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'What will we have left if we stop loving summer?': Heatwaves crush France's season of insouciance

A man rests in the sun in Nogent-sur-Marne, near Paris, on August 11, 2026.
ADRIENNE SURPRENANT/MYOP FOR LE MONDE

The heatwave continues across France, with nearly the entire country under an orange alert on Thursday. The recurrence of extreme temperatures has taken a toll on morale, dampening the usual carefree spirit of summer, as residents of Le Perreux and Nogent-sur-Marne, in the Paris region, explained.

View of the Cattenom nuclear power plant in the Moselle department of France, August 5, 2026.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP
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High temperatures continue to put pressure on France's nuclear power plants
This October 9, 2014 photo shows the gurney in the the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Sue Ogrocki / AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Three men executed by lethal injection on same day in US for the first time since 2010
An employee shows the new Mavic Pro 2 drone in a DJI store in Shanghai on May 22, 2019.
HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP

Trump announces tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones

A White House statement said the tariffs will 'encourage increased domestic production' of drones and their components and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

BERJAYA
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'Each time, the suspension of conflict between Israel and its neighbors leaves unanswered the question that caused it'

In Lebanon, Gaza and Iran, Israel deploys its military power without ever addressing the political issues raised by these conflicts. The decision to always postpone these questions now poses a danger, writes foreign policy analyst Yonatan Touval, in this op-ed for Le Monde.

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ANNA KURTH/AFP
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Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director of 'All of a Sudden': 'I tend to create my works from dialogue'

The filmmaker shares how he drew inspiration from correspondence between a nursing home director and a theater director, who faces terminal cancer. True to his discreet nature, Hamaguchi refuses to make his cinema a reflection of his personal convictions.

Tero Mustonen in the restored peatlands of Valkeasuo, in North Karelia, Finland, on May 29, 2026.

Feature

Anne-Françoise Hivert

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Finland wants to restore its peatlands to help the environment. And to slow Russian tanks.

The Nordic country has identified 180,000 hectares of wetlands that, if restored, could benefit not only the climate and biodiversity but also national defense. While the military supports the plan, some environmentalists warn against rushing the process.

5 min read

The Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania, August 12, 2026.
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Romania urges households and businesses to save electricity after its only nuclear power plant shuts down over low Danube water levels
BERJAYA
Tourists rescued by boat as forest fire threatens Greek beaches
BERJAYA
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Eight arrested over suspected far-left plot against Lyon-Turin train line
A port on the Côte d'Azur, at an unspecified date.
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Epstein plaintiffs slam French justice system's 'slowness' and sue state
US court rules Trump can end tariff exemption for small parcels
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Mali's junta pardons French intelligence officer detained for a year
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French PM aims for modest deficit reduction in 2027 with target of 4.9%
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Natalie Massenet and Erik Torstensson: A fiery romance torn apart by a courtroom battle
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In Italy, Ukraine aid could become a key electoral issue
US court dismisses Trump administration's antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard
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Thibault Datry, ecohydrologist: 'Rivers that, in living memory, had never dried up no longer flow'
Swedish union ends Tesla strike after almost three years

Editor’s Picks

Russian opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin in Dolgoproudny, Russia, July 15, 2026.

Conversation

Benjamin Quénelle

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'It was either exile or prison': An interview with Boris Nadezhdin, Putin opponent who fled to France

The veteran Russian politician, 63, tried to challenge Vladimir Putin's regime and its war in Ukraine through legal and electoral means. He failed. Facing the threat of arrest, he decided to leave Russia. His interview with Le Monde is his first since arriving in France.

5 min read

BERJAYA

Feature

Florence Aubenas

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'I can't stand being only breasts. The eyes burn me': Breasts, a tale of men, women and the times

'My Breasts and Me' (4/5). Once a symbol of objectifying women, plastic surgery now draws more women practitioners. The #MeToo wave shook up society and patients' expectations have evolved, reshaping boundaries between genders. Le Monde spent weeks behind closed doors in a private breast surgery practice.

9 min read

An-196 Liutyi long-range drones in Ukraine, February 28, 2025.

Explainer

Jean-Philippe Lefief

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How do Ukraine's long-range drones evade Russian defenses?

Drone attacks have surged since the spring, repeatedly hitting major Russian refineries and becoming a key strategic asset for Ukraine. Here, we break down their characteristics, strengths and limitations into five points.

4 min read

Opinion

Editorial

Syria must demonstrate exemplary justice against the former dictatorship

Le Monde
Op-Ed
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Germany: 'Friedrich Merz's political solitude raises doubts over his lasting ability to persuade'

Nils Minkmar
Jounralist and writer
Editorial

The defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey sends a strong message to rivals

Le Monde

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