“Ne capitulez pas”: manifestation à New York pour les droits des personnes trans
Des centaines de personnes ont manifesté lundi à New York contre un décret de Donald Trump mettant fin aux aides publiques pour les traitements de transition de genre des mineurs, après des informations sur des rendez-vous médicaux annulés en conséquence du texte. Une foule bruyante s’est rassemblée à St. Vartan Park près de l’hôpital universitaire Langone Health qui, selon le New York Times, a annulé les rendez-vous de deux enfants transgenres à la suite du décret de Donald Trump. Les manifestants ont brandi des banderoles proclamant “Protégez les futurs trans”, “Ne capitulez pas face à la haine” ou encore “Brisez le silence”. Au moins l’un des participants a été interpellé par la police, a constaté un correspondant de l’AFP. “Je ne viens pas souvent à des rassemblements comme celui-ci”, a confié à l’AFP l’une des personnes transgenres présentes, qui a refusé de donner son nom. “Les personnes transgenres ont toujours existé, on ne va pas disparaître juste parce qu’on met les politiciens mal à l’aise”. Pour elle, la mobilisation doit commencer au niveau local avec un maire qui ne soit “pas disposé à faire le travail de Trump”. “On est fatigués de tout ça!”.Contacté, l’hôpital Langone Health n’a pas répondu aux sollicitations de l’AFP.Le 28 janvier, la Maison Blanche a publié le décret de Donald Trump mettant fin aux aides publiques pour les traitements de transition de genre des mineurs, chimiques comme chirurgicaux, et promettant de s’y opposer par toutes les voies légales possibles.- “Les plus vulnérables” -“A travers le pays, les professionnels de santé mutilent et stérilisent un nombre grandissant d’enfants influençables”, a écrit le président américain.Le décret présidentiel, qui ne s’applique qu’aux ministères et agences fédérales, prévoit que les Etats-Unis “ne financeront pas, ne soutiendront pas, n’encourageront pas, n’assisteront pas la prétendue +transition+ d’un enfant d’un sexe à l’autre”.Au niveau local, la moitié des Etats américains a prohibé les traitements pour les mineurs qui ne se reconnaissent pas dans leur genre de naissance.A la manifestation, Julie, qui a refusé de donner son nom de famille, a raconté à l’AFP avoir eu “beaucoup de chance” avec un traitement reçu à Langone Health pendant 15 ans.Elle a déploré la décision de l’hôpital d’annuler les rendez-vous après un “décret illégal” de Washington.Rabbin transgenre, Abby Stein a accusé auprès de l’AFP Donald Trump de s’en prendre à l’une des catégories de la population “les plus vulnérables de ce pays”. “Nous demandons le droit d’être en vie. Nous demandons le droit à des soins de santé de base”.Soutenu par un électorat en partie très conservateur, Donald Trump a à plusieurs reprises juré d’en finir avec ce qu’il qualifie d'”idéologie transgenre” voire de “délire transgenre”, tout comme il fustige les politiques de diversité, promues par la gauche américaine.Dès son investiture, le président avait affirmé que son administration n’allait “reconnaître” l’existence que de “deux sexes”.
