Les trois quarts des Français inquiets de la désinformation étrangère, selon le baromètre La Croix

Les trois quarts des Français se disent inquiets de la désinformation étrangère, selon le baromètre annuel du journal La Croix sur la confiance dans les médias dévoilé jeudi. Dans le détail, 45% sont “plutôt” inquiets et 31% sont “tout à fait” inquiets de ces tentatives par certains Etats d’influencer l’opinion publique en France, tandis que 19% ne le sont pas, et 5% sont sans opinion, selon ce sondage présenté lors du festival Médias en Seine à Paris.Réalisé depuis 1987, il a été rebaptisé “Baromètre La Croix – Verian – La Poste sur la confiance des Français dans les médias”.Interrogés plus particulièrement sur des risques de désinformation étrangère dans le cadre des élections municipales de mars, les sondés sont cependant moins nombreux à être inquiets, à hauteur de 60%.Sur les réseaux sociaux, une personne interrogée sur deux (51%) pense être confrontée plusieurs fois par semaine à des informations déformant la réalité ou à de fausses informations, venant ou non de l’étranger.C’est moins le cas à la télévision (40%), sur les sites ou applications de la presse nationale (37%) ou à la radio (30%).Interrogés sur l’idée de labelliser les médias sur internet de façon indépendante, 62% jugent que ce serait une bonne chose, 16% une mauvaise et 22% ne se prononcent pas.La piste, avancée par Emmanuel Macron en novembre, a fait polémique, les médias du milliardaire conservateur Vincent Bolloré et des dirigeants de la droite et de l’extrême droite soupçonnant le chef de l’Etat de vouloir “contrôler l’information”.Par ailleurs, les Français sont 71% à suivre l’actualité avec un grand intérêt, une proportion en baisse de 5 points sur un an. Quelque 28% la suivent avec un faible intérêt.Près d’un sur deux (47%) ressent souvent de la fatigue ou du rejet par rapport à l’actualité, une proportion cependant en baisse de quatre points.Enfin, les médias traditionnels reculent: 85% des Français suivent les journaux télévisés (-5 points), 76% les chaînes d’info en continu (-3) et encore 72% la presse régionale, papier ou en ligne (-3).En revanche, les influenceurs et créateurs de contenu sur les réseaux sociaux ont le vent en poupe: 42% des personnes interrogées les utilisent pour être informés sur l’actualité (+5 points).  Cette étude a été réalisée sur internet du 24 au 30 novembre auprès d’un échantillon de 1.500 personnes, représentatif de l’ensemble de la population âgée de 18 ans et plus (méthode des quotas).

Trump to host Venezuelan opposition leader sidelined by US

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whose pro-democracy movement he has sidelined since toppling her country’s leader, and whose Nobel Peace Prize he openly envies.Machado’s White House visit comes a day after Trump used glowing terms to describe his first known call with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, confirming his satisfaction with the allies of Nicolas Maduro remaining in power, for now at least.Trump called Rodriguez a “terrific person” and hailed “terrific progress” made since US special forces seized Maduro and his wife in a deadly raid.Rodriguez meanwhile said the call was “productive and courteous,” and characterized by “mutual respect.””Many topics were discussed,” Trump said on social media, “including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security.”Notably absent was any mention of a political transition, an issue that Washington has recently downplayed compared to economic concerns, especially access to Venezuelan oil.Machado, who campaigned for years to end Maduro’s rule, will seek Thursday to bring the issue back into the foreground.- Nobel sharing -Machado, 58, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her activism in pursuit of democracy in Venezuela, despite threats of imprisonment by Maduro’s government.Venezuela’s opposition has argued and presented evidence that Maduro stole the 2024 election from Machado’s party, namely candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia — claims supported by Washington.Venezuela’s electoral authorities, seen as allied with Maduro, never released data from the vote.Hundreds of people were arrested in post-election protests, and while Gonzalez Urrutia fled to Europe for asylum, Machado remained in the country in a hidden location, appearing only intermittently at rallies.She appaeared in Oslo, Norway last month to collect her Nobel prize after a daring escape by boat, and has not yet returned to her home country.Trump has openly fumed about not being awarded the prize, calling it a “major embarrassment” for NATO ally Norway.Machado has offered to share her award with Trump, and the president indicated she might give it to him when they meet.”I understand she wants to do that. That would be a great honor,” Trump said in a recent Fox News interview.The Nobel Institute has stressed that the prize cannot be transferred from one person to another.- Prisoner releases -Under pressure from Washington, Venezuela has released dozens of political prisoners in the past week, though hundreds remain behind bars.Rodriguez claimed a total of 406 political prisoners had been released since December in a process that “has not yet concluded.”The Foro Penal legal rights NGO, which defends many of the detainees, gave a much smaller tally of around 180 freed.AFP’s count, based on data from NGOs and opposition parties, showed 70 people released since the fall of Maduro, who has been taken to the United States to face trial for alleged drug trafficking.To avoid scenes of jubilant opposition activists punching the air as they walk free from prison, the authorities have been releasing them quietly at other locations, far from the TV cameras and relatives waiting outside detention centers.

