AFP - Squid Business

Israel expands ground offensive in Gaza City

Israeli forces have launched a ground offensive in Gaza City, the military said Friday, expanding their operations as rescuers reported at least 30 killed across the Palestinian territory since dawn.Since renewed military operations last month ended a short-lived truce in its war with Hamas, Israel has pushed to seize territory in the Gaza Strip in what it said was a strategy to force militants to free hostages still in captivity.Israel has also escalated attacks on Lebanon, where a US envoy was visiting on Friday, hours after a pre-dawn strike on the port city of Sidon killed a Hamas commander.In Gaza City, the Israeli army said ground troops were operating in the Shujaiya area “in order to expand the security zone” established by the military inside the Palestinian territory.”The situation is very dangerous, and there is death coming at us from every direction,” Elena Helles told AFP via text message, saying her family were trapped in her sister’s house in Shujaiya.Others fled the area following an Israeli evacuation order on Thursday, AFPTV footage showed.The civil defence agency said Israeli military operations across Gaza killed at least 30 people on Friday.A single strike on Khan Yunis killed at least 25 people, a medical source at the southern city’s Nasser Hospital told AFP.Ahmed al-Aqqad, whose family owned the bombarded building, told AFP more bodies may be buried “under the rubble, but we cannot get them out due to the lack of necessary equipment”.”We call on the entire world to stand together to stop the bloodshed,” said relative Diaa al-Aqqad.- ‘Couldn’t find our children’ -Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the military would bolster its presence inside Gaza to fight militants and “destroy… terrorist infrastructure”, with unspecified “large areas” to be “incorporated into Israeli security zones”.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was dividing Gaza and “seizing territory” to force Hamas to free the remaining Israeli hostages taken captive during the October 2023 attack that sparked the war.Out of 251 people abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel, 58 remain hostage in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, on Friday warned that the offensive was putting hostages’ lives at risk.”Half of the living Israeli (captive) are located in areas that the Israeli occupation army has requested to be evacuated in recent days,” spokesman Abu Obeida said.One Israeli strike on Thursday hit a school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in the Gaza City area, the civil defence agency said, reporting at least 31 killed including children.”They bombed us with missiles and everything went dark… We couldn’t find our children,” sobbed Raghda al-Sharafa, who was among the displaced civilians sheltering at the Dar al-Arqam School compound in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City.The Israeli military confirmed it struck the school, telling AFP it targeted “prominent terrorists who were in a Hamas command and control centre”.In Nuseirat in central Gaza, Ziad Abu Rialah said on Friday: “I’m afraid to close my eyes during the night, out of fear that when I get up I will not find my family members, because of the shelling that we witness on a daily basis.”- Lebanon strike -Doctors Without Borders said on Friday that its staff member Hussam Al Loulou, 58, was killed along with family members in an air strike earlier this week in central Gaza, one of hundreds of aid workers killed during the war.”We strongly condemn his killing and call yet again for the immediate restoration of the ceasefire and protection of civilians,” the medical charity said.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said 1,249 people have been killed since Israel resumed intense bombing last month, bringing the overall death toll since the war began to 50,609.The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.In Lebanon, Hamas’s military wing said its commander Hassan Farhat was killed in an Israeli strike that hit “inside his apartment” in Sidon, also killing his son Hamza and daughter Jenan.The Israeli military, confirming it had killed Hassan Farhat, accused him of orchestrating attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians including deadly rocket fire on the town of Safed last year.Lebanon condemned a “flagrant attack” on its sovereignty and what it said was a violation of a November truce between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.The US deputy special envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus — whose country has helped oversee the truce — was in Beirut for meetings with top officials, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said.burs/ami/jsa

