The Confederation of African Football said Monday it had opened an investigation and warned of possible disciplinary action after “potentially unacceptable behaviour” as players clashed on the pitch at the end of the Cup of Nations quarter-final between Algeria and Nigeria.”CAF has referred the matters to the disciplinary board for investigation and has called for …
US prosecutors have opened an inquiry threatening a “criminal indictment” against the Federal Reserve, its chairman Jerome Powell revealed, denouncing new “threats and ongoing pressure” from the administration of President Donald Trump.Powell said in a rare video statement Sunday that the US central bank received grand jury subpoenas Friday related to his Senate testimony in June, which concerned in part a major renovation project of Federal Reserve office buildings.He dismissed the subpoenas as “pretexts” after months of bitter conflict with Trump, who has publicly excoriated the Fed for not cutting interest rates aggressively to bolster economic growth.”The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said.”This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions — or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation,” he said. The Fed, which makes independent monetary policy decisions, has a dual mandate to keep prices stable and unemployment low.Its main tool in doing so is by setting a benchmark interest rate that influences the price of US Treasury bonds and the cost and borrowing across the economy.The Fed’s independence from political influence is considered vital for investors, who worry that outside meddling in monetary policy would threaten a bedrock of the global economy.”If the Fed acts on politics rather than data, foreign investors could pull back on financing the US debt and seek new safe havens,” said Atakan Bakiskan, US economist at the German investment bank Berenberg.- ‘He’s not very good’ -Federal Reserve board members typically serve under both Republican and Democratic presidents, and Powell was nominated Fed chairman by Trump during his first term. But since his re-election last year, Trump has relentlessly pressured Powell to move faster in lowering interest rates, in a breach of the long-standing independence of the institution.Trump said Sunday that he had no knowledge of the Justice Department’s investigation into the Federal Reserve.”I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed and he’s not very good at building buildings,” NBC quoted Trump as saying.Nonetheless, investors reacted warily as financial markets opened Monday, with the dollar falling against major currencies along with the 10-year US Treasury bond, while safe-haven assets like gold surged. “The combined drop in the dollar, equities and Treasuries was a reminiscence of the ‘sell America’ days of last spring,” when Trump unleashed his global tariffs blitz, said Francesco Pesole, a strategist at ING in London.”The downside risks for the dollar from any indications of further determination to interfere with the Fed’s independence are substantial.”- ‘Corrupt takeover’ -Senators from both sides of the aisle blasted the investigation. “It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question,” Republican Thom Tillis said.”I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed — including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy — until this legal matter is fully resolved,” he added.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, called the probe an assault on the Fed’s independence, saying “Anyone who is independent and doesn’t just fall in line behind Trump gets investigated.”Powell’s term as chairman of the Federal Reserve ends in May, and Trump told Politico in an interview last month that he would judge Powell’s successor on whether they immediately cut rates.Trump has also spoken openly about ousting Powell but stopped short of doing so and focused instead on cost overruns for renovation of the Fed’s Washington headquarters.In July, the cost of the Fed’s facelift of its 88-year-old Washington headquarters and a neighboring building was up by $600 million from an initial $1.9-billion estimate.That same month, Trump made an unusual visit to the construction site during which the two men, clad in hard hats, bickered over the price tag for the makeover.
