Paris says Algeria ‘seeking to humiliate France’Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:06:02 GMT

Algeria is trying to humiliate France, France’s interior minister said on Friday, after several Algerian influencers were arrested for inciting violence in a growing crisis between Paris and its former colony.Four Algerian influencers supportive of Algerian authorities have been arrested in recent days over videos that are suspected of calling for violent acts in France.Meanwhile, …

Paris says Algeria ‘seeking to humiliate France’Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:06:02 GMT Read More »

Global stocks mostly fall before US jobs data

Stock markets mostly retreated and the dollar steadied Friday as traders awaited key US jobs data for signals on the health of the world’s largest economy and the outlook for interest rates.Oil prices jumped around 2.5 percent as analysts expect the United States to soon announce more sanctions against Russia, further disrupting its crude exports and therefore tightening supplies.Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets closed lower Friday. London dropped nearing the halfway stage while in the eurozone, Frankfurt and Paris gained. The pound remained under pressure after Thursday hitting levels not seen since late 2023 against the dollar on worries about the UK economy.UK 10-year bond yields remained high after surging to their highest level since the 2008 global financial crisis, amid talk the government may have to make spending cuts or hike taxes to help repay state debt.”The global bond selloff showed few signs of letting up… with long-term borrowing costs continuing to move higher,” noted Jim Reid, managing director at Deutsche Bank. “Even though the UK might appear the most striking in terms of when yields last traded at these levels, other countries have experienced a similar pattern too,” he added.Friday’s US non-farm payrolls report is expected to show a slowdown in jobs creation in December, though still at a healthy enough pace to suggest the labour market remains in rude health.”Markets will be watching closely for any signs of inflationary pressures building with the wage growth figure followed closely,” said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at financial services firm Scope Markets. The Fed indicated last month it will cut rates just twice this year — down from the four previously flagged — owing to sticky inflation.That came as speculation began swirling that Donald Trump’s plans to slash taxes, regulations and immigration — and to impose harsh tariffs on imports — on re-entering the White House would reignite prices.On the corporate front, shares in French video game giant Ubisoft shed around six percent on the Paris stock exchange, after the company said it was exploring its options following another delay in its “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing also struggled, with shares sliding in Tokyo after the company reported a weak quarterly performance in China.- Key figures around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,299.70Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 7,506.93Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 20,362.05Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.1 percent at 39,190.40 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,064.29 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.3 percent at 3,168.52 (close)New York – Dow: closed on ThursdayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.0303 from $1.0296 on ThursdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2292 from $1.2293Dollar/yen: UP at 158.11 yen from 157.96 yenEuro/pound: UP at 83.81 pence from 83.75 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 2.5 percent at $78.87 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 2.6 percent at $75.82 per barrel