Deuxième journée de très forte baisse du pétrole, face aux attaques douanières

Les cours du pétrole ont terminé en très forte baisse pour la deuxième journée consécutive, tombant vendredi à leur plus bas niveau depuis 2021, les opérateurs s’inquiétant de l’impact sur l’économie mondiale de la guerre commerciale lancée par Washington.”Il existe une forte corrélation entre la croissance du PIB mondial et la demande de pétrole”, relève Rob Thummel, de Tortoise Capital. Or “les tensions douanières actuelles créent des incertitudes quant aux perspectives de croissance économique mondiale”, ajoute l’analyste.Le prix du baril de Brent de la mer du Nord, pour livraison en juin, a perdu 6,50%, à 65,58 dollars, à son plus bas depuis août 2021.Son équivalent américain, le baril de West Texas Intermediate (WTI), pour livraison en mai, a chuté de 7,41% à 61,99 dollars, à son niveau le plus faible depuis avril 2021.Jeudi, le Brent avait déjà perdu 6,42% et le WTI 6,64%.La Chine, premier importateur de pétrole mondial, a annoncé vendredi imposer à son tour des droits de douane supplémentaires de 34% sur les produits américains dès le 10 avril, “en plus du taux des droits de douane actuellement applicables”.Cette riposte fait suite à l’imposition, par la Maison Blanche, de droits de douane massifs sur l’ensemble de ses partenaires commerciaux. Ces nouvelles surtaxes sont particulièrement punitives pour la Chine, qui verra ainsi au total les taxes sur ses produits atteindre 54%.Pour Donald Trump, l’annonce chinoise traduit la “panique” de Pékin. L’exécutif américain avait prévenu les partenaires commerciaux des Etats-Unis de ne pas riposter à ses droits de douane, au risque de subir des surtaxes additionnelles sur leurs produits.Les craintes entourant les conséquences pour l’économie mondiale de cette guerre commerciale de grande ampleur “combinées à l’augmentation de l’offre de brut de l’Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole et ses alliés (Opep+) augmentent le risque d’une surabondance de l’offre sur le marché mondial du pétrole”, souligne Rob Thummel.L’Opep+ va “mettre en œuvre un ajustement de la production de 411.000 barils par jour” en mai 2025, selon un communiqué paru jeudi. Une décision qui continue de surprendre les marchés vendredi et à faire chuter les cours.Le marché anticipait plutôt “une hausse de 135.000 barils par jour en mai, conforme au calendrier” de retour progressif sur 18 mois de 2,2 millions de barils quotidiens retenus par huit membres de l’Opep+, souligne Mukesh Sahdev, analyste chez Rystad Energy.

Democrats slam Trump’s dismissal of NSA chief

Democrats expressed outrage on Friday that President Donald Trump had fired the head of the highly sensitive US National Security Agency at the apparent urging of far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer.Loomer, who is known for claiming that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job, is reported to have pushed for the dismissal of various senior US security officials including NSA chief Timothy Haugh, putting her in an unprecedented position of influence over some of the most secretive and powerful parts of the government.”I am alarmed and angered that, at the insistence of a far-right conspiracy theorist, President Trump dismissed one of the most skilled, accomplished officers in the US military,” Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, referred to the Trump administration’s inadvertent inclusion of a journalist in a Signal group chat on plans for Yemen air strikes in his criticism of Haugh’s dismissal.”It’s so crazy it defies belief: Trump refused to fire the people that embarrassed America and risked service members’ lives in the Signalgate scandal,” Warner wrote on X, “but fired Gen. Haugh, a nonpartisan national security expert, at the advice of a self-described ‘pro-white nationalist.”And a group of Democrats from the House Armed Services Committee issued a joint statement condemning the firing of Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble, saying reports that the dismissals were the result of them “being accused of being disloyal by a far-right conspiracy theorist are deeply disturbing.”Loomer posted on X early on Friday — after Haugh’s firing was reported — that he and Noble “have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired.”- ‘I listen to everybody’ -“Given the fact that the NSA is arguably the most powerful intel agency in the world, we cannot allow for a Biden nominee to hold that position,” Loomer wrote, adding, “This is called VETTING.”Trump, whose reality TV show catchphrase was “you’re fired,” on Thursday addressed reports that officials at the National Security Council had also been sacked, saying “we’re always going to let go of people — people we don’t like… or people that may have loyalties to someone else.”But while he claimed that Loomer did not play a role in the decision, Trump also said aboard Air Force One that “she makes recommendations” and “sometimes I listen to those recommendations… I listen to everybody and then I make a decision.”The New York Times reported Thursday that six people from the NSC were fired after Trump met with Loomer the previous day, including three senior officials on the body that advises the president on top foreign policy matters from Ukraine to Gaza.Loomer confirmed the meeting, but said on X that “out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m going to decline on divulging any details.”The 31-year-old — who often flew with Trump on his campaign plane during the 2024 election — later said she had presented “opposition research” to the Republican president.She previously sparked accusations of racism when she said on social media that Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris — whose mother was of Indian descent — would make the White House “smell like curry” if she won.Trump has led a major shake-up of the armed forces’ leadership since taking office in January.The president fired top US military officer general Charles “CQ” Brown in February, offering no explanation for the dismissal less than two years into his four-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also sacked the head of the Navy and other top officers, while Trump’s administration is presiding over sweeping layoffs of federal workers and moves to dismantle government institutions.