Thaïlande: deux accidents meurtriers en deux jours liés à la même entreprise

Les effondrements meurtriers de deux grues mercredi et jeudi sur des chantiers en Thaïlande sont liés à la même entreprise de BTP, a indiqué le gouvernement, qui exige des explications.La chute d’une première grue mercredi matin sur un train de passagers dans le nord-est du pays a fait 32 morts et des dizaines de blessés.Des proches endeuillés se recueillaient en silence sur le site poussiéreux au soleil levant lorsqu’un accident similaire s’est produit jeudi à plus de 200 kilomètres de là, dans la banlieue de Bangkok.Une autre grue est tombée sur le chantier d’une autoroute en construction, tuant deux nouvelles personnes, selon la police locale.Ces deux drames en l’espace de 24 heures ont pour dénominateur commun l’entreprise thaïlandaise Italian-Thai Development, a confirmé à un média local le ministre thaïlandais des Transports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.”Je ne comprends toujours pas ce qu’il s’est passé”, a-t-il déclaré. “Nous devrons établir les faits, s’il s’agissait d’un accident ou de quelque chose d’autre”.Italian-Thai – l’une des plus grosses entreprises de BTP du royaume – a été impliquée dans plusieurs accidents mortels ces dernières années.Elle a été inculpée en août, avec son directeur, dans une affaire liée à l’effondrement d’un immeuble en construction à Bangkok lors d’un tremblement de terre. Environ 90 personnes avaient trouvé la mort, principalement des ouvriers.L’entreprise a annoncé mercredi après la tragédie ferroviaire qu’elle assumerait “la responsabilité d’indemniser les familles des victimes et de couvrir les frais médicaux des blessés”.Mais elle pourrait avoir rapidement d’autres comptes à rendre.Le Premier ministre, Anutin Charnvirakul, a affirmé sur les lieux du drame qu’il s’agissait “clairement de la faute de l’entreprise”.”Il est temps de modifier la loi afin de mettre sur une liste noire les sociétés de BTP responsables d’accidents à répétition”, a-t-il par ailleurs suggéré à l’approche d’élections générales le 8 février.- “Failli mourir” -Sur le site du deuxième accident, jeudi, dans la banlieue de Bangkok, Booncherd La-orium, un conducteur de moto-taxi, dit avoir “la chair de poule”.”Je ne m’étais toujours pas remis de l’accident d’hier (mercredi) et j’apprends ce matin qu’un autre a lieu juste à côté de chez moi”, raconte à l’AFP l’homme de 69 ans. “C’est encore la même entreprise, Italian-Thai…””Ma femme ne veut plus que je roule ici, peu importe combien les clients paient”, ajoute-t-il. “Ca fait vraiment peur”.Des images d’une caméra embarquée dans un véhicule montrent le moment où l’énorme grue s’est effondrée, déchirant la chaussée en béton surélevée dans un nuage de poussière.”J’ai failli mourir”, souffle une personne à bord. “C’est bon maintenant, ça ne tombe plus. C’est encore un effondrement de grue”, répond une deuxième.L’autoroute en construction doit permettre de fluidifier le trafic sur la route Rama II, qui relie Bangkok au sud du pays. Mais l’important chantier accumule les retards et les accidents mortels.L’effondrement d’une poutre en béton, conçue pour soutenir le futur pont autoroutier, avait déjà tué au moins six personnes en mars dernier près de la capitale, et trois ouvriers sont morts en novembre 2024 après la chute d’une grue, déjà.Celle qui a provoqué le déraillement du train mercredi dans le nord-est de la Thaïlande était utilisée sur le chantier d’une future ligne de train à grande vitesse.Un projet colossal soutenu par la Chine dans le cadre de sa politique des “nouvelles routes de la soie”, destinée à améliorer ses échanges commerciaux et son influence en Asie du Sud-Est.

