Transat Café L’Or: Tom Laperche et Franck Cammas, paire gagnante à Fort-de-France

A la barre de l’Ultim SVR-Lazartigue, les deux navigateurs français Tom Laperche et Franck Cammas ont remporté dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi la Transat Café L’Or en Martinique, après une course maîtrisée de bout en bout.Parti du Havre le 26 octobre à la conquête de la “Route du Café”, le maxi-trimaran bleu a passé la ligne d’arrivée à 22H13 heure locale (02H13 GMT), après 10 jours 13 heures et 3 minutes de course. Le multicoque de 32 mètres de long conçu chez MerConcept à Concarneau, l’écurie de voile du marin François Gabart, a parcours 6 490,10 milles à la vitesse moyenne de 25,65 noeuds pour succéder au Banque Populaire, vainqueur en 2023.En entrant en vainqueur dans la baie à Fort de France, où une foule dense rassemblée sur les pontons l’a acclamée de longues minutes, Laperche a signé son premier succès majeur en multicoque, après deux 2e places en 2021 et 2023, comme co-skipper de Gabart.”Cette histoire a commencé il y a quatre ans avec François. L’objectif c’était de gagner. On peut être fier de tout ce qu’on a fait, nous deux en mer et toute l’équipe autour car le résultat est là”, a déclaré ému Laperche, 28 ans, une fois à terre.Cammas, lui, obtient un 5e titre sur la Transat Café L’Or (2001, 2003, 2007, 2021 et désormais 2025), nouveau record à ajouter au palmarès impressionnant du navigateur aixois, élu marin de la décennie (2010-2020).- “Intense” -“C’est la première victoire de Tom mais je pense qu’il pourrait en gagner cinq facilement dans sa carrière, il a la vie devant lui et tout le talent nécessaire”, a jugé Cammas, 52 ans.”Cette transat a été compliquée, intense. On est partis du Havre face au vent dans des conditions difficiles. Nos adversaires n’étaient pas loins et ils allaient vite. Cela n’a jamais été facile”, a-t-il ajouté.Le Sodebo de Thomas Coville et Benjamin Schwartz a passé la ligne 4 heures, 26 minutes et 11 secondes plus tard et ainsi pris la deuxième place.”Ils ont fait la course parfaite. C’étaient les meilleurs aujourd’hui, et se bagarrer contre des gens comme ça, c’est toujours un privilège”, a concédé Coville à l’issue de sa 9e participation à la célèbre transatlantique en double.Actual (Anthony Marchand/Julien Villion) est attendu à la mi-journée pour compléter le podium de la catégorie.Le SVR Lazartigue a pris l’avantage sur le reste de flotte huit heures après le coup de canon au Havre, quand les tenants du titre Armel Le Cléac’h et Sébastien Josse sur Banque Populaire ont dû se dérouter à Lorient pour réparer une avarie de Safran.Jusqu’alors au coude-à-coude avec Banque Populaire, le duo Cammas/Laperche s’est échappé seul aux avant-postes, avant de négocier parfaitement les différentes difficultés du parcours: le passage des Canaries, du Cap-Vert et enfin la traversée du redoutable pot-au-noir.”C’était une belle trajectoire, la gestion de la prise de risque a été très propre, quand la seule chose qui pouvait nous empêcher de briller était un souci technique”, a apprécié le directeur technique de l’équipe Antoine Gauthier.- Record pour Cammas -Très à l’aise dans les transitions, le SVR Lazartigue a conservé son avance au large du Brésil en atteignant des vitesses impressionnantes.Laperche, de loin le plus jeune barreur d’Ultim de la flotte, a été formé au multicoque par François Gabart à Concarneau, après sa victoire sur l’éprouvante Solitaire du Figaro en 2022.Le marin charentais lui a ensuite confié la barre du navire à partir de 2024, à l’occasion du premier tour du monde entre Ultim que Laperche a longtemps animé en tête avant de percuter un ofni (objet flottant non identifié) à l’entrée de l’océan Indien.L’expérimenté Cammas a été intégré à l’équipe du SVR Lazartigue en avril dernier. Ensemble, les deux hommes ont enchainé les succès cet été sur la Fastnet Race, puis sur les 24 H Ultim. Ils partaient favoris de cette 17e Café L’Or, nouveau nom de Transat Jacques Vabre, créée en 1993.”A partir du moment où Franck est présent dans ton équipe, la deuxième place n’est plus une option”, a lancé Antoine Gauthier.Après les Ultim, les vainqueurs des catégories Ocean Fifty et Imoca devraient arriver entre le milieu de journée jeudi et vendredi en Martinique.

Asian markets bounce from selloff as US jobs beat forecasts

Asian markets rose on Thursday to claw back some of the previous day’s hefty losses as investors tracked a bounce on Wall Street sparked by jobs data that soothed worries about the US economy.Signs that a majority of the US Supreme Court was sceptical about the legality behind a swath of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs also provided a little support.Trader sentiment crept back after Wednesday’s selloff that came on the back of growing worries that the tech-fuelled AI rally that has characterised markets this year has led to a bubble that could soon pop.The rush for cover — which tracked big losses on Wall Street — hammered some regional giants, including Japanese tech investor SoftBank and South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK hynix.However, New York investors enjoyed a much happier Wednesday after figures from payrolls firm ADP showed US private sector employment jumped far more than expected last month, having surprisingly fallen the month before.That came as a separate report indicated that activity in the crucial services industry grew far more than estimates suggested.The jobs data release is likely to attract extra attention because it is one of the few economic indicators to come out in recent weeks owing to the US government shutdown.Asia followed suit after Wall Street’s advance, which was also helped by upbeat earnings.Tokyo and Seoul were both well up, although still some way from clawing back all of Wednesday’s losses.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta also rose.London opened on the front foot but Paris and Frankfurt dipped.Still, there is some concern that valuations have run a little too high on the back of the AI frenzy, which has pushed some firms to records — with US chip titan Nvidia topping a $5 trillion valuation.”Valuation concerns have intensified as the (S&P 500) index has climbed higher throughout the year,” said IG market analyst Fabien Yip.”Investors are questioning whether current price levels can be sustained, particularly on stocks boosted by the AI boom if interest rates remain elevated for longer than expected.”Investors were keeping a keen eye on developments in Washington after a majority of Supreme Court justices queried Trump’s ability to impose his tariffs, which have raked in billions of dollars in customs revenue.The nine justices are considering Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly every US trade partner, as well as levies targeting Mexico, Canada and China over their alleged roles in illicit drug flows.Several conservative justices, along with the three liberals, questioned at a hearing on Wednesday whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that Trump invoked confers the authority to impose tariffs.”The statute doesn’t use the word tariffs,” said Chief Justice John Roberts, and imposing tariffs is equivalent to taxation, which has always been a “core power of Congress”.The justices sought to clarify whether Congress has to give clear authorisation for policies with significant economic or political consequences.Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal, noted that the power to impose taxes is a “congressional power, not a presidential power”.”You want to say tariffs are not taxes, but that’s exactly what they are,” Sotomayor said.Still, lawyers noted that if the top court finds Trump’s global tariffs illegal, the government can tap other laws to temporarily impose up to 15 percent duties while pursuing pathways for more lasting levies.- Key figures at around 0815 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 50,883.68 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 26,485.90 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 4,007.76 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,784.10 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1510 from $1.1488 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3062 from $1.3048Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.80 yen from 154.13 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 88.12 pence from 88.40 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $59.87 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.4 percent at $63.77 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 47,311.00 (close)

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”.

A close-up of a stack of newspapers resting on a desk, symbolizing information and media.

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”.