His way: Trump brushes off trade chaos with defiance and golf

Donald Trump hit the golf course ahead of a candlelight dinner Friday despite global turmoil over his tariff plans — underscoring his desire to do things his way in an increasingly hardline second term.As he spent a long weekend at his Florida getaway, the 78-year-old US president was increasingly defiant even as markets plunged, insisting it was a “great time to get rich.”And as he punishes America’s trade rivals, Trump is also hitting out at perceived political opponents at home, purging his national security team at the apparent urging of a far-right conspiracy theorist.”He’s at the peak of just not giving a f— anymore,” The Washington Post quoted a White House official as saying.Trump relished being the boss in his first term as president too, but since his return to the White House he has appeared more unbowed than ever in the face of criticism.Less than 24 hours after his world-shaking tariff announcement, and as markets were still plunging into the red, Trump headed to Florida for dinner on Thursday at Trump National Doral golf club.The club is hosting an event this weekend by the Saudi-owned LIV Golf tour, for which Trump is trying to broker a merger with the PGA tour.Television footage showed Trump, wearing a read “Make America Great Again” hat, being driven in a golf cart after arriving on his Marine One helicopter.”What a disgrace,” said the Republicans Against Trump group in a post on X sharing the footage, noting that it came as “the market is crashing, a recession is looming, and the country is more isolated than ever.”On Friday morning Trump then headed to another of his golf courses near his grand Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, just as US markets were opening for a second day’s bloodbath.”This is a great time to get rich,” he declared in a social media post shortly before heading to the course, adding that “my policies will never change.”- ‘Fired’ -Democrats criticized Trump for missing the return ceremony on Friday for four US troops killed during an exercise in Lithuania.As battered US markets close, Trump will be attending a “MAGA Inc Candelight Dinner” on Friday night at Mar-a-Lago, according to the White House.Trump is due to speak at the dinner and tickets cost $1 million each, CBS News reported, with the funds going towards MAGA Inc, a pro-Trump so-called “Super PAC” — an entity used for political funding.The gilded trappings of Trump’s weekend come amid growing fears that the tariffs may spark a recession and tank his promises to foster a new “Golden Age” for the US economy.”The irony is that while everyone but the super-rich will feel pain, his base of blue collar, middle-income whites will feel the most pain,” Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, told AFP.Trump made the final decision on his strategy at the last minute after a “ping pong match” between officials trying to meld apparently contradictory goals, The Wall Street Journal reported.The first rumblings of Republican dissent have already started.Senator Ted Cruz — who fought a bitter battle with Trump for the 2016 Republican nomination — said on his podcast that if there is a recession, next year’s US midterm elections “in all likelihood politically, would be a bloodbath.”But Trump’s allies say that he should be left to be in charge.”Let Donald Trump run the global economy. He knows what he’s doing,” Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary and major cheerleader for the president, said on Thursday.Trump’s tariffs gamble is also in tune with a growing sense that he wants to be the sole captain of a ship where everyone is loyal.Trump on Thursday fired National Security Agency chief Timothy Haugh, his deputy and other senior national security officials following an intervention by right-wing conspiracist Laura Loomer.Both NSA officials were appointed by Trump’s predecessor as president, Joe Biden.Loomer, who is known for claiming that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job, said on X that Haugh and Noble “have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired.”

