Everything Sawti has published in connection with this country.
A photo of Marine Le Pen smiling beside a nun wearing a head covering has reignited the French debate over equal application of secularism, weeks after she announced plans to seek a ban on Islamic headscarves in public places. Critics accused the National Rally of double standards, while a party leader said it targeted “Islamism”, not religion.
The exhibition “Palestine through Joos Drey’s Lens” at the Arab World Institute in Paris revisits a career that began in 1987 through images of everyday life, camps, demonstrations and checkpoints. The French photographer says her project is built on trust with Palestinians and aims to affirm their reality and create a memory that resists denial and reduction to war and destruction.
Around 700,000 people gathered on the Champs-Élysées and at Place de la Concorde for an open-air Mass led by Pope Leo XIV on the second day of his official visit to France. The event was accompanied by extensive security measures, while the Pope urged Catholics to show their faith and spread the values of love, peace and joy.
The Créteil Criminal Appeal Court sentenced Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to 10 years in prison and ordered his detention after convicting him of aggravated rape dating back to 2016. The sentence increased the six-year prison term handed down at first instance in 2023, while his defence team announced plans to appeal to the Court of Cassation.
The Goncourt Academy has withdrawn Canadian-Haitian author Télésun Ourelién’s novel from its prize shortlist, citing plagiarism allegations and analyses indicating that a substantial part of the novel was produced by artificial intelligence. The academy reaffirmed its refusal to accept texts written with the assistance of this technology, in defence of the prize’s integrity.
Pope Leo XIV criticised world leaders’ selective treatment of law and justice during a speech at the Élysée Palace in Paris, warning of the spread of nuclear weapons and the risks of AI monopolisation. The speech opened an official visit to France, including religious and political meetings in Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the Strait of Hormuz shipping crisis to be addressed separately from negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, blaming the waterway’s closure largely for rising energy prices. His call came amid international efforts to restore freedom of navigation and US-Iranian talks on a gradual path to ending the war.
France, in coordination with the United States, has begun preparing a Security Council draft resolution to establish an international mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal seeks to separate the security of the waterway from tensions with Iran, amid rising oil prices and fears that threats could spread to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Paris and other French cities saw marches attended by tens of thousands to oppose a proposed law that would presume police and gendarmerie officers acted lawfully when using their weapons. Demonstrators are calling for the bill to be kept off the Senate’s agenda, warning that it could affect investigations and the establishment of responsibility for shootings.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Russian hybrid threats against France and European countries had intensified in recent weeks, stressing that they would not go unanswered. He called for a plan to protect critical infrastructure, while emphasising continued support for Ukraine and avoiding being drawn into direct confrontation with Moscow.
Reconquête leader Éric Zemmour has entered next year’s French presidential race, pledging tougher immigration policies and the deportation of certain foreigners, including unemployed people living legally in the country, in a contest where Marine Le Pen is widely seen as the leading candidate.
The leaders of France, Lebanon and Jordan discussed in Paris a plan for the Lebanese Army’s deployment and its financial, training and military needs, along with alternative international arrangements after the end of UNIFIL’s mandate. Military officials from several countries took part in a preparatory meeting to mobilize support and ensure there is no security vacuum in southern Lebanon.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez denied arranging the leak of press information about the alleged discovery of drugs in European lawmaker Rima Hassan’s bag, while her lawyer called for a judicial investigation and lawmakers and officials from La France Insoumise urged the minister to resign.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to call for the creation of a security council bringing together EU countries and partners including Ukraine, Britain, Norway and Canada. The proposal would allow consultations when a country faces a direct threat, through a mechanism similar to Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
A regional train carrying 180 passengers derailed near the town of Cléon in Normandy on Friday evening, injuring 44 people, one critically. Authorities and France’s national railway company have opened an investigation, while train services on several lines in the region were disrupted.
The Eiffel Tower resumed operations in Paris on Tuesday morning after a strike protesting instructions that excluded female staff during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation. The operating company acknowledged that the request to limit interaction with women should not have been accepted, while the Hindu organization apologized for any harm or inconvenience caused by the incident.
French journalist Jean-François Leroy has died at the age of 69 after battling cancer, as the 38th edition of the Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival he founded in 1989 and led for decades is taking place in Perpignan. He was a longstanding director and advocate for the work of photojournalists.
French authorities evacuated 525 people from the village of Luglon after a fire in pine forests consumed 1,100 hectares and approached the village center, while 500 firefighters and six aircraft are taking part in efforts to contain it.
