Coup d’envoi apaisé des négociations entre industriels et supermarchés

Pâtes, poulet et calumet de la paix: source d’habituelles tensions sur fond de guerre des prix, les négociations commerciales annuelles entre la grande distribution et l’industrie agroalimentaire démarrent lundi dans un contexte apaisé après la signature d’une charte censée ramener le calme autour de la table.D’ici au 1er mars, trois mois de négociations intenses fixeront les prix et les conditions (modalités de livraison, calendrier promotionnel…) auxquelles les grandes surfaces s’approvisionnent auprès des fabricants.  Ces tractations opposent des distributeurs en quête de prix compétitifs pour attirer les clients, et des industriels invoquant coûts de production et besoins d’investissements. Opaques et sources de tensions, elles sont accusées de tirer vers le bas les revenus des agriculteurs malgré leur encadrement par la loi Egalim.Elles déterminent in fine les tarifs en rayon, uniquement pour les produits de grandes marques (par exemple Nutella de Ferrero, Actimel de Danone, bonbons Haribo…), et non ceux des marques des supermarchés (Carrefour, Marque Repère, U…), qui pèsent plus du tiers des ventes.Mais cette année, les discussions ont commencé avant l’heure, début novembre, pour élaborer une charte commune inédite engageant toutes les parties prenantes, la Fédération du commerce et de la distribution (FCD) et cinq organisations d’industriels (Ania, Ilec, Feef, Pact’Alim, et la Coopération agricole).- Des PME mieux considérées -Au terme d’un dialogue “constructif”, aux dires de plusieurs participants, la fumée blanche est sortie dimanche, avec la signature d’un document construit autour de trois thèmes: le respect mutuel lors des échanges, une attention particulière portée aux PME et la valorisation des produits frais et de l’origine des produits.”C’est un signal positif après des années d’hyperinflation. N’oublions pas que l’enjeu de ces négociations est le tarif payé par le consommateur”, a commenté sur LinkedIn Thierry Cotillard, patron du Groupement Mousquetaires/Intermarché.Cette charte “constitue une avancée vers des négociations commerciales plus apaisées et de bonne foi”, s’est félicitée Karima Kaci, directrice générale de Pact’Alim, qui représente 3.000 PME et entreprises de taille intermédiaire (ETI) de l’industrie alimentaire.Le traitement différencié pour les PME, dont les négociations avec la grande distribution devront être bouclées avant le 15 janvier, a été particulièrement salué par les participants.”Ça veut dire des négociations plus rapides, plus courtes et ça permet de se concentrer sur le développement de l’activité, sur les investissements, sur le développement de produits”, résume auprès de l’AFP Léonard Prunier, de la Feef, qui représente 22.000 PME et ETI.- “Volonté collective” -Mais ce document, non contraignant, résistera-t-il à la guerre des prix?  Dominique Schelcher, le patron de Coopérative U, a dit redouter “des exigences très fortes des multinationales” face aux “postures beaucoup plus raisonnables des PME”, comme ce fut le cas dernièrement, selon lui, pour la négociation sur les chocolats de Pâques 2026.”L’enjeu principal pour les PME et ETI sera que la hausse des tarifs ne puisse être inférieure à la hausse de la matière première agricole. Il en va de notre souveraineté alimentaire”, prévient Karima Kaci.Le lancement prochain, par le Sénat, d’une commission d’enquête sur les marges de la grande distribution, à l’initiative des Ecologistes, pourraient aussi parasiter le processus.En 2025, les industriels de l’agroalimentaire ont obtenu 1,5% de hausse moyenne des prix alors qu’ils demandaient une augmentation moyenne de 5,7%.”Ce n’est pas juste un acte politique, c’est une volonté collective de progresser”, assure Judith Jiguet, déléguée générale de la Fédération du commerce et de la distribution (FCD). “On va se donner des clauses de revoyure tout au long de ces trois mois à venir et on fera un bilan ensemble.””Pas de géant”, selon ses mots, ou simple vœu pieu? Le climat des prochains jours apportera de premières réponses.