Trump gives TikTok extra 75 days to find buyer

US President Donald Trump on Friday extended the deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States, allowing 75 more days to find a solution.”My Administration has been working very hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump said on Truth Social, just hours before the deadline was to expire.”A transaction requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.”The hugely popular video-sharing app, which has more than 170 million American users, is under threat from a US law passed last year that orders TikTok to split from its Chinese owner ByteDance or get shut down in the United States.Trump has insisted his administration is near a deal to find a buyer for TikTok and keep it from shutting down that would involve multiple investors, but has given few details.ByteDance, while confirming that it was in talks with the US government towards finding a solution, warned that there remained “key matters” to solve.”An agreement has not been executed” and whatever was decided would be “subject to approval under Chinese law,” the company added.Motivated by national security fears and belief in Washington that TikTok is controlled by the Chinese government, the ban took effect on January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration, with ByteDance having made no attempt to find a suitor.TikTok temporarily shut down in the United States and disappeared from app stores, to the dismay of millions of users.But the Republican president quickly announced an initial 75-day delay and TikTok was restored to users, returning to the Apple and Google app stores in February.The new 75-day delay pushes the deadline to June 19.Trump has repeatedly downplayed risks that TikTok is in danger, saying he remains confident of finding a buyer for the app’s US business.The president added on Friday that he would “continue working in good faith with China,” whose government will need to sign off on the transaction.The president suggested TikTok could even be part of a broader deal with China to ease the stinging tariffs he imposed on Beijing as part of a worldwide blitz of levies.”We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’ We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal,” he added.According to reports, the solution in the works would see existing US investors in ByteDance roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company.Additional US investors, including Oracle and Blackstone, the private equity firm, would be brought on to reduce ByteDance’s share in the new TikTok.Much of TikTok’s US activity is already housed on Oracle servers, and the company’s chairman, Larry Ellison, is a longtime Trump ally.ABC News reported on Friday that Walmart was also in the mix, spurred on by a late expression of interest by retail archrival Amazon to buy the app.Walmart and Oracle were previously rumored to be buying TikTok in the US when Trump tried to wrest the company from its Chinese owners during his first administration.Trump long supported a ban or divestment, but has lately defended TikTok, seeing it as a reason more young voters supported him in November’s election.- What about the algorithm? -Uncertainty remains, particularly over what would happen to TikTok’s valuable algorithm.”TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand — it’s simply not as powerful,” said Forrester Principal Analyst Kelsey Chickering.Various media reports suggest the new company could license the algorithm from ByteDance, which would remain invested in TikTok.But such an arrangement would go against the spirit of the law, which is in part based on the premise that TikTok’s algorithm can be weaponized by the Chinese against US interests.

Trump gives TikTok extra 75 days to find buyer

Droits de douane: comment l’UE peut répliquer à Trump ?

