C1: le PSG arrive lancé face à Aston Villa

Le PSG, désormais l’un des favoris de la Ligue des champions, affronte mercredi (21h00) Aston Villa au Parc des Princes en quart de finale aller et compte poursuivre sa prolifique période lancée en janvier.Porté par un collectif qui prend plaisir à jouer ensemble, par une intensité et un contre pressing rare, par un état d’esprit impeccable, le PSG accueille Aston Villa en position de force, avant le match retour le 15 avril.Mais selon l’entraîneur parisien Luis Enrique, cette double confrontation est “très ouverte et difficile pour les deux équipes”.”Pour moi, les favoris n’existent pas. Il y a huit équipes qui sont là, qui l’ont mérité et peuvent se qualifier. Sur la route, il y a beaucoup de favoris éliminés”, a voulu tempérer mardi l’Espagnol, qui retrouve l’ancien coach du PSG Unai Emery.Il l’avait croisé pour deux soirées de légende en 2017: au cinglant 4-0 infligé par le PSG à l’aller le 14 février, le Barça de Luis Enrique avait répondu par la fameuse “remontada” (6-1), le 8 mars.Devant la presse, Luis Enrique a d’ailleurs salué le travail d’Emery à la tête des “Villans”. “Il a toujours fait progresser ses équipes, il a une énergie illimitée, il a gagné beaucoup de titres”, a estimé le technicien.- “Contrôler nos émotions” -“Notre amitié, nous l’avons construite au fil de nos affrontements. C’est une joie de savoir que tu vas rencontrer l’un des entraîneurs à la plus grande trajectoire européenne”, a-t-il expliqué.Assurant avoir comme référence dans le jeu le huitième de finale aller perdu face à Liverpool au Parc (1-0), Luis Enrique souhaite voir la même chose de la part de ses joueurs, et non la version plus irrégulière des matches d’après-trêve internationale.”Le coeur sera là, les jambes aussi, cette énergie positive que l’on voit, il faut en tirer profit. Contrôler nos émotions, ce sera la clé”, a-t-il soutenu, sachant que Paris devra jouer sans son capitaine Marquinhos, suspendu et certainement remplacé par Lucas Beraldo.Paris retrouve aussi le Français Lucas Digne, un ex-Parisien, et Marco Asensio, qui enchaîne les buts depuis qu’il a été prêté cet hiver par le PSG.”Il a toujours été très important pour moi. Il l’a été ici la saison dernière, en début de saison aussi. Ensuite il a eu moins de temps de jeu”, a expliqué Luis Enrique. Sous les ordres de l’Espagnol, le PSG espère jouer sa deuxième demi-finale de suite en Ligue des champions.- “Un gros défi” -Dans les buts des Villans, le gardien argentin Emiliano Martínez a forcément laissé des traces dans les têtes des attaquants français du PSG, et en particulier Ousmane Dembélé qui l’a croisé en finale de la Coupe du monde 2022: “pour les attaquants, il y aura peut-être un peu de revanche, mais moi je ne l’ai encore jamais affronté et l’objectif de tout le monde sera de lui marquer le plus de buts possible”, a affirmé Désiré Doué.Mais Aston Villa, qui ne compte pas se laisser faire, arrive avec “beaucoup de confiance” et “peut faire quelque chose” à Paris avant le match retour à Birmingham, a prévenu le milieu Youri Tielemans. Il a rappelé les bons résultats d’Aston Villa, qui a notamment battu le Bayern Munich et terminé dans le top 8 en phase de ligue.Unai Emery a renchéri: “C’est un gros défi pour nous, mais nous sommes confiants, on va avoir des opportunités”. D’autant qu'”Aston villa est un club historique qui a gagné la Ligue des champions” en 1982, a-t-il souligné malicieusement face au palmarès encore vierge du PSG.

