La Bourse de New York a ouvert sans grand mouvement mardi, se montrant peu concernée par la nouvelle attaque de Donald Trump contre l’indépendance de la Réserve fédérale (Fed), à contre-courant des autres places financières.Dans les premiers échanges, le Dow Jones reculait de 0,14%, l’indice Nasdaq était proche de l’équilibre (-0,03%) et l’indice élargi S&P 500 perdait 0,09%.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook rejected US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented bid to oust her on Tuesday, saying he had no legal authority for such an intervention against a member of the independent US central bank.After calling for her resignation last week, Trump posted a letter on Monday evening to his Truth Social platform purporting to have fired Cook “effective immediately.”The decision cited allegations of false statements on her mortgage agreements, claiming “there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position.””I will not resign,” said Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the central bank’s board, in a statement shared with AFP by her attorney Abbe Lowell.”President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” she added.Lowell pledged to “take whatever actions are needed to prevent his (Trump’s) attempted illegal action.”The potential legal dispute would be the latest test of presidential powers under Trump’s new term, with the 79-year-old Republican — backed by loyalists throughout the government — forcefully moving to exert executive authority.The Supreme Court’s conservative majority recently allowed Trump to fire members of other independent government boards, but notably created a carveout for the Federal Reserve in its ruling.Federal law says that Fed officials can only be removed for “cause,” which could be interpreted to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty.In his announcement that Cook would be removed, Trump pointed to a criminal referral dated August 15 from the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s director — a staunch ally of Trump — to the US attorney general.The referral, Trump said, provided “sufficient reason” to believe that Cook might have made “false statements” on one or more mortgage agreements.One of the alleged false statements was that Cook had claimed two primary residences, one in Michigan and another in Georgia.Cook has not been charged with a crime and the alleged false statements occurred before she was in her current position.Earlier this month, Cook said in a statement that she had “no intention of being bullied to step down,” but would take questions about her financial history seriously.The Fed did not immediately respond to media queries.In his letter Monday, Trump said: “At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.”- Court challenge? -Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, called Trump’s move “an authoritarian power grab that blatantly violates the Federal Reserve Act.”She added in a statement that this “must be overturned in court.”Trump has been ramping up pressure on the Fed this year, repeatedly criticizing its chief Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates sooner despite benign inflation data.Fed policymakers have been cautious in cutting rates as they monitor the effects of Trump’s tariffs on prices.Trump has made no secret of his disdain for Powell, whom he has called a “numbskull” and “moron.”Since its last reduction in December, the Fed has held rates at a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent this year. Powell on Friday opened the door to lowering levels at the bank’s upcoming policy meeting in September.Trump also previously suggested that what he called an overly costly renovation of the Fed’s headquarters could be a reason to oust Powell, before backing off the threat.The president has picked Stephen Miran, the leader of his White House economic panel, to fill a recently vacated seat on the Federal Reserve board.Cook took office as a Fed governor in May 2022 and was reappointed to the board in September 2023. She was sworn in later that same month for a term ending in 2038.She has previously served on the Council of Economic Advisers under former president Barack Obama.The Trump administration has pursued allegations of mortgage fraud against high-profile Democrats who are seen as political adversaries of the president.