Taxation des produits américains, comme les motos Harley-Davidson, ciblage des champions des services comme Google ou Meta, exclusion des appels d’offre… L’UE dispose d’une vaste palette pour riposter aux droits de douane de Donald Trump.- Œil pour œil – Mi-mars, l’Union européenne a choisi de montrer les muscles dès l’entrée en vigueur des droits de douane américains de 25% sur l’acier et l’aluminium. Ces mesures touchent 26 milliards d’euros d’exportations européennes. L’UE a listé des biens américains, pour le même montant, qui seront taxés à partir de mi-avril.Sont visées des marques emblématiques comme Harley-Davidson, des denrées agricoles comme le soja ou la viande, mais aussi des appareils ménagers comme les réfrigérateurs ou les tondeuses à gazon. Le commissaire européen au Commerce, Maros Sefcovic, a déclaré vendredi à ses homologues américains que les nouveaux droits de douane de 20% imposés par le président Donald Trump à l’Union européenne étaient “injustifiés”, tout en réitérant l’engagement de l’UE à mener des “négociations sérieuses”. Après un échange “franc” de deux heures avec le secrétaire américain au Commerce Howard Lutnick et le représentant de la Maison-Blanche au Commerce Jamieson Greer, M. Sefcovic a déclaré sur X: “J’ai été clair: les droits de douane américains sont préjudiciables et injustifiés. Les relations commerciales (entre l’UE et les États-Unis, NDLR) ont besoin d’une nouvelle approche. L’UE s’est engagée à mener des négociations sérieuses, mais elle est également prête à défendre ses intérêts.” La Commission prépare une nouvelle série de contre-mesures en réponse aux nouveaux droits de douanes américains de 20% annoncés cette semaine pour l’UE par le président Trump.”Nous essayons d’être intelligents et de frapper là où ça fait mal”, explique un fonctionnaire européen, reconnaissant cibler par exemple des produits provenant d’Etats républicains comme la Louisiane, la Géorgie, le Nebraska ou l’Arkansas.Les Européens estiment que Washington se tire une balle dans le pied, en alimentant une flambée des prix qui fera mal aux consommateurs américains. “Les Etats-Unis imposent des droits de douane sur tout et tout le monde, y compris sur les bananes et le café qu’ils ne produisent pas. Ce n’est pas très intelligent”, souligne le fonctionnaire européen. “Nous aimons le soja, mais nous pouvons l’obtenir au Brésil. Nous n’avons pas besoin de le faire venir des Etats-Unis. Nous aimons les Harley Davidson, mais nous pouvons aussi acheter des Yamaha. Il existe des alternatives et nous ne nous faisons pas mal”, précise-t-il.- Cibler les champions des services -Les Vingt-Sept envisagent “d’attaquer les services numériques” américains, a affirmé jeudi la porte-parole du gouvernement français, Sophie Primas, en précisant qu’il pourrait s’agir de taxer des services numériques qui aujourd’hui ne le sont pas.Les États-Unis affichaient avec l’UE un excédent de 109 milliards d’euros dans les services. Ils sont dominants dans la finance (banques, marchés boursiers, cartes de paiement…) et le numérique avec Microsoft, Amazon, Google ou Meta.”S’ils s’en prennent à notre excédent de biens, nous nous intéresserons à leur excédent dans les services”, a prévenu un fonctionnaire de l’UE.”On est en train d’en parler, et dans ces cas-là, il faut que la riposte soit rendue publique au moment où elle est complète”, a expliqué le ministre français des Finances, Eric Lombard, sur BFMTV/RMC vendredi. “C’est un signal qui a été adressé à nos amis américains. Mais on travaille sur un paquet de ripostes qui peut aller tout à fait au-delà des droits de douane”, a-t-il ajouté.- Au-delà des taxes -“On a des outils de réglementation sur des éléments que je ne veux pas détailler”, a indiqué M. Lombard. “Les normes, les échanges de données, des outils fiscaux”… Des mesures peuvent toucher des entreprises alors qu’elles “n’ont pas d’impact sur le coût des produits en Europe”, a-t-il insisté.L’UE s’est par ailleurs dotée en 2023 d’un instrument européen commun qui vise à punir tout pays utilisant des armes économiques pour faire pression sur elle. Ce nouvel instrument, dit “anticoercition”, a été pensé comme un outil de dissuasion, à activer après épuisement des voies diplomatiques.Il autorise différents types de représailles: gel de l’accès aux marchés publics, blocage d’autorisations de mise sur le marché de certains produits, blocage d’investissements… La riposte à M. Trump pourrait concerner “l’accès à nos marchés publics”, a d’ailleurs affirmé Mme Primas.- Calme et unité -L’avantage de l’outil anticoercition est qu’il permet à l’Europe de riposter sans obtenir un soutien unanime des Etats membres, car il confie plus de pouvoir à la Commission.”Nous sommes prêts à mettre en œuvre des contre-mesures fermes, percutantes mais proportionnées”, a averti jeudi soir le commissaire européen au Commerce, Maros Sefcovic. Forte de son immense marché intérieur de 450 millions de consommateurs, l’UE se montre sereine.Jusqu’à présent, les Vingt-Sept n’ont montré aucun signe de division, malgré leurs intérêts nationaux divergents. “L’Europe a tout ce qu’il faut pour traverser cette tempête. Si vous vous en prenez à l’un d’entre nous, vous vous en prenez à nous tous. C’est pourquoi nous resterons unis”, a affirmé la présidente de la Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Droits de douane: comment l’UE peut répliquer à Trump ?

