Budget de la Sécu : que prévoit le texte ?

Le projet de budget de la Sécurité sociale a été largement réécrit par les députés, qui ont amputé une large partie des économies initialement prévues.Suspension de la réforme des retraites, heures supplémentaires, taxe sur les mutuelles… Voici les principales mesures du texte sur lequel l’Assemblée se prononce mardi.- Retraites -Le projet de loi suspend jusqu’à janvier 2028 la marche vers l’âge légal de départ à 64 ans. La génération née en 1964 partirait à 62 ans et 9 mois au lieu de 63 ans. Et avec 170 trimestres cotisés au lieu de 171.L’application de la réforme reprendrait ensuite, avec un trimestre de décalage.Le texte contient également des mesures visant à mieux valoriser, au moment de la retraite, les carrières des femmes ayant eu des enfants.- Arrêts de travail -L’Assemblée a adopté une limitation de la durée des arrêts de travail: ils ne pourront excéder un mois pour une première prescription, et deux mois pour chaque renouvellement.- Revenus du capital -Après de multiples tractations, l’Assemblée a adopté un compromis entre gauche et droite : rehausser la contribution sociale généralisée sur le capital, taxe finançant la protection sociale, en réduisant le périmètre de la hausse.La gauche avait fait voter une hausse de 9,2% à 10,6%, pour 2,8 milliards de rendement. L’Assemblée l’a restreinte, excluant entre autres les PEL, assurances vie et autres revenus de location. Avec un rendement amputé à 1,5 milliard d’euros.- Heures supplémentaires -A l’initiative des Républicains, l’Assemblée a étendu aux entreprises de plus de 250 salariés une déduction de cotisations patronales sur les heures supplémentaires.- Surtaxe sur les mutuelles -Initialement mis en échec, le gouvernement a finalement réussi à faire adopter une taxation exceptionnelle des complémentaires santé, à hauteur de un milliard d’euros, avec le soutien des socialistes. Même si une partie des députés, principalement à gauche, s’inquiète d’une répercussion in fine sur les assurés.- Économies trop clivantes -Inflammable, le gel des pensions de retraite et minima sociaux, devant rapporter 3 milliards, a été supprimé.La suppression de l’exonération de cotisations en faveur des nouveaux apprentis, et la création d’une cotisation patronale sur les tickets-restaurants se sont aussi heurtées au rejet des députés.Le gouvernement a aussi annoncé renoncer à doubler par décret, sans approbation du Parlement, les franchises médicales, reste à charge pour les patients, par exemple sur les boîtes de médicaments.- Dépenses de l’assurance maladie, déficit -La hausse de l’objectif national des dépenses de l’assurance maladie (Ondam) était initialement d’1,6% (265,9 milliards d’euros en 2025). Très insuffisante, selon les parlementaires et certains acteurs, pour suivre les dépenses nécessaires à l’hôpital comme à la ville.Le gouvernement a déclaré viser finalement +3%, annonce interprétée comme un geste envers les écologistes.Un député LR y voit principalement la traduction du renoncement au doublement des franchises : “ça vous augmente l’Ondam, puisque vous allez avoir plus de dépenses et moins de recettes. C’est du faux argent”.Quant au déficit de la Sécu, selon l’entourage de la ministre des Comptes publics Amélie de Montchalin, il oscillerait entre 18 et 19,5 milliards d’euros en fonction du texte final. Mais en comptant 4,5 milliards transférés des caisses de l’Etat vers celles de la Sécu, reportant, selon la droite, le problème.parl-sac/la/sde/dsa

