AFP - Squid Business

Amazon says never decided to show tariff costs, after White House backlash

Retail giant Amazon insisted Tuesday it had never approved a proposal — slammed by the White House — to show consumers how much US tariffs add to each price tag.”The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen,” said Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle.Earlier Tuesday, Punchbowl News reported that the e-commerce site would soon start showing “how much Trump’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product,” citing a person familiar with the matter. The White House swiftly slammed the report, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it “a hostile and political act by Amazon.” “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” she added during a briefing in Washington.After taking office in January, Trump slapped a 10 percent baseline tariff on most countries, along with higher levies on dozens of countries — only to then pause the elevated rates for 90 days to allow for trade talks. The White House has also imposed steep duties on China, and additional sector-specific measures — leading Beijing to impose its own retaliatory tariffs on US goods.Trump’s tariffs already starting to have an impact on businesses in the United States. Package delivery giant UPS said Tuesday it plans to cut 20,000 positions worldwide in 2025 following a significant drop in business for Amazon, its largest customer.UPS Chief Executive Carol Tome said the firm, which had around 490,000 employees at the end of 2024, was reacting to a “changing trade environment.”

Syrie: 14 morts dans des heurts confessionnels près de Damas (nouveau bilan ONG)

La Bourse de Paris termine en baisse

La Bourse de Paris a terminé en léger recul mercredi, dans l’attente de nouvelles informations concernant la guerre commerciale lancée par Donald Trump, digérant une série de résultats d’entreprises.Le CAC 40 a perdu 0,24% à 7.555,87 points, soit un recul de 17,89 points, à la clôture. Lundi, ce même indice avait terminé en hausse de 0,50%.”Pour l’instant, les marchés se consolident. Cela ressemble au calme avant la tempête”, explique Fawad Razaqzada, de City Index.Les investisseurs restent attentifs aux dernières informations à propos des négociations sur les hausses de droit de douane entre les Etats-Unis et les autres pays, Chine en tête.”Deux questions se posent : les pays seront-ils en mesure de conclure des accords avec les États-Unis laissant les droits de douane à des niveaux (…) tolérables ? La Chine bénéficiera-t-elle elle aussi d’un répit ?”, résument les économistes de Capital Economics.”Tant qu’il n’y aura pas de nouvelles annonces positives, il n’y a pas de raison de rebondir”, prévient Alexandre Baradez, responsable de l’analyse marchés à IG France.Côté obligataire, le taux d’intérêt de l’emprunt à dix ans français a atteint 3,21%, contre 3,24% la veille en clôture. Son équivalent allemand, référence en Europe, a fini la séance à 2,50%. Les marchés ont également assimilé plusieurs indicateurs aux Etats-Unis, où ils craignent l’impact sur l’économie de la politique de Donald Trump.La confiance des consommateurs a dégringolé en avril dans la première puissance mondiale en raison des incertitudes commerciales, “à un niveau pas atteint depuis le début de la pandémie de Covid”, selon un baromètre publié mardi.Le rapport JOLTS du ministère du Travail a lui mis en évidence une baisse des offres d’emplois en mars, inférieure aux prévisions.”Cela renforce les craintes de récession aux Etats-Unis, mais ravive aussi l’espoir d’une baisse des taux de la Réserve fédérale américaine (Fed)”, selon Alexandre Baradez, responsable de l’analyse marchés à IG France.En parallèle, les investisseurs ont vu passer une nouvelle série de résultats d’entreprises.- Capgemini bondit -Le groupe informatique français Capgemini a grimpé de 5,67% à 138,00 euros, après la publication de ses résultats au premier trimestre, malgré un chiffre d’affaires en recul limité de 0,4%, la société maintenant tout de même ses objectifs pour 2025.- Schneider Electric voit rouge -Le géant des équipements électriques Schneider Electric a dévissé de 6,38% à 203,25 euros, au lendemain de la publication de résultats jugés décevants car en-dessous des attentes des analystes, malgré une forte progression de son chiffre d’affaires.- Amundi recule -Le premier gestionnaire d’actifs en Europe, Amundi (-1,15% à 68,70 euros), gérait à la fin du premier trimestre 2025 près de 2.247 milliards d’euros, un nouveau record, grâce notamment à la croissance des fonds indiciels cotés (ETF) et à un nouveau contrat au Royaume-Uni, a indiqué mardi le groupe français, filiale du Crédit Agricole.

