US slams China policies on chips but will delay tariffs to 2027

US trade officials determined that China should be punished for employing unfair tactics to dominate the semiconductor industry, but will wait 18 months to impose tariffs, American authorities said Tuesday.A US Trade Representative investigation concluded China’s targeting of semiconductors “for dominance is unreasonable and burdens or restricts US commerce and thus is actionable,” the agency said in a public notice.The current tariff level of 0 will be increased “in 18 months on June 23, 2027 to rate to be announced not fewer than 30 days prior to that date,” USTR said.USTR officials launched the probe in December 2024 in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, extending the initiative when US President Donald Trump took office in January.Trump has been a prolific purveyor of tariffs, unveiling sector-specific levies on steel, autos and other items, as well as broader measures to achieve a variety of policy objectives.The White House has jousted with Beijing, but reached a broad truce with China after a major escalation in the spring.The USTR’s “Section 301” probe concluded that China had employed “increasingly aggressive and sweeping non-market policies” to dominate semiconductors that have included “massive and persistent” state support of private actors and “wage-suppressing labor practices.”The USTR did not respond to an AFP query on the reason for the 18-month timeframe on tariffs.

US Supreme Court blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment in Chicago

The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown on Tuesday by blocking his deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.The conservative-dominated court kept in place for now a lower court order barring the deployment of troops on the streets of the city in the midwestern state of Illinois.”At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the court said in an unsigned order.Three conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch — dissented.The Republican president has sent National Guard troops to three Democratic-led cities this year — Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis — but his efforts to deploy soldiers in Portland and Chicago have been tied up in the courts. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, reacting to the court ruling, said the president “activated the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers, and to ensure rioters did not destroy federal buildings and property.””Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda,” Jackson said.JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, who strongly opposed the deployment along with the Democratic mayor of Chicago, welcomed the ruling, calling it a “big win for Illinois and American democracy.””This is an important step in curbing the Trump Administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism,” Pritzker said.After two lower courts blocked Trump from sending troops into Chicago, his administration made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.In his filing with the top court, Solicitor General John Sauer claimed federal agents in Chicago were being “forced to operate under the constant threat of mob violence.”The court order blocking deployment of the National Guard “improperly impinges on the president’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property,” Sauer added.The Supreme Court rebuff of the emergency appeal was a rare defeat for Trump at the top court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority.It was not immediately clear how Tuesday’s decision would affect the other cases where Democratic-ruled states have challenged Trump’s National Guard deployment.California and Oregon have both filed legal challenges against the Trump administration’s extraordinary domestic use of the National Guard.Trump sent troops to Los Angeles earlier this year to quell demonstrations sparked by a federal crackdown on undocumented migrants.A district court judge ruled it unlawful, but an appeals court panel allowed the Los Angeles deployment to proceed.Some 300 National Guard troops remain activated in the Chicago area but are not engaged in operations.

New Epstein files dump contains multiple Trump references

A new batch of Jeffrey Epstein files released Tuesday contains numerous references to President Donald Trump, including documents detailing flights he took on his then friend’s private jet, and other claims that his Justice Department described as “untrue and sensationalist.”The latest release contains reams of previously unseen material from the investigation into Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.A first collection of heavily redacted files made public last Friday sparked criticism that the Justice Department was deliberately excluding references to Trump.Trump figures prominently, however, in the thousands of documents published on Tuesday, underlining his close ties to the disgraced financier who was already a convicted sex offender when the more serious trafficking case began.The Justice Department issued a statement defending the 79-year-old Republican shortly after the files dropped, saying some documents “contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump.”Trump, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about Epstein.But a rebellion inside Trump’s Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the documents.The extraordinary move reflected intense political pressure to address what many Americans, including Trump’s own supporters, have long suspected to be a cover-up to protect rich and powerful men in Epstein’s orbit.- Private jet trips -Trump said Monday he did not approve of the file dumps, expressing concern that people who “innocently met” Epstein over the years risked having their reputations smeared.”Everybody was friendly with this guy,” he said.He did not immediately react to Tuesday’s release.Despite attempts to distance himself, Trump was friends for years with Epstein and has given different accounts of how he ended their relationship.Most recently, he said he threw him out of his Florida golf club for being “a creep.”However, he has also said they fell out when Epstein “stole” young women working in the spa at his club.The latest documents add to evidence that Trump was close to Epstein.They include a January 2020 note from New York federal prosecutors who were investigating Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, detailing Trump’s repeated travel — eight trips between 1993 and 1996 — on the financier’s private jet.”Records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware),” it says.One flight reportedly had just three passengers: Epstein, Trump and an unidentified 20-year-old.- Delays -One Trump reference was swiftly disputed by the Department of Justice.A handwritten letter released in Tuesday’s tranche was purportedly written by Epstein, while in jail, to Larry Nassar, the former US gymnastics doctor who was imprisoned over rampant abuse of female athletes.Epstein is shown complaining to Nassar that they are incarcerated while the “president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch.'”In a statement the DOJ said the FBI “has confirmed this alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar is FAKE,” saying it was postmarked three days after Epstein’s death, and entered the mail system in Virginia, despite him being jailed in New York.Trump critics say the government continues to slow-walk the release of embarrassing material.At least two emails in the cache mention 10 unidentified “co-conspirators” of Epstein, and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for the Justice Department to look into potential Epstein accomplices.”The Department of Justice needs to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute,” the senator said.Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes.