Asian markets mixed as traders eye US data ahead of Fed decision

Asian equities were mixed Monday with investors awaiting the release of key US data that could play a role in Federal Reserve deliberations ahead of an expected interest rate cut next week.After November’s end-of-month rebound across world markets, confidence remains high amid speculation the US central bank could continue easing monetary policy into the new year.That has helped overcome lingering worries about an AI-fuelled tech bubble that some observers warn could pop and lead to a painful correction.While the odds on a third successive rate reduction on December 10 are hovering around 90 percent, traders will keep a close eye on this week’s batch of indicators to gauge the Fed’s desire to keep on cutting.Among the reports due for release are private jobs creation, services activity and personal consumption expenditure — the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation.Bets on a cut surged in late November after several of the bank’s policymakers said they backed lower borrowing costs as they were more concerned about the flagging labour market than stubbornly high inflation.That helped markets recover the losses sustained in the first half of the month, and analysts said they could be in store for an end-of-year rally.”As the clouds of worry that cast an ominous shadow over markets through to mid-November gently dissipate, they give way to new emotions — notably the fear of not participating and the risk of underperforming benchmark targets,” said Pepperstone’s Chris Weston.However, he warned that “risk managers remain highly astute to the landmines that could still derail the improving risk backdrop through December”.He cited the possibility the Fed does not cut, or offers a “hawkish cut”, the Supreme Court’s possible decision on the legality of President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, and jobs and inflation data.Meanwhile, reports that Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett — a proponent of rate cuts — is the frontrunner to take the helm at the Fed next year added to the upbeat mood.After last week’s healthy gains and Wall Street’s strong Thanksgiving rally, Asian equities were mixed.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Manila rose, but Sydney, Seoul, Wellington and Taipei dipped.Tokyo sank more than one percent as the yen strengthened on expectations the Bank of Japan will lift interest rates this month.Governor Kazuo Ueda said it would “consider the pros and cons of raising the policy interest rate and make decisions as appropriate”, with Bloomberg saying traders saw a more than 60 percent chance of a move on December 19. That rose to 90 percent for a hike no later than January.Oil prices surged more than one percent after OPEC+ confirmed it would not hike output in the first three months of 2026.Oil jumped after OPEC+ confirmed it will stick with plans to  pause production hikes during the first quarter, citing lower seasonal demand.The decision comes amid uncertainty over the outlook for crude as traders look for indications of progress in Ukraine peace talks, which could lead to the return of Russian crude to markets.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.7 percent at 49,407.31 (break) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.6 percent at 26,012.78Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,896.72Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1597 from $1.1604 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3230 from $1.3245Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.60 yen from 156.10 yenEuro/pound: UP at 87.67 pence from 87.60 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $59.41 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.4 percent at $63.25 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 47,716.42 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 9,720.51 (close)

Trump optimiste sur un accord Ukraine-Russie, son chef de la diplomatie reste prudent

Donald Trump a estimé dimanche qu’il y avait “de bonnes chances” pour un accord mettant fin au conflit entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, après des pourparlers entre Washington et Kiev, à l’issue desquels son chef de la diplomatie Marco Rubio est resté bien plus prudent.Qualifiées de “productives” par les deux délégations américaine et ukrainienne, ces …

Trump optimiste sur un accord Ukraine-Russie, son chef de la diplomatie reste prudent Read More »

Four dead, including three children, in California party shooting

Four people including three children were killed and 11 more were wounded in a shooting at a birthday party in California, authorities said Sunday, calling it a targeted attack that may have involved multiple gunmen.The shooting took place Saturday evening inside a banquet hall in Stockton, a city northeast of San Francisco, where between 100 and 150 people had gathered for the celebration.The four victims were aged eight, nine, 14 and 21, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters on Sunday. At least one of the 11 wounded was in critical condition, he said, adding he did not have more information about the others.”We believe, from what we’ve gathered so far, that it appears to be multiple shooters,” Withrow said.He called on the public to remain cautious as the investigation unfolds.Earlier, his spokeswoman Heather Brent said it appeared to have been a “targeted” shooting.The sheriff’s office urged anyone with information or video footage to come forward. So far, no one has been taken into custody.”These animals walked in and shot children at a children’s birthday party, and none of us should stand for that,” Withrow said. “And so if you know anything about this, you have to come forward and tell us what you know.”- $25,000 reward -Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi said a $25,000 reward would be given to anyone providing information that led to the arrest of the assailants.While the sheriff said he could not yet confirm if the incident was gang-related, Fugazi did not hold back about who she believed to be responsible.”Let us call this what it is. Gang violence exists in cities across the country, but this act was a pure act of terrorism,” she said in a post on Facebook.Withrow said firearms were found on the roof of the building where the shooting occurred, but it was not clear if they were related to the crime. California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the shooting, his office said on social media.There have been 504 mass shootings in the United States so far this year including the Stockton incident, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot.burs-nr-rfo/sst/jgc

