagement that we hoped for”, Starmer said.He signed a series of agreements on Thursday, with Downing Street announcing Beijing had agreed to visa-free travel for British citizens visiting China for under 30 days, although Starmer acknowledged there was no start date for the arrangement yet.The Chinese foreign ministry said only that it was “actively considering” the visa deal and would “make it public at an appropriate time upon completing the necessary procedures”.Starmer hailed the agreements as “symbolic of what we’re doing with the relationship”.He also said Beijing had lifted sanctions on UK lawmakers targeted since 2021 for their criticism of alleged human rights abuses against China’s Muslim Uyghur minority.”President Xi said to me that that means all parliamentarians are welcome”, Starmer said in an interview with UK television.He travelled from Beijing to economic powerhouse Shanghai, where he spoke with Chinese students at the Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation, a joint institute between Donghua University and the University of Edinburgh.Starmer will continue his Asia trip with a brief stop in Japan on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.- Visas and whisky -The visa deal could bring Britain in line with about 50 other countries granted visa-free travel, including France, Germany, Australia and Japan, and follows a similar agreement made between China and Canada this month.The agreements signed included cooperation on targeting supply chains used by migrant smugglers, as well as on British exports to China, health and strengthening a bilateral trade commission.China also agreed to halve tariffs on British whisky to five percent, according to Downing Street.Xi told Starmer on Thursday that their countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation in the context of a “complex and intertwined” international situation.Relations between China and the UK deteriorated from 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong and cracked down on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony.However, China remains Britain’s third-largest trading partner, and Starmer is hoping deals with Beijing will help fulfil his primary goal of boosting UK economic growth.British pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca said on Thursday it would invest $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand its medicines manufacturing and research.Its chief executive Pascal Soriot, part of a delegation of around 60 business leaders accompanying Starmer, said “China… has become a critical contributor to scientific innovation, advanced manufacturing, and global public health”.

Trump choisit un critique de la Fed, Kevin Warsh, pour présider la banque centrale

Donald Trump a finalement choisi vendredi de lancer Kevin Warsh à l’assaut de la présidence de Réserve fédérale (Fed), un habitué des milieux d’affaires qui a passé les derniers mois à critiquer l’institution dont il a été l’un des gouverneurs.Pour être effective, la nomination de M. Warsh devra être confirmée par le Sénat, où le parti présidentiel est majoritaire.Le mandat de l’actuel chef de la Fed, Jerome Powell, arrive à échéance en mai.”Je connais Kevin depuis longtemps et je n’ai aucun doute qu’il restera dans l’histoire comme l’un des GRANDS présidents de la Fed, peut‑être le meilleur. Par‑dessus tout, il a +tout du premier rôle+, et il ne vous laissera jamais tomber. Félicitations Kevin!”, a écrit le président sur sa plateforme Truth Social.Son message a été envoyé au petit matin pour les Etats-Unis. Wall Street accueillait sereinement, sans réaction notable, son choix dans les échanges avant l’ouverture.Après l’annonce, Samuel Tombs, du cabinet Pantheon Macroeconomics, conseillait de ne pas tirer de conclusion hâtive concernant l’impact de cette nomination sur la politique monétaire.”On ne sait pas avec certitude comment M. Warsh votera. Il est raisonnable de supposer qu’il a dit au président qu’il était favorable à une baisse des taux d’intérêt aujourd’hui, sinon il n’aurait pas été nommé. (…) Mais les instincts +faucons+ de M. Warsh pourraient refaire surface une fois qu’il aura obtenu la présidence”, souligne dans une note le spécialiste de l’économie américaine.Dans le jargon des banques centrales, un “faucon” désigne un responsable très attaché à la lutte contre l’inflation et se méfie des taux bas – M. Warsh était classé dans cette catégorie du temps où il était gouverneur (2006-2011).Kevin Warsh est bien connu des milieux financiers pour avoir notamment été un des dirigeants la banque Morgan Stanley. Il faisait partie des personnalités pressenties pour prendre la tête de l’institution en 2018, lorsque Donald Trump avait finalement préféré Jerome Powell – choix sur lequel le chef de l’Etat n’a ensuite cessé de se lamenter.- L’enjeu de l’indépendance -Le président américain assume attendre du prochain chef de la Fed qu’il partage ses vues sur la politique monétaire.Il a répété jeudi que les taux d’intérêt étaient pour lui “trop élevés, intolérablement trop élevés”.Sauf que l’interventionnisme de Donald Trump risque de rendre son candidat suspect aux yeux des investisseurs.La révélation par Jerome Powell de l’existence d’une procédure du ministère de la Justice à son encontre a récemment suscité l’indignation des milieux économiques, qui y voient une nouvelle atteinte à l’indépendance de l’institution monétaire.Des élus républicains en ont aussi pris ombrage et dit qu’ils ne confirmeraient aucune nomination à la Fed tant que la procédure ne serait pas classée.- Critique de l’institution -Donald Trump avait laissé entendre en décembre qu’il envisageait de nommer son conseiller économique Kevin Hassett, avant de faire marche arrière.Dans un autre message sur Truth Social vendredi matin, il a expliqué que M. Hassett aurait fait un “excellent président” de la Fed mais que ses talents lui étaient indispensables à la Maison Blanche.C’est le président républicain George W. Bush qui avait fait de Kevin Warsh le plus jeune gouverneur de l’histoire de la banque centrale – il avait alors 35 ans.Il aurait pu rester plus longtemps en poste, mais avait démissionné en 2011 en critiquant la poursuite de l’exceptionnelle politique monétaire accommodante adoptée pour soutenir la reprise après la crise de 2008-09.Cette étiquette de “faucon” pesait en sa défaveur aux yeux de l’exécutif actuel. Mais il a passé l’année 2025 à envoyer des signaux à la Maison Blanche en plaidant pour des diminutions de taux et en critiquant l’institution monétaire.Sitôt après l’annonce, un commentateur de la chaine économique américaine CNBC a relevé un possible autre atout de Kevin Warsh aux yeux d’un président aimant s’entourer de personnes télégéniques: “Il a de beaux cheveux.”

