Ligue Europa: Lyon vise le sans-faute, Lille à la relance
Lyon va tenter jeudi sur le terrain du Betis Séville (21h00) de poursuivre son sans-faute européen lors de la quatrième journée de Ligue Europa, tandis que Lille doit se relancer à Belgrade face à l’Etoile Rouge (18h45).Les Lyonnais, qui ont remporté difficilement leur troisième victoire européenne en autant de journées contre le FC Bâle (2-0), partagent la tête du classement de la phase de ligue à égalité de points (9) avec Braga et Midtjylland.. Lyon forteresse défensive Toujours aussi hermétique en défense en Ligue Europa, où il n’a encaissé aucun but, le club rhodanien a baissé de rythme en championnat et concédé deux nuls consécutifs, face au Paris FC (3-3) et à Brest (0-0).Surtout, l’OL se prépare à la réception du Paris Saint-Germain au Groupama Stadium, dimanche, et pourrait être tenté de faire tourner son effectif en Andalousie et devra se passer de son capitaine Corentin Tolisso forfait.A la mi-parcours des phases de ligue, le Real Betis, 16e avec 5 points, se verrait bien briser l’invincibilité défensive des Lyonnais mais les Espagnols restent sur un match nul et vierge à Genk. . Lille sous surveillance Bien lancés par leurs succès contre le SK Brann (2-1) et l’AS Rome (0-1), les Dogues ont quant à eux buté sur le PAOK Salonique, battus (4-3) à domicile lors de la précédente journée.Après avoir retrouvé la victoire en Ligue 1 contre Angers dimanche, les Lillois (11e, 6 points) cherchent à se relancer en Ligue Europa à Belgrade face à un adversaire en difficulté (un nul, deux défaites) qui croupit à la trentième place.Au delà des enjeux sportifs, le président lillois Olivier Létang fera l’objet d’une surveillance particulière après avoir apostrophé l’arbitre monténégrin Nikola Dabanovic dans le couloir des vestiaires, à la mi-temps du match contre le PAOK Salonique.Sous la menace d’une suspension de l’UEFA, “une décision sera prise en novembre”, sans “date précise pour le moment”, a indiqué à l’AFP un porte-parole de l’instance européenne.Le président de Nice Fabrice Boquet n’a pas de soucis de discipline mais il aimerait bien que son équipe gagne enfin un match de coupe d’Europe après 15 rencontres sans victoire.Seulement 33e de la poule unique, les Aiglons reçoivent les Allemands de Fribourg (6e), une équipe qui a remporté deux victoires et un nul dans la compétition cette saison.. Strasbourg en sursis En Ligue Conférence, Strasbourg – étrillé par Rennes dimanche dernier (4-1) – affronte jeudi (21h00) les Suédois du BK Häcken pour la troisième journée. La rencontre ne se déroule toutefois pas dans la Bravida Arena – inaugurée en 2015 mais non homologué par l’UEFA en raison de sa faible capacité (6.300 places) – mais est délocalisée au stade Ullevi de Göteborg.Décevant 10e de la Première Division suédoise, à une journée du terme de la saison, le BK Häcken court encore derrière une première victoire en Europe cette saison, tandis que les Alsaciens, vainqueurs du Slovan Bratislava (1-2) mais neutralisés par les Polonais de Jagiellonia (1-1), veulent engranger des points, eux qui figurent parmi les favoris de la compétition.
