La Bourse de Paris plie face aux craintes de récession aux Etats-Unis

La Bourse de Paris a terminé en baisse de 0,90% lundi, à l’issue d’une séance marquée par des craintes de récession grandissantes aux Etats-Unis et par les incertitudes sur le vaste plan de relance économique voulu en Allemagne.L’indice phare de la place boursière française, le CAC 40 a cédé 73,20 points et s’est établi à 8.047,60 points à la clôture. Vendredi, il a connu une baisse de 0,94%, réussissant toutefois à signer un bilan hebdomadaire stable (+0,11%).”Deux grandes forces ont joué négativement” sur les marchés lundi, commente Nicolas Forest, responsable des investissements au sein de la société Candriam.”La première est la nouvelle administration américaine qui, ces dernières semaines, a mis en place une politique économique qui crée énormément d’incertitude” et surtout, au cours du weekend, Donald Trump a “laissé penser qu’un ralentissement plus fort de l’économie serait possible”, a poursuivi Nicolas Forest.Le président américain est en effet resté très flou lorsqu’une journaliste de Fox News lui a demandé lors d’un entretien diffusé dimanche s’il s’attendait à une récession aux Etats-Unis. “Il y a une période de transition”, a cédé dans la foulée le milliardaire républicain.Avec son retour au pouvoir, plusieurs experts craignent une récession aux Etats-Unis, soit un recul du Produit intérieur brut (PIB) sur au moins deux trimestres consécutifs.”Les marchés s’attendaient à ce que Trump puisse mettre de l’eau dans son vin pour éviter une dépréciation trop forte des marchés d’actions”, a poursuivi Nicolas Forest, or les dernières déclarations du président américain laissent penser l’inverse. “La deuxième force” qui entraîne la Bourse dans le rouge est “le revirement de l’Allemagne”, poursuit Nicolas Forest.Les Verts allemands ont annoncé qu’ils refuseraient d’apporter les voix nécessaires à l’adoption au Parlement du plan géant d’investissements mis sur pied par le futur gouvernement de Friedrich Merz, dont ils critiquent les lacunes.Or, si le parti écologiste allemand maintient son refus, il priverait le futur chancelier de la majorité des deux tiers nécessaire pour faire adopter les changements constitutionnels nécessaires à ce programme de dépenses sans précédent. L’examen du texte débutera jeudi à la chambre basse des députés.Les valeurs industrielles ont nettement reculé: le groupe sidérurgique ArcelorMittal a lâché 4,76% à 29,03 euros et le géant des matériaux Saint-Gobain 5,48% à 100,10 euros.OPA en vue sur VeralliaLa société BWGI, contrôlée par la holding brésilienne de la famille Moreira Salles, va lancer en avril une offre publique d’achat sur le fabricant de bouteilles et emballages en verre Verallia (+3,69% à 29,26 euros), ex-filiale de Saint-Gobain, dont elle détient déjà 28,8% du capital. BWGI proposera 30 euros par action de Verallia, pour une valeur d’entreprise de 6,1 milliards d’euros (dette comprise), selon un communiqué de la société brésilienne publié lundi.