Protesters demanding an end to the Gaza war and the return of hostages to their homes took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.Demonstrators blocked roads in commercial hub Tel Aviv, where they waved Israeli flags and held up pictures of the hostages, AFP journalists reported. Israeli media said others rallied near the US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers. “Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu prioritises the destruction of Hamas over releasing the hostages,” said Ruby Chen, whose son was abducted by militants in October 2023. “He believes it is OK and it is a valid alternative to sacrifice 50 hostages for political needs,” he said in a speech to one of Tuesday’s demonstrations.Protests were expected to swell in Tel Aviv later in the day. The agenda of the security cabinet meeting has not been officially confirmed, but Israeli media reported that it could be to discuss ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.The cabinet approved a plan in early August for the military to take over Gaza City, triggering fresh fears for the safety of the hostages and a new wave of protests that has seen tens of thousands take to the streets. Netanyahu last week ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city. That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.In Doha, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a regular news conference that mediators were still “waiting for an answer” from Israel to the latest proposal. “The responsibility now lies on the Israeli side to respond to an offer that is on the table. Anything else is political posturing by the Israeli side.”- Journalists killed -Israel has been under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to wrap up its campaign in Gaza, where the war has created a humanitarian crisis and devastated much of the territory.On Monday, Israeli strikes hit a Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists working for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and Reuters, among other outlets.Governments around the world, including staunch Israeli allies, expressed shock at the attack.Netanyahu later expressed regret over what he called a “tragic mishap”, and the Israeli military ordered an inquiry. The war in Gaza has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with around 200 media workers killed in the Israeli assault now in its 23rd month, according to press watchdogs.The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
Une émissaire américaine, Morgan Ortagus, a affirmé mardi à Beyrouth que les autorités libanaises devaient à présent traduire “en actes” leur décision de désarmer le Hezbollah pro-iranien.”Nous avons tous été fortement encouragés par la décision historique du gouvernement il y a quelques semaines, mais maintenant il ne s’agit plus de mots, il s’agit d’actes”, a déclaré Mme Ortagus.Elle s’exprimait à l’issue d’une réunion entre une délégation américaine et le président libanais, Joseph Aoun.Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu s’est dit prêt lundi à une réduction “progressive” des troupes israéliennes au Liban si le gouvernement concrétisait son plan de désarmer le Hezbollah.”Israël est prêt à avancer pas à pas, cela pourrait être de petits pas (..) , des pas de bébé, mais ils sont prêts à avancer étape par étape avec ce gouvernement”, a ajouté Mme Ortagus.”Donc, à chaque pas que fera le gouvernement libanais, nous encouragerons le gouvernement israélien à faire de même”.L’émissaire américain Tom Barrack, qui faisait partie de la délégation, a souligné pour sa part que l’armée libanaise et le gouvernement devaient présenter à la fin du mois un plan concret pour le désarmement de la formation chiite, qui est sortie affaiblie fin novembre de sa dernière guerre avec Israël.”Lorsqu’ils (les Israéliens) verront cela, ils feront leur contre-proposition concernant les retraits, les garanties de sécurité à leurs frontières”, a-t-il expliqué.”Ce qu’Israël a dit, ce qui est historique, c’est que nous ne voulons pas occuper le Liban”, a-t-il ajouté, expliquant que les responsables israéliens attendaient de “voir quel est le plan pour réellement désarmer le Hezbollah”.Le chef du Hezbollah, Naïm Qassem, a réaffirmé lundi le refus de son parti d’abandonner ses armes.- “Zone économique” -Sous pression des Etats-Unis et face aux craintes d’une intensification des attaques israéliennes, le gouvernement a chargé le 5 août l’armée de préparer un plan visant à désarmer d’ici fin 2025 ce mouvement, fondé et financé par l’Iran, ennemi juré d’Israël.Cette décision s’inscrit dans le cadre du cessez-le-feu conclu sous médiation américaine, qui a mis fin le 27 novembre 2024 à plus d’un an de conflit entre le Hezbollah et Israël.En réponse à une question concernant un plan américain prévoyant la création d’une “zone économique Trump” dans le sud du Liban, près de la frontière israélienne, comme rapporté par le site américain Axios, M. Barrack a fait miroiter cette possibilité pour “écarter la tutelle iranienne”.”Quand on dit désarmer le Hezbollah, il faut se souvenir qu’il y a 40.000 personnes qui sont payées par l’Iran pour combattre. Qu’est-ce qu’on va faire d’eux ?”, s’est interrogé M. Barrack.”Nous devons les aider. Et la manière de les aider, c’est de dire que nous, tous ensemble – le Golfe, les États-Unis, les Libanais – allons agir conjointement pour créer un forum économique qui offrira un autre moyen de subsistance”, a-t-il ajouté, avant de faire référence à “une nouvelle zone économique”.Selon Axios, l’Arabie saoudite et le Qatar auraient déjà accepté d’y investir après le retrait israélien, afin de limiter le retour du Hezbollah dans la zone tout en répondant aux préoccupations sécuritaires d’Israël sans occupation.