EU launches antitrust probe into Google’s data use for AI

The EU announced Tuesday it had opened a probe to assess whether Google breached antitrust rules by using content put online by media and other publishers to train and provide AI services without appropriate compensation.The European Commission said the investigation would look into concerns that the US tech giant might be distorting competition by imposing unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, or by granting itself privileged access to their output.”A free and democratic society depends on diverse media, open access to information, and a vibrant creative landscape,” the European Union’s competition chief, Teresa Ribera, said. “AI is bringing remarkable innovation and many benefits for people and businesses across Europe, but this progress cannot come at the expense of the principles at the heart of our societies”. The commission, the European Union’s antitrust regulator, said the probe would focus on two issues. It would look into whether Google used YouTube videos to train its generative AI models without adequately paying the creators who post the clips online — and without offering them the possibility to refuse such use of their content.”Google does not remunerate YouTube content creators for their content, nor does (it) allow them to upload their content on YouTube without allowing Google to use such data,” the commission said. “At the same time, rival developers of AI models are barred by YouTube policies from using YouTube content to train their own AI models.”The probe would also check whether the firm used online content from other sites, such as newspaper websites, to provide generative AI-powered services, again with no compensation or possibility to opt-out. This relates in particular to Google’s AI-generated summaries that pop-up in response to a user’s search query and to the firm’s “AI Mode” — a search tab similar to a chatbot which answers users’ questions, the commission said. “We are investigating whether Google may have imposed unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, while placing rival AI models developers at a disadvantage, in breach of EU competition rules,” Ribera said.There is no deadline for the commission to complete its investigation and the opening of a probe does not prejudge its outcome. The company, however, risks a hefty fine.

Most markets track Wall St losses as jitters set in ahead of Fed

Most stocks fell in Asia on Tuesday as investors grew nervous about the Federal Reserve’s plans for interest rates next year following an expected cut this week.With traders fully confident of a reduction Wednesday, observers said they would be keeping a close eye on the central bank’s so-called “dot plot” of projections for monetary policy.They will also be poring over its post-meeting statement and boss Jerome Powell’s news conference, looking for clues about the debate taking place among decision-makers.Bets on a third successive cut — and more in 2026 — have surged on the back of data pointing to a weakening jobs market, which has offset concerns about stubbornly high inflation.That optimism was boosted last month by reports that President Donald Trump’s top economic aide Kevin Hassett — a proponent of more cuts — was the frontrunner to take the Fed’s helm when Powell’s term ends.However, the excitement has calmed in recent days and Bloomberg reported that markets are pricing two more reductions next year, down from the three expected last week.”This decision is unlikely to be unanimous, with dissent expected from hawks and doves,” wrote Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index.”The market sees two rate cuts by the summer. Should the Fed’s dot plot differ from this, there could be volatility,” Cincotta added.Pictet Wealth Management senior US economist Xiao Cui said: “We expect solid growth, above-target inflation, and a slowing labour market to increase internal divisions at the (policy board) and make 2026 a particularly challenging year for policymakers.”Downside risks to the labour market should lead the Committee to cut once more in December, before shifting to a quarterly pace of cuts in March and June.”However, she said her team “see risks that Fed cuts are delayed into the second half of 2026”.After a pullback in all three main indexes on Wall Street, Asian and European markets also struggled.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei, Mumbai and Manila were all down, though there were gains in Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta.London retreated at the open, while Paris and Frankfurt edged up.Chipmakers were mixed in Asia after Trump said he had reached an agreement with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to allow US chip giant Nvidia to export advanced artificial intelligence chips to China.The announcement marks a significant shift in US export policy for advanced AI chips, which Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden had heavily restricted over national security concerns.Biden’s administration required chip companies to create modified, less powerful versions specifically for the Chinese market.- Key figures at around 0815 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 50,655.10 (close) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 25,434.23 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,909.52 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,637.55 Dollar/yen: UP at 156.16 yen from 155.86 yen on MondayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1642 from $1.1640Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3329 from $1.3328 Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.32 pence from 87.34 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $58.79 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $62.43 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 47,739.32 (close)