Zelensky, Rubio arrive in Saudi for Russia ceasefire talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and chief US diplomat Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of ceasefire talks on Monday as Ukraine’s proposal for a partial truce raised hopes of a breakthrough after three years of war.Zelensky, embroiled in a public row with US President Donald Trump last month, touched down in Jeddah as Rubio cautiously welcomed the idea of an aerial and naval ceasefire.Tuesday’s talks between Ukrainian officials and Rubio’s US team will be the first between the two sides since the White House blow-up, when Zelensky left without signing a minerals deal demanded by Trump.Washington has since suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the negotiating table with Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 on orders from President Vladimir Putin.”We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea,” a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.”Because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor, and it’s possible to start with them.”Rubio indicated the idea had promise. “I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict,” he told reporters.”You’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions.”Rubio added that he hoped to “resolve” the suspension of military aid that is threatening to hamper Ukraine’s campaign.”I think the notion of the pause in aid, broadly, is something I hope we can resolve. Obviously, what happens tomorrow will be key to that,” he said.Zelensky was expected to meet the de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later before his officials sit down with the US side on Tuesday.- ‘Framework’ for peace deal, ceasefire -Britain’s Financial Times newspaper, citing a source briefed on preparations for the talks, said Kyiv’s offer of a partial ceasefire was aimed at convincing Washington to resume military aid and intelligence-sharing.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Trump in a call on Monday that he hoped the talks would lead to the US resuming military aid to Ukraine, Downing Street said.Before his departure for Jeddah, Zelensky said Ukraine wanted peace, insisting Russia was the sole reason that the war was carrying on.”Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia,” he wrote on social media.US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington wanted to use the talks “to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well”.In Jeddah, dozens of Ukrainian and Saudi flags flew on a main roundabout near the airport and on thoroughfares.As well as Rubio, Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, has also confirmed his participation.Zelensky said his negotiators will include Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Pavlo Palisa, a military commander and Yermak’s deputy. – Zelensky ‘offered to sign deal’ -Zelensky has called the White House incident “regrettable” and said he was ready to work with Trump’s “strong leadership”. He also expressed readiness to sign the minerals deal.Witkoff said Trump received a letter from Zelensky, calling it “a very positive first step” and “an apology”.Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said: “I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we’ll see if he follows through.”Trump has renewed communications with Putin and criticised Zelensky, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.On Friday, however, Trump said he was considering further sanctions on Russia for “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield.Ukraine’s European allies last week held a summit with Zelensky and announced they would greatly increase defence spending. Starmer will host virtual talks on Saturday to build on the meeting.Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Russia could enjoy an advantage against Ukrainian troops if the US continues to refuse to share intelligence. “If it lasts a long time, it will give the Russians a significant advantage,” the source said.bur-am-csp-sct/th/dcp

