Stocks extend losses tracking AI, Fed and trade

Europe and Asian stock markets mostly fell Friday at the end of a fluctuating week as traders reacted to company earnings, central bank decisions and a tentative US-China trade truce.Mid-week comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have cast doubt over another cut to US interest rates in December.”The main culprit (for Friday’s losses) was uncertainty about the future policy of the Federal Reserve,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.”The negative response to Meta’s bloated AI spending also contributed to… selling, although US futures paint a brighter picture off the back of a surge in Amazon’s shares,” he added.Investor confidence in artificial intelligence had lifted markets at the start of the week, pushing California-based chip designer Nvidia to become the first $5 trillion firm and sending several stock markets to record highs.Sentiment was further boosted by a detente in the US-China trade war that has shaken global markets, though momentum faded as the two sides stopped short of producing a signed agreement.While the Fed on Wednesday cut interest rates as expected, Powell’s follow-up comments that another reduction by the end of the year was not guaranteed hit sentiment.The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan held their rates steady Thursday.The ECB’s stance was reinforced by data Friday showing inflation eased closer to the central bank’s two-percent target in October. European stocks slipped in Friday midday trades, tracking losses on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq closed down 1.6 percent Thursday.An earnings report released by Apple after US markets closed showed quarterly revenue that beat estimates, powered by iPhone and services revenue.Amazon also reported earnings that were better than expected, driven by surging demand for its cloud computing services.In Asia, Tokyo’s main benchmark gained more than two percent on Friday while Seoul added half a percent, with both reaching record closes.Japan’s climb came despite a sharp plunge in Nissan shares after the automotive giant said it expected to suffer an operating loss in its current fiscal year ending in March.Trading in Seoul ended just after an announcement by Nvidia that it will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea.In Hong Kong, shares of Chinese electric vehicle powerhouse BYD tumbled after results announced on Thursday evening showed a 33 percent year-on-year slump in third-quarter profit.Hong Kong’s main benchmark closed the day down 1.4 percent, while Shanghai finished 0.8 percent lower.Challenges in the Chinese economy were further highlighted by official data on Friday that showed factory activity shrinking in October for the seventh successive month.President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump struck several key deals during Thursday’s meeting that had been anticipated by observers.Washington agreed to cut some tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing committed to keeping supplies of critical rare earths flowing.Trump and Xi have not yet signed a comprehensive trade agreement, and experts say the meeting amounted to a tentative one-year truce in the trade war between the world’s top two economies.- Key figures at around 1140 GMT -London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 9,727.42 pointsParis – CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,142.16Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.3 at 24,059.15Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.1 percent at 52,411.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 25,906.65 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,954.79 (close)New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 47,522.12 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1559 from $1.1564 on ThursdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3117 from $1.3142Dollar/yen: UP at 154.16 yen from 154.06 yenEuro/pound: UP at 88.15 from 87.98 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $60.33 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $64.11 per barrel