Le Venezuela boucle sa frontière avec la Colombie avant l’investiture de Maduro

Le Venezuela a fermé vendredi sa frontière avec la Colombie, invoquant un “complot international”, quelques heures avant l’investiture du président sortant Nicolas Maduro qui doit prêter serment pour un troisième mandat de six ans malgré les accusations portées par l’opposition de fraudes électorales.”Nous avons des informations concernant un complot international visant à troubler la paix des Vénézuéliens” et “nous allons ordonner, sur instructions du président Nicolas Maduro, la fermeture de la frontière avec la Colombie”, a déclaré Freddy Bernal, le gouverneur de l’Etat régional de Tachira, à la frontière avec ce pays.La fermeture est effective à partir de 05H00 (09H00 GMT) et jusqu’à lundi même heure, a-t-il précisé.Cette annonce intervient quelques heures avant la cérémonie d’investiture de M. Maduro, à la mi-journée, au lendemain de manifestations de l’opposition qui conteste la victoire du socialiste de 62 ans à la présidentielle du 28 juillet, dont la proclamation a été suivie de troubles meurtriers et de milliers d’arrestations.Le candidat de l’opposition Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia assure avoir remporté ce scrutin et a répété jeudi, de la République dominicaine, à une heure d’avion de Caracas, qu’il était le “président élu”. Sans faire plier celui qui a succédé en 2013 à Hugo Chavez et dirige depuis d’une main de fer le Venezuela.”El 10, juro con Maduro por el futuro” (le 10, je prête serment avec Maduro pour l’avenir) : le slogan en rimes faciles à retenir a été placardé sur de nombreux murs pendant des semaines. Jeudi, le pouvoir a enfoncé le clou, avec une marche de soutien au président sortant qui a traversé une partie de la capitale.- “Enlèvement” ? -La manifestation de l’opposition a réuni des milliers de personnes qui criaient “nous n’avons pas peur !” ou tenant des pancartes sur lesquelles on pouvait lire “la liberté ne se mendie pas, elle se conquiert”.Elle a donné lieu à une certaine confusion en fin de journée quand l’opposition a annoncé la “violente” arrestation de sa cheffe Maria Corina Machado. Quelques dizaines de minutes plus tard, l’équipe de l’opposante annonçait sa libération : “En quittant le rassemblement, Maria Corina Machado (…) a été emmenée de force. Pendant son enlèvement, elle a été forcée d’enregistrer plusieurs vidéos et a été relâchée par la suite”.Le pouvoir a démenti cette version des faits, le procureur général Tarek William Saab dénonçant “une opération psychologique en vue de déclencher la violence au Venezuela” et rappelant que Mme Machado était visée par une enquête pénale.La cheffe de l’opposition vivait dans la clandestinité depuis la présidentielle à laquelle elle n’avait pas pu se présenter parce que déclarée inéligible. Elle a soutenu la candidature de M. Gonzalez Urrutia, qui s’est exilé en septembre.Le Conseil national électoral (CNE) a proclamé M. Maduro vainqueur avec 52% des voix mais sans publier les procès-verbaux, se disant victime d’un piratage informatique, une hypothèse jugée peu crédible par de nombreux observateurs.L’annonce du CNE avait provoqué des manifestations dans tout le Venezuela, durement réprimées. Les troubles post-électoraux se sont soldés par un bilan de 28 morts, de plus de 200 blessés et de 2.400 personnes arrêtées pour “terrorisme”.Une vague d’arrestations a également eu lieu dans les jours qui ont précédé l’investiture du chef de l’Etat.- L’armée, pilier du pouvoir -Comme pendant les manifestations de 2014, 2017 et 2019, qui ont fait plus de 200 morts, M. Maduro a pu compter sur le soutien de l’armée, un pilier de son pouvoir, ainsi que sur une justice aux ordres.Il avait même activé un plan national sécuritaire comprenant toutes les forces de sécurité (armée, police, milices, paramilitaires, etc.) après avoir dit être la cible de nouveaux complots.”Le secteur militaire est encore plus crucial qu’il ne l’était avant l’élection (…). Sans le contrôle des institutions militaires, le gouvernement se retrouverait avec un pouvoir extrêmement précaire”, explique Mariano de Alba, un analyste spécialiste des relations internationales travaillant à Londres.Le président socialiste, qui a promis au cours de sa campagne électorale une amélioration de la situation économique, devra trouver des solutions pour renouer avec la croissance, le Venezuela ayant enregistré une contraction de son PIB de 80% entre 2013 et 2023.Isolé sur le plan international, il lui sera difficile de faire lever les sanctions qu’il devra donc tenter de contourner afin d’exploiter les immenses réserves pétrolières du pays sans avoir à les brader en raison de l’embargo.La Première ministre italienne, Giorgia Meloni, a à cet égard déploré jeudi “un nouvel acte inacceptable de répression du régime” de M. Maduro, “dont nous ne reconnaissons pas la victoire électorale proclamée”, après l’interpellation la veille de Mme Machado.”Les aspiration légitimes à la liberté et à la démocratie du peuple vénézuélien doivent finalement devenir réalité”, a-t-elle encore dit.Le chef de l’Etat vénézuélien a par ailleurs promis des révisions constitutionnelles qui comportent des dispositions que de nombreuses ONG jugent liberticides et à même de fragiliser la démocratie. 