Premier écueil politique pour Merz sur le chemin du réarmement de l’Allemagne

Les Verts allemands ont menacé lundi de torpiller le plan d’investissements géant du futur gouvernement de Friedrich Merz, dont ils critiquent les lacunes, premier obstacle aux ambitions du chef des conservateurs sur la route du pouvoir.Moins de dix jours après sa victoire aux législatives, le futur chancelier avait frappé les esprits en annonçant un tournant majeur pour réarmer l’Allemagne et relancer son économie en débloquant des centaines de milliards d’euros d’investissements.Ce “bazooka” financier a été salué comme une avancée par les partenaires de Berlin, en plein bouleversement de la relation transatlantique, mise à mal par le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison blanche.Friedrich Merz doit, pour arriver à ses fins, obtenir le soutien du Parlement et veut aller vite : les changements constitutionnels nécessaires à ce programme de dépenses sans précédent seront examinés à partir de jeudi par la chambre basse du Parlement, le Bundestag. Un vote est ensuite prévu le 18 mars pour approuver cette nouvelle ère budgétaire.Mais les Verts allemands, membres du gouvernement sortant, se sont rebellés lundi en annonçant qu’ils refuseraient, en l’état, de soutenir les propositions élaborées par le camp conservateur (CDU/CSU) en accord avec le parti social-démocrates (SPD) d’Olaf Scholz. Si le parti écologiste maintient son refus, il pourrait priver le futur chancelier de la majorité des deux-tiers nécessaire pour modifier la constitution.- Plus pour le climat -“Quiconque souhaite notre approbation pour davantage d’investissements doit également montrer qu’il s’agit réellement d’investir davantage dans la protection du climat, d’investir davantage dans l’économie de ce pays”, a déclaré la cheffe du groupe écologiste, Katharina Dröge.Les Verts ont fustigé la volonté des conservateurs et des sociaux-démocrates d’assouplir les règles de discipline budgétaire au seul profit de la Défense : selon l’accord présenté la semaine dernière, les dépenses militaires seront à l’avenir exemptées du carcan du “frein à l’endettement” qui empêche l’État fédéral d’emprunter plus de 0,35% de son PIB chaque année.Insuffisant pour les écologistes qui veulent obtenir “une réforme durable et réelle du frein à l’endettement” afin de financer d’autres grands projets, comme la transition climatique.La seconde mesure budgétaire phare de Friedrich Merz -la création d’un fonds de 500 milliards d’euros sur 10 ans destiné aux infrastructures- ne trouve pas grâce non plus aux yeux des écologistes.Alors que conservateurs et sociaux-démocrates ont promis de rénover ponts, écoles ou réseaux ferrés négligés depuis des années, les Verts craignent que ces milliards ne soient consacrés à faire des “cadeaux fiscaux” catégoriels, aux agriculteurs, aux automobilistes ou aux retraités. “Nous rejetons clairement ce calcul politique”, a déclaré lundi Felix Banaszak, co-dirigeant des Verts, tout en signalant la volonté du parti de discuter de “propositions sérieuses pour la défense et la sécurité de l’Allemagne”.- Dynamique contrariée -Une main tendue aussitôt saisie par le parti conservateur CDU : “il est tout à fait légitime que les Verts disent qu’ils ont leur propres idées”, a affirmé le secrétaire général du parti, Carsten Linnemann.Les contre-propositions des écologistes sont “constructives”, a-t-il dit, se disant confiant dans la possibilité d’un compromis.Même sollicitude du côté des sociaux-démocrates. Le co-président du SPD Lars Klingbeil a assuré lundi “prendre très au sérieux les préoccupations des Verts”.La rébellion du parti écologiste, qui va retourner dans l’opposition après avoir été membre de la coalition gouvernementale depuis 2021, contrarie la dynamique impulsée par Friedrich Merz depuis les législatives du 23 février.Ce vétéran de la politique allemande, sans expérience gouvernementale, a bouclé samedi la première phase de consultations pour former un gouvernement avec les sociaux-démocrates. Une feuille de route a été établie, définissant les grandes lignes du futur exécutif de la première économie européenne.Cet obstacle franchi, les deux partis vont entrer cette semaine dans les détails de leur programme commun de gouvernement avec l’objectif de doter l’Allemagne d’une nouvelle coalition d’ici le 21 avril.