Contenders Senegal, Nigeria start Cup of Nations campaigns with winsTue, 23 Dec 2025 22:10:36 GMT

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as much-fancied Senegal began their Africa Cup of Nations bid with a convincing 3-0 win over Botswana on Tuesday, while Nigeria’s Super Eagles made harder work of their opening match against Tanzania before claiming a 2-1 victory.Elsewhere there were also wins for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tunisia as the …

Contenders Senegal, Nigeria start Cup of Nations campaigns with winsTue, 23 Dec 2025 22:10:36 GMT Read More »

CAN-2025: la Tunisie s’impose 3-1 face à l’Ouganda pour son entrée en lice

La Tunisie s’est imposée facilement 3 à 1 contre l’Ouganda mardi à Rabat pour son entrée en lice dans la CAN-2025, avec notamment un doublé de son attaquant Elias Achouri.Les Aigles de Carthage, en quête d’un deuxième sacre dans une Coupe d’Afrique depuis leur titre à domicile en 2004, ont nettement dominé la rencontre face à des Ougandais qui faisaient leur retour dans la compétition continentale après avoir manqué les deux dernières éditions. Les hommes de Sami Trabelsi ont ouvert la marque dès la 10e minute, sous une pluie battante et sur la pelouse gorgée d’eau du stade Moulay Abdellah: après un corner du très remuant Hannibal Mejbri, le milieu de Francfort Ellyes Skhiri a trouvé les filets ougandais d’une belle tête (10e).Elias Achouri a enfoncé le clou une demi-heure plus tard d’une superbe reprise de volée après un centre ultra précis d’Ali Abdi (40e).En seconde mi-temps alors que la pluie avait cessé, Achouri a repris opportunément un ballon dans la surface pour un doublé (65e). A la 83e, Hannibal Mejbri aurait encore pu agraver le score sur coup-franc si Salim Magoola n’avait pas réussi un bel arrêt.Denis Omedi a réduit la marque pour l’Ouganda dans le temps additionnel (90e+2).  La Tunisie prend la première place du groupe C devant le Nigeria, qui s’est imposé plus tôt 2-1 contre la Tanzanie dans ce même groupe. Tunisiens et Nigérians s’affronteront samedi à Fès (21h00).

S&P 500 surges to record after strong US economic report

The S&P 500 powered to a fresh record Tuesday following data showing surprisingly robust third-quarter US economic growth as markets hope for a year-end “Santa Claus Rally.”All three major Wall Street indices advanced, shaking off early choppiness after the strong US gross domestic product report sparked talk that the Federal Reserve could refrain from further interest rate cuts.”The GDP number was unambiguously good and eventually markets come around to the realization that good news is good news,” said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management.”Unfortunately, the knee-jerk reaction was: ‘If the economy is that strong, does the Fed need to cut anymore?'” said Hogan. “Luckily today, we shed that thought process.”US GDP came in at 4.3 percent, the highest reading in two years, easily topping expectations for 3.2 percent growth.Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote that the report shows the resiliency of US consumers, boding “well for 2026.””If the economy can avoid widespread layoffs, most American consumers can keep spending,” she said.The S&P 500 finished up 0.5 percent at 6,909.79, narrowly topping a record set earlier this month.Separate data showed US consumer confidence fell in December, as a slowing job market offset better sentiment after the government shutdown ended, according to a Conference Board survey.eToro investment analyst Bret Kenwell noted the headline figure has now declined for five straight months, and the component showing the confidence of consumers in their present situation is at its lowest since February 2021.”Simply put, despite solid GDP figures and a stock market at record highs, consumers are feeling some anxiety,” he said.Gold jumped to a high above $4,497 per ounce, while silver surged above $70 an ounce, with the US blockade against Venezuela and the Ukraine conflict adding support.Copper, which is used in electric vehicle batteries and solar panels, hit a record price of $12,159.50 per ton.”Silver and above all copper are benefitting from structural support from the energy transition, electrification the colossal needs for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence,” said John Plassard, an analyst at Cite Gestion Private Bank.Europe’s main stock markets ended mixed.”European stock markets appear to have entered a period of consolidation as we head into the final trading days of 2025,” said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.”With the Santa rally period traditionally taking place over the final five days of the year, investors will be hoping that the bulls are gathering momentum for a final push tomorrow onwards,” he added.Asian markets enjoyed a bright start, although some stuttered as the day wore on.On currency markets, the yen extended gains after Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama flagged authorities’ powers to step in to support the unit, citing speculative moves in markets.The yen suffered heavy selling after Bank of Japan boss Kazuo Ueda held off signaling another rate hike anytime soon following last week’s increase.In company news, shares in Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk jumped more than eight percent after the US approved its popular GLP-1 anti-obesity drug Wegovy to be administered in pill form for weight loss.- Key figures at around 2115 GMT – New York – Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 48,442.41 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.5 percent at 6,909.79 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 23,561.84 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 at 9,889.22 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,103.85 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 24,340.06 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 50,412.87 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 25,774.14 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,919.98 (close)Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.27 yen from 157.05 yen on MondayEuro/dollar: UP $1.1791 from $1.1762Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3499 from $1.3461Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.34 pence from 87.37 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.6 percent at $58.38 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $62.38 per barrelburs-rl/rmb/jgc

