AFP - Squid Business

STMicroelectronics précise sa transformation malgré la brouille entre coactionnaires français et italien

Le groupe franco-italien de composants électroniques STMicroelectronics a détaillé jeudi la poursuite de son plan de transformation de l’entreprise, avec “jusqu’à 2.800” départs volontaires à l’échelle mondiale, sur fond de passe d’armes entre Paris et Rome au sujet de son PDG.Au cœur d’une montée des tensions entre ses coactionnaires, la France et l’Italie, amorcée mercredi, le groupe a déroulé plusieurs points de son projet de “remodelage de son empreinte industrielle et de redimensionnement de sa base de coûts globale”. “Jusqu’à 2.800 personnes” pourraient ainsi être concernées par des départs à l’échelle mondiale sur une période de trois ans et “sur la base du volontariat”.Ces départs s’ajouteront à “l’attrition naturelle” des effectifs et “devraient intervenir principalement en 2026 et 2027″, a précisé STMicroelectronics. Le détail des pays et des sites concernés n’a pas encore été indiqué.En parallèle, l’entreprise aux 50.000 salariés dans le monde a indiqué qu’elle concentrerait ses investissements des prochaines années sur quelques modèles essentiels à la construction de semi-conducteurs, et mise sur l’intelligence artificielle (IA) pour augmenter la productivité de ses sites.”En nous concentrant sur des infrastructures de fabrication de pointe et sur les technologies +mainstream+ (les plus vendues, NDLR), nous continuerons à tirer parti de tous nos sites existants, avec des missions redéfinies pour certains d’entre eux afin de soutenir leurs succès à long terme”, a indiqué le PDG du groupe Jean-Marc Chéry, cité dans le communiqué. Les contours du projet, annoncé en octobre, ont commencé à se dessiner fin janvier, quand STMicroelectronics a indiqué prévoir des économies sur ses charges d’exploitation à hauteur de 300 à 360 millions de dollars (entre 288 et 345 millions d’euros) à l’horizon 2027.- Opposition franco-italienne -Ces annonces surviennent en parallèle d’une vive montée des tensions entre Rome et Paris. Les deux pays, qui détiennent conjointement 27,5% des parts du groupe, tiennent des positions diamétralement opposées sur la gouvernance de l’entreprise et son PDG. Nommé en 2018, renouvelé pour un mandat de trois ans en 2023, Jean-Marc Chéry a vu le ministre italien des Finances Giancarlo Giorgetti lui retirer son soutien, dans des propos rapportés mercredi par Bloomberg et confirmés par le gouvernement à l’AFP. Une prise de position en lien avec le refus du conseil de surveillance de l’entreprise de soutenir l’une des deux candidatures proposées par Rome pour intégrer cette instance interne, qualifié d'”incompréhensible, très grave et inacceptable”. Le directeur général de Bpifrance et président du conseil de surveillance de STMicroelectronics, Nicolas Dufourcq, s’est inscrit en faux : selon lui, ce rejet de la candidature de Marcello Sala n’est en rien le fait de la France, mais des membres indépendants. Le conseil de surveillance a réaffirmé son soutien à M. Chéry jeudi.Rome, en parallèle, ne dévie pas de sa position. L’Italie compte proposer à nouveau M. Sala, proche de la Première ministre Giorgia Meloni, pour le poste resté vacant. Jeudi, un autre ministre italien, Adolfo Urso, en charge des Entreprises, s’est rangé aux côtés de son collègue de l’exécutif. “C’est le moment de s’attaquer aux questions liées au développement industriel et donc aux investissements en Italie”, a martelé M. Urso, avant que le groupe n’annonce les détails de son plan de transformation. STMicroelectronics, qui a enregistré sur l’année 2024 une baisse de plus de 60% de son bénéfice, à 1,56 milliard de dollars (1,5 milliard d’euros), doit en parallèle faire face à une “class action”, ou action de groupe, lancée à l’été 2024 aux États-Unis. Dans sa plainte, un actionnaire reproche à Jean-Marc Chéry et au directeur financier du groupe, Lorenzo Grandi, d’avoir fourni “des déclarations extrêmement positives” avant la publication de mauvais résultats qui ont provoqué la chute du cours de Bourse.Le conseil de surveillance a qualifié de “fausses” les accusations portées contre les membres de la direction d’avoir vendu leurs actions avant publication des résultats. “Les ventes d’actions effectuées pendant la période d’interdiction de la société ont été réalisées par l’administrateur du plan d’actions de la société, par le biais d’une procédure automatique, afin de se conformer aux règles fiscales suisses”, a indiqué l’organe.Il assure ainsi que “la société dispose d’une bonne défense contre les allégations” à son encontre.