Transports: les plaintes pour violences sexuelles en forte hausse

Le nombre de victimes de violences sexuelles dans les transports en commun enregistrées par les forces de l’ordre a augmenté de 86% en près de dix ans, une hausse qui a conduit certains opérateurs à déployer des dispositifs de prévention. En 2024, 3.374 victimes de violences sexuelles dans les transports en commun ont été enregistrées par les services de police et de gendarmerie nationales, soit 6% de plus qu’en 2023, et 86% de plus qu’en 2016, selon une étude publiée lundi par l’Observatoire de la Mission interministérielle pour la protection des femmes (Miprof). Les femmes restent les cibles principales: elles représentent 91% des victimes, selon l’enquête du Service statistique ministériel de la sécurité intérieure (SSMSI) citée par l’Observatoire. Trois quarts d’entre elles (75%) ont moins de 30 ans, 36% sont mineures. La quasi-totalité des mis en cause (99%) sont des hommes.A Paris et en région Ile-de-France, une enquête menée par la RATP montre que sept femmes sur 10 ont été victimes de ce type de violences dans les transports franciliens au cours de leur vie. Les interpellations pour des agressions sexuelles survenues dans les transports en commun d’Île-de-France ont augmenté de 30% en 2024 par rapport à 2023, a annoncé vendredi la SNCF.”Qu’une femme ou une fille modifie ses horaires ou ses trajets par peur d’être agressée doit nous interroger sur la liberté d’accès de toutes les citoyennes au service public des transports”, estime la secrétaire générale de la Miprof, Roxana Maracineanu, citée dans l’étude.En l’espace de dix ans, la réaction des témoins a évolué avec une plus grande intervention: 23% des victimes déclarent ainsi avoir été aidées par une tierce personne, contre 10% en 2016.Du côté des victimes, 74% en ont parlé à des proches, 16% à un professionnel de santé et 16% aux forces de l’ordre. Seules 7% ont déposé plainte. En 2016, elles n’étaient que 2%.- “Inadmissibles” -Face à l’ampleur du phénomène, certains opérateurs ont mis en place des dispositifs visant à renforcer la sécurité des femmes sur leur réseau, à l’image de descentes à la demande dans les bus. Les dispositifs déployés – comme les numéros d’assistance (3117 et 31177) et les bornes d’appel sur les quais – sont connus de la majorité des utilisateurs du réseau francilien mais restent peu utilisés: 12% seulement déclarent y avoir déjà eu recours.Environ 900 alertes ont été reçues en 2024 par ces numéros d’assistance pour des violences sexistes et sexuelles, soit 4% du total des alertes, qui concernent plutôt des faits de sûreté. “On a besoin aujourd’hui que les jeunes s’emparent de ce 3117, qu’ils le popularisent autour d’eux”, a souligné vendredi Valérie Pécresse, la présidente d’IDFM (Ile-de-France Mobilités), l’autorité organisatrice des transports en Ile-de-France, lors d’une visite au centre d’appel du 3117. “C’est eux qui vont être les donneurs d’ordre, y compris à leurs parents, en disant: +Porte plainte, ça sert à quelque chose+”.Les agents des stations et les agents de sécurité de la RATP sont formés pour assurer un soutien adapté aux victimes, précise la RATP.Cette étape est sensible. “La personne qui prend en charge doit être en capacité d’écoute, ne pas la brusquer à aller porter plainte par exemple, tout en restant à sa place selon ses compétences professionnelles”, indique dans l’étude la chercheuse en urbanisme Manon Marguerit, qui a réalisé une thèse à la RATP sur la prévention et la lutte contre les violences sexuelles et de genre. “Pour la RATP, comme les agent·e·s sont directement en station et donc spatialement proches du lieu de l’agression, ils et elles peuvent constituer un premier maillon dans la relation de soin avec une victime”, souligne Manon Marguerit.Dénonçant un “fléau”, le ministre des Transports, Philippe Tabarot, a jugé ces comportements “inadmissibles”. Dans un message publié sur X, il a assuré que la proposition de loi sur la sûreté dans les transports, actuellement en examen au Parlement, allait permettre de donner des pouvoirs accrus aux agents RATP et SNCF sur le terrain. “ces mesures fermes doivent être mises en oeuvre rapidement: il en va du droit des femmes à se déplacer en sécurité dans notre pays”, a-t-il écrit. 