How China could respond to Trump’s new tariffs
From retaliatory tariffs on US goods like car parts and soy beans to controls on raw minerals essential for American manufacturing — analysts say China has plenty of options if it wants to reply to fresh US levies.US President Donald Trump over the weekend announced 10 percent tariffs on Chinese products, upping the stakes in a trade confrontation between the global superpowers that started eight years ago in his first term.Beijing in response warned there were “no winners” in a trade war and vowed as yet unspecified countermeasures.News that Canada and Mexico had agreed a deal with Trump to delay 25 percent tariffs on their goods was followed by his announcement that he would be holding talks with China “probably in the next 24 hours” to try for an agreement.But, as the threat of new measures continues to hang over Beijing, eyes are on what officials there have lined up as a response. With its economy still struggling with sluggish consumption and slow growth, observers expect China to keep its powder dry for now — at least until another round of tariffs that could do greater damage.”We expect China not to jump to immediate retaliation following the 10 percent tariff hike, but will keep the doors of negotiation and cooperation open,” UBS bank analysts wrote in a note.”We do not expect China to follow the same strategy as in the first round of tariff hikes in 2018-19.”Bilateral trade totalled more than $530 billion in 2024, according to US data, with exports of Chinese goods to the United States exceeding $400 billion. That was second only to Mexico.But that yawning trade imbalance — $270.4 billion in January-November last year — has long raised hackles in Washington.- Lesson learned? -Key US demands in the first trade war were greater access to China’s markets, broad reform of a business playing field that heavily favours Chinese firms, and a loosening of heavy state controls.This time around Washington has also called for China to crack down on exports to Mexico of chemical components used to make the synthetic opioid fentanyl, responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths a year. After long, fraught negotiations during Trump’s first term the two agreed what became known as the “phase one” deal — a ceasefire in the nearly two-year-old trade war.Beijing was quick to retaliate throughout that standoff — imposing tariffs of its own on everything from cars to soybeans, designed to inflict harm on Trump’s voting base in rural America.It also floated restrictions on exports of rare earth metals, of which China dominates global supplies and on which the United States remains heavily dependent.And should a new trade war escalate, “measures could include tariffs, export controls on critical minerals essential for US manufacturing, restricted market access to US firms operating in China, or the depreciation of the yuan”, Harry Murphy Cruise, head of China and Australia economics at Moody’s Analytics, told AFP.But he added Beijing may have learned its lesson from the first standoff.”The tit-for-tat trade war in Trump’s first term benefited no one; it made trade more costly and hindered growth in both countries,” Murphy Cruise said.- China’s weaker position -For now, analysts believe the latest measures won’t bite too hard. “The 10 percent tariff is not a big shock to China’s economy,” Zhang Zhiwei at Pinpoint Asset Management said in a note.”It’s unlikely to change the market expectation on China’s macro outlook this year, which already factored in higher tariffs from the US,” he added.And that could allow China to keep its powder dry in the event Trump’s first wave of tariffs are the prelude to a bigger showdown.The US president has ordered an in-depth review of Chinese trade practices, the results of which are due by April 1.That could serve as a “catalyst for more tariffs”, said Murphy Cruise, pushing Beijing to shift tactics. “This strategy of no retaliation may change if the US imposes additional significant tariffs later on,” UBS economists said.”In such a case, we think China may retaliate on a targeted basis and in a restrained manner, imposing tariffs on selected agricultural products, auto parts, energy,” they said.Experts added that China could also let the value of its currency devalue, increasing the competitiveness of its exports.Trump’s flagged talks with Beijing offer the two sides a chance to step back from the brink of a trade war that could hit hundreds of billions’ worth of goods.”China is looking to diffuse tensions,” Murphy Cruise said.”China’s economy is in a much weaker position this time around; it will be substantially harder to withstand a barrage of tariffs.”
How China could respond to Trump’s new tariffs
From retaliatory tariffs on US goods like car parts and soy beans to controls on raw minerals essential for American manufacturing — analysts say China has plenty of options if it wants to reply to fresh US levies.US President Donald Trump over the weekend announced 10 percent tariffs on Chinese products, upping the stakes in a trade confrontation between the global superpowers that started eight years ago in his first term.Beijing in response warned there were “no winners” in a trade war and vowed as yet unspecified countermeasures.News that Canada and Mexico had agreed a deal with Trump to delay 25 percent tariffs on their goods was followed by his announcement that he would be holding talks with China “probably in the next 24 hours” to try for an agreement.But, as the threat of new measures continues to hang over Beijing, eyes are on what officials there have lined up as a response. With its economy still struggling with sluggish consumption and slow growth, observers expect China to keep its powder dry for now — at least until another round of tariffs that could do greater damage.”We expect China not to jump to immediate retaliation following the 10 percent tariff hike, but will keep the doors of negotiation and cooperation open,” UBS bank analysts wrote in a note.”We do not expect China to follow the same strategy as in the first round of tariff hikes in 2018-19.”Bilateral trade totalled more than $530 billion in 2024, according to US data, with exports of Chinese goods to the United States exceeding $400 billion. That was second only to Mexico.But that yawning trade imbalance — $270.4 billion in January-November last year — has long raised hackles in Washington.