La relation entre Trump et Epstein au coeur de nouveaux documents publiés

Le nom de Donald Trump apparaît à de multiples reprises dans une nouvelle volée de documents de l’affaire Epstein publiés mardi, qui illustrent ses liens passés avec le criminel sexuel, retrouvé pendu dans sa cellule en 2019.Le ministère américain de la Justice a affirmé que certaines de ces pièces, dont l’une montre que le président américain aurait voyagé plusieurs fois dans l’avion de Jeffrey Epstein, contenaient des affirmations “fausses et sensationnalistes”.Le principal intéressé, qui passe la période des fêtes en Floride, n’a pas immédiatement réagi à la diffusion de ces 11.000 nouvelles pièces, venant après une première volée de documents divulgués vendredi. Donald Trump a passé sa matinée au golf avant de regagner sa propriété de Mar-a-Lago. Il s’est bien exprimé sur son réseau Truth Social, mais sur des sujets sans rapport avec cette affaire politiquement explosive.Lundi, il avait dit craindre que cette diffusion, à laquelle le gouvernement est contraint par une loi du Congrès, n’affecte “l’image” de personnes “ayant innocemment rencontré” Jeffrey Epstein dans des soirées.Donald Trump, qui n’a jamais été accusé d’actes criminels en rapport avec l’ancien financier, a tenté en vain d’empêcher la publication des documents, suscitant l’incompréhension de nombreux partisans de son mouvement “MAGA”. – Lettre manuscrite -Le président américain reconnaît avoir fréquenté Jeffrey Epstein dans les années 1990, quand tous deux étaient des figures mondaines de la jet-set new-yorkaise, mais affirme avoir coupé les liens avant qu’il ne soit inquiété par la justice.Il maintient par ailleurs que leur relation n’était pas spécialement étroite.Le président américain apparaît pourtant huit fois sur la liste des passagers de l’avion privé de Jeffrey Epstein entre 1993 et 1996, dont une fois avec comme seuls autres voyageurs l’ancien financier et une personne âgée de 20 ans, affirme en 2020 un enquêteur dans un courriel rendu public.Deux autres nouveaux documents ont été particulièrement commentés mardi.Le premier est une lettre manuscrite apparemment signée de Jeffrey Epstein et destinée à Larry Nassar, ex-médecin de l’équipe américaine de gymnastique condamné à la prison à vie pour des centaines d’agressions sexuelles.Donald Trump y est décrit comme “partageant aussi notre amour des jeunes filles nubiles”.”Quand une jeune beauté passait devant lui, il adorait +attraper (sa) chatte+”, poursuit la lettre attribuée à l’ancien homme d’affaires.Le gouvernement a contesté l’authenticité de cette lettre. “Le FBI a confirmé que cette prétendue lettre (…) était FAUSSE”, a déclaré sur X le ministère de la Justice. La police fédérale est, selon le ministère, arrivée à cette conclusion après avoir notamment constaté que l’écriture ne semblait pas correspondre à celle de Jeffrey Epstein et que le courrier avait été traité trois jours après la mort de l’ancien financier, alors détenu dans l’attente de son procès.”Cette fausse lettre rappelle que le simple fait qu’un document soit rendu public par le ministère de la Justice ne signifie pas que les accusations ou affirmations qu’il contient soient factuelles”, a ajouté le ministère dans son message.- “Complices” -Une autre pièce saillante est un échange de courriers électroniques en 2019 entre agents du FBI évoquant l’existence de dix “complices” présumés de Jeffrey Epstein aux Etats-Unis.”Le ministère de la Justice doit faire davantage la lumière sur qui était sur la liste, sur leur implication et sur sa décision de ne pas poursuivre” ces personnes, s’est indigné dans un communiqué le chef de file des sénateurs démocrates, Chuck Schumer.Jeffrey Epstein était accusé d’avoir monté un vaste réseau d’exploitation sexuelle de jeunes filles mineures. Il s’est suicidé en prison en août 2019 selon les autorités, avant d’être jugé.Son ancienne collaboratrice Ghislaine Maxwell, accusée par plusieurs victimes présumées d’avoir aidé à les recruter, est la seule autre personne poursuivie dans cette affaire. Elle purge actuellement une peine de 20 ans de prison aux Etats-Unis.Plus de dix ans auparavant, le financier avait été accusé en Floride de recourir aux services de prostituées mineures et condamné en 2008 à une peine aménagée de prison de 13 mois, selon un accord secret passé avec un procureur, qui lui avait épargné des poursuites fédérales. 

