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Giorgia Meloni's offensive against public broadcasting

Founded in 1954, RAI is an institution in Italy. After Giorgia Meloni's election in 2022, the public broadcasting group, considered a bastion of the left, faced show cancellations, strategic personnel changes and program restructuring, all seen as part of a far-right cultural conflict under the pretext of promoting diversity.

Published on July 23, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on July 23, 2024, at 5:32 am Allan Kaval

Column

France is still looking for a government. Does anyone care?

During the July 14 military parade, Emmanuel Macron and his guests seemed to be scanning the skies above the aerial acrobatic display, as if searching for a solution to the political crisis. There was no blinding revelation.

Published on July 22, 2024, at 8:04 pm (Paris) Marc Beaugé

Profile

Philippe Sands, the storytelling lawyer

He has won cases against the dictator Pinochet and played a role in establishing the International Criminal Court. However, it's as a writer that this lawyer makes fundamental human rights concepts accessible. His current major project is defending the Palestinian Authority.

Published on July 20, 2024, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Valentine Faure

Column

What's in a bag? How the tote became the Assemblée Nationale's new briefcase

While waiting for their chic leather briefcases, newly-elected MPs made their early return to Parliament in early July with a new kind of school bag: a cotton tote.

Published on July 20, 2024, at 11:13 am (Paris) Enora Foricher

Visual Story

Where to sleep in Paris? A map of Le Monde's top 25 addresses

On vacation in the capital or in the Paris region? Here is our selection of hotels and hostels in interactive map format.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris), updated on July 21, 2024, at 9:40 am Service Styles infographic

News

In Strasbourg, refugees' anxiety heightened by advance of far right

In the eastern French city, a charity helps ease the psychological suffering of migrants with chaotic backgrounds. Their anguish has increased following the far right's results in recent elections.

Published on July 18, 2024, at 3:00 pm (Paris) Stéphanie Wenger

News

The Ambani wedding or the marriage of economic power and lavish luxury

Magnate Mukesh Ambani organized an extravagant wedding for his son Anant. The occasion was not only a global PR coup but also drew sharp criticism in a country plagued by inequality.

Published on July 18, 2024, at 10:16 am (Paris) Carole Dieterich

News

Dior and Armani under investigation for exploiting workers at 'Chinese factories' in Italy

In the Milan region, Italian authorities have discovered undocumented workers living in dormitories in Chinese workshops supplying the Dior and Armani brands.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 8:11 pm (Paris), updated on July 18, 2024, at 7:29 am Le Monde with AFP

Investigation

Sodexo's discreet operations in Russia

The French catering and facilities company tried to keep its work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline site invisible, until its withdrawal from the country in 2022. Now an official partner of the Paris Olympic Games, it says that it hasn't violated any sanctions.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 4:30 pm (Paris), updated on July 17, 2024, at 4:51 pm Lucas Minisini Le Monde's video investigation team

News

In Rwanda, women occupy high positions

Despite the conservatism of Rwandan society, women are ministers, judges, bosses and more, while also constituting a majority in Parliament. This female prominence is set to continue after the July 15 elections, in which Paul Kagame is running for a fourth term.

Published on July 15, 2024, at 6:52 pm (Paris), updated on July 15, 2024, at 8:57 pm Marie de Vergès

Column

François Hollande and his actress wife were at a café. Does anyone care?

After a trip to the polling booth on July 7, former president François Hollande and his wife Julie Gayet enjoyed their Sunday in downtown Tulle, Corrèze – waiting for victory and looking in the same direction together.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 2:00 pm (Paris) Marc Beaugé

Column

Out-of-office messages are always a bad idea

Avoid using an automatic email reply that lets everyone know you've taken off.

Published on July 13, 2024, at 4:12 am (Paris), updated on July 13, 2024, at 8:33 am Guillemette Faure

News

Marine Tondelier's green blazer, a political object

Like the woman who wears it, the prairie-green jacket of the leader of the French Greens has become a media star since the parliamentary elections.

Published on July 11, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris), updated on July 11, 2024, at 3:06 pm Coline Clavaud-Mégevand

Your stories

The letters from two Ukrainian sisters: 'They say that during a war, women give birth to more boys than girls to compensate for losses. I'm yet another proof of it'

Olga and Sasha Kurovska, two Ukrainian sisters, one of whom lives in Paris and the other in Kyiv, kept a diary for a year in Le Monde. The pair shared a personal account of how their daily lives were disrupted by the war. They now give updates about their lives in the form of regular correspondence.