The dollar weakened and gold hit a record high Monday as investors digested news that the US Justice Department is probing the Federal Reserve, raising fears over the central bank’s independence against President Donald Trump’s push for lower rates.European stocks wavered after a strong showing in Asia, seen on the back of solid gains on Wall Street before the weekend. Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the “unprecedented” subpoenas against the bank in a rare video address on Sunday, which he blasted as part of Trump’s pressure campaign for aggressive rate cuts.”The probe has unnerved markets and raised questions about what might happen to the Fed once Powell steps down in May,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. “There is a fear that Trump is meddling too much with policies that are meant to be set independently,” he added.Gold climbed close to $4,600 an ounce while silver approached $85 an ounce as investors sought traditional safe havens. The dollar fell against major peers, as did the price of the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond, sending its yield slightly higher.”The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said in his statement.He said the bank received grand jury subpoenas on Friday related to his Senate testimony in June, which had been in part about a major renovation of Federal Reserve office buildings.The Fed has indicated it will hold interest rates steady at its next monetary policy meeting this month.The development came on the heels of Friday’s soft US jobs report that showed just 50,000 new positions in December, though the unemployment rate slipped to 4.4 percent.Asian markets advanced Monday, led by gains in Hong Kong and Shanghai and tracking Wall Street’s record close at the end of last week. Tokyo was closed for a holiday.Most stock markets have enjoyed a solid start to 2026, with indices in Frankfurt, London, Paris and Seoul hitting record highs last week, largely on optimism for the tech sector and gains in defence sector shares.Oil prices fell in volatile trading Monday as protests in Iran and the US seizure of Venezuela’s crude supplies stoke geopolitical risks.Trump said Sunday that he was considering military action against Iran following reports of hundreds of deaths during a violent crackdown on the protesters.”We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options.”- Key figures at around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 10,123.39 pointsParis – CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,342.00Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 25,309.51Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.3 percent at 26,608.48 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 4,165.29 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: (closed for holiday)New York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 49,504.07 points (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1687 from $1.1635 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3470 from $1.3407Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.85 yen from 157.88 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.76 pence from 86.78 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.6 at $62.99 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $58.72 per barrel
Le conflit social s’enlise au Louvre, de nouveau contraint de fermer ses portes lundi après la reconduction de la grève de ses agents, mobilisés depuis mi-décembre pour de meilleures conditions de travail, a appris l’AFP auprès du musée et des syndicats.Le 15 décembre, au premier jour de cette mobilisation, le musée le plus visité au monde avait déjà dû garder ses portes closes après le vote de ses personnels réunis en AG.Depuis, ce mouvement, l’un des plus importants dans l’histoire du musée, a contraint à plusieurs reprises le Louvre à n’ouvrir que partiellement ses espaces aux visiteurs, cantonnés au “parcours chefs d’oeuvre” incluant la Joconde et la Vénus de Milo.Après une pause pendant les fêtes, le mouvement avait repris le 5 janvier en même temps que les négociations avec le ministère de la Culture, en première ligne sur le sujet des rémunérations, un des principaux points de blocage. Malgré des réunions en fin de semaine dernière, entre 300 et 350 agents ont reconduit lundi la grève faute d’avancées suffisantes également sur le sujet des conditions de travail, qui relève lui de la direction du Louvre, ont indiqué les syndicats. “Chers visiteurs, en raison d’un mouvement social le musée du Louvre est exceptionnellement fermé ce jour”, a fait savoir le musée dans un message publié sur son site internet.”Il y a un problème de dialogue social et une grande défiance vis-à-vis de la direction”, a estimé Valérie Baud, déléguée CFDT au Louvre. “Il y a clairement un blocage”, a renchéri Gary Guillaud de la CGT. Les syndicats, qui demandent également l’abandon de la hausse du prix d’entrée à partir de mercredi pour les étrangers extra-communautaires, doivent s’entretenir avec la présidente du Louvre Laurence des Cars en fin de matinée, a-t-on appris de sources concordantes. Les agents sont notamment mobilisés pour protester contre les sous-effectifs, en particulier pour la surveillance des salles, et dénoncent la dégradation du bâtiment, mise en lumière par le vol spectaculaire de huit joyaux de la Couronne française le 19 octobre.