Probe into Thales defence group looking at Indonesian contract
A French-British investigation into alleged bribery at France-based defence giant Thales is examining a contract with Indonesia, an AFP investigation has showed.In November last year, Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it had launched a joint investigation with its French counterparts into “suspected bribery and corruption” at the multinational, which denies any wrongdoing.A 41-year-old management controller, who worked at the company between August 2018 and June 2023, was the whistleblower who alerted the authorities and caused the probe to be opened, according to two sources following the case who requested not to be named because not allowed to speak to the press.The former member of staff, who wishes to remain anonymous and who AFP reached through his lawyer, said he started asking colleagues questions after he noticed suspicious orders on the margins of big air defence deals with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.He said that in late 2018 he noticed a curious payment order for a service worth £400,000 ($520,000 at today’s rate) on the sidelines of a deal between Thales UK and Indonesia.He said he grew suspicious when someone asked him for a retroactive approval of the order with incoherent documents produced after it was made, and reported this to his superiors.”The only thing I was told was to keep quiet,” he said.He alleged that months later, he noticed another £100,000 transferred to Saudi Arabia, where a contract had also been signed.He said he alerted colleagues in writing and orally, then via an internal complaint platform in 2022.He believes this is why he was fired.- Multiple probes -Thales told AFP the former employee only filed an internal complaint “several hours after being summoned to a meeting towards a possible dismissal for professional incompetence”.A team of in-house auditors led an internal probe and concluded that there were no grounds to his allegations, it said, adding however that it was cooperating with the British and French authorities.Neither the SFO nor the French financial prosecutor’s office wished to comment on an ongoing investigation.One source following the case said the Indonesian contract was being investigated in the joint probe.But no source confirmed or denied that any Saudi contract was also being examined.A judicial source, also wishing to remain anonymous, said the French investigators were looking at an “arms market” in Asia, without saying which country was involved.The French judiciary is looking into at least five other cases of alleged graft involving the defence firm.An investigating magistrate is investigating the sale of submarines to Malaysia in 2002 and could order a trial against parties including the firm.Four other preliminary probes, launched between 2016 and 2023, are looking at alleged corruption in places including Brazil, India and the United Nations. No charges have been pressed against Thales in those investigations.Thales told AFP the probes were ongoing and that it “strictly follows national and international regulation”.
Probe into Thales defence group looking at Indonesian contract
A French-British investigation into alleged bribery at France-based defence giant Thales is examining a contract with Indonesia, an AFP investigation has showed.In November last year, Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it had launched a joint investigation with its French counterparts into “suspected bribery and corruption” at the multinational, which denies any wrongdoing.A 41-year-old management controller, who worked at the company between August 2018 and June 2023, was the whistleblower who alerted the authorities and caused the probe to be opened, according to two sources following the case who requested not to be named because not allowed to speak to the press.The former member of staff, who wishes to remain anonymous and who AFP reached through his lawyer, said he started asking colleagues questions after he noticed suspicious orders on the margins of big air defence deals with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.He said that in late 2018 he noticed a curious payment order for a service worth £400,000 ($520,000 at today’s rate) on the sidelines of a deal between Thales UK and Indonesia.He said he grew suspicious when someone asked him for a retroactive approval of the order with incoherent documents produced after it was made, and reported this to his superiors.”The only thing I was told was to keep quiet,” he said.He alleged that months later, he noticed another £100,000 transferred to Saudi Arabia, where a contract had also been signed.He said he alerted colleagues in writing and orally, then via an internal complaint platform in 2022.He believes this is why he was fired.- Multiple probes -Thales told AFP the former employee only filed an internal complaint “several hours after being summoned to a meeting towards a possible dismissal for professional incompetence”.A team of in-house auditors led an internal probe and concluded that there were no grounds to his allegations, it said, adding however that it was cooperating with the British and French authorities.Neither the SFO nor the French financial prosecutor’s office wished to comment on an ongoing investigation.One source following the case said the Indonesian contract was being investigated in the joint probe.But no source confirmed or denied that any Saudi contract was also being examined.A judicial source, also wishing to remain anonymous, said the French investigators were looking at an “arms market” in Asia, without saying which country was involved.The French judiciary is looking into at least five other cases of alleged graft involving the defence firm.An investigating magistrate is investigating the sale of submarines to Malaysia in 2002 and could order a trial against parties including the firm.Four other preliminary probes, launched between 2016 and 2023, are looking at alleged corruption in places including Brazil, India and the United Nations. No charges have been pressed against Thales in those investigations.Thales told AFP the probes were ongoing and that it “strictly follows national and international regulation”.