- Lesson learned? -Key US demands in the first trade war were greater access to China’s markets, broad reform of a business playing field that heavily favours Chinese firms, and a loosening of heavy state controls.This time around Washington has also called for China to crack down on exports to Mexico of chemical components used to make the synthetic opioid fentanyl, responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths a year. After long, fraught negotiations during Trump’s first term the two agreed what became known as the “phase one” deal — a ceasefire in the nearly two-year-old trade war.Beijing was quick to retaliate throughout that standoff — imposing tariffs of its own on everything from cars to soybeans, designed to inflict harm on Trump’s voting base in rural America.It also floated restrictions on exports of rare earth metals, of which China dominates global supplies and on which the United States remains heavily dependent.And should a new trade war escalate, “measures could include tariffs, export controls on critical minerals essential for US manufacturing, restricted market access to US firms operating in China, or the depreciation of the yuan”, Harry Murphy Cruise, head of China and Australia economics at Moody’s Analytics, told AFP.But he added Beijing may have learned its lesson from the first standoff.”The tit-for-tat trade war in Trump’s first term benefited no one; it made trade more costly and hindered growth in both countries,” Murphy Cruise said.- China’s weaker position -For now, analysts believe the latest measures won’t bite too hard. “The 10 percent tariff is not a big shock to China’s economy,” Zhang Zhiwei at Pinpoint Asset Management said in a note.”It’s unlikely to change the market expectation on China’s macro outlook this year, which already factored in higher tariffs from the US,” he added.And that could allow China to keep its powder dry in the event Trump’s first wave of tariffs are the prelude to a bigger showdown.The US president has ordered an in-depth review of Chinese trade practices, the results of which are due by April 1.That could serve as a “catalyst for more tariffs”, said Murphy Cruise, pushing Beijing to shift tactics. “This strategy of no retaliation may change if the US imposes additional significant tariffs later on,” UBS economists said.”In such a case, we think China may retaliate on a targeted basis and in a restrained manner, imposing tariffs on selected agricultural products, auto parts, energy,” they said.Experts added that China could also let the value of its currency devalue, increasing the competitiveness of its exports.Trump’s flagged talks with Beijing offer the two sides a chance to step back from the brink of a trade war that could hit hundreds of billions’ worth of goods.”China is looking to diffuse tensions,” Murphy Cruise said.”China’s economy is in a much weaker position this time around; it will be substantially harder to withstand a barrage of tariffs.”
Le procès de l’assaillant de Salman Rushdie s’ouvre aux Etats-Unis
Le procès du jeune homme accusé d’avoir failli tuer en l’attaquant au couteau l’écrivain Salman Rushdie, visé depuis 1989 par une fatwa de l’Iran réclamant sa mort pour ses “Versets sataniques”, s’ouvre mardi au nord de New York.Le procès doit démarrer par la sélection du jury devant un tribunal du comté de Chautauqua. Cette localité bucolique de l’Etat de New York, au bord du lac Erié, à la frontière avec le Canada, avait été secouée à l’été 2022 par cette agression qui avait coûté la vue à un œil à l’auteur américano-britannique, né en Inde.Hadi Matar, un Américano-libanais âgé aujourd’hui de 27 ans, est accusé de s’être rué sur Salman Rushdie le 12 août 2022, en pleine conférence littéraire, et de l’avoir poignardé à de multiples reprises, le blessant grièvement au visage, au cou et à l’abdomen.Le jeune homme a plaidé non coupable devant la justice de l’Etat de New York. Il est aussi poursuivi devant la justice fédérale pour “acte de terrorisme au nom du Hezbollah”, le mouvement libanais chiite soutenu par l’Iran.Téhéran avait nié toute implication dans l’attaque.Cette dernière avait choqué dans le monde entier, de la communauté littéraire aux capitales occidentales qui avaient apporté leur soutien à Salman Rushdie, symbole mondial de liberté d’expression. – “C’est donc toi” -Mais elle avait aussi été saluée par des extrémistes dans certains pays musulmans. L’auteur vit depuis plus de 30 ans sous la menace d’une fatwa de l’Iran réclamant sa mort pour la publication des “Versets sataniques” en 1988.”C’est donc toi”, avait confié avoir pensé l’auteur à la vue de l’assaillant. Apparu en public avec un cache-œil après son rétablissement, Salman Rushdie, 77 ans, a livré son récit de l’attaque dans son livre “Le Couteau” paru en 2024.Quelques jours après les faits, Hadi Matar avait lui été interviewé depuis sa prison par le tabloïd New York Post, auquel il avait confié avoir été “surpris” que Salman Rushdie ait survécu. Il n’avait pas dit s’il avait été inspiré par la fatwa lancée par l’ayatollah Khomeini mais indiqué qu’il ne “(l’aimait) pas” et il lui reprochait d’avoir “attaqué l’islam”.Selon sa mère, qui s’était exprimé sur le site internet du Daily Mail, il était revenu “changé” et plus religieux d’un voyage en 2018 au Liban, pays d’origine de sa famille.L’ouverture du procès a été reportée plusieurs fois et la sélection du jury peut prendre plusieurs jours. Salman Rushdie pourrait témoigner lors du procès.