Israel to partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Sunday

Israel announced it would reopen the crucial Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday after months of urging from the UN, humanitarian organisations and ordinary Palestinians — but only for the “limited movement of people”.Earlier on Friday, the Islamist movement Hamas had called for the “immediate transition to the second phase” of the ongoing US-brokered truce in Gaza, namely its provision for the reopening of Rafah, as well as the entry of a technocratic Palestinian committee to administer the territory.Israel had previously expressed its unwillingness to reopen the gateway until getting back the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage to be held in Gaza, who was recovered earlier this week and laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday.”The Rafah Crossing will open this coming Sunday (February 1st) in both directions, for limited movement of people only,” COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement on Friday.Entry and exit “will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission”, it added.The crossing, situated on the territory’s southern border with Egypt, is the only route in and out of Gaza that does not pass through Israel.It lies in territory held by Israeli forces since their pull-back behind the so-called “Yellow Line” under the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza.The gateway is a vital entry point for aid, but has been closed since Israeli forces took control of it in May 2024 — except for a limited reopening in early 2025 — and past bids to reopen it have failed to materialise.The fragile Gaza ceasefire has been in force since October 10.The plan, outlined by US president Donald Trump to put an end to the war, calls for the crossing to be reopened now that all hostages held by Palestinian militants have been released or returned to Israel.Prior to Israel’s announcement, Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, had called on Friday for the international community “harness the momentum generated by the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to urgently improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza”.Spoljaric said this included Israel easing entry restrictions on so-called dual-use material and equipment, such as water pipes and generators, to restore basic infrastructure.The humanitarian situation in the territory of more than two million people remains grave, with most of the population displaced and many living in tents with little or no sanitation amid harsh winter weather.- Disarmament -Phase two of the ceasefire deal also stipulates the disarmament of Hamas, which has repeatedly called the issue of its weapons a red line, though it has suggested it could be willing to hand them over to a Palestinian governing authority.In return, Israel’s military is meant to gradually withdraw, with an international stabilisation force deployed in its stead.On Thursday, US President Donald Trump told his cabinet that “it looks like” Hamas would disarm, though the group has offered no confirmation.Washington had previously announced that the truce deal was entering its second phase with the naming of the Palestinian technocratic committee that will oversee day-to-day governance in the devastated territory.The reopening of Rafah is expected to allow the entry of the 15-member body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which answers to Trump’s “Board of Peace”.Since the ceasefire went into effect, Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of violations on a daily basis.The Israeli military said on Friday that it had identified “eight terrorists” who emerged from underground overnight, and that the air force had “struck and eliminated three” of them.Without providing information on the identities of the targets, it added that further strikes were launched and that “soldiers continue to conduct searches in the area in order to locate and eliminate all the terrorists”.The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.The Israeli retaliation flattened much of Gaza, a territory that was already suffering severely from previous rounds of fighting and from an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007.The two-year war has left more than 71,600 people dead in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.