South Africa supremo Rassie Erasmus expects the world champions to face an England team determined to ease the pressure on beleaguered coach Steve Borthwick at Twickenham on Saturday.England are on a run of four straight defeats, having suffered narrow losses in their opening November internationals at home to New Zealand and Australia.Back-to-back world champions South …
Senegalese ministers have said it was their government — and not the European Union — that was behind a fisheries agreement not being renewed after Brussels announced European boats would stop activities in Senegal’s waters.In force since 2019, the accord between the European Union and the West African country — which Brussels said landed Dakar …
Senegal says it instigated EU fishing deal expiryThu, 14 Nov 2024 15:00:53 GMT Read More »
US and European stocks rose on Thursday as investors waited for more clues about future interest rate cuts, while worries over Donald Trump’s presidency clouded optimism.Bitcoin was trading above the $90,000 level but below Wednesday’s record of $93,462. Observers are expecting it to soon top $100,000 following pro-crypto pledges from the US president-elect.Investors were looking forward to a speech by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for indications about future interest rate cuts.”Powell will likely face questions about the latest inflation data and the potential effects of protectionist policies under Trump, on the central’s monetary policy in 2025,” said City Index and FOREX.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada.US consumer inflation data released on Wednesday showed that consumer prices rose in line with forecasts, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again next month.But with Trump having vowed to impose across-the-board tariffs that could boost inflation and give the Fed reason to pause cutting interest rates.”As things stand, the market is cautiously pricing in just 50 basis points of easing by mid-2025 –- a marked revision from before the US election” when it expected more cuts, added Razaqzada.”The market, though, has a tendency of making its own mind up, and any dovish Powell remarks might fall on deaf ears.”Meanwhile data released on Thursday showed upticks in wholesale price inflation, which could also give the Fed reason to reevaluate the need to cut rates further.Wall Street’s main indices opened with modest gains.European markets fared better, with updated data confirming the eurozone recorded 0.4 percent growth in the third quarter.Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai all fell on Thursday as concerns over another possible China-US trade war, and Beijing’s economic woes, weighed on Asian markets.The dollar built on advances against its peers on the prospect that Trump’s policies will keep the Fed from cutting interest rates as much as initially expected.The greenback topped 155 yen for the first time since July, putting focus on Japanese authorities who have said they are prepared to support their unit if they considered moves to be one-sided or speculative.The dollar was also at a more than one-year high against the euro.In company news, shares in Disney jumped more than 11 percent after the entertainment giant beat expectations in its latest quarterly earnings.While its net profits dipped, its earnings per share excluding exceptional items beat analyst expectations, as did a six percent increase in sales.Shares in Meta fell 0.7 percent after the EU fined it almost 800 million euros ($840 million) on Thursday for breaching antitrust rules by giving users of its Facebook social network automatic access to classified ads service Facebook Marketplace.Shares in struggling British fashion house Burberry rose around 19 percent on London’s FTSE 250 as the group announced cost-cutting plans after posting a loss. Chinese tech giant Tencent rose more than one percent after an upbeat earnings announcement in which it saw forecast-beating profits in the third quarter.It also said it saw signs of a recovery in the world’s number two economy.Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com also announced a pickup in third-quarter revenue, in a positive sign for the firm as it grapples with lacklustre consumer spending. The firm’s latest results — as well as rival Alibaba’s expected third-quarter filing on Friday — are being closely scrutinised by analysts and investors for signs that recent measures taken by the Chinese government to boost activity are having an impact.