Le procès de l’assaillant de Salman Rushdie s’ouvre aux Etats-Unis
Le procès du jeune homme accusé d’avoir failli tuer en l’attaquant au couteau l’écrivain Salman Rushdie, visé depuis 1989 par une fatwa de l’Iran réclamant sa mort pour ses “Versets sataniques”, s’ouvre mardi au nord de New York.Le procès doit démarrer par la sélection du jury devant un tribunal du comté de Chautauqua. Cette localité bucolique de l’Etat de New York, au bord du lac Erié, à la frontière avec le Canada, avait été secouée à l’été 2022 par cette agression qui avait coûté la vue à un œil à l’auteur américano-britannique, né en Inde.Hadi Matar, un Américano-libanais âgé aujourd’hui de 27 ans, est accusé de s’être rué sur Salman Rushdie le 12 août 2022, en pleine conférence littéraire, et de l’avoir poignardé à de multiples reprises, le blessant grièvement au visage, au cou et à l’abdomen.Le jeune homme a plaidé non coupable devant la justice de l’Etat de New York. Il est aussi poursuivi devant la justice fédérale pour “acte de terrorisme au nom du Hezbollah”, le mouvement libanais chiite soutenu par l’Iran.Téhéran avait nié toute implication dans l’attaque.Cette dernière avait choqué dans le monde entier, de la communauté littéraire aux capitales occidentales qui avaient apporté leur soutien à Salman Rushdie, symbole mondial de liberté d’expression. – “C’est donc toi” -Mais elle avait aussi été saluée par des extrémistes dans certains pays musulmans. L’auteur vit depuis plus de 30 ans sous la menace d’une fatwa de l’Iran réclamant sa mort pour la publication des “Versets sataniques” en 1988.”C’est donc toi”, avait confié avoir pensé l’auteur à la vue de l’assaillant. Apparu en public avec un cache-œil après son rétablissement, Salman Rushdie, 77 ans, a livré son récit de l’attaque dans son livre “Le Couteau” paru en 2024.Quelques jours après les faits, Hadi Matar avait lui été interviewé depuis sa prison par le tabloïd New York Post, auquel il avait confié avoir été “surpris” que Salman Rushdie ait survécu. Il n’avait pas dit s’il avait été inspiré par la fatwa lancée par l’ayatollah Khomeini mais indiqué qu’il ne “(l’aimait) pas” et il lui reprochait d’avoir “attaqué l’islam”.Selon sa mère, qui s’était exprimé sur le site internet du Daily Mail, il était revenu “changé” et plus religieux d’un voyage en 2018 au Liban, pays d’origine de sa famille.L’ouverture du procès a été reportée plusieurs fois et la sélection du jury peut prendre plusieurs jours. Salman Rushdie pourrait témoigner lors du procès.