The Israeli army raided the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, leaving 14 people wounded as troops fanned out across the city centre, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.Tensions have remained high in the occupied West Bank since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the Gaza war, with repeated raids by the Israeli army on Palestinian population centres, particularly in the north. The Red Crescent said at least 14 people were wounded in the latest raid. Seven were hit by live rounds, while the rest were injured by rubber bullets or tear-gas inhalation. It added that Israeli forces were “preventing our teams from reaching the injured in a besieged area”.An AFP journalist saw soldiers on the ground around Al-Manara Square in the city centre and on balconies overlooking it. The Israeli army confirmed it had launched an operation in the area but did not provide more details.Although the army has carried out frequent operations in the cities and refugee camps of the northern West Bank, it has done so relatively rarely in Ramallah, headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.Palestinians were seen throwing stones at troops as they began the operation, which appeared to target currency exchange offices in particular.Witnesses told AFP that the army withdrew in early afternoon.Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the October 2023 attack. At least 972 Palestinians — including both militants and civilians — have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Authority figures. In the same period, at least 36 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in attacks or military operations in the territory, according to Israeli figures.Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.vid-lam-crb-ds/kir
When Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez announced their engagement this month, two things stood out: the outsized diamond ring, and their unmarried cohabitation in conservative Saudi Arabia.The celebrity couple and their blended brood of five children have been living in the birthplace of Islam for more than two years, untroubled by laws against extra-marital relationships.Their situation highlights the fact that while authorities now turn a blind eye for foreigners, such privileges remain off-limits for Saudis, who must still get married before living together.Foreign couples, including Muslims, can now move in together or stay at hotels without being married, an arrangement that has only been tolerated in recent times.It’s “part of a broader social transformation in Saudi Arabia”, said Sebastian Sons of the German think tank CARPO.”While conservative rules and regulations remain in place, they are less dominant than in previous years. As a result, these strict rules are now applied with greater flexibility and pragmatism,” he told AFP.In major cities, after decades of gender separation, young Saudis can now mingle freely in public spaces, another sign of the country’s loosening-up. However, living together before marriage remains a rarity, reserved mainly for the well-heeled who quietly share accommodation in expensive residential compounds.- ‘Children of sin’ – Ronaldo, 40, and model Rodriguez, 31, are an incongruous feature of Saudi life, continually posting about their luxurious lifestyle, often with sultry poses in revealing clothing.They have been generally embraced by the youthful Saudi population, two-thirds of it under 35, who reacted to their engagement with well-wishes, memes and jokes.However, buried among the good-humoured responses — and comments about the multimillion-dollar ring — were pockets of disapproval.”How could the land of the two holy mosques accept such impurity for two years?” posted Raad Mohammed on X, referring to Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest sites.”Their children are children of sin,” wrote another social media user called Asma.It is hard to imagine Ronaldo and Rodriguez in the Saudi Arabia of just a few years ago, when religious police would harangue women for violating the strict dress code, and cinemas and live music were banned.Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, much has changed, as he attempts to open up the country and end its economic reliance on oil.Many women now forgo veils and head-coverings in urban centres, non-Muslim tourists are allowed, and since 2018, women can legally drive.Saudi petrodollars have attracted a steady stream of international stars and sports events, and lavish resorts and entertainment districts have sprung up.”In the past we were strictly checking the marital status” of guests, said a Riyadh-based hotel reservations manager who gave his name as Al Waleed. “Now we don’t care about who stays with whom.”- ‘Role model’ -Ronaldo, signed by Al Nassr for a hefty fee in early 2023, has been central to this strategy. Since his arrival to enormous fanfare, a stream of top players have joined him in the Saudi Pro League, and Saudi has won a giant prize: hosting the 2034 World Cup.”Ronaldo has gained significant prominence within the Saudi football community, where he is seen as both a role model and an ideal ambassador for the government’s ambitious goal of placing Saudi Arabia firmly on the global football map,” said Sons.Ronaldo and Rodriguez, soon to be respectably married, will remain a fixture in Riyadh for some time.In June, after much speculation, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner extended his contract with Al-Nassr to 2027.