Trump assure que les “tueries en Iran ont pris fin” mais laisse planer la menace d’une intervention

Donald Trump a affirmé mercredi que “les tueries” en Iran avaient “pris fin” après la répression de manifestations par les autorités, mais a entretenu le flou sur une éventuelle intervention militaire américaine, indiquant que Washington suivrait de près la situation.”Nous avons été informés par des sources très importantes de l’autre côté, et elles ont dit …

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Une mission militaire européenne au Groenland, convoité par Trump

Une mission militaire européenne démarre jeudi au Groenland, territoire arctique sous souveraineté danoise convoité par le président Donald Trump, au lendemain d’une rencontre à Washington entre responsables américains, danois et groenlandais qui a débouché sur un constat de “désaccord fondamental”.La France, la Suède, l’Allemagne et la Norvège ont annoncé mercredi qu’elles allaient déployer du personnel …

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Trump reçoit Maria Corina Machado, opposante vénézuélienne et prix Nobel de la paix

Donald Trump reçoit jeudi l’opposante vénézuélienne Maria Corina Machado, qu’il a jusqu’ici écartée de sa stratégie au Venezuela, mais dont il semble espérer un geste concernant le prix Nobel de la paix qu’elle a reçu l’an dernier.Sa venue à la Maison Blanche intervient au lendemain d’une “longue conversation” du président américain avec la présidente par …

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China’s top diplomat calls Carney visit ‘turning point’ in ties

China’s top diplomat said Thursday that a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Beijing marked a “turning point” in the two countries’ long acrimonious relationship.The first visit by a Canadian leader to Beijing in eight years was a “turning point and symbol for the relationship between two countries”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement, according to a readout.”The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which I believe will open up new prospects for bilateral relations,” he added.Carney, who has also said ties between the two sides are shifting, is meeting with top Chinese leaders in Beijing on Thursday, as he pulls away from traditional ally the United States.Following President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs on Canadian products, Carney has sought to reduce his country’s economic reliance on its main market, the United States.Video from Chinese state media showed Carney arriving in Beijing for his four-day state visit late Wednesday evening to a red carpet welcome.He is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, among other government and business leaders for trade talks.Ties between the two nations withered in 2018, when Canada arrested the daughter of Huawei’s founder on a US warrant, and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.- ‘Right track’ -The two countries imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s exports in the years that ensued, with China also being accused of interfering in Canada’s elections.Caught in the tariffs crossfire were Chinese electric vehicles along with Canadian canola oil and other agricultural goods.The last time Chinese and Canadian leaders formally met was when then prime minister Justin Trudeau visited Beijing in 2017.But there have been signs of warming ties under Carney, who met Xi on the sidelines of an APEC summit in October.China has shown a willingness to rekindle the relationship, with Xi telling Carney after their meeting that it has “shown a recovery” towards “the right track”.Officials from the two countries have been in talks to lower tariffs, but an agreement has yet to be reached.Beijing, meanwhile, said this week it “attaches high importance” to Carney’s visit.- Pivot from US -Ottawa has traditionally been hawkish towards Beijing, positioning itself in alliance with the United States.But Canada has been hit especially hard by Trump’s steep tariffs on steel, aluminium, vehicles and lumber, prompting a change of heart.In October, Carney said Canada should double its non-US exports by 2035 to reduce reliance on the United States.But the United States remains far and away its largest market, buying around 75 percent of Canadian exports in 2024, according to Canadian government statistics.While Ottawa has stressed that China is Canada’s second-largest market, it lags far behind, buying less than four percent of Canadian exports in 2024.Carney will be looking to raise that figure, with his office saying the visit aims to “elevate engagement on trade, energy, agriculture, and international security”.