Les Britanniques saluent la déchéance d’Andrew, mais des questions demeurent

Les Britanniques saluent vendredi la décision historique du roi Charles de priver son frère Andrew du titre de prince, même si elle pourrait ne pas mettre fin à sa descente aux enfers et aux vélleités du Parlement de superviser la famille royale.”Enfin!” titre le Daily Mirror vendredi, tandis que le Sun ironise sur “Andrew précédemment connu sous le nom de prince”. La dernière fois qu’un prince a été déchu de son titre par le roi remonte à 1919, sous le roi George V.A l’annonce que Charles lui avait non seulement retiré son titre de prince mais aussi ordonné son exil loin de Windsor, le public qui assistait à l’enregistrement jeudi soir d’un programme phare de la BBC a même spontanément applaudi. “C’est vraiment un pas courageux, important et juste de la part du roi”, a immédiatement réagi la secrétaire d’Etat à la Culture Lisa Nandy.  “Le roi a agi avec détermination et fermeté pour l’expulser de Royal Lodge. Sa Majesté et le prince William ne pouvaient plus supporter que la famille royale subisse davantage de dommages”, écrivait aussi le Sun vendredi.Car l’interminable scandale né des liens entre Andrew et le pédocriminel américain Jeffrey Epstein empoisonne la vie de la famille royale depuis 2011. Depuis que la principale accusatrice du financier américain accuse le deuxième fils d’Elizabeth II de l’avoir exploitée sexuellement, dont deux fois lorsqu’elle avait 17 ans. Accusations qu’Andrew a toujours niées, sans convaincre.  Même si Andrew, 65 ans, n’exerçait plus aucune fonction officielle depuis 2019, les accusations à son endroit n’ont cessé de rebondir, portées ces derniers jours par la publication des mémoires posthumes de Virginia Giuffre, où elle égrène ses accusations avec force détails.Même après qu’il eut annoncé le 17 octobre renoncer au titre de duc de York, d’autres révélations embarrassantes ont émergé. Comme le fait qu’Andrew ait hébergé chez lui Jeffrey Epstein, sa complice Ghislaine Maxwell et l’ex-producteur hollywoodien Harvey Weinstein, condamné pour viol, pour l’anniversaire de sa fille aînée en 2006.- Décision tardive? – La situation semblait donc devenue intenable pour la famille royale. Et malgré les louanges, beaucoup soulignaient aussi vendredi que la décision intervenait tardivement. Une source au palais de Buckingham a cependant fait valoir qu’elle avait nécessité “une expertise juridique et constitutionnelle”. Concrètement, Andrew, qui reste huitième dans l’ordre de succession au trône, ira s’installer à 180 km de Londres, à Sandringham dans le Norfolk, propriété privée de Charles qui continuera à soutenir financièrement Andrew. On ignore pour l’instant la date de son déménagement de la Royal Lodge, luxueuse propriété de 30 pièces située sur le domaine royal de Windsor, à l’ouest de Londres. Des sources au palais de Buckingham ont indiqué qu’il interviendrait “dès que pratiquement possible”, et les médias britanniques campent devant sa propriété. En exilant Andrew dans la campagne anglaise, l’objectif du roi Charles est clair: faire oublier ce frère si toxique et sortir la famille royale du scandale. Mais de nombreuses questions demeurent. Pour Andrew Lownie, biographe du duc déchu, l’ex-prince est cependant loin d’être tiré d’affaire et pourrait même faire l’objet de poursuites judiciaires.- “Rendre des comptes” -La police de Londres enquête notamment sur une information de presse selon laquelle Andrew aurait notamment demandé au policier chargé de sa sécurité de chercher des informations sur Virginia Giuffre pour la discréditer.Un groupe anti-monarchiste nommé Republic a aussi fait savoir qu’il avait demandé à des avocats d’explorer la possibilité de lancer une enquête à titre privé. Et le frère de Virginia Giuffre, Sky Roberts, s’est juré de continuer à poursuivre Andrew. “Je félicite le roi, je pense qu’il fait un travail formidable” mais “il faut aller plus loin: il doit être en prison”, a-t-il déclaré sur la BBC depuis les Etats-Unis. La question plus large d’un contrôle du Parlement sur la famille royale, apparue ces derniers jours, pourrait aussi rester d’actualité. La députée Rachael Maskell, qui a déposé une proposition de loi visant à permettre au roi ou à une commission parlementaire de retirer des titres de noblesse à tous ceux qui en seraient détenteurs, appelle à ne pas relâcher la pression sur la famille royale.”Je pense que le monde a évolué, et nous avons besoin que la monarchie rende des comptes par tous les moyens”, a-t-elle déclaré vendredi à la BBC.

Nvidia annonce qu’il fournira 260.000 de ses puces les plus sophistiquées à la Corée du Sud

Le mastodonte américain des puces Nvidia a annoncé vendredi qu’il fournira 260.000 de ses semi-conducteurs les plus performants à la Corée du Sud, lors d’une rencontre entre son patron Jensen Huang et le président sud-coréen Lee Jae Myung.La firme californienne a indiqué qu’il “travaillait avec la Corée du Sud pour étendre l’infrastructure d’intelligence artificielle (IA) …

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RATP: Jean Bassères assurera l’intérim après le départ de Jean Castex à la SNCF