Death toll from Sri Lanka floods, landslides rises to 334: disaster agency

The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose sharply to 334 on Sunday, Sri Lanka’s disaster agency said on Sunday, with many more still missing.It is the worst natural disaster to hit the island in two decades, and officials said the extent of damage in the worst-affected central region was only just being revealed as relief workers cleared roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides.The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the death toll had risen to 334, up from 212 earlier on Sunday, with nearly 400 missing and more than 1.3 million people across the island affected by the record rains.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency to deal with the disaster, vowed to build back with international support.”We are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” he said in an address to the nation. “Certainly, we will build a better nation than what existed before.”The losses and damage are the worst since the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami that killed around 31,000 people and left more than a million homeless.Rain had subsided across Sri Lanka but low-lying areas of the capital were flooded on Sunday and authorities were bracing for a major relief operation.A Bell 212 helicopter carrying food for patients stranded at a hospital just north of Colombo crashed into a river on Sunday evening. All five crew members were taken to a nearby hospital.Another helicopter sent from India rescued 24 people on Sunday, including a pregnant woman and a man in a wheelchair, marooned in the central town of Kotmale, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) northeast of Colombo, officials said.Pakistan was also sending rescue teams, the Sri Lankan Air Force said, while Japan will also send a team to assess Sri Lanka’s immediate needs and has pledged assistance.The air force said two infants and a 10-year-old child had also been rescued from a hospital in the northern town of Chilaw, which was submerged on Saturday.Authorities said flood levels in the capital would take at least a day to recede, while dry weather was also forecast. Cyclone Ditwah moved north towards India on Saturday.- ‘Completely flooded’ -Selvi, 46, a resident of the Colombo suburb of Wennawatte, left her flooded home on Sunday, carrying four bags of clothes and valuables.”My house is completely flooded. I don’t know where to go, but I hope there is some safe shelter where I can take my family,” she told AFP.Receding water levels in the town of Manampitiya, 250 kilometres (155 miles) northeast of Colombo, revealed massive destruction.”Manampitiya is a flood-prone town, but I have never seen such a volume of water,” said 72-year-old resident S. Sivanandan.He told the local News Centre portal that businesses and property had been extensively damaged. A car had flipped upside down in front of his shop, he said.A woman in central Wellawaya said she heard a loud noise and went outside to see boulders rolling down a mountainside before stopping near her home.”I saw trees falling and moving with the boulders. We are afraid to go back to our homes,” she told reporters after moving to a shelter on safer ground.- Deadliest in years -The National Blood Transfusion Service said supplies were short even though there have been relatively few injuries.The National Building Research Organisation, which monitors the stability of hills, said there was a high risk of further landslides because mountain slopes were still saturated with rainwater.The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.

