In leaked memo to culture minister, Laurence des Cars warns some areas not watertight, threatening artworks
The director of the Louvre has warned the French government about leaks, overcrowding and substandard catering in a leaked memo that has raised alarm about the state of the world’s most-visited museum.
Laurence des Cars, the first woman to head the gallery, wrote a confidential note about her concerns to the culture minister, Rachida Dati, earlier this month, which was published on Thursday in Le Parisien newspaper.
On Sunday, five names will feature on the ballot in Belarus’s presidential election, but the outcome is a foregone conclusion: Alexander Lukashenko’s 31-year reign is poised to continue in the carefully managed vote, granting the dictator his seventh term in power.
The elections, described by the opposition as a “farce”, come four and a half years after Belarus’s previous presidential vote, which sparked nationwide protests over allegations of vote rigging and was met with brutal repression.
Conservative parties and far-right AfD lead in polls, with CDU’s Friedrich Merz likely to become chancellor
Germany goes to the polls on 23 February for a snap federal election that, barring mishaps, will set the course of the EU’s largest and most influential member state, and the eurozone’s biggest – if faltering – economy, for the next four years.
Here is a guide to what is at stake, how the system works, who the main players are and what may be the eventual outcome.
Une femme qui refuse des rapports sexuels à son mari ne doit pas être considérée par la justice comme « fautive » en cas de divorce, a tranché la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme qui a condamné la France jeudi.
Ed Davey says it is ‘alarming’ the government will negotiate with China but won’t agree to better EU trading arrangement
Here is Downing Street news release on the government’s plans to limit the extent to which judicial review can be used to hold up infrastructure projects. The plans will cover England and Wales.
The RSPB, which describes itself as the UK’s largest nature conversation charity, has accused Labour of going back on its pre-election promises to protect nature. Beccy Speight, the RSPB chief executive, said:
The PM claims to ‘clear a path’ for building, but this move runs the risk of bulldozing through our chances for a future where nature, people, and the economy all thrive. We know people want bold action on the climate and nature crises, which was Labour’s election platform, and this rhetoric has them veering wildly off course.
We all know that nature underpins economic growth - that is why government and the environment sector has been actively working together, to try and unlock better outcomes for both planning and nature - yet this rhetoric flies in the face of that collaborative spirit.
If we want to grow the economy and fund vital public services, then we have to better balance environmental and community interests with the benefits of development, and do so in a clear and timely way. Reducing the scope for vexatious and unmerited legal challenges, whilst retaining a right to appeal, is a very positive step in achieving this.
Une femme qui refuse des rapports sexuels à son mari ne doit pas être considérée par la justice comme « fautive » en cas de divorce, a tranché la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme qui a condamné la France jeudi.
Sister of murdered judge Giovanni Falcone describes it as an offence to all those who have fought organised crime
A board game based on the mafia wars that raged in Sicily in the 1980s has caused controversy in Italy, with the sister of the murdered anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone describing it as an offence to all those who had fought to free Italy of organised crime.
La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War, produced by the German firm Boardgame Atelier, won last year’s As d’Or, or Golden Ace, a prestigious prize given at an annual games festival in France.
The head of the Nato military alliance has called for a “step up” in support for Ukraine, to put Kyiv in the strongest position to achieve a sustainable peace deal with Russia.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mark Rutte warned against scaling back support for Ukraine, saying it was essential to “change the trajectory of the war”.
Dans un message posté sur X (ex Twitter), Zeekr Europe évoque la nouvelle 007 GT, ici renommée 7 GT. Une manière subtile de confirmer l’arrivée prochaine de la voiture électrique sur le Vieux Continent ? Sans doute, mais ce ne sera pas le cas de la version berline.
Dans un message posté sur X (ex Twitter), Zeekr Europe évoque la nouvelle 007 GT, ici renommée 7 GT. Une manière subtile de confirmer l’arrivée prochaine de la voiture électrique sur le Vieux Continent ? Sans doute, mais ce ne sera pas le cas de la version berline.
Italy's highest court is hearing an appeal by Amanda Knox against a slander conviction for falsely accusing a Congolese bar owner in the 2007 murder of her British flatmate
TDs gather in parliament for ceremony which had been due to take place yesterday
Donald Trump should be wary of giving Vladimir Putin too much prominence by agreeing to an early summit on Ukraine, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski argued in Davos.
Here is his argument in full:
President Trump has started well by recognising that it is Putin who needs to shift his position, not Ukraine.
If I can make one suggestion to the new administration, coming from the depths of experience of a country that warned the rest of the world about Putin and was not always listened to, it is this: this is not the Putin that Trump knew in his first term.
I think the main thing is to engage with him. When there are concerns or issues raised about what the new administration will do I think the best thing is to go to Washington and discuss.
Back in 2017, some allies thought we should just freeze our relations with the US, do almost nothing, and hope things would improve after the next elections.
By avoiding the standard cliches, the far-right leader comes across as moderate even as she backs extremist rhetoric
“Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?” wondered European audiences in 1995 when the Dutch band Gompie landed an unlikely success by adding this risque line to Smokie’s 1970s hit Living Next Door to Alice. Thirty years on, the question is on many minds again, this time regarding the mercurial co-leader of Germany’s buoyant anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Ahead of the German elections on 23 February, many want to know: who exactly is Alice Weidel?
It’s a pertinent question. For the first time since the Nazi era, a far-right party has ambitions to head a German government. The AfD is fielding the 45-year-old Weidel as its first-ever chancellor candidate. She is unlikely to win office this time, but her party is polling in second place and set to double its vote share to over 20%.
Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian and journalist. Her latest book is Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990
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From Trump’s Project 2025 to a huge aid cut by the Dutch, donors are turning their backs on the developing world
Foreign aid spending reached a record high of $223bn (£180bn) in 2023, new figures released this week from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) confirmed.
Yet, in 2024, eight wealthy countries announced $17.2bn in cuts to official development assistance (ODA), and three others hinted at reductions, all to take effect over the next five years.
Italy's highest court is hearing an appeal by Amanda Knox against a slander conviction for falsely accusing a Congolese bar owner in the 2007 murder of her British flatmate
Donald Trump fait planer le spectre d'une guerre commerciale avec Bruxelles. À peine investi, le nouveau président américain a annoncé, mardi 21 janvier, sa volonté d'imposer des droits de douane à l'UE, mais sans préciser davantage sa pensée pour l'instant. Une situation que les eurodéputés réunis à Strasbourg appréhendent.
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