Lebanon’s civil war fighters working for reconciliation, 50 years on

Near front lines where they once battled each other, former fighters in Lebanon’s civil war now gather to bear the same message, half a century after the devastating conflict erupted: never again.The war killed 150,000 people, destroyed the country and left an indelible mark on the Lebanese psyche.Years after it ended in 1990, some buildings in the freewheeling capital remain riddled with bullet holes, and 17,000 people who went missing were never found.”It was a useless war,” said Georges Mazraani, a Christian who took up arms in Beirut’s working-class neighbourhood of Ain al-Remmaneh, where the conflict started.The Christian district is separated from the Muslim neighbourhood of Shiyah by just one street that went on to become a key front line.On April 13, 1975, members of the right-wing Christian Phalange militia machine-gunned a bus of Palestinians, leaving 27 dead, hours after assailants opened fire outside a nearby church, killing one of theirs.The incident that ignited the war remains seared in Lebanon’s memory.- ‘Reconciliation’ -The country had been on a knife-edge, with Palestinian fighters, and their Lebanese leftist and Muslim allies preparing for a confrontation against Christian groups, who were doing the same.For 15 years, a country once known as “the Switzerland of the Middle East” was ravaged by war along sectarian lines, with alliances shifting year after year with warlords building and breaking loyalties.And while the civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon has never recovered its former glory, remaining until 2005 under Syrian control, and with part of the country under Israeli occupation for two decades.Now grey, Mazraani was just 21 when he and other young men in his neighbourhood took up arms. He later went on to command hundreds of fighters.”I lost 17 years of my life and 14 family members,” he said, now 71 and ill.Near him plaques commemorating the “martyrs” of the Christian “resistance” adorn street corners.Today, “some people are encouraging civil war in Lebanon”, Mazraani said.”They should be quiet and open up to reconciliation, so we can be finished with this problem.” – ‘Ask for forgiveness’ -With Mazraani is Nassim Assaad, who fought for the Lebanese Communist Party, a onetime foe.”It’s the poor” on both sides “who paid the price”, not the militia leaders, said Assaad, who was 18 when the war began.He and Mazraani are now part of Fighters for Peace, which brings together former enemies for peace-building activities including community outreach and awareness-raising at schools and universities.Assaad said many people were worried about a possible return to civil war in the country still reeling from a recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.”Today, the circumstances are even more conducive for it than in 1975,” he said.The key issue dividing Lebanon today is the arsenal of Hezbollah, the only group which refused to surrender its weapons to the state after the civil war ended.In Shiyah, the fighters of old have disappeared.Israel’s 1982 invasion and siege of Beirut dislodged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his fighters, while the leftist presence was replaced by Hezbollah, created with Iranian backing that year to fight the Israeli troops.The civil war ended with the Saudi-brokered Taif agreement, which established a new power-sharing system between Lebanon’s religious sects.An amnesty for war crimes left victims and their families without justice, and the country has chosen collective amnesia in order to move on.”We must go back over our experience of war and ask for forgiveness in order to reach a real reconciliation,” said Ziad Saab, president of Fighters for Peace. The power-sharing system was meant to be temporary, but in practice has enshrined the control of some former warlords, who swapped their military fatigues for suits, or their family members.Still today, periodic violence shakes the fragile balance.- ‘Lessons of the past’ -In the town of Souk al-Gharb, overlooking Beirut, former fighters from different backgrounds walk through grass covering the old front line to an abandoned bunker.The strategic town saw ferocious battles during the Mountain War between Christians and Druze that began in the wake of the Israeli invasion.”When I walk here, I’m afraid — not of mines, but because the ground is stained with the blood of my comrades,” said Soud Bou Shebl, 60, who fought with Christian militia the Lebanese Forces.Karam al-Aridi, 63, who led Druze fighters from the Progressive Socialist Party, said “war only causes death and problems”, saying his village of Baysur alone lost 140 men.”We must learn the lessons of the past,” he said. “No party must feel stronger than another, otherwise our country will be lost.”