Pope to urge unity, bring hope to Lebanese youth on day two of visit

Pope Leo XIV is set to urge peace and unity on his second day in Lebanon on Monday, bringing a message of hope to young people whose faith in their crisis-hit country has dwindled.After arriving from Turkey on his inaugural visit abroad as pontiff, Leo urged Lebanon’s leaders to serve their long-suffering people, who have emigrated in droves from the Mediterranean country.Lebanon is reeling from a six-year economic collapse widely blamed on official corruption and mismanagement, and many also fear renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah despite a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities.Israel has intensified strikes on Lebanon in recent weeks despite the truce, while the cash-strapped Lebanese government is under heavy US pressure to disarm the Iran-backed militants.Leo’s visit comes as “we are struggling with many economic, social and political problems”, said Elias Abou Nasr Chaalan, 44, a jeweller and father-of-two.”We need hope and to unite as Lebanese,” he said, noting that the pope had already brought together Lebanese officials and religious leaders.”Through our unity, we can overcome all difficulties,” he told AFP.Leo will first visit a monastery in Annaya in the mountains north of Beirut which hosts the tomb of Saint Charbel, a Maronite hermit who was canonised in 1977 and who enjoys broad popularity beyond the Christian community.Depictions of the white-bearded saint can be found in homes, vehicles and workplaces across the country.- Youth gathering -He is then to address bishops and clergy at a shrine in Harissa, also north of Beirut, where a giant statue of Our Lady of Lebanon overlooks the Mediterranean from a plunging hilltop.The pope will also hold an inter-religious event in central Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square, before meeting young people at the patriarchate of Lebanon’s Maronite church in Bkerke, outside the capital.Authorities have proclaimed December 1 and 2 as official holidays, and ramped-up security measures include road closures and a ban on all drone photography.Thousands lined the streets to greet the pontiff’s convoy on Sunday despite rainy weather.Leo has called on Lebanon’s leaders to place themselves “with commitment and dedication at the service” of the people and has urged reconciliation in a country whose 1975-1990 civil war divisions have never healed.”Peace is knowing how to live together, in communion, as reconciled people,” Leo said, also noting Lebanon’s “exodus of young people and families seeking a future elsewhere”.His 48-hour trip has been eagerly awaited in multi-confessional Lebanon, where the last pope to visit was Benedict XVI in 2012.In Turkey, Leo took a cautious approach, balancing political sensitivities while also urging unity and respect for religious diversity.

Trump optimiste sur un accord Ukraine-Russie, son chef de la diplomatie reste prudent

Donald Trump a estimé dimanche qu’il y avait “de bonnes chances” pour un accord mettant fin au conflit entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, après des pourparlers entre Washington et Kiev, à l’issue desquels son chef de la diplomatie Marco Rubio est resté bien plus prudent.Qualifiées de “productives” par les deux délégations américaine et ukrainienne, ces négociations menées en Floride autour du plan dévoilé il y a dix jours par les Etats-Unis, mais jugé trop favorable à Moscou les Ukrainiens et les Européens, n’ont pas accouché d’annonce majeure.”Il reste encore du travail”, a averti le secrétaire d’Etat Marco Rubio, après cette rencontre. Une source proche de la délégation ukrainienne a confié à l’AFP que ces discussions n’étaient “pas faciles”. Cela n’a pas empêché le président américain d’afficher son optimisme, à bord d’Air Force One.”Je pense que la Russie aimerait que cela se termine, et je pense que l’Ukraine, je sais que l’Ukraine aimerait que cela se termine”, a déclaré M. Trump.Le milliardaire républicain a également rappelé que Kiev n’était pas en position de force, à cause du vaste scandale de corruption qui a conduit le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky à limoger son bras droit, Andriï Iermak, meneur jusque-là des négociations avec les Etats-Unis.”L’Ukraine a quelques petits problèmes difficiles”, a estimé M. Trump. “Il y a une situation de corruption, ce qui n’aide pas”.- Emissaire américain attendu à Moscou -L’émissaire de Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, qui a participé aux discussions en Floride, tout comme le gendre du président, Jared Kushner, doit de nouveau se rendre à Moscou pour discuter mardi avec le président russe Vladimir Poutine.Les Etats-Unis ont présenté il y a dix jours un projet en 28 points, rédigé sans les alliés européens de Kiev, censé mettre fin au conflit déclenché par l’offensive russe contre l’Ukraine en février 2022. L’accord prévoyait initialement que les forces ukrainiennes se retirent de la région orientale de Donetsk, et les États-Unis auraient alors reconnu de facto Donetsk, la Crimée et le Lougansk comme russes.Mais il a depuis été amendé à la demande des Européens et son contenu actuel reste flou.Une autre source haut placée et bien informée sur les négociations en cours, a déclaré à l’AFP que les Américains, voulaient que “les points finaux (du plan) soient convenus et qu’ils puissent aller à Moscou”.”La formulation (des points, NDLR) est compliquée, principalement concernant les territoires, car (les Américains) se voient exclusivement comme des médiateurs et pas comme une partie” soutenant Kiev, a ajouté cette deuxième source.Rustem Oumerov, le négociateur en chef ukrainien envoyé en Floride, a annoncé sur Facebook qu’il avait fait part au président Zelensky de “progrès substantiels”.”Il est important que les discussions aient une dynamique constructive et que toutes les questions aient été abordées ouvertement et avec un objectif clair de garantir la souveraineté et les intérêts nationaux de l’Ukraine,” a écrit M. Zelensky sur X après ces négociations. – Pression militaire -Le président français Emmanuel Macron doit recevoir Volodymyr Zelensky de nouveau lundi à Paris. De son côté, Marco Rubio ne se rendra pas à la réunion des ministres des Affaires étrangères des pays de l’Otan en début de semaine. Sur le terrain, Moscou continue d’exercer une forte pression militaire: l’armée russe progresse dans l’est de l’Ukraine, et une nouvelle attaque nocturne, menée par un drone, a fait au moins un mort et 11 blessés dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche près de Kiev. Samedi, des drones navals ont également été lancés contre un terminal pétrolier majeur dans le port russe de Novorossiïsk.Ce terminal permet d’exporter le pétrole acheminé par l’un des oléoducs les plus importants au monde, qui part de champs pétrolifères du Kazakhstan au bord de la mer Caspienne et traverse la Russie vers la mer Noire. Les autorités du Kazakhstan ont accusé l’Ukraine d’être à l’origine de l’attaque. Kiev n’a pas réagi. Ces derniers mois, l’armée ukrainienne vise régulièrement des sites pétroliers et des raffineries en Russie pour tenter de perturber la rente des hydrocarbures permettant à Moscou de financer son effort de guerre. burs-eml-rfo/nr

