Gouvernement Lecornu: “le devoir de tous c’est d’oeuvrer à la stabilité”, exhorte Macron

Emmanuel Macron a appelé lundi les forces politiques à “oeuvrer à la stabilité” et non à “faire des paris sur l’instabilité”, au lendemain de la nomination du nouveau gouvernement de Sébastien Lecornu, déjà menacé de censure par LFI et le RN.”Je trouve que beaucoup de ceux qui ont nourri la division, les spéculations, n’ont pas été au niveau du moment où vit la France et de ce qu’attendent les Françaises et les Français”, a insisté le chef de l’Etat à son arrivée en Egypte où il assiste à un “sommet pour la paix” à Gaza. “Les forces politiques qui ont joué la déstabilisation de Sébastien Lecornu sont les seules responsables de ce désordre”, a-t-il martelé.Le gouvernement de Sébastien Lecornu, nommé dimanche soir, est déjà la cible d’une motion de censure initiée par La France insoumise et déposée lundi matin. Le Rassemblement national a également annoncé en avoir déposé une de son côté. M. Lecornu, reconduit vendredi, avait été contraint à la démission il y a une semaine, en voyant sa coalition gouvernementale voler en éclats avec la fronde des Républicains (LR).Face à ce chaos politique, M. Macron a demandé “à tout le monde de se ressaisir, de travailler avec exigence, respect”. Et, interrogé sur une possible dissolution en cas de nouvelle chute du gouvernement, il a assuré ne “faire aucun pari”.”Je souhaite que le pays puisse avancer dans l’apaisement, la stabilité, l’exigence et le service des Français”, a encore déclaré le président.

Asian equity markets drop after Trump reignites tariff row

Asian markets slipped Monday after US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war with Beijing by threatening last week to impose 100 percent tariffs on goods from China.However, the losses were tempered slightly by a more conciliatory tone on Sunday when Trump described Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as “respected”.Trump wrote on social media Friday that he would impose an additional 100 percent tariff on China and threatened to cancel a summit with Xi, citing Beijing’s export curbs on rare earth minerals used in a range of goods including smartphones, electric vehicles and military hardware.The extra US levies, plus export controls on “any and all critical software” would come into effect from November 1 in retaliation for what he called Beijing’s “extraordinarily aggressive” moves.”There is no way that China should be allowed to hold the World ‘captive’,” he said.Chinese products currently face US tariffs of 30 percent, while Beijing’s retaliatory tolls are currently at 10 percent.The outburst sent Wall Street into a spiral, with the Nasdaq losing more than three percent, and came as investors were already on edge over a recent tech-led surge that has stoked fears of a stock bubble.However, investors took a little heart from a post Sunday in which Trump said “The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!” and added that “respected President Xi (Jinping)… doesn’t want Depression for his country.”Beijing, in turn, accused Washington of acting unfairly, and the Ministry of Commerce on Sunday called the threat a “typical example of ‘double standards'”.”Threatening high tariffs at every turn is not the right approach to engaging with China,” it said in an online statement.The announcement came after months of fragile peace between the economic superpowers as they looked to reach a full trade deal after Trump’s tariff bombshell in April that saw the two sides ramp up tit-for-tat levies to eye-watering levels.”The question now is what comes next. That is, of course, impossible to say with any certainty,” said Michael Brown at Pepperstone.”However, it essentially comes down to whether this is the start of a return to the ‘bad old days’ of early April, and an end to the US-China trade truce; or, whether this is yet another negotiating gambit.”Markets across Asia sank into the red, with Hong Kong shedding more than one percent, while Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei and Mumbai were also well down.Shanghai was also down but pared earlier losses following data showing Chinese imports and exports surged more than expected last month, providing a much-needed boost to the economy.Still, Trump’s comments Sunday provided a little support, with US futures soaring more than one percent.And London, Paris and Frankfurt clawed back some of Friday’s losses.Gold, a safe-haven asset in times of turmoil and uncertainty, continued its rise, touching another record of $4,060.Bitcoin also edged back up after being battered over the weekend in a Trump-fuelled sell-off that saw the cryptocurrency fall below $105,000 from around $122,000. It was sitting just below $115,000 in Asian trade.There was also a healthy bounce for oil, which tanked Friday on Trump’s remarks, which compounded selling of the commodity owing to the Israel-Hamas peace deal that soothed worries about supplies from the Middle East.”Despite the possibility of a replay on how the markets reacted back in April, we believe the looming threat may be short-lived,” said Morningstar’s Kai Wang.”Both sides appeared to be posturing ahead of their November 1 meeting when the tariff truce is set to expire,” he added.He also pointed out that the US government shutdown was “increasingly dampening consumer sentiment in the US, and we do not believe Trump wants to re-escalate foreign policy issues without solving the domestic shutdown first”.- Key figures at around 0810 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.5 percent at 25,889.48 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,889.50 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 9,457.56 Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1601 from $1.1615 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3334 from $1.3352Dollar/yen: UP at 152.41 yen from 151.57 yenEuro/pound: UP at 87.01 pence from 86.98 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $59.84 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.6 percent at $63.70 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 1.9 percent at 45,479.60 (close)