Israeli team heads to Qatar for Gaza truce talks

Israel’s negotiating team left for Qatar Monday for talks aimed at extending the fragile Gaza ceasefire after the authorities cut the Palestinian territory’s electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas.Ahead of the negotiations, Israel disconnected the only power line to a water desalination plant in Gaza, a move Hamas denounced as “cheap and unacceptable blackmail”.The first phase of the truce deal expired on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that should secure a lasting end to the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.There are differences over how to proceed — Hamas wants immediate negotiations on the next phase, but Israel prefers extending phase one.Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the ceasefire deal, saying in a statement on Monday that Israel “refuses to commence the second phase, exposing its intentions of evasion and stalling”.An Israeli official familiar with the negotiations told AFP the country’s team had left for Doha. Media reports said the delegation was led by a top official from the domestic security agency Shin Bet.Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza amid the deadlock and said on Sunday it was cutting the electricity supply.”We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after” the war, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said.- Loss of drinking water -The move echoed the early days of the war when Israel announced a “complete siege” on the Palestinian territory, severing the electricity supply, which only began flowing again in late 2024.Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanoua said Israel’s move would impact its hostages still held in Gaza.”The decision to cut electricity is a failed option and poses a threat to its prisoners, who will only be freed through negotiations,” Qanoua said in a statement on Monday.The United Nations expressed concerns over Israel’s latest decision.”This latest decision will substantially reduce the availability of drinking water in the Gaza Strip, starting today,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.”Restoring this connection is vital for tens of thousands of families and children.”Germany’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said that cutting off electricity was “unacceptable and not compatible with (Israel’s) obligations under international law”.But Israel’s key military ally, the United States, appeared to back the decision.”The Israelis are going to do what they believe is in their interest to force Hamas to make a decision,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists.The sole power line between Israel and Gaza supplies electricity to the territory’s main desalination plant, and Gazans now mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.- ‘Long-term truce’ -Gaza residents told AFP the electricity cut would only worsen their situation.”The decision to cut off electricity is proof of a war of extermination,” Dina al-Sayigh said from Gaza City.”The occupation never stops killing Palestinian civilians, whether by bombing, missiles or by starvation.”Hamas has repeatedly demanded that the second phase of the truce — brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States — include a comprehensive hostage-prisoner exchange, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to end the blockade.Spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that Hamas wanted the mediators to ensure Israel “complies with the agreement… and proceeds with the second phase according to the agreed-upon terms”.Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving hostage releases and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.US envoy Adam Boehler, who has held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, told CNN on Sunday a deal could be reached “within weeks” to secure the release of all remaining hostages.Of the 251 hostages taken during the October 7 attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed dead.Boehler told CNN a “long-term truce” was “real close”.- ‘Nothing available’ -Hamas meanwhile accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by keeping its troops at the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border.Hamas said that, according to the ceasefire deal, Israel was to remove troops from the corridor by Sunday. Israel seized the area last year and insists that controlling it is vital to stop smuggling of weapons into Gaza.The initial 42-day phase of the truce, which began on January 19, reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million people.But in recent days, Israel has carried out daily strikes targeting militants in Gaza, including on Monday when it struck three people it said were trying to plant explosives.During the ceasefire’s first phase, 25 living Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,467 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.