- Key figures around 1430 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 44,042.31New York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 5,992.15 New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 19,259.37London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,080.37Paris – CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 7,315.80Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.5 percent at 19,294.96Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.5 percent at 38,535.70 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.0 percent at 19,435.81 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.7 percent at 3,379.84 (close)Dollar/yen: UP at 155.68 yen from 155.51 yen on WednesdayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0554 from $1.0564Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2690 from $1.2710Euro/pound: UP at 83.17 pence from 83.11 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $69.35 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.3 percent at $73.19 per barrelburs-rl/yad
A body was brought out Thursday of an abandoned gold mine shaft in South Africa where hundreds of illegal miners were believed to be underground, facing arrest if they surface, police said.Two people were also brought alive out of the mine at Stilfontein, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, police said, adding to …
Body removed from S.Africa mine in illegal mining standoffThu, 14 Nov 2024 14:41:02 GMT Read More »
Stock markets diverged on Thursday as investors digested US inflation data that supported the case for another interest rate cut next month, while worries over Donald Trump’s presidency clouded optimism.Bitcoin was trading above the $90,000 level but below Wednesday’s record of $93,462. Observers are expecting it to soon top $100,000 following pro-crypto pledges from the US president-elect.US inflation data showed that consumer prices rose in line with forecasts, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again next month. “Inflation is moving sideways on a year-on-year basis, but there is nothing in (the) report that would alarm the Fed,” said Bank of America Global Research in a report.”A 25-basis-point cut in December firmly remains our base case.”Still, there are worries about the impact of Trump’s plans to slash taxes, ease regulations and impose huge tariffs on imports — particularly from China — which observers say could reignite inflation.Some players are now scaling back their bets on how many cuts the Fed will make in 2025 in response to that.Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai all fell on Thursday as concerns over another possible China-US trade war, and Beijing’s economic woes, weighed on Asian markets.European markets fared better, ahead of data on the health of the Eurozone’s economy due later in the day and data on the UK economy due on Friday.Shares in struggling British fashion house Burberry rose around 15 percent on London’s FTSE 250 as the group announced cost-cutting plans after posting a loss. The dollar built on advances against its peers on the prospect that Trump’s policies will keep the Fed from cutting interest rates as much as initially expected.The greenback topped 155 yen for the first time since July, putting focus on Japanese authorities who have said they are prepared to support their unit if they considered moves to be one-sided or speculative.The dollar was also at a more than one-year high against the euro.In company news, Chinese tech giant Tencent rose more than one percent after an upbeat earnings announcement in which it saw forecast-beating profits in the third quarter.It also said it saw signs of a recovery in the world’s number two economy.Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com also announced a pickup in third-quarter revenue, in a positive sign for the firm as it grapples with lacklustre consumer spending. The firm’s latest results — as well as rival Alibaba’s expected third-quarter filing on Friday — are being closely scrutinised by analysts and investors for signs that recent measures taken by the Chinese government to boost activity are having an impact.- Key figures around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,052.13Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.9 percent at 7,284.77Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.2 percent at 19,220.72Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.5 percent at 38,535.70 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.0 percent at 19,435.81 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.7 percent at 3,379.84 (close)New York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,958.19 (close) Dollar/yen: UP at 155.71 yen from 155.51 yen on WednesdayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0508 from $1.0564Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2636 from $1.2710Euro/pound: UP at 83.19 pence from 83.11 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $68.70 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $72.55 per barrel
