Latest news with #LeMonde
LeMonde
a day ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
Léon Marchand smashes 200m medley world record
France's Léon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday, setting a new mark of 1 min 52.69 sec. Swimming in the semi-finals at the world championships, the 23-year-old took more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011. Marchand beat Michael Phelps's long-standing 400m medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago. "Actually I can't believe it right now," said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago. "I knew I was going to be close to my PB [personal best] because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good. But 1:52 is unbelievable for me." Marchand took an extended break from swimming after his Paris Olympics heroics and only returned to competition in May. He is focusing on the medley events in Singapore and had said he was going for Lochte's record. Marchand got his world championship campaign under way on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats. He said he would go all-out for the record in the semi-finals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday's final. "It was good, I swam well, I think I pretty much did what I wanted to do," Marchand said after his morning heat. "There are a few technical details that I'll go over with my coach, things I can improve on for tonight." Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Business
- LeMonde
US and China agree to work on extending the deadline for new tariffs in trade talks
The United States and China have agreed to work on extending a deadline for new tariffs on each other after two days of trade talks in Stockholm concluded on Tuesday, July 29, according to Beijing's top trade official. China's international trade representative Li Chenggang said the two sides had "in-depth, candid and constructive" discussions and agreed to work on extending a pause in tariffs beyond an August 12 deadline for a trade deal. "Both sides are fully aware the importance of maintaining a stable, healthy China-US economic and trade relations," Li said, without elaborating how the extension would work. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the talks as a "very fulsome two days with the Chinese delegation." He said they touched on US concerns over China's purchase of Iranian oil, supplying Russia with dual-use tech that could be used on the battlefield, and manufacturing goods at a rate beyond what is sustained by global demand. "We just need to de-risk with certain, strategic industries, whether it's the rare earths, semiconductors, medicines, and we talked about what we could do together to get into balance within the relationship," Bessent said. He stressed that the US seeks to restore domestic manufacturing, secure purchase agreements of US agricultural and energy products, and reduce trade deficits. The latest round of talks opened Monday in Stockholm to try to break a logjam over tariffs that have skewed the pivotal commercial ties between the world's two largest economies. The two sides previously met in Geneva and London to address specific issues – triple-digit tariffs that amounted to a trade embargo and export controls on critical products – China's chokehold on rare earth magnets, and US restrictions on semiconductors. A possible Trump-Xi meeting Monday's discussions lasted nearly five hours behind closed doors at the office of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Before the talks resumed Tuesday, Kristersson met with Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer over breakfast. The talks in Stockholm unfolded as President Donald Trump is mulling plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, a summit that could be a crucial step toward locking in any major agreements between their two countries. "I would say before the end of the year," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. On his Truth Social media platform, Trump insisted late Monday that he was not "seeking" a summit with Xi, but may go to China at the Chinese leader's invitation, "which has been extended. Otherwise, no interest!" Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We'd love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Take the survey Bessent told reporters the summit was not discussed in Stockholm but that they did talk about "the desire of the two presidents for the trade team and the Treasury team to have trade negotiations with our Chinese counterparts." Greer said the American team would head back to Washington and "talk to the president about" the extension of the August deadline and see "whether that's something that he wants to do." Striking tariff deals The US has struck deals over tariffs with some of its key trading partners – including Britain , Japan and the European Union – since Trump announced earlier in July elevated tariff rates against dozens of countries. China remains perhaps the biggest challenge. "The Chinese have been very pragmatic," Greer said in comments posted on social media by his office late Monday. "We have tensions now, but the fact that we are regularly meeting with them to address these issues gives us a good footing for these negotiations." Since China vaulted into the global trading system more than two decades ago, Washington has sought to press Beijing to encourage more consumption at home and offer greater market access to foreign, including American-made goods. Bessent said the "overall tone of the meetings was very constructive" while Li said the two sides agreed in Stockholm to keep close contact and to "communicate with each other in a timely manner on trade and economic issues." Flagpoles at the prime minister's office were festooned with the American and Chinese flags.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Vast majority of sanctions against Russia haven't worked
The overwhelming majority of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow have not worked and some continue to be ignored outright, economist Dmitry Nekrasov told the newspaper Le Monde in an interview published on Tuesday. Nekrasov, who served as an advisor to former President Dmitry Medvedev, left Russia in 2014, and was designated a foreign agent this year. Earlier this month, the EU imposed its 18th package of sanctions on Russia, hailing it as 'one of the strongest ever.' Moscow, which has long branded the restrictive measures as illegal, has said that the Russian economy has adapted and strengthened despite facing more than 30,000 sanctions over the past few years. Some 2,000 of the measures 'caused various inconveniences and costs,' Nekrasov told Le Monde. 'When we talk about the overall impact of the sanctions on the Russian economy... only a few have had a serious effect.' The so-called oil 'price cap' is one of the 'measures that has never worked,' the economist said. I don't know of any example where anyone actually respected it. Tanker captains used to forge documents to claim their cargoes were priced below the 'price cap,' and 'then they stopped doing even that,' Nekrasov said. According to the economist, 80% of vessels in what the EU calls the 'shadow fleet' are openly transporting Russian oil. In three years of the sanctions list being extended, only 2% of the targeted vessels have stopped carrying Russian crude. Most of them continue to function as if nothing had happened. Despite Moscow facing $5-7 billion more in annual logistics costs now that it exports 35-40% of its crude to India rather than selling refined fuel to the EU, the bloc faces similar increased costs buying petroleum products from New Delhi, he added. Moscow has expanded its trade with BRICS partners India, China, Brazil and other nations since the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. More than 90% of trade among BRICS members is now carried out in national currencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month.