Trump in Epstein files: five takeaways from latest release

The newest US document dump on Jeffrey Epstein is sprawling, uneven and heavily redacted — but tucked inside are moments that have sharpened scrutiny on President Donald Trump’s long-acknowledged past association with the notorious sex offender.The files do not rewrite the public record on Trump, although there is material that may prove embarrassing to the president.Trump has long denied any wrongdoing and the Justice Department says some claims in the files are flatly false.However, the documents do illuminate how federal investigators documented his proximity to Epstein — what they flagged, what they questioned, and what they ultimately set aside.The result is a collection of fragments rather than conclusions, ranging from flight records to internal emails and an unsettling piece of correspondence involving another convicted abuser.Here are five takeaways from the documents now in public view.- Trump’s travel on Epstein’s jet -The most concrete new detail is an internal email dated January 7, 2020, in which a New York prosecutor said flight records showed Trump took eight trips on Epstein’s private jet between 1993 and 1996 — more than investigators were aware of at the time.The email — marking the most detailed account yet of Trump’s travel alongside Epstein — says Ghislaine Maxwell was aboard at least four of those flights. Maxwell is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for offenses including sex trafficking a minor.It also describes one flight where the only passengers were Epstein, Trump and an unidentified 20-year-old whose name is redacted, plus two other flights involving women described as possible Maxwell-case witnesses.- Mar-a-Lago subpoena – The newly released documents show that prosecutors issued a November 2021 subpoena to Trump’s south Florida beach club Mar-a-Lago, seeking records relevant to the government’s case against Maxwell.Attached was a letter dated February 2015, on Mar-a-Lago letterhead, in which club officials indicate they did not have the employment records from 1999 to 2001 that federal agents were seeking.The presence of a subpoena does not imply wrongdoing by its recipient, but it does show investigators formally sought information from Trump’s property as they pursued Maxwell.- Photo with Trump and Maxwell -One newly disclosed email says someone reviewing data obtained from close Trump ally Steve Bannon’s cellphone found an “image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell.” The DOJ released the reference while redacting the photo itself.- Claims the DOJ calls false -In an unusual move, the DOJ explicitly warned that certain claims against Trump in documents submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election were “untrue and sensationalist.”The batch of newly released files describes FBI “tips” collected about Trump and Epstein-era parties in the early 2000s, with no clear indication in the documents of follow-up or corroboration.A tip from October 2020 alleges that Epstein hosted a party in 2000 where someone named Ghislaine Villeneuve brought the tipster. Someone at the party said Trump “had invited them all to a party at Mar-a-Lago” and the tipster indicated that she wanted to go but was told “it wasn’t that kind of party — it was for prostitutes.” The document doesn’t confirm follow-up and remains unverified.- Letter to Larry Nassar -The Justice Department said a disturbing handwritten letter among the newly released paperwork — purported to be from Epstein to disgraced former US gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar — was among the false claims and fake material.The message appeared to have been sent in August 2019, the month Epstein died by suicide — although DOJ officials said the postmark, return address and omission of an inmate number suggest it may not be genuine.They added that the handwriting didn’t appear to match Epstein’s.The letter’s author writes that Trump “shares our love of young, nubile girls,” a sentence that had no verified context but had captured media attention due to its graphic tone. The letter started, “As you know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home.” US media had taken the phrase to be a dark euphemism for Epstein’s suicide.