Airbags Takata: Toyota et Mercedes vont aussi immobiliser des véhicules en France, selon le ministère des Transports

Les constructeurs automobiles Toyota et Mercedes vont devoir immobiliser à leur tour des milliers de véhicules en France pour changer leurs airbags, rendus dangereux par des composants défectueux, a indiqué jeudi le ministère français des Transports.Comme l’ont déjà fait Citroën et Volkswagen, Toyota et Mercedes vont notamment devoir identifier et rappeler “prochainement” vingt modèles commercialisés entre 2001 et 2018, en déconseillant à leur propriétaire de rouler tant que la réparation n’a pas été faite (une procédure appelée “stop drive”). Des populaires Toyota Yaris (produites entre 2001 et 2017) et Corolla (2001-2010) sont notamment concernées, ainsi que les Mercedes Classe A II produites entre 2004 et 2016 et Classe C II et III (2004-2016). Les airbags de 2,3 millions de véhicules restent encore à remplacer en métropole, a précisé le ministère dans un communiqué. Un porte-parole de Toyota a confirmé le lancement prochain d’une campagne de rappel en métropole après celle lancée outre-mer.Les propriétaires concernés doivent consulter le numéro d’identification de leur véhicule sur leur carte grise et vérifier sur le site internet des constructeurs.La situation des véhicules de la marque Chevrolet, plus rares sur les routes françaises, est également “sous surveillance particulière suite à des signalements”, a précisé le ministère dans un communiqué. Le scandale des airbags du fabricant japonais secoue le secteur de l’automobile depuis 2014: à cause d’un gaz qui vieillit mal, ces équipements de sécurité risquent d’exploser en projetant des pièces au visage des conducteurs. En France, 29 accidents liés à ces airbags ont été recensés, provoquant 11 décès outre-mer et un en métropole, selon le ministère des Transports. Le ministère des Transports oblige désormais les constructeurs automobiles à intensifier la recherche des véhicules encore équipés d’airbags dangereux, sous peine de lourdes sanctions financières, allant jusqu’à un million d’euros par jour de retard, selon un arrêté transmis à des concessionnaires le 7 avril et consulté par l’AFP.Les constructeurs doivent notamment “adresser un nouveau courrier à l’ensemble des propriétaires de véhicule concernés, leur demandant d’arrêter de conduire leur véhicule et de procéder au changement de leur airbag”, et mettre en place “un système d’information centralisé permettant un suivi des véhicules concernés” jusqu’au remplacement effectif de l’airbag.

Wall Street rally fizzles as tariff worries resurface

Wall Street shares fell Thursday as a rally faded over lingering concerns about the economic fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade war despite his U-turn on steep new tariffs.A larger-than-expected drop in US consumer inflation in March added to the pessimistic outlook, as it suggested that uncertainty over Trump’s tariff plans has already taken a toll on the world’s largest economy.Investors in response sold off the dollar, which had already taken a hit from the trade war worries, even though slowing inflation would give the Federal Reserve more room to cut interest rates to spur growth.”Is inflation moving sustainably lower or did businesses and consumers pull in the reins as they brace for an economic slowdown?” said Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at the eToro trading platform.”Getting lower inflation due to a material drop in economic activity — and thereby jeopardising the economy — isn’t the best route to take,” he added.Wall Street indices on Wednesday had posted their biggest one-day gains since 2008 after Trump announced the tariff pause, which had sent stocks lower around the globe in recent sessions.Asian and European markets staged their own rallies on Thursday.The shock decision to delay bigger levies on goods from scores of countries by 90 days drove the European Union to put its counter-tariffs on hold.The trade war fears had also pummelled US Treasuries — normally considered the safest option in times of crisis — a sign of how nervous investors had become.”The bottom line is that the tariff narrative still remains too volatile for comfort, and markets are searching for equilibrium in a sea of uncertainty,” said Fawad Razaqzada, a market analyst at StoneX.Trump nonetheless kept a baseline 10 percent tariff intact and ramped up his trade war with Beijing by hiking duties Chinese goods to 125 percent after facing strong retaliation.But Chinese markets still benefitted from the relief rally across Asia and Europe on Thursday, also gaining support from optimism that Beijing will unveil fresh stimulus measures to support its economy.Hong Kong rose more than two percent — a third day of gains after collapsing more than 13 percent on Monday, its worst trading day since the Asian financial crisis in 1997. “Crucially, we are currently still on course for a disorderly economic decoupling between the world’s two largest economies, with no immediate signs of either US or China backing down,” said Jim Reid, an analyst at Deutsche Bank. US Treasury yields have edged down after a successful auction of $38 billion in notes.That eased pressure on the bond market, which had fanned worries that investors were losing confidence in the United States.Tech firms were the standout performers, with Sony, Sharp, Panasonic and SoftBank chalking up double-digit gains, while airlines, car makers and casinos also enjoyed strong buying.Gold climbed two percent to $3,140 an ounce — closing in on its record touched last month — thanks to the weaker dollar and the metal’s safe-haven status. Oil prices dropped after bouncing more than four percent Wednesday, again under pressure from concerns about the global economy and its impact on demand.- Key figures around 1350 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 1.8 percent at 39,878.20New York – S&P 500: DOWN 2.1 percent at 5,339.21New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 2.8 percent at 16,641.78London – FTSE 100: UP 3.9 percent at 7,979.04 pointsParis – CAC 40: UP 4.9 percent at 7,200.24Frankfurt – DAX: UP 5.3 percent at 20,704.23 Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 9.1 percent at 34,609.00 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 20,681.78 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,223.64 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1130 from $1.0948 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 144.80 yen from 147.82 yen on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2928 from $1.2810Euro/pound: UP at 86.12 pence from 85.45 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 4.5 percent at $59.51 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 4.2 percent at $62.73 per barrel