C1: le PSG arrive lancé face à Aston Villa

Le PSG, désormais l’un des favoris de la Ligue des champions, affronte mercredi (21h00) Aston Villa au Parc des Princes en quart de finale aller et compte poursuivre sa prolifique période lancée en janvier.Porté par un collectif qui prend plaisir à jouer ensemble, par une intensité et un contre pressing rare, par un état d’esprit impeccable, le PSG accueille Aston Villa en position de force, avant le match retour le 15 avril.Mais selon l’entraîneur parisien Luis Enrique, cette double confrontation est “très ouverte et difficile pour les deux équipes”.”Pour moi, les favoris n’existent pas. Il y a huit équipes qui sont là, qui l’ont mérité et peuvent se qualifier. Sur la route, il y a beaucoup de favoris éliminés”, a voulu tempérer mardi l’Espagnol, qui retrouve l’ancien coach du PSG Unai Emery.Il l’avait croisé pour deux soirées de légende en 2017: au cinglant 4-0 infligé par le PSG à l’aller le 14 février, le Barça de Luis Enrique avait répondu par la fameuse “remontada” (6-1), le 8 mars.Devant la presse, Luis Enrique a d’ailleurs salué le travail d’Emery à la tête des “Villans”. “Il a toujours fait progresser ses équipes, il a une énergie illimitée, il a gagné beaucoup de titres”, a estimé le technicien.- “Contrôler nos émotions” -“Notre amitié, nous l’avons construite au fil de nos affrontements. C’est une joie de savoir que tu vas rencontrer l’un des entraîneurs à la plus grande trajectoire européenne”, a-t-il expliqué.Assurant avoir comme référence dans le jeu le huitième de finale aller perdu face à Liverpool au Parc (1-0), Luis Enrique souhaite voir la même chose de la part de ses joueurs, et non la version plus irrégulière des matches d’après-trêve internationale.”Le coeur sera là, les jambes aussi, cette énergie positive que l’on voit, il faut en tirer profit. Contrôler nos émotions, ce sera la clé”, a-t-il soutenu, sachant que Paris devra jouer sans son capitaine Marquinhos, suspendu et certainement remplacé par Lucas Beraldo.Paris retrouve aussi le Français Lucas Digne, un ex-Parisien, et Marco Asensio, qui enchaîne les buts depuis qu’il a été prêté cet hiver par le PSG.”Il a toujours été très important pour moi. Il l’a été ici la saison dernière, en début de saison aussi. Ensuite il a eu moins de temps de jeu”, a expliqué Luis Enrique. Sous les ordres de l’Espagnol, le PSG espère jouer sa deuxième demi-finale de suite en Ligue des champions.- “Un gros défi” -Dans les buts des Villans, le gardien argentin Emiliano Martínez a forcément laissé des traces dans les têtes des attaquants français du PSG, et en particulier Ousmane Dembélé qui l’a croisé en finale de la Coupe du monde 2022: “pour les attaquants, il y aura peut-être un peu de revanche, mais moi je ne l’ai encore jamais affronté et l’objectif de tout le monde sera de lui marquer le plus de buts possible”, a affirmé Désiré Doué.Mais Aston Villa, qui ne compte pas se laisser faire, arrive avec “beaucoup de confiance” et “peut faire quelque chose” à Paris avant le match retour à Birmingham, a prévenu le milieu Youri Tielemans. Il a rappelé les bons résultats d’Aston Villa, qui a notamment battu le Bayern Munich et terminé dans le top 8 en phase de ligue.Unai Emery a renchéri: “C’est un gros défi pour nous, mais nous sommes confiants, on va avoir des opportunités”. D’autant qu'”Aston villa est un club historique qui a gagné la Ligue des champions” en 1982, a-t-il souligné malicieusement face au palmarès encore vierge du PSG.