Los Angeles fire deaths at 10 as National Guard called in

Massive wildfires that engulfed whole neighborhoods and displaced thousands in Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people, authorities said, as California’s National Guard soldiers readied to hit the streets to help quell disorder.Swaths of the United States’ second-largest city lay in ruins Friday, with more than 10,000 structures destroyed according to the state’s fire service.”I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything,” said Hester Callul, who had reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home.Firefighters were battling multiple blazes backed by water-dropping helicopters, thanks to a temporary lull in winds, as the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced the death toll had reached 10.With reports of looting, Los Angeles County ordered a nighttime curfew, and the state’s National Guard was on hand to patrol affected areas.Governor Gavin Newsom said the service members were part of a thousands-strong deployment of state personnel.”We’re throwing everything at our disposal -– including our National Guard service members –- to protect communities in the days to come,” he said.”And to those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated.”Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his officers were patrolling evacuation zones and would arrest anyone who was not supposed to be there.The flames have so far burned more than 35,000 acres (14,160 hectares) in Los Angeles, the state’s fire agency reported.With such a huge area scorched, evacuees feared not enough was being done and some were taking matters into their own hands.Nicholas Norman mounted an armed vigil at his home after seeing suspicious characters in the middle of the night.”I did the classic American thing: I went and got my shotgun and I sat out there, and put a light on so they knew people were there,” he told AFP.- ‘Death and destruction’ -The biggest of the multiple blazes has ripped through almost 20,000 acres of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, while another fire around Altadena has torched about 13,700 acres.Firefighters said they were starting to get a handle on the Pacific Palisades blaze, with six percent of its perimeter contained — meaning it can’t spread any further in that direction.But after a lull, winds were returning and new fires continued to erupt.One flared near Calabasas and the wealthy Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities like Kim Kardashian.The Kenneth Fire exploded to almost 1,000 acres within hours, forcing more people from their homes, with over 180,000 displaced.US President Joe Biden told a White House briefing he had pledged extra federal funds and resources to help the state cope with “the most… devastating fire in California’s history.” Unlike on Tuesday when the multi-pronged disaster roared to life and 100-mile (160-kilometer)-an-hour winds grounded all aircraft, firefighters were able to keep up a steady stream of sorties.Some of those forced out of their homes began to return Thursday to find scenes of devastation.Kalen Astoor, a 36-year-old paralegal, said her mother’s home had been spared by the inferno’s seemingly random and chaotic destruction. But many other homes had not.”The view now is of death and destruction,” she told AFP. “I don’t know if anyone can come back for a while.”- ‘Critical’ -Meanwhile an AFP overflight of the Pacific Palisades and Malibu — some of the most expensive real estate in the world and home to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Anthony Hopkins — revealed desolation.”This is crazy… All these homes, gone,” said helicopter pilot Albert Azouz.On highly coveted Malibu oceanfront plots, skeletal frames of buildings indicated the lavish scale of what has been destroyed.Multimillion-dollar mansions have vanished entirely, seemingly swept into the Pacific Ocean by the force of the fire.In the Palisades, grids of roads that were until Tuesday lined with stunning homes now resemble makeshift cemeteries.The fires could be the costliest ever recorded, with AccuWeather estimating total damage and loss between $135 billion and $150 billion.For millions of people in the area, life was disrupted: schools were closed, hundreds of thousands were without power and major events were canceled or, in the case of an NFL playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, moved somewhere else.Meteorologists have warned that “critical” windy and dry conditions, though abated, were not over.A National Weather Service bulletin said “significant fire growth” remained likely “with ongoing or new fires” into Friday.Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes.Two wet years in Southern California have given way to a very dry one, leaving ample fuel dry and primed to burn.

‘Real-world harm’ if Meta ends fact-checks, global network warns

There will be “real-world harm” if Meta expands its decision to scrap fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, a global network warned Thursday while disputing Mark Zuckerberg’s claim such moderation amounts to censorship.Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s surprise announcement this week to slash content moderation policies in the United States has sparked alarm in countries such as Australia and Brazil. The tech tycoon said fact-checkers were “too politically biased” and the program had led to “too much censorship”.But the International Fact-Checking Network, which includes AFP among its dozens of member organizations globally, said the censorship claim was “false”.”We want to set the record straight, both for today’s context and for the historical record,” said the network.Facebook pays to use fact checks from around 80 organisations globally on the platform, as well as on WhatsApp and Instagram. There could be devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift beyond US borders, to programs covering more than 100 countries, the International Fact-Checking Network warned.”Some of these countries are highly vulnerable to misinformation that spurs political instability, election interference, mob violence and even genocide,” the network said.”If Meta decides to stop the program worldwide, it is almost certain to result in real-world harm in many places,” it added.- ‘Real world consequences’ -In Geneva Friday, the United Nations rights chief also insisted that regulating harmful content online “is not censorship”.”Allowing hate speech and harmful content online has real world consequences. Regulating such content is not censorship,” Volker Turk said on X.AFP currently works in 26 languages with Facebook’s fact-checking scheme.In that program, content rated “false” is downgraded in news feeds so fewer people will see it and if someone tries to share that post, they are presented with an article explaining why it is misleading. Supinya Klangnarong, co-founder of Thai fact-checking platform Cofact, said Meta’s decision could have concrete effects offline.”Understandably this policy from Meta is aimed at US users, but we cannot be certain how it will affect other countries,” she told AFP.”By allowing the proliferation of hate speech and racist dialogue could be a trigger towards violence.”Cofact is not an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network or of Facebook’s fact-checking scheme.- Zuckerberg courts Trump – Meta’s policy overhaul came less than two weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office and it aligns with the Republican Party’s stance.Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of bias against him and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire once back in office.Zuckerberg has been making efforts to reconcile with Trump since his election in November, meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and donating one million dollars to his inauguration fund.The Meta chief also named Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) head Dana White, a close ally of Trump, to the company board.Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network, said Tuesday the decision came after “extreme political pressure.”The move “will hurt social media users who are looking for accurate, reliable information to make decisions about their everyday lives and interactions with friends and family.”Australia said Meta’s decision was “a very damaging development”, while Brazil warned it was “bad for democracy”.Meta’s move into fact-checking came in the wake of Trump’s shock election in 2016, which critics said was enabled by rampant disinformation on Facebook and interference by foreign actors, including Russia, on the platform.