Trump’s Energy Secretary vows reversal of Biden climate policies

The US Energy Secretary vowed Monday to reset federal energy policy to favor fossil fuels and deprioritize climate change as industry leaders gathered at their biggest event since President Donald Trump returned to office.In the conference’s opening session, Energy Secretary Chris Wright cited the Trump administration’s moves to cut red tape delaying oil projects and promote liquefied natural gas exports (LNG) as examples of a pivot away from policies pursued under former president Joe Biden.”The Trump administration will end the Biden administration’s irrational quasi-religious policies on climate change that imposed endless sacrifices on our citizens,” Wright told a packed auditorium for the annual Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) conference.Since returning to Washington less than two months ago, Trump and his team have overhauled the existing economic order at a dizzying pace, launching trade wars against allies and hollowing government agencies the president and his allies dislike.Trump made energy policy a central part of his agenda with his day-one “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, promising during his inaugural address to “end the Green New Deal” in favor of “that liquid gold under our feet.”Environmentalists have criticized these shifts as leaving the world vulnerable to catastrophic climate change.Wright’s “speech made clear that he and the rest of the Trump administration are ready to sacrifice our communities and climate for the profits of the fossil fuel industry,” said Allie Rosenbluth, US campaign manager for Oil Change International, which planned a rally in downtown Houston outside the CERA event.- How much change ahead? -Energy played a key supporting role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, in which he pointed to higher gasoline prices as a reason more production was needed, embodied by his slogan: “Drill, Baby, Drill.”Trump’s January 20 executive order represents a potentially wide-ranging attack on tax incentives which had been embraced by energy companies to advance billions of dollars of energy transition projects.These projects were connected to laws enacted during Biden’s presidency to mitigate climate change.Some pundits think Trump will stop short of actions canceling existing projects where workers have been hired, including many in conservative districts.But the abrupt shift from the climate-focused Biden to Trump likely “turns 2025 into a paralyzed year where folks are hesitant to push on any kind of decarbonization,” said Dan Pickering of Pickering Energy Partners, a Houston advisory and investment firm.Wright described his approach as an “all the above” stance that can include renewable energy, although he told a press conference after the address that offshore wind projects were a waste of money that are “very unpopular” with communities.At an event last week in Louisiana, Wright touted an announcement by Venture Global of an $18 billion expansion of a liquefied natural gas export facility, highlighting Trump’s reversal of a Biden freeze on permitting new LNG export capacity.Trump has ridiculed the environmental concerns at the center of Biden’s policy, championing LNG exports as a way to strengthen America’s ties with energy importing countries.But there has been widespread skepticism about Trump’s message urging the industry to significantly boost oil and gas drilling in order to lift output and lower energy prices.Wall Street has also signaled a clear preference for robust industry profits that can continue to allow for dividends and stock buybacks.- Questions for Europe -At CERA, European officials will meet on panels to discuss Europe at a crossroads after shifting away from Russian energy supplies.In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US LNG “played a super important role” for Europe as the continent sought to lessen its dependence on Russian gas, said Jonathan Elkind, a fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.However, Trump’s realignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin has forced European leaders to reckon with the system’s long-term viability.For the near future, including at CERA, Elkind expects European officials to continue to speak optimistically of the prospects for more US LNG.But “at the back of their mind… it’s pretty hard to tell whether Donald Trump is friend or foe and that’s a shocking thing to say after 70 years of a close alliance,” Elkind said.

Stock markets slump on US recession fears

Stock markets dropped on Monday with tech shares leading the plunge as investors fretted over the risk that US President Donald Trump’s trade policies could nudge the United States into recession.On Wall Street the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell more than 3.6 percent after Trump himself declined to rule out the risk of a US recession.”I hate to predict things like that,” he told Fox News on Sunday when asked directly about a possible recession this year.”There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big — we’re bringing wealth back to America,” he said, adding: “It takes a little time.”Trump’s on-off tariff threats against Canada, Mexico, China and others have left the US financial markets in turmoil and consumers unsure what the year might bring.”President Trump seems to have abandoned the US stock market and is willing to put his political vision above the near-term outlook for the US economy,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, in a note.The Nasdaq was bogged down by retreats in the so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks, which include Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Nvidia.Stocks in electric carmaker Tesla, owned by Trump’s billionaire advisor Elon Musk, slumped by more than 11 percent.”Unease about the effect of Trump’s tariffs hangs over financial markets at the start of the week,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.”The prospect of a recession in the US is lurking, with consumer confidence falling, companies facing increasing trade complexity and investors turning more nervous.”David Morrison, senior market analyst at financial services firm Trade Nation, added: “Risk sentiment has soured as investors react to President Trump’s various tariff announcements and as the US economic outlook begins to cloud over.”- German spending plan -The London, Paris and Frankfurt stock markets all closed lower.The European Union’s trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic complained that “the US administration does not seem to be engaging to make a deal” to avoid tariffs against the 27-nation bloc.Brooks of XTB said investors were also reacting to news that Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, could face opposition to a massive spending plan that boosted markets last week.Germany’s Green party said Monday it would not give the votes necessary for Merz’s proposals to partially lift spending limits on defence and establish a 500-billion-euro ($540-billion) infrastructure fund.Tokyo earlier finished higher, but Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets fell after weekend data from China showed that consumer prices fell 0.7 percent in February, the first drop in 13 months.”The data only reinforces what’s been clear for months — deflationary pressures remain firmly entrenched in the world’s second-largest economy,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.Beijing’s retaliatory duties on certain US agricultural goods came into force on Monday after Chinese products were hit with 20 percent US tariffs.- Key figures around 1645 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 1.2 percent at 42,283.47 pointsNew York – S&P 500: DOWN 2.3 percent at 5,639.72New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 3.6 percent at 17,534.77London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 8,600.22 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 8,047.60 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 1.7 percent at 22,620.95 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 37,028.27 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.9 percent at 23,783.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,366.16 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0833 from $1.0844 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2893 from $1.2925Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.22 yen from 147.97 yenEuro/pound: UP at 84.03 pence from 83.87 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.1 percent at $69.58 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.16 percent at $66.26 per barrel