Stocks advance as investors weigh earnings, car tariff hopes

Stock markets mostly advanced Tuesday as investors assessed the impact of tariffs on corporate earnings and digested a report that President Donald Trump might spare automakers from some of his levies.Wall Street opened mixed but all three major indices were higher in midday trading.In Europe, the London FTSE 100 index and Frankfurt’s DAX closed higher but the Paris CAC 40 ended in the red.While the White House didn’t launch any trade tirades against other countries, the White House slammed Amazon over reports it would soon tell consumers how much Trump’s tariffs have contributed to the price tag on its goods, branding it a “hostile and political act”. “This is significant,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, noting that this was the first time the Trump administration has turned its ire towards a US company that questions its tariffs policy.”Financial markets have been roiled by political interference in the global economy in recent weeks… if the Trump administration is now publicly accusing US companies of hostile acts if they disagree with the President’s US economic policy then this could stop the recent recovery rally in risky assets,” she said.Amazon later said it will not show tariff costs on products.Shares in Amazon fell nearly two percent at the start of trading but recovered much of their losses during morning trading.Investors were also weighing a Wall Street Journal report that the White House will spare automakers — already facing 25-percent tariffs — from further levies, such as those on steel and aluminium. The move is aimed at making sure the various tariffs Trump has unveiled do not stack up on top of each other.The news prompted US auto giant General Motors to push back its earnings conference call to Thursday.It still released its earnings statement on Tuesday, showing its first-quarter profit fell 6.6 percent to $2.8 billion, though it was better than expected.The US automaker also said it was re-examining its 2025 outlook in light of uncertainty over US tariffs.GM shares were down more than two percent in midday trading.In Europe, shares in Volvo Cars sank nearly 10 percent after it announced plans to cut costs by almost $2 billion, including through job cuts, as its profits fall.”Tougher market conditions and lower volumes combined with increased price pressure and tariff effects are impacting profitability,” Volvo Cars chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said.Shares in German sportswear giant Adidas fell 2.8 percent as it warned that tariffs would increase prices for its products in the United States.British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said it has begun to move some of its European production to the United States, ahead of Trump’s possible tariffs on the sector, helping its shares rise 0.9 percent.In Asia, Hong Kong stocks advanced while Shanghai dipped after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that negotiations with China were ongoing but said that the ball was in Beijing’s court.Investors are also awaiting earnings from US tech titans this week, including Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft.There are also a number of economic data releases this week, with information released Tuesday showing US consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.Oil prices fell further on Tuesday on fears that global trade tensions may lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would hamper energy demand. – Key figures at 1530 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 40,476.80 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.2 percent at 5,539.89 New York – Nasdaq: UP less than 0.1 percent at 17,376.81 London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,463.46 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,555.87 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 22,425.83 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 22,008.11 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,286.65 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1403 from $1.1424 on MondayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3404 from $1.3441 Dollar/yen: UP at 142.21 yen from 142.04 yenEuro/pound: UP at 85.08 pence from 84.99 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.7 percent at $60.98 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.7 percent at $63.69 per barrelburs-rl/cw

Canadian firm makes first bid for international seabed mining license

Canada’s The Metals Company said Tuesday it applied to the United States to mine deep sea minerals in international waters, a world first made possible by President Donald Trump’s embrace of the industry.Deep sea metals are highly sought for use in electric vehicle batteries and electric cables, but environmental groups have raised the alarm about the ecological cost of their extraction.The request for a commercial exploitation license, submitted to US authorities by the TMC USA subsidiary, is for the mining of polymetallic nodules — deposits made up of multiple metals — in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone.”Today marks a major step forward — not just for TMC USA, but for America’s mineral independence and industrial resurgence,” said Gerard Barron, chairman and CEO of The Metals Company.TMC, which hopes to be the first firm to harvest the valuable nodules, said in March it would seek the first commercial deep-sea mining license from Washington.It marked an abrupt shift in strategy as it had initially indicated that it would submit its request to the International Seabed Authority in June, which has jurisdiction over the seabed in international waters.TMC justified cutting out the ISA because of the organization’s slow pace in adopting a mining code that establishes the rules for exploiting seabed minerals.Just weeks after TMC’s about-turn, Trump signed an executive order speeding up the review of applications and the issuing of exploration permits — including in international waters. Washington, not a member of the ISA, governs the commercial extraction of minerals from the international seabed under a 1980 law that was the basis of Trump’s executive order.Greenpeace campaigner Ruth Ramos said the announcement would “be remembered as an act of total disregard for international law and scientific consensus.”Environmental campaigners argue that deep-sea mining threatens ecosystems about which little is known.