Le ministre de l’Intérieur et président de LR Bruno Retailleau a appelé mardi à “la résistance contre la fatalité”, estimant qu’il y avait “un risque que la France se défasse” dans “ce monde en voie de liquéfaction avancée”.Au lendemain de la décision de François Bayrou de demander le 8 septembre la confiance de l’Assemblée nationale, Bruno Retailleau a saisi l’occasion d’un discours pour la 81e anniversaire de la libération de Paris à la préfecture de police pour brosser à grands traits la situation du pays, qu’il juge dramatique. “Certes 2025 n’est pas 1944, et rien ne serait plus vain que de vouloir dresser de faux parallèles entre les époques”, a-t-il dit, “mais nous vivons à nouveau des temps tragiques”.”Et dans ces temps, le risque n’est plus que la France soit défaite mais qu’elle se défasse”, a poursuivi le ministre.A ses yeux, le pays est “confronté à l’hydre islamiste qui corrompt les esprits”, à “la pieuvre du narcotrafic qui étend son emprise sur tous les territoires de la République”, à “l’antisémitisme” et “à la violence désinhibée d’une société ensauvagée, décivilisée”.Le ministre et président de LR a appelé la police “à tenir bon”. “Dans ce monde en voie de liquéfaction avancée, vous incarnez la solidité des murs porteurs de notre idéal républicain, d’un idéal de dévouement contre la tentation du chacun pour soi”.Gratifiant les policiers d’un “esprit de résistance contre la fatalité, contre le désespoir”, il a jugé que c’était “une flamme d’espoir, la flamme de l’espoir de protéger les plus vulnérables, de réparer notre société, de redresser notre pays”.”Cette flamme surgira des plus grands feux”, a ajouté le ministre dans la cour d’honneur de la préfecture de police, face aux plus hauts responsables de la police et de la préfecture, aux élus dont la maire de Paris Anne Hidalgo et à nombre de personnalités parmi lesquelles l’ancien Premier ministre Michel Barnier.
Le ministre de l’Intérieur et président de LR Bruno Retailleau a appelé mardi à “la résistance contre la fatalité”, estimant qu’il y avait “un risque que la France se défasse” dans “ce monde en voie de liquéfaction avancée”.Au lendemain de la décision de François Bayrou de demander le 8 septembre la confiance de l’Assemblée nationale, Bruno Retailleau a saisi l’occasion d’un discours pour la 81e anniversaire de la libération de Paris à la préfecture de police pour brosser à grands traits la situation du pays, qu’il juge dramatique. “Certes 2025 n’est pas 1944, et rien ne serait plus vain que de vouloir dresser de faux parallèles entre les époques”, a-t-il dit, “mais nous vivons à nouveau des temps tragiques”.”Et dans ces temps, le risque n’est plus que la France soit défaite mais qu’elle se défasse”, a poursuivi le ministre.A ses yeux, le pays est “confronté à l’hydre islamiste qui corrompt les esprits”, à “la pieuvre du narcotrafic qui étend son emprise sur tous les territoires de la République”, à “l’antisémitisme” et “à la violence désinhibée d’une société ensauvagée, décivilisée”.Le ministre et président de LR a appelé la police “à tenir bon”. “Dans ce monde en voie de liquéfaction avancée, vous incarnez la solidité des murs porteurs de notre idéal républicain, d’un idéal de dévouement contre la tentation du chacun pour soi”.Gratifiant les policiers d’un “esprit de résistance contre la fatalité, contre le désespoir”, il a jugé que c’était “une flamme d’espoir, la flamme de l’espoir de protéger les plus vulnérables, de réparer notre société, de redresser notre pays”.”Cette flamme surgira des plus grands feux”, a ajouté le ministre dans la cour d’honneur de la préfecture de police, face aux plus hauts responsables de la police et de la préfecture, aux élus dont la maire de Paris Anne Hidalgo et à nombre de personnalités parmi lesquelles l’ancien Premier ministre Michel Barnier.