Probe into Thales defence group looking at Indonesian contract
A French-British investigation into alleged bribery at France-based defence giant Thales is examining a contract with Indonesia, an AFP investigation has showed.In November last year, Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it had launched a joint investigation with its French counterparts into “suspected bribery and corruption” at the multinational, which denies any wrongdoing.A 41-year-old management controller, who worked at the company between August 2018 and June 2023, was the whistleblower who alerted the authorities and caused the probe to be opened, according to two sources following the case who requested not to be named because not allowed to speak to the press.The former member of staff, who wishes to remain anonymous and who AFP reached through his lawyer, said he started asking colleagues questions after he noticed suspicious orders on the margins of big air defence deals with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.He said that in late 2018 he noticed a curious payment order for a service worth £400,000 ($520,000 at today’s rate) on the sidelines of a deal between Thales UK and Indonesia.He said he grew suspicious when someone asked him for a retroactive approval of the order with incoherent documents produced after it was made, and reported this to his superiors.”The only thing I was told was to keep quiet,” he said.He alleged that months later, he noticed another £100,000 transferred to Saudi Arabia, where a contract had also been signed.He said he alerted colleagues in writing and orally, then via an internal complaint platform in 2022.He believes this is why he was fired.- Multiple probes -Thales told AFP the former employee only filed an internal complaint “several hours after being summoned to a meeting towards a possible dismissal for professional incompetence”.A team of in-house auditors led an internal probe and concluded that there were no grounds to his allegations, it said, adding however that it was cooperating with the British and French authorities.Neither the SFO nor the French financial prosecutor’s office wished to comment on an ongoing investigation.One source following the case said the Indonesian contract was being investigated in the joint probe.But no source confirmed or denied that any Saudi contract was also being examined.A judicial source, also wishing to remain anonymous, said the French investigators were looking at an “arms market” in Asia, without saying which country was involved.The French judiciary is looking into at least five other cases of alleged graft involving the defence firm.An investigating magistrate is investigating the sale of submarines to Malaysia in 2002 and could order a trial against parties including the firm.Four other preliminary probes, launched between 2016 and 2023, are looking at alleged corruption in places including Brazil, India and the United Nations. No charges have been pressed against Thales in those investigations.Thales told AFP the probes were ongoing and that it “strictly follows national and international regulation”.
COP30: l’IA renforce la désinformation sur le climat, selon une ONG
Les fausses informations climatosceptiques sont largement amplifiées par l’intelligence artificielle (IA), encourageant l’hostilité envers les chercheurs et la science, à l’approche de la COP30 au Brésil, selon un rapport publié jeudi par la coalition d’ONG Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD).Parmi les exemples les plus récents, une vidéo montre de prétendues inondations à Belém, en Amazonie, où se tiendra le sommet des Nations unies sur le climat, du 10 au 21 novembre. Un exemple parmi d’autres de désinformation générée par intelligence artificielle.Dans le rapport publié jeudi, CAAD et l’Observatory for Information Integrity (OII) alertent sur une recrudescence de 267% de la désinformation entre juillet et septembre sur des sujets liés à la COP.Plusieurs vidéos circulant sur les réseaux sociaux trompent le public via des images fabriquées de toutes pièces ou sans rapport avec la COP, constatent les deux organisations.Un clip publié en juin sur TikTok montre Belém sous les eaux. Seul problème, “le journaliste n’existe pas, les gens n’existent pas, l’inondation n’existe pas et la ville n’existe pas”, résume l’OII. Ce sont de fausses images.Des mois plus tard, TikTok n’a toujours pas supprimé le contenu de sa plateforme malgré le signalement des chercheurs.Cet exemple reflète une tendance grandissante observée tout au long de l’année 2025.Au printemps dernier, l’AFP a, entre autres, enquêté sur un document attribué à Grok 3, l’IA du propriétaire du réseau social X, Elon Musk. Ce document disponible en ligne rejette à tort la crédibilité des modèles climatiques présentés par le Giec, le groupe de scientifiques mandatés par les Nations unies sur le climat.Ces fausses informations peuvent aussi conduire à des campagnes d’intimidation visant scientifiques et activistes, écrit par ailleurs Carlos Milani, professeur à l’université d’Etat de Rio de Janeiro, cité dans le rapport.Cet activisme des climatosceptiques à grands coups d’IA survient dans le contexte d’une opinion publique majoritairement favorable à la défense de l’environnement, observe CAAD.Mais le monde politique comme le grand public hésitent à agir ou sous-estiment leur capacité d’action sous “l’effet de la désinformation climatique”, estime l’ONG.Lueur d’espoir toutefois à la COP30, avec l’intégrité de l’information inscrite pour la première fois à l’agenda officiel, selon CAAD: “Nous allons enfin dans la bonne direction”.