Amazon n’affichera pas le poids des droits de douane sur sa plateforme de commerce en ligne (groupe)

Prison avec sursis requise contre François Fillon dans l’affaire des emplois fictifs de son épouse

Une peine de quatre ans de prison avec sursis a été requise mardi contre François Fillon, lors d’une audience consacrée exclusivement à la peine qui doit être infligée à l’ex-candidat à la présidentielle dans l’affaire des emplois fictifs de son épouse Penelope.L’avocat général a également requis contre l’ancien Premier ministre une amende de 375.000 euros et 10 ans d’inéligibilité, mais ses réquisitions écartent la partie ferme d’un an qui avait été prononcée le 9 mai 2022 par la cour d’appel de Paris.La décision sera rendue le 17 juin.François Fillon, 71 ans, est depuis avril 2024 définitivement coupable notamment de détournement de fonds publics, mais la Cour de cassation a ordonné une nouvelle audience consacrée uniquement à la peine, dans cette affaire feuilletonnée des mois durant qui a stoppé net sa course en tête pour la présidentielle de 2017, où il a été éliminé dès le premier tour.De retour mardi devant la cour d’appel de Paris, François Fillon a évoqué la “blessure morale” que représente pour lui la peine d’inéligibilité qui avait été prononcée, bien qu’il dise ne nourrir aucun projet de retour en politique et se consacre à son activité de conseil. Interrogé sur sa situation personnelle, il a évoqué des revenus de 485.000 euros annuels.”Personne ne m’enlèvera de la tête que j’ai été traité d’une manière un peu particulière”, ce qui a “peut-être quelque chose à voir avec le fait que j’aie été candidat à l’élection présidentielle”, a-t-il déclaré à la barre.- Portrait “plus nuancé” -Pendant le rappel des faits, un flashback mêlant la révélation de l’affaire par le Canard enchaîné début 2017, contrats et montants, François Fillon est resté la mine fermée sur son banc, posant alternativement le regard vers le sol ou les hautes décorations qui ornent la salle d’audience.En appel, le 9 mai 2022, l’ancien chef du gouvernement a été condamné à quatre ans d’emprisonnement, dont un an ferme, 375.000 euros d’amende et 10 ans d’inéligibilité pour détournement de fonds publics, complicité d’abus de biens sociaux, recels.Son épouse, Penelope Fillon, avait été condamnée à deux ans de prison avec sursis, ainsi que 375.000 euros d’amende, et son ex-suppléant, Marc Joulaud, à trois ans de prison avec sursis, avec des inéligibilités respectives de deux et cinq ans.Les trois prévenus avaient en outre été condamnés à verser un total d’environ 800.000 euros de dommages et intérêts à l’Assemblée nationale.Si elle a rejeté les pourvois de Penelope Fillon et Marc Joulaud rendant leurs peines définitives, la Cour de cassation, dont la tâche est de statuer non sur le fond du dossier mais sur la bonne application du droit, avait estimé que la cour d’appel n’avait pas suffisamment motivé la partie ferme de la peine prononcée contre François Fillon.Mardi, François Fillon a soutenu qu’entre 1981 et 2021, “une très grande majorité de parlementaires” était dans une situation “parfaitement similaire” à la sienne.Mais, a objecté l’avocat de l’Assemblée nationale, Me Yves Claisse, il y a eu des “épouses de députés qui ont effectivement travaillé pour leur époux”, mais “dans ce dossier, ce n’est pas ce qui a été jugé”.Demandant à la cour de confirmer les 126.167 euros de dommages et intérêts alloués à l’Assemblée nationale pour le contrat d’assistante parlementaire de Penelope Fillon auprès de son mari en 2012-2013, il a souligné qu’elle ne venait ni à l’Assemblée ni dans la circonscription qui à l’époque était à Paris, “pas dans la Sarthe”.L’avocat de Penelope Fillon, Pierre Cornut-Gentille, a évoqué un “climat général de complaisance” sur les emplois familiaux, demandant à la cour de débouter l’Assemblée de ses demandes dans ce volet du dossier, ou lui accorder “un euro symbolique”.Si Penelope Fillon a été décrite comme “oisive”, s’occupant de ses rosiers, “on se rend compte que le portrait est peut-être plus nuancé”, a plaidé l’avocat de François Fillon, Antonin Lévy, la cour relevant dans sa décision de 2022 des “traces” de travail en 2012-2013.D’autres dommages et intérêts sont définitivement dus par le couple.