‘Elbows up!’ – the hockey tactic inspiring Canada’s anti-Trump fight

A legendary Canadian ice hockey player renowned for his aggressive play has inspired the country’s emerging rallying cry of “Elbows up!” in its battle against US President Donald Trump.Throwing an elbow — in your opponent’s face or ribs — is hardly rare in hockey, but the move is closely associated Gordie Howe, one of the sport’s greatest ever players. Howe, known to many as “Mr Hockey,” was notorious for using his elbows to ward off opponents when battling for the puck.”We’re a country that will be diplomatic when we can — but fight when we must: ‘Elbows up!'” outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said to a cheering crowd of Liberal Party supporters in his farewell address in Ottawa on Sunday. Rising to their feet, the crowd chanted “elbows up” in response.The catchphrase had been gaining traction online and was propelled to a new level this weekend when Toronto-born comedian Mike Myers mouthed it during the closing credits of US show Saturday Night Live. Trudeau warned in his speech that Canada faced “an existential challenge” from Trump, who has repeatedly spoken about annexing the country and initiated trade tariffs that could devastate the Canadian economy.A statue honoring Howe in his hometown of Floral, in the province of Saskatchewan, shows him on skates, holding a stick, with his left elbow pointed straight up.”If a guy slashed me, I’d grab his stick, pull him up alongside me and elbow him in the head,” Howe, who died in 2016, once said.Any country facing annexation from the world’s largest military power might want to be armed with more than pointed elbows, but in Canada hockey references can be unifying.The premier of British Columbia David Eby, whose government has banned the sale of alcohol from US “red states” that support Trump, offered an explanation for the phrase. “‘Elbows up’ means the other team is trying to take advantage, and if they come at you, they’re going to feel it,” he said.Sunday’s Liberal Party meeting in Ottawa named former central banker Mark Carney as Trudeau’s successor. A transition is expected in the coming days. Earlier Sunday, a crowd of about 1,000 anti-Trump protesters met on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and chanted “Elbows Up, Canada!” 

“Combien de Bétharram?” Cercueils et scène de crime devant le ministère de l’Education

Faux cercueils et scène de crime factice avec soutane et survêtement d’adolescent: une poignée de militants a organisé une mise en scène lundi devant le ministère de l’Education nationale pour soutenir les victimes de violences à Bétharram et dans d’autres établissements privés catholiques et réclamer “des actions fortes”.Les manifestants, certains en tenues évoquant les uniformes scolaires, portaient des pancartes affichant “pour les victimes, la peine est imprescriptible”, “stop impunité”. Ils avaient installé de fausses pierres tombales où les inscriptions faisaient référence aux autres établissements scolaires catholiques également impliqués dans des affaires de violences physiques ou pédophiles, comme Notre-Dame-de-Garaison (Hautes-Pyrénées) ou Stanislas à Paris. “Combien de Bétharram dans ce pays?”, a interrogé Arnaud Gallais, co-fondateur de l’association Mouv’Enfants, en référence à l’école privée catholique du Béarn dont de nombreux anciens élèves ont dénoncé des violences physiques et sexuelles.”Le rapport Sauvé (sur la pédocriminalité dans l’Eglise catholique) en 2021 nous a dit qu’il y avait eu 330.000 victimes de pédocriminalité dans l’Eglise en 70 ans” dont près d’un quart dans les écoles catholiques, rappelle M. Gallais.Mouv’Enfants appelle notamment à “des actions et une obligation de résultats pour tous les lieux qui accueillent des enfants” et plus de moyens pour contrôler les établissements scolaires.D’anciens religieux et personnels laïcs de Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram sont visés par plus de 150 plaintes déposées pour violences physiques, agressions sexuelles et viols. Le Premier ministre François Bayrou a été accusé d’avoir fermé les yeux sur cette affaire quand il était ministre de l’Education dans les années 1990. Une inspection à l’époque n’avait pas détecté de dysfonctionnement.