Un tribunal de Hong Kong a entamé lundi les débats sur la peine à infliger à l’ex-magnat des médias prodémocratie Jimmy Lai, reconnu coupable d’atteinte à la sécurité nationale. Les débats, qui doivent durer quatre jours, se déroulent devant trois juges de la Haute Cour de la région semi-autonome de Chine. Lundi, au moment où des gardiens de prison l’ont conduit au banc des accusés, où il a pris place aux côtés de huit coaccusés, M. Lai a souri et a salué d’un signe de tête ses sympathisants présents dans la salle.Jimmy Lai risque la prison à perpétuité mais dès le début de l’audience son avocat, Robert Pang, a déclaré au tribunal qu’une peine de prison longue serait le “pire” pour quelqu’un de son âge et de sa condition physique. “Chaque jour que (Lai) passera en prison le rapprochera d’autant de la fin de sa vie”, soutient M. Pang.Agé de 78 ans et détenteur d’un passeport britannique, Jimmy Lai est le fondateur du journal prodémocratie Apple Daily, aujourd’hui fermé. Il a été reconnu coupable en décembre de sédition et de collusion avec l’étranger.Cette condamnation se base sur la loi sur la sécurité nationale imposée par Pékin après les manifestations prodémocratie, parfois violentes, qui ont secoué Hong Kong en 2019.Dans leur verdict de 856 pages, les juges avaient écrit que l’ex-magnat “a nourri sa rancoeur et sa haine envers (la Chine) pendant une grande partie de sa vie d’adulte” et qu’il a cherché à “renverser le Parti communiste chinois”.La loi sur la sécurité nationale en vigueur à Hong Kong prévoit que les cas de collusion d’une gravité particulière sont passibles de peines allant de 10 ans de prison à la réclusion à perpétuité.- Appel de Trump -Jimmy Lai est emprisonné depuis 2020 et est maintenu à l’isolement “à sa demande” selon les autorités.Ces poursuites sont “motivées par des considérations politiques”, a affirmé en décembre la ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères Yvette Cooper. Londres a appelé à la libération de Jimmy Lai.Donald Trump avait lui déclaré qu’il souhaitait que son homologue chinois Xi Jinping libère M. Lai.- Inquiétudes sur sa santé -Les juges ont ouvert l’audience de lundi en confirmant les plaidoyers de culpabilité de deux coaccusés, Chan Tsz-wah et Li Yu-hin. Ces deux hommes, ainsi que six responsables du journal Apple Daily, avaient plaidé coupable dans le cadre de la même affaire et attendent également le prononcé de leur peine.Pendant ce premier jour d’audience, la santé de M. Lai était l’objet de vives controverses.Le procureur Anthony Chau a cité un rapport médical pénitentiaire indiquant que “l’état de santé général de M. Lai demeure stable” et qu’il ne se plaignait pas après avoir été traité pour des problèmes cardiaques, dentaires et d’ongles. M. Chau soutient que M.Lai a été placé à l’isolement à sa propre demande pour éviter d’être harcelé, avec un réexamen mensuel de cette disposition.Le gouvernement de Hong Kong a insisté sur le fait que M. Lai recevait des soins “adéquats et complets” en détention.Selon M. Chau, le poids de M. Lai n’a diminué que de 0,8 kilogramme entre décembre 2020 et ce mois-ci.Mais son avocat a soutenu qu’”il y a bien eu une perte de poids significative”, en s’appuyant sur des dossiers médicaux montrant que le magnat a perdu plus de 10 kilogrammes en un an.Les problèmes de santé de M. Lai — notamment l’hypertension, le diabète, ainsi que des problèmes aux yeux et aux membres inférieurs — ne risquent pas de le tuer, mais rendent sa vie en prison plus “pénible”, a-t-il poursuivit. Le mois dernier, l’organisation de défense des droits humains Amnesty International a estimé que la condamnation de Jimmy Lai “sonne comme le glas de la liberté de la presse à Hong Kong”. Au 1er janvier, 385 personnes avaient été arrêtées à Hong Kong pour divers crimes liés à la sécurité nationale et 175 avaient été condamnées, selon des chiffres officiels.L’an dernier, la police a procédé à près de 70 arrestations liées à la sécurité nationale, soit plus du double de 2024.
Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday the Islamic republic is ready for both war and talks after repeated threats from US President Donald Trump to intervene militarily over a crackdown on protests that activists fear has killed hundreds.Over two weeks of protests initially sparked by economic grievances have turned into one of the biggest challenges yet to the theocratic system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the shah.In a sign of the severity of the crisis, the authorities have imposed an internet blackout that has now lasted more than three-and-a-half days and that activists say is aimed at masking the extent of the deadly crackdown.Seeking to regain the initiative, the government was looking to fill streets nationwide with rallies backing the Islamic republic. Trump said Sunday that Iran’s leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989 and now 86, had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.”The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast by state television. “We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect.”Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said a channel of communication is open between Araghchi and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff despite the lack of diplomatic relations.”Messages are exchanged whenever necessary,” he said, noting that while the United States has no diplomatic presence in Iran, its interests are represented by the Swiss embassy.Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Oman, which has on occasion acted as a mediator, met Araghchi in Tehran on Saturday. Trump, who has threatened new military action after the US backed Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, said Tehran had indicated its willingness to talk. “The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate”.He added, however, that “we may have to act before a meeting”.- Soaring toll -Iran’s shutdown of the internet has now lasted more than 84 hours, said monitor Netblocks. The blackout has severely affected the ability of Iranians to post videos of the mass protests that have rocked big cities since Thursday.A video circulating on Sunday showed dozens of bodies accumulating outside a morgue south of Tehran amid fears the toll from a crackdown on the protests could amount to hundreds of people or even higher.The footage, geolocated by AFP to Kahrizak, showed bodies wrapped in black bags, with what appeared to be grieving relatives searching for loved ones.The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but that the actual toll could be much higher.”Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” said IHR.More than 2,600 protesters have been arrested, IHR estimated.The People’s Mujahedin (MEK) opposition group, which is banned in Iran, said that according to its sources inside the country more than 3,000 people have been killed.Iranian state media has said dozens of members of the security forces have been killed, with their funerals turning into large pro-government rallies.State outlets were at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that “the number of protests is decreasing”. With the government declaring three days of national mourning for victims of what it has termed “riots”, state television broadcast images of pro-Islamic republic rallies beginning in several cities with a march in Tehran expected later Monday.- ‘Stand with the people’ -Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah, urged Iran’s security forces and government workers to join the protests against the authorities.”Employees of state institutions, as well as members of the armed and security forces, have a choice: stand with the people and become allies of the nation, or choose complicity with the murderers of the people,” he said in a social media post.He also urged protesters to replace the flags outside Iranian embassies. “The time has come for them to be adorned with Iran’s national flag,” he said.The ceremonial, pre-revolution flag has become an emblem of the global rallies that have mushroomed in support of Iran’s demonstrators. In London, protesters over the weekend swapped out the Iranian embassy flag, hoisting in its place a banner featuring a Persian lion used under the shah. The Iranian foreign ministry said it had summoned the British ambassador to Tehran over the incident.
