Business news, the Olympic Games in Paris, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East… All the news from this Friday, August 2, can be followed here.
> The main news of the day
7:40 a.m. – Apple is counting on AI to boost its sales after mixed results
The Californian giant has just published mixed results, between a decline in sales in China, a slight decline in the iPhone and the rise of services. Its executives assure that the arrival of AI in the next generation of iPhone will boost sales.
7:39 a.m. – Wall Street shivers after Fed’s decision to keep rates high
At the close in New York yesterday, the Nasdaq 100 index fell 2.4% and the S&P 500 fell 1.37%. Investors are wondering whether the Fed underestimated the cooling of the labor market, as they await the July job creation figure.
7:38 – Turkey blocks access to Instagram network
Turkey has blocked access to the social network Instagram without justification but after accusations of censorship by a senior Turkish official against the American platform, the Turkish Information and Communications Technology Authority (BTK) announced. Many users residing in Turkey reported on the social network X that they were unable to refresh their Instagram feed, a blockage also noted by AFP journalists.
7:37 a.m. – Joe Biden says he is “very concerned” about tensions in the Middle East
US President Joe Biden said he was “very concerned” about rising tensions in the Middle East and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The assassination in Iran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had “not helped” the situation, he added.
7:36 a.m. – Arrival in the United States of prisoners released during the exchange with Russia
Several of the prisoners released by Russia in a historic swap with the West, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, have arrived in the United States. The former detainees arrived on a plane that landed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, where they were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
7:35 a.m. – Attack on a humanitarian convoy by Israel: Australian investigation points to “serious failures”
The strike that killed seven foreign and Palestinian aid workers in the Gaza Strip in April was the result of “serious failures” by the Israeli military, according to the Australian government’s report. Among the failures noted was the “misidentification” of the target, a convoy of the American NGO World Central Kitchen that was mistaken for vehicles of the Islamist movement Hamas. An Australian woman was among the victims, prompting Canberra to launch its own investigation.
7:34 a.m. – Tokyo Stock Exchange: Nikkei collapses after Wall Street fall
The Tokyo Stock Exchange was down sharply this morning shortly after opening, following Wall Street’s decline the day before amid renewed concern about the US economy. The leading Nikkei index fell 4.25% ten minutes after the start of trading on the Tokyo stock exchange. The broader Topix index lost 4.22%.
7:33 a.m. – Joe Biden assures Netanyahu of American “commitment” against “all threats from Iran”
US President Joe Biden assured his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the United States was “committed” to the security of the Jewish state in the face of “all threats from Iran.” During a telephone conversation between the two men, in which Vice President Kamala Harris participated, the outgoing White House tenant also “stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region,” according to a White House statement.
7:32 – Several of the prisoners released from Russia “feared for their lives”
Prisoners released from Russia and Belarus in a large-scale exchange “feared for their lives,” the German chancellor said after welcoming several of them at Cologne airport from Ankara.
“It was very emotional,” Olaf Scholz told reporters after the closed-door meeting, because “many did not expect” their release “to happen now” and “many feared for their health and also for their lives, it must be said.”
7:31 – Venezuela election: Antony Blinken speaks of ‘incontrovertible evidence’ of opposition victory
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was “compelling evidence” that Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had won the presidential election against Nicolas Maduro, whose re-election sparked mass protests. Brazil, Colombia and Mexico called in a joint statement for an “impartial verification of the results” of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election.
7:30 a.m. – Intel, in the red in the second quarter, lays off 15% of its employees
The American semiconductor giant plans to lay off more than 15% of its workforce to cut costs, or about 18,000 people, by the end of the year. Lagging behind its competitors in chips adapted to generative artificial intelligence, the American group published net losses of 1.6 billion dollars in the second quarter. Its shares lost 18% in electronic trading after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Intel also plans to cut its operating and capital expenditures by more than $10 billion in 2025. The American giant also announced that it would not pay a dividend at the end of the year. “Our goal is to return to the dividend, to pay a competitive dividend over time, but right now we are focused on the balance sheet, reducing leverage,” said Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger.