Jean Bassères, ancien dirigeant de Pôle Emploi, va assurer l’intérim à la tête de la RATP, après le départ de Jean Castex aux commandes de la SNCF, et il sera secondé pour la direction opérationnelle par Jean-Yves Leclercq, l’actuel directeur financier, a indiqué la RATP vendredi. Un arrêté des ministères de l’Economie et des Transports, publié vendredi, indique que M. Bassères, âgé de 65 ans, prendra ses fonctions de président-directeur-général par intérim du groupe de transports publics parisien à compter du 3 novembre.”A ce titre, il présidera le conseil d’administration du groupe”, a indiqué un porte-parole de cet établissement public à l’AFP. Un communiqué de la RATP précise que Jean-Yves Leclercq, membre du comité de direction chargé de la stratégie, de la finance et de la performance durable du groupe, prendra en main la partie opérationnelle à ses côtés, avec le titre de directeur général.Membre du conseil d’administration de la RATP depuis mars 2024, M. Bassères, inspecteur des Finances a dirigé Pôle Emploi (rebaptisé France Travail) de 2011 à 2023. Ancien élève de l’Ecole nationale d’administration et diplômé de Sciences Po Paris, Jean Bassères a également assuré la direction de ce dernier comme administrateur provisoire, nommé par le gouvernement entre mars et septembre 2024, après la démission de l’ancien directeur Mathias Vicherat. Il a également présidé la commission chargée de la réforme de l’Institut national du service public (INSP, ex-ENA).Ce haut fonctionnaire, originaire de Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) et père de trois enfants, a fait ses armes dans des cabinets ministériels socialistes. M. Leclercq, l’un des piliers de la RATP dont il est le directeur financier depuis 2018, avait déjà effectué un interim de plusieurs mois avant l’arrivée de Jean Castex.Avant son arrivée à la RATP, entre 1994 et 2008, il avait occupé plusieurs postes au sein du ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de l’Industrie, notamment ceux de sous-directeur services, aéronautique, défense au sein de l’agence des participations de l’Etat, puis il a occupé les fonctions de directeur finance stratégie juridique de SNCF Voyages. 

Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire, to hold another round of peace talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend a temporary ceasefire and will hold another round of peace talks in Istanbul next week, aiming to defuse tensions after a deadly flare-up this month.The talks, set for November 6, follow the worst clashes between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.Until Turkey and Qatar mediated a ceasefire, more than 70 people were killed and hundreds wounded in violence that erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.”All parties have agreed on continuation of ceasefire,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Thursday, adding that a monitoring mechanism would be established to ensure peace and penalise the violating party.The two sides had been holding talks in Istanbul under Turkish and Qatari mediation until Islamabad said Wednesday that the negotiations had collapsed.The following evening, Turkey announced that the warring parties had agreed to extend the truce.Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Friday the talks concluded with “agreement that both sides will meet again and discuss the remaining issues”. “The Islamic Emirate seeks good relations with other neighbouring countries, it also desires positive ties with Pakistan and remains committed to relations based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, and not posing a threat to any side,” he said on X.Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Friday “the ceasefire holds”.”We have taken note of assurances from the Afghan side on this issue,” foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told journalists.Islamabad “hopes for a positive outcome” in the talks, and is “entitled to be this optimistic for the subsequent round” of negotiations, Andrabi said.- ‘Tired’ -Relations between the one-time allies, who share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier, have deteriorated in recent years. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militant groups that stage cross-border attacks, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says uses Afghan territory as a base.The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.”Our inflexible demand is attacks (should stop) from Afghan soil, and that the Afghan Taliban in Kabul should stop providing shelter to the TTP,” Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in remarks broadcast on state-run PTV.”We are Muslims, brothers, neighbours, but some (in Pakistan), consciously or unconsciously, are playing with fire and war,” Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani declared on Thursday.The border between the two countries has been closed for more than two weeks, biting into the earnings of conflict-weary traders.In Kandahar on the Afghan side, Nazir Ahmed, a cloth trader, told AFP both countries “will bear losses”.”Our nation is tired and their nation is also tired,” the 35-year-old said Wednesday.Abdul Jabbar, a vehicle spare parts trader in the Pakistani border town of Chaman, said “trade suffers greatly”.”Both countries face losses — both are Islamic nations,” he told AFP.The violence killed at least 50 Afghan civilians and wounded 447 others in one week, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told AFP on Monday.Pakistan’s military said on October 12 that 23 personnel had been killed and 29 wounded, without detailing civilian casualties.