Climat: le pic des émissions chinoises attendu d’ici 2030, et non dès 2025, selon des experts
Des experts indépendants, qui évaluent chaque année les objectifs de la Chine en matière de climat, estiment maintenant qu’elle atteindra le pic de ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre d’ici 2030, et non d’ici la fin de l’année comme anticipé précédemment, selon une étude publiée jeudi.Ce quatrième sondage annuel, publié en amont de la COP30 au Brésil, interroge près de 70 experts. Il se veut moins confiant qu’en 2024, lorsque près de la moitié des spécialistes interrogés pensaient que les émissions de CO2 de la Chine avaient déjà atteint leur maximum ou le feraient en 2025.Cette année, 71% des experts sondés anticipent un pic entre 2026 et 2030, la plupart pour l’année 2028, selon ce travail du Centre de recherche sur l’énergie et l’air pur (Crea), basé à Helsinki, et de la Société internationale pour les études sur la transition énergétique (Isets), dont le siège se trouve à Sydney.Le moment précis du pic des émissions chinoises reste incertain. Il constitue toutefois une donnée essentielle pour mesurer les avancées de Pékin.En effet, la Chine a rendu public en septembre un objectif chiffré en matière de réduction de ses émissions nettes de gaz à effet de serre: 7 à 10% d’ici 2035. Des ambitions jugées modestes par la plupart des analystes mais qui seront selon eux atteintes, et même légèrement dépassées.Mais Pékin n’a pas défini d’année de référence à partir duquel comparer les chiffres.Près de 20% des experts interrogés estiment, eux, que ce maximum est déjà passé.La Chine est à la fois le pays au monde qui émet le plus de gaz à effet de serre en plein changement climatique (15,6 milliards de tonnes en équivalent CO2) mais aussi celui qui se dote le plus en voitures électriques et infrastructures d’énergies renouvelables.Le cumul historique de ses émissions et ses émissions par tête restent toutefois inférieurs aux chiffres des Etats-Unis – même s’ils tendent à les rattraper.
IPL champions Bengaluru could be sold for ‘as much as $2 billion’
The owner of India Premier League cricket champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru is considering selling the team, which could be worth “as much as $2 billion”.United Spirits Ltd, the Indian arm of global drinks giant Diageo, told the Mumbai Stock Exchange that it had begun a “strategic review of the investment” in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Praveen Someshwar, United Spirits CEO, said it “has been a valuable and strategic asset” but that it was “non-core to our alcobev business” in a letter dated Wednesday.”This step reinforces USL’s and Diageo’s commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio,” he added, while keeping RCB’s “best interest in mind”.The review, expected to conclude in March next year, is of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt, the owner of both the men’s and women’s teams.RCB lifted the Indian Premier League title in June for the first time in the money-spinning annual men’s T20 cricket tournament which was founded in 2008.Bloomberg News reported soon after that the owners were “weighing possibilities including a sale of part or all of the club and may seek a valuation of as much as $2 billion”. A day after the final triumph in Ahmedabad, disaster struck RCB’s homecoming trophy parade when 11 fans were crushed to death and more than 50 others injured in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.Hundreds of thousands had gathered on the streets of the city to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his victorious teammates.Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it “absolutely heartrending” and Kohli said he was “at a loss for words” after the tragedy.