Business

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has abruptly announced it will get rid of independent fact-checkers in the US and replace them with a "community notes" system like the one used on X. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there had been too much accidental censorship. Human rights groups accused him of currying favour with the incoming Trump administration. Plus, Getty Images and Shutterstock announce a plan to merge to better prepare for the age of AI. 

The US Department of Defense has added Chinese social media giant Tencent and battery leader CATL to a list of firms it says work with the Chinese military. We take a closer look. Also in this edition: Nippon Steel vows to keep trying to acquire US Steel under the new Trump administration, and the 2025 CES gets underway in Las Vegas.

US Steel and Nippon Steel have filed lawsuits in Washington in a bid to overturn last week's decision by the Biden administration to block their planned merger. In a scathing statement, the steelmakers accused the outgoing president of making the move for political gain. They also sued the USW union and rival bidder Cleveland-Cliffs, accusing them of colluding to kill the deal to try to monopolise the US steel industry. Also in this edition: a 276 kg bluefin tuna fetches €1.2 million at a New Year's auction in Japan. 

France's new ministers for finance and public accounts are meeting with top MPs to kick off talks aimed at getting a 2025 budget passed, this as concern grows over the country's ballooning deficit and debt. Also, New York City rolls out America's first-ever congestion pricing programme, aimed at funding repairs to the metropolis' dilapidated subway system.

US President-elect Donald Trump has upended bipartisan efforts to avert a government shutdown, after he rejected a stopgap bill and pressed Republican lawmakers to either renegotiate it or risk their political careers. The new bill would have kept federal funding running at the current level until March after the current short-term spending plan expires on Friday night. Plus, the ongoing political crisis in Georgia is taking a toll on its economy, especially tourism.   

The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the third time this year, to 4.25-4.5 percent. But the central bank indicated it would likely slow the pace of its rate cuts in the coming year, as prices remain high. Rodney Sullivan, from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, says "the signal that the Fed is giving is that they intend to break the back of inflation and bring it down to their target rate of 2 percent". He was speaking to FRANCE 24's Kate Moody.

Japanese carmakers Nissan and Honda have confirmed talks aimed at deepening their cooperation as they struggle to compete with Chinese EV startups. We take a closer look. Also in this edition: Italy's Unicredit raises its stake in German lender Commerzbank, and DR Congo accuses Apple's subsidiaries of trafficking in conflict minerals.

US President-elect Donald Trump appeared jointly with Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Japan's SoftBank, announcing the group's plan to invest $100 billion in the United States over the next four years. Son said Trump's election victory had boosted his confidence in the US economy. Meanwhile, Canada's finance minister resigns, citing disagreements with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to respond to Trump's threat of new trade tariffs. 

The UK has officially become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), joining 11 existing members including Australia, Japan and Canada. The CPTPP rose from the ashes of the TPP, which was signed in 2016 but was never ratified after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal. Plus, France has a new government but still no budget. MPs are set to start debate on an emergency spending bill. 

Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, a first for the US president-elect, after he was named "Person of the Year " by Time magazine. Plus, the European Central Bank cut interest rates again as the focus shifts from fighting inflation to supporting the Eurozone economy amid sluggish growth and political uncertainty.