Trumps presses on with 104% tariffs on China

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday forged ahead with tariffs of over 100 percent against Chinese goods after Beijing refused to withdraw its retaliation as the world’s biggest economies go head-to-head in a ruinous trade war that has rocked global markets.Trump’s sweeping 10 percent tariffs have rocked the global economy since coming into force over the weekend, triggering a dramatic market sell-off worldwide and sparking recession fears.Rates on imports to the United States from dozens of economies will rise further at 12.01 am (0401 GMT) Wednesday.China — Washington’s top economic rival but also a major trading partner — will be hardest hit, with tariffs imposed on its products since Trump returned to the White House reaching a staggering 104 percent.Beijing has vowed to fight a trade war “to the end” against Trump, who remained defiant despite major US indexes tumbling again Tuesday.The US president believes his policy will revive America’s lost manufacturing base by forcing companies to relocate to the United States.But many business experts and economists question how quickly — if ever — this can take place, warning of higher inflation as the tariffs raise prices.Trump said Tuesday the United States was “taking in almost $2 billion a day” from tariffs.He originally unveiled a 34 percent additional tariff on Chinese goods. But after China countered with its own 34 percent tariff on American products, he vowed to pile on another 50 percent duty, signing the executive order for the higher fee on Tuesday.Counting existing levies imposed in February and March, that would take the cumulative tariff increase for Chinese goods during Trump’s second presidency to 104 percent.Trump insisted the ball was in China’s court, saying Beijing “wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started.”Late Tuesday, Trump also said the United States would announce a major tariff on pharmaceuticals “very shortly”.He also signed an order allowing significantly higher duties on low-value Chinese imports to take effect starting early next month.And he told a dinner with fellow Republicans that countries were “dying” to make a deal.”I’m telling you, these countries are calling us up kissing my ass,” he said.Separately, Canada said that its tariffs on certain US auto imports will come into force Wednesday.- China ‘confident’ -After trillions in equity value were wiped off global bourses in the last days, markets in Asia opened down again on Wednesday, with Hong Kong plunging more than three percent and Japan’s Nikkei sinking 2.7 percent.The foreign exchange markets also witnessed ructions, with the South Korean won falling to its lowest level against the dollar since 2009 on Tuesday.China’s offshore yuan also fell to an all-time low against the US dollar, as Beijing’s central bank moved to weaken the yuan on Wednesday for what Bloomberg said was the fifth day in a row.Oil prices slumped, with the West Texas Intermediate closing below $60 for the first time since April 2021.China also condemned remarks by US Vice President JD Vance in which he said the United States had for too long borrowed money from “Chinese peasants.”The European Union sought to cool tensions, with the bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen warning against worsening the trade conflict in a call with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.She stressed stability for the world’s economy, alongside “the need to avoid further escalation,” said an EU readout.The Chinese premier told von der Leyen that his country could weather the storm, saying it “is fully confident of maintaining sustained and healthy economic development.”The EU — which Trump has criticized bitterly over its tariff regime — may unveil its response next week to new 20 percent levies it faces.French President Emmanuel Macron called on Trump to reconsider, adding if the EU was forced to respond: “so be it.”In retaliation against US steel and aluminum levies that took effect last month, the EU plans tariffs of up to 25 percent on American goods ranging from soybeans to motorcycles, according to a document seen by AFP.- ‘Tailored deals’ -Trump said Tuesday his government was working on “tailored deals” with trading partners, with the White House saying it would prioritize allies like Japan and South Korea.His top trade official Jamieson Greer told the Senate that Argentina, Vietnam and Israel were among those who had offered to reduce their tariffs.Wall Street’s major indices closed lower Tuesday, with the broad-based S&P 500 falling 1.6 percent.In one public sign of friction over tariffs, key Trump ally Elon Musk described senior White House trade advisor Peter Navarro as “dumber than a sack of bricks.”Musk, who has signaled his opposition to Trump’s trade policy, hit out after Navarro described his Tesla company as “a car assembler” that wants cheap foreign parts.burs-oho/hmn

The Metals Company courts Trump for deep-sea mining contract

A Canadian deep-sea mining pioneer, The Metals Company, is charting a new course to land the controversial extraction practice’s first commercial contract — by appealing to US President Donald Trump.It wants to collect so-called polymetallic nodules — mineral deposits made up of multiple metals — on the Pacific Ocean floor.TMC originally planned to apply for a contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) — the organization with jurisdiction over the seabed in international waters — in June.The company’s subsidiaries had spent years using contracts awarded by the ISA to explore parts of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a section of the Pacific Ocean rich with these nodules.The zone contains an estimated 21 billion tonnes (23.1 billion tons) of nodules containing minerals used in high-demand products like electric car batteries. The ISA has yet to award a contract for industrial extraction, however, as it has spent a decade developing a deep-sea mining code with member states. The extended wait has led the Canadian firm to seek opportunities through different means.Although the area TMC hopes to deep-sea mine is in international waters, a 1980 US law could be used to issue a commercial extraction permit — if the Trump administration allows it.”We are ready,” TMC CEO Gerard Barron said on a conference call last month. “What we need is a fair hearing and a regulator willing to engage.”Originally named DeepGreen Metals upon its creation in 2011, the company rebranded to The Metals Company after going public in 2021.The firm collects nodules more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) underwater, having tested a vehicle that gathers the raw materials from the ocean floor and transports them to a ship on the water’s surface using a giant pipe.The company’s change in strategy to bypass the ISA has angered member nations of the international body, as well as environmental NGOs concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining.Bobby-Jo Dobush, a legal officer with The Ocean Foundation, told AFP that deep-sea mining is “the worst, most environmentally destructive, most expensive way to get minerals.”- ‘Political appetite’ -The Metals Company is banking on Washington — which opted not to join the ISA — and Trump’s desire for minerals not imported from China or other rivals to outweigh the environmental concerns. TMC Chief Financial Officer Craig Shesky said during the March conference call that the legal precedent for the United States to authorize extraction “has always been there.” “What has been missing is the political appetite in the United States to take advantage of it. And that’s the main change that has come with this administration,” Shesky said.He estimated that allowing the company to collect a billion tonnes of nodules via deep-sea mining could provide the United States with “456 years of manganese, 165 years of cobalt, 81 years of nickel and four years of copper” based on current consumption patterns.Dmitry Silversteyn, an analyst with Water Tower Research, said TMC could begin production some time in 2026, especially “with the administration in the United States now being very focused on standing up a domestic critical metals and critical materials industry that’s independent of Chinese supply chain.”Dobush, of The Ocean Foundation, said the apparent rush to nail down a contract shows TMC is “really in dire financial straits.”But Silversteyn said TMC was progressing steadily enough for “getting into production commitment” by the end of 2026.Barron touted his company’s progress, saying last month: “We’ve shown that we can pick up nodules from the seafloor, we can lift them to the surface and process them onshore, all the way to the refined products, with minimal environmental impacts and limited capital expenditure.”