Prison avec sursis requise contre François Fillon dans l’affaire des emplois fictifs de son épouse

Syrians in Damascus suburb in fear after sectarian violence

In her home in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, Riham Waqqaf spent the night trying to distract her children from the sound of sectarian clashes that have terrified local residents.”The gunfire didn’t stop throughout the night and intensified at dawn,” said the 33-year-old humanitarian worker.She told AFP by telephone on Tuesday that she tried to shield her children, but “turning up the TV volume or giving them my phone to watch video clips… did not help”.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, six Druze fighters and three “attackers” were killed in the clashes that have left Jaramana residents fearing a repeat of sectarian bloodshed on Syria’s coast last month.A mostly Druze and Christian suburb in southeast Damascus, Jaramana is also home to families who were displaced during Syria’s conflict, which erupted in 2011. According to unofficial estimates, the area is home to around one million people.The latest violence erupted after a voice recording deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed and attributed to an individual from Syria’s Druze minority began circulating on social media.AFP was unable to confirm the authenticity of the recording, which sparked outrage and calls for revenge.Druze leaders condemned the “fabricated” message as well as the attack on Jaramana.The clashes are the latest challenge for Syria’s new Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in December.- ‘Not reassuring’ -The new authorities have repeatedly sought to reassure minorities that they will be protected, and are trying to present a moderate image while also contending with pressures from radical Islamists among their ranks.Jaramana residents told AFP they heard clashes through the night but that the violence abated in the morning.An AFP photographer saw local gunmen at the suburb’s entrances, while forces affiliated with the defence and interior ministries were stationed near the airport road that overlooks the area.Some shops reopened but streets were largely empty as residents stayed indoors.”The situation is not reassuring,” said Waqqaf, who was unable to take her mother to a hospital appointment or her children to school.”I am afraid that Jaramana might turn into a battlefield,” she added.Syrian authorities, local sources and the Observatory said fighters from outside Jaramana attacked the district.The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, blamed “security forces and affiliated gunmen”.However Rabih Munzir, a member of a citizens’ coordination group in Jaramana, said central security forces had contacted the local command centre, reporting “an attempt by uncontrolled crowds to enter Jaramana”.Gunmen attacked local security force personnel affiliated with the central authorities, killing two of them, Munzir added.After that, “intermittent clashes” took place from midnight until the early hours with armed groups who tried to enter the district, he said.Druze religious leaders said most of the dead and wounded were local security force personnel who were on duty when the assault took place.- ‘Afraid’ -Residents expressed fear the clashes could escalate, after violence last month on the Syrian coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly from the Alawite minority, according to the Observatory.The Islamist authorities accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and have launched an inquiry into the bloodshed, the worst since Assad’s fall.Munzir said the risk of an armed incursion into Jaramana was “very great”.”We are afraid of a repeat of what happened on the coast,” he said.”A fabricated recording by someone whose identity nobody can prove must not endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” he added.”This is what we fear — particularly as there is still an ongoing sectarian mobilisation… there is strife,” Munzir said.The interior ministry vowed to bring those involved to justice.During Syria’s conflict, Jaramana’s outskirts saw bombings and armed attacks, but its interior was largely spared.Since Assad’s ouster, Jaramana has seen tensions and clashes with Druze fighters, and last month security forces deployed in the area.A local gunman, identifying himself as Jamal, said that “Jaramana has not witnessed a day like this in many years”.The area “is usually packed, lively, it never sleeps” but on Tuesday it was “dead and everyone is at home”.