Trump to host Netanyahu for crucial Gaza ceasefire talks
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump will discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the US president’s return to power.Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with the new Trump administration on a second, longer-term phase of Israel’s fragile truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has not yet been finalized.Trump has meanwhile repeatedly touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan, despite all those parties strongly rejecting his proposal.Before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said that Israel’s wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and its confrontations with Iran had “redrawn the map” in the Middle East.”But I believe that working closely with President Trump we can redraw it even further, and for the better,” Netanyahu said.The White House meeting promises to be a crucial one for a region shattered by war since Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.Netanyahu hailed the fact that he would be the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his January 20 inauguration as “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”The Israeli premier had tense relations with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden over the growing death toll in Gaza, despite Biden’s steadfast maintenance of US military aid.But Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire after 15 months of war and prides himself on his dealmaking ability, will be pushing Netanyahu to stick to the agreement.He is also expected to lean on Netanyahu to accept a deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, something he tried to do in his first term.- ‘No guarantees’ -Trump said Sunday that talks with Israel and other Middle Eastern countries were “progressing” — but then warned less than 24 hours later that there that were “no guarantees that the peace is going to hold.”Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — who met Netanyahu on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce — said however that he was “certainly hopeful” that the truce would stick.Hamas officials have said they were ready to begin talks on the details of the second phase, which is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and could lead to a more permanent end to the war.But Trump’s sudden floating of a plan to move people out of Gaza — which he describes as a “demolition site” — has added further uncertainty to an already tense and difficult situation.Trump said the plan could be temporary or permanent, but the mass displacement of civilians from Gaza was strongly rejected by Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians, and ceasefire mediator Qatar.Under the Gaza ceasefire’s 42-day first phase, Hamas is to free 33 hostages in staggered releases in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.Four hostage-prisoner exchanges have already taken place, and the truce has led to a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, as well as allowing displaced Gazans to return to the territory’s north.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,498 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.Israel has meanwhile turned its focus to the occupied West Bank and an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism that has killed dozens.
Trump to host Netanyahu for crucial Gaza ceasefire talks
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump will discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the US president’s return to power.Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with the new Trump administration on a second, longer-term phase of Israel’s fragile truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has not yet been finalized.Trump has meanwhile repeatedly touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan, despite all those parties strongly rejecting his proposal.Before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said that Israel’s wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and its confrontations with Iran had “redrawn the map” in the Middle East.”But I believe that working closely with President Trump we can redraw it even further, and for the better,” Netanyahu said.The White House meeting promises to be a crucial one for a region shattered by war since Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.Netanyahu hailed the fact that he would be the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his January 20 inauguration as “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”The Israeli premier had tense relations with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden over the growing death toll in Gaza, despite Biden’s steadfast maintenance of US military aid.But Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire after 15 months of war and prides himself on his dealmaking ability, will be pushing Netanyahu to stick to the agreement.He is also expected to lean on Netanyahu to accept a deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, something he tried to do in his first term.- ‘No guarantees’ -Trump said Sunday that talks with Israel and other Middle Eastern countries were “progressing” — but then warned less than 24 hours later that there that were “no guarantees that the peace is going to hold.”Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — who met Netanyahu on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce — said however that he was “certainly hopeful” that the truce would stick.Hamas officials have said they were ready to begin talks on the details of the second phase, which is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and could lead to a more permanent end to the war.But Trump’s sudden floating of a plan to move people out of Gaza — which he describes as a “demolition site” — has added further uncertainty to an already tense and difficult situation.Trump said the plan could be temporary or permanent, but the mass displacement of civilians from Gaza was strongly rejected by Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians, and ceasefire mediator Qatar.Under the Gaza ceasefire’s 42-day first phase, Hamas is to free 33 hostages in staggered releases in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.Four hostage-prisoner exchanges have already taken place, and the truce has led to a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, as well as allowing displaced Gazans to return to the territory’s north.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,498 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.Israel has meanwhile turned its focus to the occupied West Bank and an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism that has killed dozens.