Published on July 9, 2024, at 1:53 am (Paris), updated on July 9, 2024, at 7:57 am Elisa Mignot

Column

Joe Biden clings on. Does anyone care?

Can Joe Biden maintain his bid for succession? Every outing by the American president, as here in Westhampton Beach, New York, on June 29, is scrutinized. From head to toe.

Published on July 7, 2024, at 3:10 am (Paris), updated on July 14, 2024, at 1:39 pm Marc Beaugé

Feature

The RN vote creeps into families: 'I was really ashamed, and he felt it'

The far right's success has not only reshaped the French political landscape but also penetrated the intimacy of the home. Five families explain this swing, motivated by fear, disillusionment, exasperation and prejudice, which forces everyone to take a stand.

Published on July 6, 2024, at 12:30 pm (Paris), updated on July 6, 2024, at 3:56 pm Yann Bouchez Lucas Minisini Aylin Ho

Gallery

At Rencontres d'Arles, photography puts on its military fatigues

Matthieu Nicol, a collector of photographs, found images from a US military center advertising military uniforms. The series is on display at the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival.

Published on July 5, 2024, at 8:44 pm (Paris) Clément Ghys

Long Read

Macron and Biden's last supper before the double debacle

On June 8, Emmanuel Macron welcomed Joe Biden to the Elysée Palace for a sumptuous dinner. It was a perfect evening, yet a double catastrophe was brewing: The Frenchman's decision to call early elections, leading the far right to the doorstep of power, and the American's disastrous debate against Donald Trump.

Published on July 4, 2024, at 5:45 am (Paris), updated on July 4, 2024, at 5:03 pm Ariane Chemin

Letter from...

Small town dreams of restoring UK's oldest railway station for its 200th anniversary

In the northeast of England, an organization is rallying to raise funds for Heighington Station, located on the world's first railway line, which will celebrate its bicentenary in 2025.

Published on July 3, 2024, at 9:19 pm (Paris), updated on July 4, 2024, at 9:18 am Cécile Ducourtieux

Conversation

She was sheltered away as a Jewish child during WWII: 'Today, politics has become chaos'

Ida Rozenberg-Apeloig, 86, fought to have Châteaumeillant, which sheltered her during the war, awarded the title of Righteous. The tally achieved by the far right in this Cher village during the European elections has aroused her anger and fear.

Published on June 30, 2024, at 4:05 am (Paris) Ondine Debré

Long Read

The new life of Bilal, a former exploited minor: 'The guy who hurt me is free? It's not fair'

It's been two years since, Bilal, 20, was extricated from Paris to try to start a new life in the south of France. The young Algerian had been exploited by two adults who drugged him to force him to steal. An organization managed to rescue him.

Published on June 29, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris), updated on June 29, 2024, at 8:00 pm Zineb Dryef

Long Read

The Stade de France: From 1998 World Cup to 2024 Olympics, a beacon of hope for Paris suburbs

The Stade de France will host athletics and the closing ceremony at the Paris Games, which kick off on July 26. Since its inauguration in 1998, the stadium has not effectively become anchored in the community of the suburb of Saint-Denis, where it is located. But it has hosted significant events in the nation's history and stands as a proud landmark.

Published on June 26, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Olivier Faye

Selection

Le Monde's pick of the top summer festivals 2024

Feel the rhythm of electronic music with your toes in the water, listen to the conversation between a violin and a bird: Across France this summer, culture can be best experienced outdoors.

Published on June 25, 2024, at 4:30 am (Paris), updated on June 25, 2024, at 3:25 pm Stéphanie Binet, Rosita Boisseau, Fabienne Darge, Stéphane Davet, Joëlle Gayot, Pierre Gervasoni, Claire Guillot, Patrick Labesse, Emmanuelle Lequeux, Francis Marmande, Marie-Aude Roux and Sylvain Siclier

Feature

Sao Paulo's ghosts of crack cocaine: 'We must integrate them into the city, not exclude them'

As in the major urban centers across the world, the scourge of crack cocaine has taken root in the Brazilian megalopolis. For 30 years, hundreds of drug users have been living amid appalling sanitary conditions, delinquency and prostitution in 'Cracolândia.'