Local France
2 days ago
- Health
- Local France
French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide
The legislation to reintroduce in France acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe, was adopted on July 8th, but without a proper debate to bypass gridlock in a divided parliament. The move sparked anger in France, and support for a student-initiated petition against the legislation has snowballed, with university lecturers, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it. The petition had garnered more than 2 million signatures by Tuesday. READ ALSO : What is France's Loi Duplomb and why are people protesting about it?✎ Health experts and patient associations have now weighed in, saying in an open letter in French daily Le Monde that they cannot back "a law that is dangerous to the health of our fellow citizens". Advertisement President Emmanuel Macron, who has been under increasing pressure to act, said he is waiting to hear the verdict of the Constitutional Council, which is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the law on August 7th. The health experts and patient associations urged the Constitutional Council to reject the legislation, calling on its members to "respond to the democratic demand strongly expressed by French citizens". READ ALSO : Who can sign parliamentary petitions in France?✎ The signatories included Agnes Linglart, president of the French Paediatric Society, Olivier Coutard, president of the scientific council of France's flagship scientific research centre CNRS and Gerard Socie, president of the scientific council of the National Cancer Institute. The Constitutional Council, the letter said, must protect future generations from the legislation that "without a shadow of reasonable doubt compromises the health of young people, children and the unborn". The letter said the Senate committee preparing the bill heard from agricultural unions and government agencies but not "doctors, toxicologists or epidemiologists". The senators did not consult representatives of the CNRS, health and labour ministries, even though occupational exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for humans, the letter said. Citing the INSERM health and medical research organisation, the letter pointed to evidence of a link between exposure to pesticides and the occurrence of cancers, neurodegenerative, pulmonary and hormone-related disorders. Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union. The dispute over the bill is becoming increasingly heightened, with members of the farming unions who support the bill dumping manure, straw bales and wool outside the offices of Green MPs and other lawmakers who oppose it. Although France's largest farming union the FNSEA strongly backs the bill, other farmers groups - especially those who represent bee-keepers - oppose the reintroduction of the pesticide. The law itself was introduced in response to the farmer protests of 2024 which brought large parts of the French road network to a halt.
eNCA
2 days ago
- Health
- eNCA
French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide
PARIS - French health experts and patient associations on Tuesday urged authorities to protect the public from a bee-killing pesticide, saying the chemical could also harm children and adults. The legislation to reintroduce in France acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe, was adopted on July 8, but without a proper debate to bypass gridlock in a divided parliament. The move sparked anger in France, and support for a student-initiated petition against the legislation has snowballed, with university lecturers, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it. The petition had garnered more than 2 million signatures by Tuesday. Health experts and patient associations have now weighed in, saying in an open letter in French daily Le Monde that they cannot back "a law that is dangerous to the health of our fellow citizens". President Emmanuel Macron, who has been under increasing pressure to act, said he is waiting to hear the verdict of the Constitutional Council, which is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the law on August 7. The health experts and patient associations urged the Constitutional Council to reject the legislation, calling on its members to "respond to the democratic demand strongly expressed by French citizens". The signatories included Agnes Linglart, president of the French Paediatric Society, Olivier Coutard, president of the scientific council of France's flagship scientific research centre CNRS and Gerard Socie, president of the scientific council of the National Cancer Institute. The Constitutional Council, the letter said, must protect future generations from the legislation that "without a shadow of reasonable doubt compromises the health of young people, children and the unborn". The letter said the Senate committee preparing the bill heard from agricultural unions and government agencies but not "doctors, toxicologists or epidemiologists". The senators did not consult representatives of the CNRS, health and labour ministries, even though occupational exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for humans, the letter said. Citing the INSERM health and medical research organisation, the letter pointed to evidence of a link between exposure to pesticides and the occurrence of cancers, neurodegenerative, pulmonary and hormone-related disorders. Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union.