Trump halts Canada and Mexico tariffs, China still targeted
US President Donald Trump delayed the start of tariffs on neighbors Mexico and Canada for a month Monday — but China remained in the firing line for levies that are putting the global economy on edge.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both struck last-minute deals with Trump to tighten border measures against the flow of migrants and the drug fentanyl into the United States.Global stock markets had slumped as Trump’s threat of sweeping 25 percent levies on exports from Canada and Mexico to the United States sparked fears of a global trade war.Trump said that after “very friendly” talks with Sheinbaum he would “immediately pause” the tariffs on Mexico, and that his counterpart had agreed to send 10,000 troops to the US-Mexico frontier.Tensions appeared higher between the United States and Canada — but after two calls with Trudeau, Trump said on Truth Social that Canada had “agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl.”Trudeau said Canada would deploy nearly 10,000 frontline officers to help secure the border, list drug cartels as terrorists, appoint a “Fentanyl Czar” and crack down on money laundering.It was not clear the real extent of the changes on the Canadian border, given that authorities said in December they already had 8,500 personnel deployed.- Stocks slump -But China is still due to face a further 10 percent duty on top of existing levies.The US president said last-minute talks between Washington and Beijing were due in a bid to reach an agreement.His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News “there is a plan for him to talk to President Xi in the next 24 hours.”Canada, China and Mexico are the United States’s three biggest trading partners.Wall Street’s three main indices fell sharply in early deals, but clawed back ground after Trump’s announcement of the Mexico deal. The London, Paris and Frankfurt stock markets finished in the red.The White House said earlier there had been a “heck of a lot of talks” over the weekend.”This is not a trade war, this is a drug war,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC, complaining that “the Canadians appeared to have misunderstood the plain language.”However, US government figures show that only a minimal quantity of drugs enter via Canada.- 51st state? -Canada had vowed to respond strongly to the tariffs.Canadians have booed the US national anthem at sporting events, cancelled holidays in the United States and boycotted American products.Its most populous province Ontario on Monday had banned US firms from bidding on tens of billions of dollars in government contracts — and dumped a deal with Trump ally Elon Musk’s Starlink.Trump has upped the pressure recently by calling Canada’s existence into question — once again advocating on Monday for it to become the 51st US state.A political crisis in the Canadian government over Trump’s tariff threats led to Trudeau announcing earlier this month that he would resign too. Canadians now face elections as early as April.Mexico has meanwhile been under heavy pressure to secure its border with the United States as Trump vows a massive crackdown on undocumented migrants.The US president — who has said that the word “tariff” is the “most beautiful word in the dictionary” — is going even further in his second term on the levies than he did in his first.He has insisted that the impact would be borne by foreign exporters without being passed on to American consumers, despite most experts saying the contrary.But the billionaire 78-year-old did acknowledge as he returned from a weekend at his Florida resort Sunday that Americans might feel economic “pain.”
Apple blasts porn app for iPhones in Europe
Apple on Monday called a pornography app available for iPhones in the European Union a danger to children, saying landmark digital rules there allowed it to get on to its handsets via an alternative to its App Store.Apple had long fiercely protected the App Store as the lone gateway for digital content to get onto its popular mobile devices. But the company loosened its grip in Europe last year, after the EU said the terms prevented app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative ways to pay, and began allowing users to use other stores to purchase apps. The App Store does not allow porn — but the Hot Tub app is offered on AltStore PAL, one such alternative marketplace.AltStore billed Hot Tub as “the first Apple-approved porn app” in a post Monday on social platform X. The app made it through an Apple review process for security and functionality. “We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,” Apple said when asked about the app by AFP. “Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store.”Apple last year became the first ever tech firm to face accusations of breaching a new EU law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA).It promised changes to comply with the DMA — including allowing developers in the EU to use alternative app marketplaces. – ‘All’ apps welcome -AltStore PAL launched early last year as an App Store alternative in the EU, according to a blog post by its creator, Riley Testut.”All apps are welcome, but I believe AltStore makes the most sense for smaller, indie apps that otherwise couldn’t exist due to App Store rules,” Testut said in the blog post.”We think iOS as a whole could benefit greatly from giving developers a chance to fully explore their ideas without arbitrary restrictions.”AltStore PAL initially charged users subscriptions of $1.55 (1.50 euros) annually to cover fees charged by Apple, but access became free in August after it received a grant from Epic Games, it said in a post on X. Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite game, has battled Apple in the courts to break its hold on the App Store.Epic and the European Commission did not immediately respond to a queries from AFP. “The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety,” Apple said of Hot Tub.Apple said that it shared concerns about the app with the European Commission in December.Apple has long argued that allowing “sideloading” of apps onto iPhones or iPads from places other that the App Store brings with it the risk of deceptive, dangerous and dubious digital content.