Published on June 23, 2024, at 10:30 pm (Paris) Bruno Meyerfeld

Gallery

In Great Britain, the subjects of a disenchanted kingdom through the lens of Eddie Wrey

British photographer Eddie Wrey accompanied journalist Eric Albert on his farewell trip to the United Kingdom, as the country prepares to vote, like France, in general elections. From the working-class districts of Hartlepool to the prestigious Eton College in Windsor, via the seaside resort of Blackpool, his shots show England in all its disparity and growing inequality.

Published on June 23, 2024, at 9:00 am (Paris) M Le magazine du Monde

News

In Finland, the left makes a strong comeback

Following their Swedish and Danish neighbors, the Finns voted in favor of the 'red and green' list led by Li Andersson, the Left Alliance's lead candidate, sweeping aside the far right in these countries, where until now they seemed to have the wind in its sails.

Published on June 22, 2024, at 11:39 pm (Paris), updated on June 23, 2024, at 12:47 pm Anne-Françoise Hivert

Feature

Palestinian athletes' Olympic dreams

They are weightlifters, horse riders, rowers or swimmers. Although most of them neither live nor were born in Gaza, these athletes hope to compete under the Palestinian flag at the Olympic Games. Participation, beyond the medals, is above all a political victory.

Published on June 22, 2024, at 12:55 pm (Paris) Yann Bouchez Valentin Cebron

Feature

UK election: On the road in a broken nation

Like France, the United Kingdom is about to vote in early general elections. Before leaving England, where he has lived for two decades, Le Monde journalist Eric Albert took one last trip across the country. From Hartlepool, where life expectancy is falling, to Hastings, where fishermen have had to put away their nets, he paints a portrait of a broken nation.

Published on June 22, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on June 23, 2024, at 8:59 am Eric Albert

News

From Louis Vuitton to Chanel, fashion's recurring cultural appropriation controversies

In early June, Louis Vuitton was accused of imitating a traditional Romanian blouse without acknowleding its origin. The fashion industry is regularly accused of cultural appropriation.

Published on June 19, 2024, at 11:12 am (Paris) Marine Leduc

In Depth

Shepard Fairey, aka Obey: 'The far right ruins the spirit of the imagery that is about fraternity'

Obey reacts to Le Monde after his lithograph of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic, appeared in the background of two of far-right leader Jordan Bardella's campaign videos.

Published on June 18, 2024, at 4:00 pm (Paris) Roxana Azimi

Column

Macron dissolves the Assemblée Nationale in a black suit. Does anyone care?

After the results of the European elections, the French president announced he would dissolve Parliament, in a somber all-black suit.

Published on June 16, 2024, at 11:14 am (Paris) Marc Beaugé

Long Read

New York's Troma Studios celebrates 50 years of shenanigans for savvy movie lovers

Founded in 1974 by Lloyd Kaufman, the independent film studio has kept all of its playful spirit. It is set to release a remake of its hit 'The Toxic Avenger' on its own platform and is working on an equally quirky new production.

Published on June 15, 2024, at 6:00 pm (Paris) Julien Laroche-Joubert

Profile

Palestinian photographer Motaz Azaiza, on the front lines of Gaza's destruction

The self-taught Palestinian photographer risked his life to document the effects of Israel's bombardment on his town in retaliation for the October 7 attacks. Now in exile, he has just been awarded the Freedom Prize in Normandy.

Published on June 15, 2024, at 12:50 pm (Paris), updated on June 15, 2024, at 4:48 pm Madjid Zerrouky

Column

Date vinegar, green banana flour, kaffir lime... These are the kitchen demons

For some devious twisted recipe creators, the more unlikely the ingredient, the tastier the dish.

Published on June 15, 2024, at 12:04 pm (Paris), updated on June 15, 2024, at 12:53 pm Guillemette Faure

Investigation

The sorcerer's apprentices behind Macron's decision to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale

At the Elysée Palace, Bruno Roger-Petit, the presidential adviser on historical issues, has gradually become a key player in the French president's strategy. He and a small group of unofficial advisers pushed for the decision to call early elections.

Published on June 15, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on June 23, 2024, at 2:29 pm Ariane Chemin Olivier Faye

Feature

Faced with Russian threat, Sweden trains more and more young conscripts

As war rumbles on Europe's doorstep, Sweden plans to double the number of conscripts by 2032. The Scandinavian country, which abandoned its traditional neutrality in March to become a full member of NATO, sees this as a response to rising dangers.