Fear among Syrian Christians after deadly attacks

Members of Syria’s small Christian community on the coast are living in fear after attacks killed more than 1,000 mostly Alawite civilians, with Christians reportedly caught up in the violence.”The current conflict in Syria does not concern me, but we are its victims,” said Ruwayda, a 36-year-old Christian from the port city of Latakia.”There’s a feeling that no one is protecting us,” she told AFP.”I feel a mix of both fear and anticipation for what lies ahead in Syria, but I feel certain that migration is the only option,” she added.The wave of violence — the worst since former president Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December — erupted in Syria’s Alawite heartland on the coast on Thursday.It began with clashes between gunmen loyal to Assad and the country’s new security forces.What later transpired has been described as a “massacre” in which members of Assad’s Alawite minority were targeted.War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 1,068 civilians — the vast majority Alawites — killed by security forces and allied groups.There were reports of Christians being caught in the crosshairs.In a Damascus sermon on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X said “many innocent Christians were also killed” alongside Alawites.Obituaries have been shared on social media for several members of the small Christian community on the coast.AFP was able to confirm at least seven of these, including for a man and his son an acquaintance said were shot on their way to Latakia.Another four members of one family were killed in their home in an Alawite-majority neighbourhood of the city, and the father of a priest was killed in Baniyas further south, relatives and their churches said.- ‘Doors locked’ -Social media videos have also spread panic, with one showing a fighter speaking in a non-Syrian Arabic dialect threatening Christians as well as Alawites.One Christian resident of Latakia, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said he and his neighbours “have been staying at home since the start of the escalation with the doors locked for fear that foreign fighters might enter”.All the Christians who spoke to AFP refused to give their full or real names for safety reasons.Many of the fighters who have staged the attacks since Thursday were not from Syria, according to various accounts.Analyst Fabrice Balanche said that before the war began in 2011, Syria had about one million Christians, or about five percent of the population.He said that number shrank to about 300,000 after the majority fled during the civil war.Despite efforts by the interim president and government to assuage fears, Syria’s various minorities, including Christians, have been gripped by dread since the Sunni authorities seized power in December.Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.HTS was an offshoot of Al-Qaeda in Syria, and remains proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments including the United States.- ‘Pale with fear’ -By Monday, a sense of relative normalcy had returned to Latakia, as security forces erected checkpoints outside Alawite-majority neighbourhoods, an AFP correspondent said.In Sunni and Christian districts, there was near-normal activity, although they lacked their habitual hustle and bustle.”We are very anxious. People’s faces are pale with fear,” said Heba, a Christian teacher who used a pseudonym to protect her identity.”We don’t know what the future will bring,” the 40-year-old said.She noted that while Christians had not been targeted directly as Alawites were, people were killed after being caught in crossfire.In a joint statement on Saturday, the pastors of churches in Latakia urged residents “not to be carried away by rumours”.The statement sought to send a “message of reassurance” after the pastors met “a delegation from the leadership of the security department”.Sharaa on Sunday vowed to “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians… or who overstepped the powers of the state”.But residents such as Gabriel, 37, said this failed to allay deep fears.”I’m not reassured about my future and I don’t dare get married and have children in this place,” he said.”A decade ago I had the chance to migrate to Canada, but I gambled that the situation would improve.”Today I regret not making use of that opportunity.”