Trump balaie la riposte douanière de Pékin et la débâcle des marchés

Des négociations se sont tenues en coulisses vendredi pour alléger le poids des nouveaux droits de douane voulus par Donald Trump, qui a jugé que Pékin cédait à la “panique” et s’est affiché indifférent à la déroute sur les marchés financiers.”La Chine a mal joué le coup, ils ont paniqué – la seule chose qu’ils ne peuvent pas se permettre de faire”, a écrit le président américain en lettres majuscules sur sa plateforme Truth Social, avant de se rendre à son club de golf en Floride.L’exécutif américain a menacé ses partenaires commerciaux de surtaxes encore plus lourdes en cas de riposte à ses nouveaux droits de douane, mis en place au nom de l'”urgence nationale” de réduire le déficit commercial de la première économie mondiale.Pékin a annoncé des droits de douane supplémentaires de 34% sur les produits américains dès le 10 avril, “en plus du taux des droits de douane actuellement applicables”.Face à la réplique de la Chine et l’apparente inflexibilité de Donald Trump, les marchés financiers ont continué de s’enfoncer vendredi.A Wall Street, vers 19H10 GMT, le Dow Jones reculait de 5,06%, l’indice Nasdaq de 5,57% et l’indice de référence S&P 500 perdait 5,62%.Les séances en Asie et en Europe se sont finies en débâcle: -4,26% à Paris, -4,95% à Londres, -2,75% à Tokyo. Les places chinoises étaient fermées en raison d’un jour férié.Les cours du pétrole ont encore dégringolé d’environ 7%, et le cuivre suivait le même mouvement.- “Je ne changerai jamais” -Donald Trump a une nouvelle fois évacué vendredi ces secousses, qui traduisent la fébrilité de l’économie mondiale face à la magnitude de son offensive commerciale.”Sachez que je ne changerai jamais de politique. C’est un bon moment pour devenir riche, plus riche que jamais!”, a écrit le président américain, toujours en lettres majuscules sur Truth Social.Il a aussi exhorté le président de la Réserve fédérale (Fed) à baisser les taux d’intérêt, estimant que c’était le moment “parfait” grâce aux progrès observés sur certains prix (pétrole, oeufs) depuis son retour au pouvoir en janvier.Quelques minutes plus tard, le président de l’institution monétaire a pourtant brossé un tableau plutôt sombre des perspectives pour l’économie américaine, avec les droits de douane: potentiellement moins de croissance, plus d’inflation et plus de chômage. Dès samedi (04H01 GMT), la plupart des produits entrant aux Etats-Unis, quelle que soit leur origine, se verront imposer un droit de douane plancher de 10%, qui s’additionnera avec les taxes douanières qui existaient au préalable.Et le 9 avril, la facture deviendra encore plus lourde pour les pays qui exportent plus vers les Etats-Unis qu’ils n’importent de produits américains. +54% au total pour la Chine (visée en plusieurs temps), +20% pour l’Union européenne (UE), +46% pour le Vietnam, +24% pour le Japon…Cette salve de tarifs douaniers américains arrive après d’autres, plus ciblées: +25% sur l’acier et l’aluminium mais aussi, depuis jeudi, +25% sur les voitures importées aux Etats-Unis.Sur les marchés financiers, les investisseurs fuient ces derniers jours les actions des entreprises dont le modèle de production est en péril en raison de leur dépendance aux importations en provenance d’Asie, comme l’industrie textile.Donald Trump a révélé vendredi avoir eu une “discussion très productive” sur les taxes douanières avec le plus haut dirigeant vietnamien, le secrétaire général du Parti communiste To Lam, affirmant que Hanoï était prêt à réduire à “zéro” ses taxes sur les produits américains.”Je lui ai dit attendre avec impatience une rencontre dans un futur proche”, a ajouté le président américain sur Truth Social, semblant laisser la porte ouverte aux négociations.Le commissaire européen au Commerce, Maros Sefcovic, s’est lui entretenu avec ses homologues américains vendredi. Il a rapporté à l’issue que l’UE s’était “engagée à mener des négociations sérieuses” tout en étant “prête à défendre ses intérêts”. Selon son porte-parole Stéphane Dujarric vendredi, “l’inquiétude” du secrétaire général de l’ONU Antonio Guterres se porte surtout “sur les pays les plus vulnérables, qui sont les moins armés pour faire face à la situation actuelle”.