India and Germany are looking to boost defence industry cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday after hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his home state of Gujarat.Merz said Berlin also wants a closer security partnership with New Delhi, including deeper “cooperation between our defence industries” to cut India’s traditional dependence on Russia for military hardware.Merz began his two-day India visit — his first to Asia since taking office in May — two weeks ahead of an EU-India summit and as India and the European bloc are working on a free trade agreement.Both countries announced several agreements and joint declarations after the leaders’ meeting with an aim to boost their $50 billion trade.The announcements included strengthening defence industry cooperation and on semiconductors and critical minerals.The two countries “are working together on secure, trusted, and resilient supply chains and our MoUs on these issues will strengthen our partnership”, Modi said. “Closer cooperation in security and defence shows mutual trust and shared views,” Modi added.”We will work on a roadmap to increase defence industrial cooperation, which will open new opportunities for co-development and co-production.”The meeting between the Indian and German leaders comes at a time when both are facing economic and security challenges from the world’s two biggest economies, China and the United States.Merz said Berlin was “committed to an international order in which we can live freely and securely, because the world is currently undergoing a process of realignment”.”It is increasingly characterised by great power politics and thinking in terms of spheres of influence, which is why we must join forces to weather these rough winds,” he added.”That is why we also want to move closer together in terms of security policy, such as conducting joint exercises between our air forces and navies for security in the Indo-Pacific.”Recent actions and statements by US President Donald Trump including arbitrary trade tariffs have played a key role in upending global alliances and regional geopolitics, with New Delhi still negotiating a trade deal with Washington.- ‘Strategic importance’ -“It is of particular strategic importance that we deepen cooperation between our defence industries. This strengthens both sides and also helps to make India less dependent on Russia, for example,” said Merz.New Delhi, which has relied on Moscow for decades for its key military hardware, has tried to cut its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and pushing its own domestic manufacturing base.India today counts France, Israel and the United States as its key military suppliers besides Russia.Berlin and New Delhi have also been negotiating a potential deal for Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build six submarines for the Indian Navy in partnership with Indian state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.While still being negotiated, that deal would allow India to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-built submarines and likely include technology transfer provisions to help its domestic defence industry.In defence, the two sides are also exploring other areas of convergence as New Delhi pumps billions of dollars to upgrade its naval fleet and air force in the next few years.Merz will wrap up his visit with a trip to the southern technology hub of Bengaluru on Tuesday.
India and Germany are looking to boost defence industry cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday after hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his home state of Gujarat.Merz said Berlin also wants a closer security partnership with New Delhi, including deeper “cooperation between our defence industries” to cut India’s traditional dependence on Russia for military hardware.Merz began his two-day India visit — his first to Asia since taking office in May — two weeks ahead of an EU-India summit and as India and the European bloc are working on a free trade agreement.Both countries announced several agreements and joint declarations after the leaders’ meeting with an aim to boost their $50 billion trade.The announcements included strengthening defence industry cooperation and on semiconductors and critical minerals.The two countries “are working together on secure, trusted, and resilient supply chains and our MoUs on these issues will strengthen our partnership”, Modi said. “Closer cooperation in security and defence shows mutual trust and shared views,” Modi added.”We will work on a roadmap to increase defence industrial cooperation, which will open new opportunities for co-development and co-production.”The meeting between the Indian and German leaders comes at a time when both are facing economic and security challenges from the world’s two biggest economies, China and the United States.Merz said Berlin was “committed to an international order in which we can live freely and securely, because the world is currently undergoing a process of realignment”.”It is increasingly characterised by great power politics and thinking in terms of spheres of influence, which is why we must join forces to weather these rough winds,” he added.”That is why we also want to move closer together in terms of security policy, such as conducting joint exercises between our air forces and navies for security in the Indo-Pacific.”Recent actions and statements by US President Donald Trump including arbitrary trade tariffs have played a key role in upending global alliances and regional geopolitics, with New Delhi still negotiating a trade deal with Washington.- ‘Strategic importance’ -“It is of particular strategic importance that we deepen cooperation between our defence industries. This strengthens both sides and also helps to make India less dependent on Russia, for example,” said Merz.New Delhi, which has relied on Moscow for decades for its key military hardware, has tried to cut its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and pushing its own domestic manufacturing base.India today counts France, Israel and the United States as its key military suppliers besides Russia.Berlin and New Delhi have also been negotiating a potential deal for Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build six submarines for the Indian Navy in partnership with Indian state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.While still being negotiated, that deal would allow India to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-built submarines and likely include technology transfer provisions to help its domestic defence industry.In defence, the two sides are also exploring other areas of convergence as New Delhi pumps billions of dollars to upgrade its naval fleet and air force in the next few years.Merz will wrap up his visit with a trip to the southern technology hub of Bengaluru on Tuesday.