Trump says Iran killings stopped, Tehran says ‘no plan for hanging’

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead.But in a surprise announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that Tehran had now stopped, and that executions would not go ahead.”They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place — there were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won’t take place — and we’re going to find out,” Trump said.He offered no details and noted that the United States had yet to verify the claims.Asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office if US military action was now off the table, Trump replied: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow,” in an interview with US network Fox News, while accusing Israel of orchestrating violence, without providing evidence.Araghchi contends the peaceful protests about economic hardship that began December 28 devolved into widespread violence between January 7 and 10 because the protests were infiltrated by external “elements who had a plan to create a big number of killings in order to provoke President Trump to enter into this conflict and start a new war against Iran.”Iran’s Minister of Justice Amin Hossein Rahimi echoed that allegation, telling state news agencies that after January 7, “those weren’t protests any longer” and anyone who was arrested on the streets then “was definitely a criminal.”A rights group said separately that the execution of an Iranian man arrested during the wave of protests, 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, would not take place as scheduled on Wednesday, citing relatives.Late Wednesday, UN leadership announced a meeting of the Security Council Thursday for “a briefing on the situation in Iran,” as requested by the United States.Trump’s comments sent oil prices plunging on Thursday morning, as concerns eased of a looming supply shock in energy markets. Iran makes up around three percent of global oil production. – ‘Full control’ -Araghchi said the Iranian government was “in full control” and reported an atmosphere of “calm” after what he called three days of “terrorist operation.”Iran also struck a defiant tone about responding to any US attack, as Washington appeared to draw down staff at a base in Qatar that Tehran targeted in a strike last year.Iran targeted the Al Udeid base in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Trump the strike showed “Iran’s will and capability to respond to any attack.”Fears of possible US military action continued to rile the region.The British government said its embassy in Tehran had been “temporarily closed,” while the US embassy in Saudi Arabia urged staff to exercise caution and avoid military installations and India’s government urged its citizens to leave the country.Germany’s Lufthansa on Wednesday said its flights would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice” after the US threats against Iran.Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Iran several times since the protest movement that has shaken the country began in late December. The protests are the largest since the Islamic Republic was proclaimed in 1979.Rights monitors say that under cover of a five-day internet blackout, Iranian authorities are carrying out their harshest repression in years against demonstrations openly challenging the theocratic system.Iran’s judiciary chief vowed fast-track trials for those arrested, stoking fears authorities will use capital punishment as a tool of repression.In Tehran, authorities held a funeral for more than 100 security personnel and other “martyrs” killed in the unrest, which officials have branded “acts of terror.”- ‘Unprecedented level of brutality’ -G7 nations said Wednesday they were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and warned of further sanctions if the crackdown continued.Monitor NetBlocks said Iran’s internet blackout had lasted 144 hours. Despite the shutdown, new videos, with locations verified by AFP, showed bodies lined up in the Kahrizak morgue south of Tehran, wrapped in black bags as distraught relatives searched for loved ones.The US-based Institute for the Study of War said authorities were using “an unprecedented level of brutality to suppress protests,” noting reports of protest activity had sharply declined.A senior Iranian official told journalists there had been no new “riots” since Monday, distinguishing them from earlier cost-of-living protests. “Every society can expect protests, but we will not tolerate violence,” he said.Prosecutors have said some detainees will face capital charges of “waging war against God.” State media reported hundreds of arrests and the detention of a foreign national for espionage, without giving details.Iran Human Rights, based in Norway, said security forces had killed at least 3,428 protesters and arrested more than 10,000.burs-dk/aha/sla/jgc/ceg/hmn