Trump says US will allow sale of Nvidia AI chips to China

President Donald Trump said Monday he had reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping to allow US chip giant Nvidia to export advanced artificial intelligence chips to China.The announcement marked a significant shift in US export policy for advanced AI chips, which Joe Biden’s administration had heavily restricted over national security concerns about Chinese military applications.Democrats in Congress quickly dismissed the shift as a huge mistake that will help the Chinese military and economy.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had informed Xi that Washington would permit Nvidia to ship its H200 products to “approved customers in China, and other countries, under conditions that allow for continued strong National Security.””President Xi responded positively! $25% will be paid to the United States of America,” Trump wrote, without providing details on how the payment mechanism would work.Trump criticized his predecessor’s approach, saying it “forced our Great Companies to spend BILLIONS OF DOLLARS building ‘degraded’ products that nobody wanted, a terrible idea that slowed Innovation, and hurt the American Worker.”This referred to the Biden administration’s requirement for chip companies to create modified, less powerful versions specifically for the Chinese market.These chips had reduced capabilities — lower processing speeds, for example — to comply with export control regulations.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun did not directly confirm the agreement when asked, but said that “China has always advocated for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes through cooperation between China and the United States.”- Not Blackwell -Under Biden-era restrictions, the H200 and similar advanced chips were blocked from export to China.”We applaud President Trump’s decision to allow America’s chip industry to compete to support high paying jobs and manufacturing in America,” an Nvidia spokesperson told AFP.”Offering H200 to approved commercial customers, vetted by the Department of Commerce, strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America.”Trump emphasized that Nvidia’s most advanced chips — the Blackwell series and forthcoming Rubin processors — are not included in the agreement and remain available only to US customers.The H200s are roughly 18 months behind the company’s state-of-the-art offerings.The chips — graphic processing units or GPUs — are used to train the AI models that are the bedrock of the generative AI revolution launched with the release of ChatGPT in 2022.The Commerce Department is finalizing implementation details, with Trump saying “the same approach will apply to AMD, Intel, and other GREAT American Companies.”- AI race -The announcement comes as Washington and Beijing compete for dominance in artificial intelligence technology.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang lobbied the White House intensely to reverse the Biden-era policy despite considerable opposition in Washington to giving Chinese companies access to powerful chips.Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, attributed the deal to a “backroom meeting” with Trump and Huang’s company’s donation to build the East Wing ballroom at the White House.She and other senior Democrats in the Senate issued a separate statement calling Trump’s decision “a colossal economic and national security failure.””Access to these chips would give China’s military transformational technology to make its weapons more lethal, carry out more effective cyberattacks against American businesses and critical infrastructure and strengthen their economic and manufacturing sector,” the lawmakers said.Trump’s post came the same day the US Justice Department announced the arrests of two Chinese businessmen in connection to an alleged scheme to smuggle Nvidia H100 and H200 chips from the US to China. It is unclear whether the agreement will impact the case.Alex Stapp, of the Washington-based Institute for Progress, called the policy a “massive own goal,” with the H200 “6x more powerful than the H20, which was previously the most powerful chip approved for export.”Zhang Yi, founder of Chinese tech research firm iiMedia, said that having Nvidia AI GPUs on the market was unlikely to reverse Beijing’s push to develop its own advanced chips.”Instead, it will actually force its acceleration,” with a 25-percent US charge increasing costs for Chinese companies, which already hold concerns over supply chain security, he told AFP.

Trump says US will allow sale of Nvidia AI chips to China

President Donald Trump said Monday he had reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping to allow US chip giant Nvidia to export advanced artificial intelligence chips to China.The announcement marked a significant shift in US export policy for advanced AI chips, which Joe Biden’s administration had heavily restricted over national security concerns about Chinese military applications.Democrats in Congress quickly dismissed the shift as a huge mistake that will help the Chinese military and economy.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had informed Xi that Washington would permit Nvidia to ship its H200 products to “approved customers in China, and other countries, under conditions that allow for continued strong National Security.””President Xi responded positively! $25% will be paid to the United States of America,” Trump wrote, without providing details on how the payment mechanism would work.Trump criticized his predecessor’s approach, saying it “forced our Great Companies to spend BILLIONS OF DOLLARS building ‘degraded’ products that nobody wanted, a terrible idea that slowed Innovation, and hurt the American Worker.”This referred to the Biden administration’s requirement for chip companies to create modified, less powerful versions specifically for the Chinese market.These chips had reduced capabilities — lower processing speeds, for example — to comply with export control regulations.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun did not directly confirm the agreement when asked, but said that “China has always advocated for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes through cooperation between China and the United States.”- Not Blackwell -Under Biden-era restrictions, the H200 and similar advanced chips were blocked from export to China.”We applaud President Trump’s decision to allow America’s chip industry to compete to support high paying jobs and manufacturing in America,” an Nvidia spokesperson told AFP.”Offering H200 to approved commercial customers, vetted by the Department of Commerce, strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America.”Trump emphasized that Nvidia’s most advanced chips — the Blackwell series and forthcoming Rubin processors — are not included in the agreement and remain available only to US customers.The H200s are roughly 18 months behind the company’s state-of-the-art offerings.The chips — graphic processing units or GPUs — are used to train the AI models that are the bedrock of the generative AI revolution launched with the release of ChatGPT in 2022.The Commerce Department is finalizing implementation details, with Trump saying “the same approach will apply to AMD, Intel, and other GREAT American Companies.”- AI race -The announcement comes as Washington and Beijing compete for dominance in artificial intelligence technology.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang lobbied the White House intensely to reverse the Biden-era policy despite considerable opposition in Washington to giving Chinese companies access to powerful chips.Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, attributed the deal to a “backroom meeting” with Trump and Huang’s company’s donation to build the East Wing ballroom at the White House.She and other senior Democrats in the Senate issued a separate statement calling Trump’s decision “a colossal economic and national security failure.””Access to these chips would give China’s military transformational technology to make its weapons more lethal, carry out more effective cyberattacks against American businesses and critical infrastructure and strengthen their economic and manufacturing sector,” the lawmakers said.Trump’s post came the same day the US Justice Department announced the arrests of two Chinese businessmen in connection to an alleged scheme to smuggle Nvidia H100 and H200 chips from the US to China. It is unclear whether the agreement will impact the case.Alex Stapp, of the Washington-based Institute for Progress, called the policy a “massive own goal,” with the H200 “6x more powerful than the H20, which was previously the most powerful chip approved for export.”Zhang Yi, founder of Chinese tech research firm iiMedia, said that having Nvidia AI GPUs on the market was unlikely to reverse Beijing’s push to develop its own advanced chips.”Instead, it will actually force its acceleration,” with a 25-percent US charge increasing costs for Chinese companies, which already hold concerns over supply chain security, he told AFP.