Trump confirms call with Maduro, Caracas slams US maneuvers

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas slammed what it called US preparations for an attack.The United States is piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military buildup in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace is “closed.”Washington says the aim of the military deployment launched in September is to curb drug trafficking in the region, but Caracas insists regime change is the ultimate goal.”I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call,” Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One.The New York Times reported Friday that Trump and Maduro had discussed a possible meeting, while The Wall Street Journal said Saturday that the conversation also included conditions of amnesty if Maduro were to step down.Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show that the United States has offered Maduro the chance to leave his country for Russia or elsewhere. The United States accuses Maduro, the political heir to Venezuela’s late leftist leader Hugo Chavez, of heading the “Cartel of the Suns” and has issued a $50 million reward for his capture.But Venezuela and countries that support it insist no such organization even exists. Several Venezuela experts say what Washington calls the Cartel of the Suns refers to the corruption of senior officials by criminal gangs.The United States also does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate winner of last year’s presidential election.Though Trump has not publicly threatened to use force against Maduro, he said in recent days that efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would begin “very soon.”- Aid from OPEC? – Venezuela says it has requested assistance from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), of which it is a member, to help “stop this (American) aggression, which is being readied with more and more force.”The request came in a letter from Maduro to the group, read by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is also Venezuela’s oil minister, during a virtual meeting of OPEC ministers.Washington “is trying to seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the biggest in the world, by using military force,” Maduro wrote in the letter.Since September, US air strikes have targeted alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 83 people. Trump’s administration has offered no concrete evidence to back up the allegations behind its campaign, and numerous experts have questioned the legality of the operations.US media reported Friday that in one strike in September, the US military conducted a follow-up strike that killed survivors of an initial attack. The Washington Post and CNN said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had issued a directive to “kill everybody,” but Trump said Sunday that Hegseth had denied giving such an order.”We’ll look into it, but no, I wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike,” Trump told reporters. “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men.”- ‘Extrajudicial executions’ -The head of Venezuela’s legislature, Jorge Rodriguez, said he met Sunday with relatives of Venezuelans killed in the strikes. He would not comment on a possible Trump-Maduro call.But when asked about the report about the Hegseth order, he said: “If a war had been declared and led to such killings, we would be talking about war crimes.””Given that no war has been declared, what happened…can only be characterized as murder or extrajudicial executions,” he added.The steady US military buildup has seen the world’s largest aircraft carrier deployed to Caribbean waters, while American fighter jets and bombers have repeatedly flown off the Venezuelan coast in recent days.Six airlines have canceled services to Venezuela, but on Sunday, the airport in Caracas was functioning as usual.