Muthusamy takes six as Pakistan collapse to 378, South Africa 10-0

South Africa left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy took 6-117 on Monday, including three wickets in four balls, as Pakistan collapsed from 362-5 to 378 all out on day two of the first Test in Lahore.The 31-year-old’s maiden five-wicket Test haul helped the visitors restrict Pakistan, who began the day on 313-5, on a Gaddafi Stadium pitch beginning to take more turn.South Africa’s openers negotiated four overs to reach lunch at 10-0. Aiden Markram was on five and Ryan Rickelton on four.Earlier Salman Agha hit five fours and three sixes in his 93 and was the last man out, caught in the deep off spinner Prenelan Subrayen who took 2-78.Agha added 49 with Mohammad Rizwan to take their sixth-wicket stand to 163 before Muthusamy ripped out the middle order with three wickets in the 12th over of the day.Rizwan, on 75, was the first to go when he edged a sharply turning ball to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne after a knock containing two fours and two sixes.Two balls later Noman Ali went without scoring, bowled when he played down the wrong line and then Sajid Khan followed first ball, caught in the slips.It became 378-9 when Muthusamy bowled Shaheen Shah Afridi, on seven, for his sixth wicket that improved on his previous Test best of 4-45 against Bangladesh in Chattogram last year.

Hamas begins handing over Israeli hostages

Hamas handed over the first seven of 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza on Monday, with a convoy of the humanitarian organisation on its way to pick up a second group.In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, which came after two years of war in Gaza.Under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas is due to release all surviving hostages on Monday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.The releases came as Trump arrived in Israel for a lightning visit ahead of a trip to Egypt for a peace summit, having declared the war “over”.”According to information provided by the Red Cross, seven hostages have been transferred into their custody, and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military and security service said. In a later statement, the army said a Red Cross convoy was on its way to pick up a second group of hostages.Among those gathered on Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Noga shared her pain and joy with AFP.”I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” she said.- ‘Nothing looked the same’ -On October 7, 2023, militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians. All but 47 of the hostages were freed in earlier truces, with the families of those who have remained in captivity leading lives of constant pain and worry for their loved ones.In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened by war, the road to recovery remains long.”I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling,” 38-year-old Fatima Salem told AFP after she returned to her neighbourhood in Gaza City. “My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost — nothing looked the same, even the neighbours’ houses were gone. “Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it’s now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction.”- ‘War is over. Okay?’ -Trump’s visit to the Middle East aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal — but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.Under the US president’s proposed roadmap, once the Palestinian militants have handed over the surviving hostages, Israel will begin releasing around 2,000 detainees in exchange.Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross “early Monday morning”, according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One at the start of the “very special” visit, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.”I think it’s going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It’s been centuries,” he said of the fighting. “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” the US president added.In Israel, Trump is due to meet the families of hostages, before addressing the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.- Final details -His trip is partly a victory lap over the Gaza deal he helped broker with a 20-point peace plan announced in late September.”Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time,” Trump said earlier as he prepared to board the plane at Joint Base Andrews near Washington.Negotiators were still wrangling late Sunday over the final arrangements for the exchanges, with two Hamas sources telling AFP the group was insisting that Israel include seven senior Palestinian leaders on the list of those to be released.Israel has previously rejected at least one of those names.The sources said the group and its allies had nevertheless “completed all preparations” for handing over to Israel all the living hostages.Israel does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.Under the plan, Hamas is to hand over the remaining 47 hostages, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza war. Among the prisoners to be released, 250 are security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis, while about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.- Peace summit -After visiting Israel, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan — including Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.Trump insisted he had “guarantees” from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.Trump also said he would be “proud” to visit Gaza itself, but did not say when such a difficult security challenge would be possible.A new governing body for devastated Gaza — which Trump himself would head under his own plan — would be established “very quickly,” he added.Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,806 people, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.