Sudan’s RSF says arrests fighters accused of abuses in El-Fasher

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they had arrested several fighters accused of committing abuses during the capture of the western city of El-Fasher, as a UN official warned the “horror is continuing” in both Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan.At war with the army since April 2023, the RSF seized El-Fasher on Sunday, dislodging the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur after an 18-month siege marked by bombardment and starvation.It has faced widespread accusations of grave abuses after taking the city, with survivors who reached the nearby town of Tawila telling AFP of mass killings, children shot in front of their parents, and civilians beaten and robbed as they fled.In a statement late Thursday, the RSF said it had detained several fighters accused of “violations that occurred during the liberation” of El-Fasher, including one known as Abu Lulu who appeared in multiple videos on his TikTok committing summary executions.In one clip verified by AFP, he is seen shooting unarmed men at close range. Another shows him standing among armed men celebrating near dozens of bodies and burnt vehicles.The RSF released a video appearing to show Abu Lulu behind bars in what they claimed to be a North Darfur prison.The RSF also affirmed its adherence to “the law, rules of conduct and military discipline during wartime”, saying that it had begun investigations to bring the fighters to justice.”Abu Lulu is arrested and will be brought to a fair trial according to the law,” one RSF member says in the video.Since Sunday, videos circulating online have purportedly shown men in RSF uniforms carrying out summary executions around the city, which has been cut off from all communications since its fall.Emtithal Mahmoud, a US-based Sudanese poet from El-Fasher, told AFP she recognised her cousin, Nadifa, in a video shared by RSF accounts, lying dead on the ground.- ‘Horror is continuing’ -Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair said she was sceptical that the purported arrests would bring an end to the violence.”We expect these atrocities to continue, particularly against non-Arab groups,” she told AFP, citing communities such as the Zaghawa, Fur, Berti and Masalit in Darfur. In 2023, the RSF — descended from the Janjaweed Arab militias accused of mass atrocities in Darfur two decades ago — was blamed for massacres against the Masalit tribe in West Darfur capital El-Geneina, killing up to 15,000 people.”Overall, these patterns reflect a disturbing repetition of ethnic tensions from 20 years ago, now compounded by disputes over resource control and political power in the country,” Khair said.More than 36,000 people have fled El-Fasher since Sunday, according to the UN’s migration agency, while the fate of about 177,000 civilians still trapped in the city remains unknown.The UN said Thursday that around 1,750 people had also fled the North Darfur town of Tina — to the west of El-Fasher — across the border into neighbouring Chad.UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Thursday there were “credible reports of widespread executions” after the RSF entered El-Fasher.”We cannot hear the screams, but… the horror is continuing,” he said, describing rapes, mutilations and killings with impunity.Fletcher said the RSF claimed to be investigating, but questioned its commitment amid the “appalling news” from North Darfur.RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo had earlier vowed accountability for “anyone who has made a mistake”.Satellite imagery analysed by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab showed clusters in the city “consistent with adult human bodies”, and discolouration that may indicate “pools of blood”, its director told AFP.- Bloodshed in Kordofan -Fletcher warned that bloodshed in Sudan was spreading beyond Darfur, with atrocities reported in the neighbouring Kordofan region.According to UN figures, between Sunday and Wednesday more than 35,000 people fled five localities in North Kordofan state, including Bara, which lies north of state capital El-Obeid on a key route to Darfur and was overrun by paramilitaries on Saturday.Martha Pobee, the assistant UN secretary-general for Africa, highlighted “reports of large-scale atrocities perpetrated” by the RSF in Bara, including, “reprisals against so-called ‘collaborators’, which are often ethnically motivated”.At least 50 civilians were killed there in recent days, both in fighting and executions, including five Red Crescent volunteers, according to the UN.Kordofan is “clearly going to be the next area of military escalation”, analyst Khair said.On Thursday, the RSF accused the army of launching a drone attack on a school in eastern North Kordofan, claiming dozens of students and teachers were killed or injured — an allegation the army denied.AFP could not independently verify the attack.Both the army and the RSF have faced war crimes accusations over the course of the conflict.The US has previously determined the RSF committed genocide in Darfur.El-Fasher’s fall to the RSF gave it full control over all five state capitals in Darfur, effectively splitting Sudan along an east-west axis. The paramilitaries have also established a self-declared rival government in Darfur.The army holds Sudan’s north, east and centre.