Published on June 11, 2024, at 2:27 am (Paris) Anne-Françoise Hivert

News

For New Zealand parents, 'barefoot children are happy children'

As part of a series exploring parenting abroad, this week Le Monde looks at shoes being optional in New Zealand, as a way to be open to the great outdoors and focused on children's freedom.

Published on June 8, 2024, at 4:02 am (Paris) Julien Blanc-Gras

Long Read

Eighty years later, France pays tribute to resistants executed at Caen prison

On June 6, 1944, more than 70 members of the French Resistance were executed at this Normandy prison, but their remains have never been found. President Emmanuel Macron's planned visit to the site this year could shed some light on these heroes who were deprived of a proper burial.

Published on June 6, 2024, at 9:30 am (Paris), updated on June 6, 2024, at 9:46 am Benoît Hopquin Jean-Jacques Lerosier

Background

The crazy story of the lost Caravaggio, now on display at the Prado

The painting by the Italian artist attracted the attention of collectors worldwide after being discovered in an auction catalogue listed for €1,500.

Published on June 6, 2024, at 5:03 am (Paris), updated on June 6, 2024, at 6:27 pm Sandrine Morel

Profile

Jawaharlal Nehru and Narendra Modi's diametrically different visions for India

60 years after his death, the father of modern India remains the main target of the current prime minister, who has just secured a third term in office.

Published on June 4, 2024, at 4:43 pm (Paris) Sophie Landrin

Column

Kylian Mbappé wore the PSG shirt for the last time. Does anyone care?

The footballer ended his adventure with the Parisian club with a victory in the French Cup final at Villeneuve-d'Ascq on May 25. Emmanuel Macron naturally jumped at the chance.

Published on June 2, 2024, at 6:00 pm (Paris) Marc Beaugé

Profile

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's likely feminist-in-chief

On June 2, the left-wing former mayor of Mexico City is expected to win Mexico's presidential election. At 61, Sheinbaum is buoyed by her advocacy actions for women's rights, in a country where the number of femicides has reached record highs.

Published on June 1, 2024, at 12:15 pm (Paris) Anne Vigna

News

In Sweden, parents of young children question the omnipresence of screens

As part of a series exploring parenting abroad, this week Le Monde looks at Sweden where 82% of 9-year-olds have a cell phone, yet no official guidelines on screen time exist.

Published on May 30, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on May 30, 2024, at 7:46 am Anne-Françoise Hivert

Column

Who is Jonathan Yeo, King Charles III's portraitist?

Popular with political figures, the British artist just painted the first official portrait of the King of England since his coronation. The choice of the color red has caused a stir on social media.

Published on May 29, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Aylin Ho

News

South Korea: Seoul authorities find Shein products contain high levels of toxic chemicals

The government of South Korea's capital Seoul found toxic substances in amounts hundreds of times above acceptable levels in children's products.

Published on May 28, 2024, at 1:02 pm (Paris), updated on May 29, 2024, at 10:13 pm Le Monde with AFP

Feature

For sale: Kyiv's Hotel Ukraine, a €23.5 million property that could help fund the war effort

Ukraine's government has decided to put the Hotel Ukraine up for sale. Since its inauguration in 1961, it has witnessed the Soviet era, the euphoria of independence, the Maidan revolution and Russia's invasion.

Published on May 28, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris) Ariane Chemin

News

Feeling betrayed, Luciano Benetton steps down as chairman of family-run brand

Benetton, 89, returned as chairman in 2018, after stepping down in 2012. He blamed a CEO hired in 2020 and his new management team for losses of €100 million that he discovered last year.

Published on May 26, 2024, at 5:12 am (Paris), updated on May 26, 2024, at 5:17 am Le Monde with AP

Feature

Berlin's impossible task: Getting rid of Goebbels' villa

Having failed to find a buyer, Berlin's city council is now offering to give away the former Nazi leader's mansion on the outskirts of the German capital. The cost of maintaining the 1,600-square-meter building, unused for years, has become too high for the municipality.

Published on May 26, 2024, at 5:05 am (Paris), updated on May 26, 2024, at 8:38 am Thomas Wieder

Long Read

Saint-Denis, cradle of rap and the French hip-hop movement

In the early 1990s, Saint-Denis was a gloomy suburb, stricken by deindustrialization, unemployment and drug abuse. It was on this fertile ground that the hip-hop movement emerged in France. The epicenter of this counter-culture blending graffiti, dance and music, the city shines thanks to its most famous ambassadors: the group NTM.