Au terme d’une mission de concertation de trois jours en Nouvelle-Calédonie, secouée par des violences pendant plusieurs mois qui ont fait 13 morts et des milliards d’euros de dégâts, les présidents du Sénat et de l’Assemblée nationale ont plaidé pour une “souveraineté partagée” dans la République.Lors d’un entretien d’une demi-heure accordé mardi soir aux chaînes de télévision de Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ere et Caledonia, Gérard Larcher et Yaël Braun-Pivet ont une dernière fois martelé le message répété au cours de leur visite sur le “Caillou”, avant de s’envoler pour Paris: “Nous vous invitons à construire une solution innovante”, a lancé la présidente de l’Assemblée nationale. Mais “sans vous enfermer dans des idéologies”, a ajouté son homologue de la chambre haute. Le matin même, six mois jour pour jour après le début des émeutes qui ont mis à terre l’économie de l’archipel sur fond de contestation indépendantiste de la réforme du corps électoral, les deux présidents de chambre missionnés par le gouvernement Barnier ont rencontré des chefs d’entreprise dans les décombres d’un centre commercial, parti en fumée.La veille, ils étaient allés à la rencontre des habitants du Mont-Dore, au sud de Nouméa, quasi inaccessible jusqu’en septembre en raison de l’insécurité qui règne depuis mai sur la seule route existante. Pour permettre aux 15.000 habitants du Sud de se déplacer, des navettes maritimes ont été mises en place en direction de la capitale. Elles sont aujourd’hui toujours en place, car si la route a rouvert à la circulation à la mi-octobre, c’est sous escorte de blindés de la gendarmerie et uniquement à certaines heures.- “Colonies lointaines” -Des déplacement au plus près des habitants, rares lors des déplacements officiels dans l’archipel.”Dites-nous ce que vous vivez, afin que nous soyons lucides sur votre situation”, a ainsi lancé M. Larcher mardi soir à l’occasion d’un échange ouvert au public à la mairie de Nouméa. Deux heures après le début de la rencontre, les parlementaires faisaient encore face à une haie de mains levées. Une soirée marquée par des propos sans fard, plutôt rares en Nouvelle-Calédonie, surnommé le “pays du non-dit”. “Est-ce que vous vous sentez assez proches de vos colonies lointaines ? Car c’est ça, la question”, leur a lancé Frédéric, un trentenaire qui n’a pas donné son patronyme.Buama, un habitant des quartiers populaires, a lui reproché à l’État “de ne pas être allé au bout de l’accord de Nouméa”, faisant référence au référendum de 2021, boycotté par les indépendantistes, qui avait donc vu sans surprise le vote en faveur du maintien dans la République française l’emporter.”J’ai toujours connu la paix, car je suis né après les événements des années 1980, raconte le trentenaire. Et voilà qu’il y a eu le 13 mai, que tout a changé. Aujourd’hui, on ne vit plus. On compte les paquets de riz qui restent sur l’étagère pour finir le mois.” – Paix perdue -Le regret de cette paix perdue transparaît dans toutes les prises de parole. “Je suis né en 1979, j’ai grandi avec les événements (des années 1980) et j’ai cru que les accords me garantissaient, à 45 ans aujourd’hui, un présent paisible, je me suis trompé”, soupire Alexandre, un habitant métis. Et de déplorer “l’incapacité” des politiques “à concilier deux visions du monde: la +société de l’être+, de la communauté, du monde kanak, et la +société de l’avoir+ du monde européen”. “Pourtant, dans notre quotidien, on arrive très bien à vivre les deux.”Des interrogations auxquelles font écho les discours prononcés par les parlementaires devant les élus calédoniens. “Vous faites partie de la République et vous n’êtes pas abandonnés, même si vous en avez eu l’impression, a déclaré M. Larcher. Le drame économique n’est pas le seul. Il se double d’une crise d’identité qui sape les fondements même de ce que notre génération s’est efforcée de construire après les déchirements des années 1980 et la tragédie d’Ouvéa.” “En vertu de quelle absurde vision de l’Histoire ne pourriez-vous pas faire vivre à la fois les valeurs kanak et les valeurs républicaines, en les conjuguant ?”, a-t-il poursuivi, avant d’évoquer la “nécessité de réfléchir à la notion de souveraineté”.”Il n’existe que des souverainetés partagées. C’est un choix qui n’est pas nécessairement binaire et qui peut passer par une construction imaginative et originale au sein de la République, si les Calédoniens le souhaitent”, a estimé le président du Sénat.Â
South African police and ambulances were at the site Thursday of an old gold mine shaft where around 4,000 illegal miners were claimed to be underground, facing arrest if they surface.Five clandestine miners were hauled out of the shaft by rope Wednesday at Stilfontein, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, a police spokesman …
S.Africa police urge illegal miners to leave shaftThu, 14 Nov 2024 10:55:52 GMT Read More »