Indonesia president says ready to temporarily shelter Gazans

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday said he was prepared to grant temporary shelter to Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza between the Israeli military and the territory’s rulers Hamas.Nearly 400,000 Gaza residents have been displaced in the weeks since Israel resumed military operations in the territory last month, according to the United Nations. “We are ready to receive wounded victims,” Prabowo said before leaving for a Middle East visit to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan.”We are ready to send planes to transport them. We estimate the numbers may be 1,000 for the first wave.”Wounded Palestinians and “traumatised, orphaned children” would be prioritised, he said.He said he had instructed his foreign minister to talk with Palestinian officials and “parties in the region” on how to evacuate wounded or orphaned Gazans.The victims would only be in Indonesia until they recovered and it was safe for their return.Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has consistently called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.According to Turkish media, Prabowo will be afforded the rare opportunity to address the Turkish parliament.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of the main backers of the Palestinian cause and visited Indonesia in February, where the pair pledged closer ties.

Saved by sewing: Scared to migrate, Guatemalans learn new trades

Learning to sew is what spared Guatemalan Francisca Lares the perilous migrant journey to the United States, crippling smuggler debt and likely deportation. Instead, she found the better life she was seeking right on her doorstep.The 30-year-old single mother is a beneficiary of a scholarship program of the government and the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) for young Guatemalans to learn a trade and make a living in their own country.More than half the Central American country’s 18 million residents live in poverty, according to official figures. The ratio is even higher in Indigenous villages such as Estanzuela in Joyabaj municipality, where Lares lives.It is a significant push factor, and some 3.2 million Guatemalans are believed to live in the United States — hundreds of thousands of them illegally.Lares had herself considered pursing the “American dream” at a time she was earning $75 a month producing handmade fabrics and barely getting by.Then she heard about a sewing course offered at the “Quedate” (Stay) training center.After completing the course she bought a sewing machine, and now makes traditional Mayan tunics known as huipiles that she sells from a small shop at her home. Lares also markets her wares on social media, and has already sent a few blouses all the way to the United States.She does not want to speak about how much she earns, but told AFP she can now easily cover her needs and those of her daughters aged five and nine.It was the training, she said, “that made me stay here and say: I can get ahead.”- ‘They are being caught’ -The project, which launched in 2021 at a municipal center in Joyabaj and has received donations from Japan, also trains young Guatemalans in hairdressing, baking, computer repair and other skills to help them find jobs or open their own businesses.Courses last from two weeks, like the one Lares took, to nine months.For many in a country where 70 percent of people work in the informal sector and almost one in six are illiterate, the only alternative is putting their lives in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers.”They are being caught,” Lares told AFP of her countrymen and women being expelled from the United States in a deportation wave under President Donald Trump. “They are returning and one starts to think: what if I had left (Guatemala), what if I was just starting to pay off my debt and had to leave (the United States) — how would I have paid my debt?” she said.Smugglers, also known as “coyotes,” charge desperate clients as much as $20,000 to get them to the United States from Joyabaj.”Some die” on the journey, pointed out Lares, speaking to AFP at the training center she credits with offering her a new lease on life.”There is suffering there (in the United States) too… Let’s spare our families the suffering.”Many among Lares’s classmates are deportees.- ‘Better to stay’ -Fellow graduate Marleny Tino, 25, also considered emigrating. In the end, only her husband went.He now lives in Florida “afraid” of being deported, she told AFP.”It is better to stay here than risk your life going there and then being deported as soon as you arrive,” said the mother of two, who also makes huipiles and runs a small business from her home.Remittances sent home by migrants amounted to some $21 billion last year, almost a fifth of GDP.Last year, the United States deported 61,680 Guatemalans, according to the government of the Central American country.Pedro Miranda, the director of the training center, said the goal was to equip more than 600 young people with new skills in 2025.So far, 814 youngsters have learnt a trade at the center and two similar ones in Huehuetenango and Solola.