Bétharram: François Bayrou entendu par la commission d’enquête le 14 mai

La commission d’enquête parlementaire sur les violences et les contrôles de l’État dans les établissements scolaires entendra le Premier ministre François Bayrou le 14 mai en tant qu’ancien ministre de l’Éducation nationale (1993-1997).Accusé par la gauche d’avoir menti sur sa connaissance des violences et agressions sexuelles au collège-lycée de Bétharram (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), qui a été fréquenté par plusieurs de ses enfants, François Bayrou a toujours “récusé” tout mensonge, parlant de “polémiques artificielles”. L’entourage du Premier ministre a confirmé à l’AFP qu’il se rendra bien devant la commission conduite par les co-rapporteurs Paul Vannier (LFI) et Violette Spillebout (Ensemble pour la République).”Il n’y a aucun nouvel élément” et “j’ai donné sur cette affaire tous les éléments”, a déclaré François Bayrou à la presse lors d’un déplacement à Lyon, le 13 mars.La commission d’enquête a également annoncé lors d’une conférence de presse à l’Assemblée nationale vouloir rencontrer les anciens ministres de l’Éducation nationale Nicole Belloubet, Pap N’Diaye, Jean-Michel Blanquer et l’actuelle ministre Élisabeth Borne.Évoquant les auditions de jeudi, notamment celle d’un ex-gendarme qui a répété qu’un magistrat lui avait parlé d’une “intervention” de François Bayrou quand il enquêtait sur des faits de viol visant un religieux de l’établissement en 1998, M. Vannier a jugé que ces propos “contredisent point par point” les déclarations de l’actuel Premier ministre sur le sujet.”Je pense que François Bayrou a menti”, a affirmé le député insoumis en parlant des témoignages entendus jeudi matin.La députée Spillebout a considéré de son côté que “pendant des dizaines d’années des établissements privés sous contrat n’ont vu aucun inspecteur (…) il va falloir que ça change”.