Owners fled after Indian nightclub blaze killed 25: police

The owners of an Indian nightclub in the tourist hotspot of Goa fled the country hours after a deadly fire at their business killed 25 people at the weekend, police have said.The majority of the victims of the tragedy, that struck a club in Arpora in the north of the coastal state, were staff members, including four Nepali citizens.The blaze was likely triggered by “electrical firecrackers”, officials said, with most people dying due to suffocation in the basement and kitchen area after wooden parts of the club caught fire.The owners of the club — brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra — boarded a flight for Phuket in Thailand “immediately after the incident”, Goa police said in a statement late on Monday. AFP did not immediately receive a reply after seeking comment from Saurabh Luthra.Police said officers travelled to New Delhi to carry out a raid at the brothers’ home but discovered the men had left the country.”It shows their intent to avoid police investigation,” police said.Authorities have appealed to Interpol for help to find the brothers. On Monday, Saurabh Luthra expressed “profound grief” over the tragedy and promised “every possible form” of assistance to the families of the victims.”The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident,” he said in a post on social media without revealing his whereabouts.Goa, nestled on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere.The state’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that four people had been arrested, and ordered checks on other nightclubs in the former Portuguese colony.Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations.

German exports tread water as US, China shipments fall

German exports almost stagnated in October, official data showed Tuesday, as heavy declines in shipments to the United States and China eclipsed growing trade with the rest of Europe.Overall exports from Europe’s top economy rose 0.1 percent to 131.3 billion euros ($153 billion) from a month earlier, according to preliminary data from federal statistics agency Destatis.Shipments to the United States — Germany’s top export market — plummeted almost eight percent as the effect of tariffs continues to exact a heavy toll. Exports to China fell nearly six percent, with demand weak as the Chinese economy battles a long slowdown and local companies increasingly compete with German firms in the key market. Total exports were slightly better than expected however — analysts had forecast a decline — as they were boosted by a near three-percent jump in sales to other European Union countries.ING economist Carsten Brzeski warned however that exports “are still facing rough headwinds” due to shifting trading relationships with the United States and China.”So far, the European market looks unable to offset these global headwinds,” he said.”It currently requires a lot of imagination to see a quick return of the export sector as a powerful growth engine for the German economy.”The German economy has been hit hard by an industrial slump and weak demand in key markets in recent years, and shrank in both 2024 and 2023. Most imports to Germany came from China in October, although they were down around five percent compared to to September. China recently overtook the United States to reclaim its position as Germany’s top trading partner, as the country redirects more of its exports to Europe due to US tariffs. Imports to Germany in October dropped 1.2 percent month-on-month to 114.5 billion euros. The trade surplus widened to 16.9 billion euros.