Published on May 25, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Raphaël Malkin

Column

'Faced with the revolution in anti-obesity drugs, Nestlé has come up with a solution'

The agrifood group, whose sales are threatened by the craze for chemical treatments to combat excess weight, is launching a range of pasta, sandwiches and pizzas specifically designed to tackle obesity, writes columnist Philippe Escande.

Published on May 23, 2024, at 3:50 am (Paris), updated on May 23, 2024, at 8:38 am Philippe Escande

Feature

Welcome to the Australian outback, the land of Mad Max

For 'Furiosa,' the fifth installment screened out of competition at Cannes, George Miller returned to Silverton, a former mining town turned pilgrimage site for fans after it was the location for the second film in the Mad Max franchise.

Published on May 21, 2024, at 3:34 pm (Paris), updated on May 21, 2024, at 3:34 pm Isabelle Dellerba

Column

Timothée Chalamet spotted as Bob Dylan. Does anyone care?

The French-American actor plays the folk legend in 'A Complete Unknown,' a biopic directed by James Mangold currently shooting in New York.

Published on May 19, 2024, at 11:00 pm (Paris), updated on June 2, 2024, at 12:41 pm Marc Beaugé

News

Talleen Abu Hanna represents hope for transgender women in Israel

The 29-year-old is one of the protagonists in Yolande Zauberman's documentary 'La Belle de Gaza.' Presented in a special screening at Cannes before its theatrical release on May 29, the film examines the often tragic destinies of transgender women in Israel.

Published on May 19, 2024, at 6:30 am (Paris) Lucas Minisini

In Depth

Parents' climate guilt: 'I haven't been able to give up travel, plastic, beef or Nutella. I can't explain this inconsistency to myself nor to my children'

Climate change is forcing us to look to the future. For some parents, it's time to address their environmental debt to their children.

Published on May 19, 2024, at 12:12 am (Paris), updated on May 19, 2024, at 9:06 am Cécile Cazenave

Profile

The Quentin Dupieux method: Anything but absurd

In almost 20 years and with 13 feature-length films, Quentin Dupieux has become a heavyweight in French cinema, thanks to an effective formula: short, inexpensive films shot at breakneck speed with a dream cast. His latest, 'Le Deuxième Acte' ('The Second Act'), which stars Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Raphaël Quenard and Vincent Lindon, opened the Cannes Film Festival on May 14.

Published on May 18, 2024, at 10:00 pm (Paris) Jean-Vic Chapus

News

France's La Poste celebrates baguette with bakery-scented stamp

The French post office unveiled on Thursday, the day of the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, a scratch-and-sniff post stamp, which costs €1.96.

Published on May 17, 2024, at 8:32 pm (Paris), updated on May 17, 2024, at 8:33 pm Le Monde

News

After six-year hiatus, Victoria's Secret angels return to the runway

Back in November 2019, the Ohio-based company announced the cancellation of the show, due to sluggish sales and being criticized as sexist.

Published on May 16, 2024, at 1:41 am (Paris), updated on May 16, 2024, at 9:03 am Le Monde with AFP

Column

The first time Le Monde wrote Greta Gerwig

The director of 'Barbie' will preside over the jury of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The name of this leading figure in American cinema first appeared in Le Monde on November 23, 2009.

Published on May 14, 2024, at 12:00 pm (Paris), updated on May 14, 2024, at 4:30 pm Lucas Minisini

In Depth

'Megalopolis,' Francis Ford Coppola's latest gamble

Forty-five years after his last Palme d'Or for 'Apocalypse Now,' the American director is back at the Cannes Film Festival with his new film in the official selection. The 85-year-old funded the movie himself, including with mortgages on his vineyards.

Published on May 14, 2024, at 3:00 am (Paris), updated on May 14, 2024, at 10:29 am Jacky Goldberg

Profile

Léa Seydoux or the art of being someone else

The French actess is still working with the same almost animal-like instinct, guided at 38 by her desire to embody lives other than her own, beyond the wounds of childhood. In Quentin Dupieux's 'Deuxième Acte,' which will open the Cannes Film Festival, she tries her hand at comedy for the first time.

Published on May 12, 2024, at 6:00 pm (Paris), updated on May 14, 2024, at 10:28 am Elise Karlin

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