EU halts counter-tariffs but no pause in US-China trade war

The EU paused plans for retaliatory tariffs on US goods Thursday after President Donald Trump abruptly suspended higher US duties on the bloc and other countries, leaving China in the crosshairs of his trade war.Trump’s about-face on Wednesday triggered a massive market rebound but Wall Street’s rally fizzled on Thursday and the dollar slumped, as investors remain on edge over the outlook for the world economy.The US president halted steep tariffs on scores of nations for 90 days. But he kept a global baseline tariff of 10 percent intact and punished Beijing for retaliating by slapping a 125 percent duty on its goods.The European Union, which had faced a 20 percent tariff, welcomed Trump’s U-turn, saying it was an “important step towards stabilising the global economy”.The 27-nation bloc responded with its own olive branch, suspending for 90 days tariffs on 20 billion euros’ worth of US goods that had been greenlit in retaliation to duties on steel and aluminium.”We want to give negotiations a chance,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.She warned, however, that “if negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in” and that all options remain on the table.Other countries are also lining up to bargain.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Trump’s reversal a “welcome reprieve” and said Ottawa would begin negotiations with Washington on a new economic deal after elections on April 28.Vietnam said it had agreed with the United States to start trade talks, while Pakistan is sending a delegation to Washington.- China hits Hollywood -But there was no let-up in Trump’s trade war with China, which said the US tariffs policy “goes against the will of the world and goes against the whole world”.The heightened tariffs against China took effect at the same time as retaliatory levies of 84 percent imposed by Beijing on US imports.Beijing added Hollywood to its target list on Thursday as it announced it would “moderately reduce” the number of US films it imports.But China’s commerce ministry said the door remained open for dialogue.”We hope the US will meet China halfway, and, based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation,” Commerce Ministry spokeswoman He Yongqian said.Trump has predicted that trade deals will be made with all countries, including China, which has for now refused to roll back retaliatory tariffs on US goods.”A deal’s going to be made with China. A deal’s going to be made with every one of them,” Trump said at the White House. However, China’s leaders “don’t quite know how to go about it”.Trump believes his policy will revive America’s lost manufacturing base by forcing companies to relocate to the United States.The billionaire former property tycoon has particularly raged against China, accusing it of excess production and “dumping” inexpensive goods on other economies.- ‘A little queasy’ -Markets have been on a roller-coaster ride since Trump announced his tariff plans last week, with the 10 percent global levy taking effect on Saturday and the higher ones on Wednesday before the pause.Investors also began to dump US government bonds — a major economic red light since American sovereign debt is normally seen as a haven for investors in troubled times.”I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy,” Trump said Wednesday, though he denied that he backtracked on the tariffs.Wall Street’s main index were all down more than two percent as trading resumed on Thursday, a day after the tech-heavy Nasdaq soared 12 percent higher and the S&P 500 surged 9.5 percent.Asia and Europe caught up on Thursday, with Tokyo closing 9.1 percent higher as the Japanese government welcomed the tariff pause but demanded that other levies be halted.Paris and Frankfurt were up more than five percent in afternoon deals while London rose 4.5 percent.”This will go down in American history as the greatest trade negotiating day we have ever had,” said Trump’s senior trade advisor Peter Navarro.”We’re in a beautiful position for the next 90 days” to seek trade deals with partners, he told ABC News, adding that more than 75 have sought to negotiate with Washington.burs-oho-lth/phz

EU halts counter-tariffs but no pause in US-China trade war

US consumer inflation cools in March on falling gas prices

US consumer inflation cooled last month on plunging gas prices, according to government data published Thursday, as consumers and businesses waited nervously for President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs to come into effect.The US leader last week announced levies as high as 50 percent on imports from some countries, sending stock markets tumbling and bond yields rising — only to abruptly change course on all nations except China on Wednesday. Ahead of the dramatic market movements that accompanied those levies, the consumer price index (CPI) cooled to 2.4 percent in March from a year ago, the Labor Department said in a statement — lower than economists’ estimates. On a monthly basis, inflation actually contracted 0.1 percent from a month earlier, helped by a 6.3 percent drop in gasoline prices, which aided a 2.4 percent contraction in the energy index. The food index rose 0.4 percent in March.”What a difference 24 hours makes,” Northlight Asset Management chief investment officer Chris Zaccarelli wrote in a note to clients. “Not only is the immediate tariff threat pushed off for 3 months, but imminent inflation threat has been avoided for now.”He added that the data is “welcome news for the Federal Reserve, which would like to cut rates if significant damage is done to the economy through increased tariffs, but otherwise would be reluctant to cut rates in the face of an inflation threat.”- Under pressure -The Trump administration has been under pressure in recent weeks to explain how consumers will benefit from its tariff plans — which many economists and Federal Reserve officials say will stoke inflation and cool growth.The data published Thursday only shows the period in the run-up to the imposition of tariffs, and does not paint a picture of either the immediate or longer-term effects of those levies, which currently sit at a 10 percent baseline for all countries except China, with additional duties on specific goods.”Inflation is down, jobs are up, and the Golden Age of America is underway,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a social media post. “We are committed to protecting our interests, engaging in global negotiations and exploding our economy,” Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote in a separate post.- Core prices cool -Excluding volatile food and energy costs, inflation inched up by 0.1 percent in March from a month earlier, and by 2.8 percent over the past 12 months. This was “the smallest 12-month increase since March 2021,” the Labor Department said. It also came in below the median estimates of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal. “President Trump continues to undo the damage done by Joe Biden, and core inflation declined for the second month in row -– great news for American families and businesses,” Karoline Leavitt said, referring to Trump’s Democratic predecessor. The dollar fell further on Thursday after the CPI data was published, accelerating losses caused by the fallout from the stop-start tariff rollout.The data is good news for the Fed, which is grappling with inflation that remains stuck above its long-term two percent target, according to its preferred gauge of price increases. At the same time, the unemployment rate remains close to historic lows, leaving the US central bank in no hurry to cut rates until price pressures cool further — as long as Trump’s tariffs do not cause a sharp contraction in growth, which would likely weigh on employment. Financial markets see a roughly 80 percent chance of the Fed doing nothing at its next interest meeting in May, according to CME Group data.