Author: Frank Deux

Pope Francis urged Catholic priests on Sunday to guard against spiritual groups that stoke political divisions, speaking during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first by a pontiff to the French Mediterranean island. FRANCE 24 correspondent Seema Gupta reported on the event from Rome, Italy. Pope Francis, in Corsica, warns against religion that stokes divisions

  Andrés Villavicencio, a 31-year-old lawyer, had just a minute to think about the decision that changed his life. As in the last eight elections that have taken place since he came of age, on July 28, 2024, he was an electoral observer for the opposition coalition at the Paraguaná Institute, in the municipality of Carirubana. This is an impoverished area between the Caja de Agua and Antiguo Aeropuerto sectors of the oil-producing state of Falcón, on Venezuela’s west coast. However, this past election was the only time in which he ever had to demand the records that must be…

Faithful members of the Fraternité Saint-Barthélemy walk along the seafront promenade during Good Friday, as part of the Easter celebrations, in Bonifacio, Corsica, March 29, 2024. PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP This Sunday, December 15, Pope Francis is attending a symposium on “popular religiosity” in Ajaccio, Corsica, organized at the initiative of local cardinal and bishop François Bustillo. This is a theme dear to the pontiff, who placed it at the heart of his latest encyclical, He loved us (“he loved us,” in Latin), published on October 24. Corsica appears to be a particularly rich laboratory for the study of this…

A man who turned himself in saying he was responsible for five murders in northern France on Saturday, December 14, had no criminal record, authorities said Sunday.

“Meteorites are sold.” The sign, hand-painted in lurid colors, rests on a two-meter-long table covered in stones that are advertised as having arrived from outer space. There are rocks that made a trip of almost 55 million kilometers, from Mars, before landing at the International Fair of Minerals, Fossils and Meteorites that was held at the Chamartín station, Madrid, this weekend. More than 30 exhibitors from Spain and other countries – Brazil, Morocco, India, Pakistan, Czech Republic – have participated in the event, which already has 41 editions and which, between this Friday and Saturday, attracted more than 2,000 people,…

The commissioner of the ‘Koldo case’ testifies today in the Supreme Court as a defendant, after having promised to prove the incriminations against members of the Government that he pointed out in the National Court Read Aldama’s third round, 25 days after his "invented": only three of his 10 accusations remain without documentation or evidence

Pope Francis made history on Sunday with the first-ever papal visit to Corsica. He urged local priests to resist spiritual groups that fuel political divisions and championed a “dynamic” form of secularism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Pope Francis calls for unity and 'dynamic' secularism in first visit to Corsica

France’s new PM Bayrou faces budgetary challenges as Moody’s downgrades credit rating No grace period whatsoever. It was 25 minutes past midnight on Saturday, December 14, and François Bayrou had only been the new prime minister for a few hours when an unexpected press release arrived: Moody’s had downgraded France’s credit rating. According to the American credit rating agency, France’s public finances are likely to struggle over the next few years, and the country no longer merits the “Aa2” rating, the equivalent of 17 out of 20, that it had held until now. The rating has been dropped to “Aa3,”…

  In France, Dunkirk region in shock after quintuple murder No one lands here by chance, especially not if intending to kill a man by firing several rounds into him in front of his family. Heading away from the small Flemish town of Wormhout (northern France), the road skirts a wayside cross before coming to a path that leads to what must have once been a farm. In the middle of the fields, a house can be seen to the right of a large shed. Between the two, several semi-trucks are parked. This is where 29-year-old Paul D. was shot…

Provisional marker of the Marató, at 9 p.m.The 3Cat Marathon, which this year is dedicated to research into respiratory diseases, has raised a total of 3.25 million euros until just before 9 p.m. to be used for this purpose. On the occasion of its Marató, 3Cat has planned a programming of almost 17 hours live on TV3, Catalunya Ràdio, the 3Cat platform and social networks.This year, La Marató aims to raise funds for scientific research into respiratory diseases and raise awareness among the population about their causes, symptoms and prevention, as well as the importance of maintaining air quality and…

The businessman’s phone was seized by the Civil Guard and has not yet been analyzed Read Aldama offers Judge Pedraz to decrypt contents "relevant" of his cell phone that would affect senior officials of the Sánchez Government

A small Christmas tree remains in the center of a plaza next to Maestro Serrano de Paiporta street next to the clothes that a group of volunteers have brought.Manuel Bruque (EFE)These are one of the most difficult Christmases for Valencians. In my family, after the Immaculate Bridge, no one wants to take charge of putting up the Christmas decorations and it is my turn this year to bring home the spirit of Christmas and boost the morale of the troops. Perhaps in my generation, that of the 90s, we know a lot about falling and getting back up, after so…

The Government committed to its partners – at the same time – to maintain and eliminate the tax on energy companies. Belarra’s formation demands that its pact be fulfilled or it will not sit down to negotiate the Budgets Read The PSOE prepares for the resurgence of Podemos: "It is the only party on our left with organization and discipline; Sumar no longer exists"

Knights of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre surround the Holy Crown of Thorns during a procession for its return at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, five-and-a-half years after a fire ravaged the Gothic masterpiece, as part of ceremonies to mark the Cathedral’s reopening after its restoration, in Paris, France, December 13, 2024. STEPHANIE LECOCQ / REUTERS An ancient relic that many Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s “Crown of Thorns” is returning to Notre-Dame, five years after it was saved from the flames of the cathedral’s devastating 2019 fire. The crown – a circular band of branches encased in a…

Cyclone Chido obliterated shantytowns on the French island territory of Mayotte on Saturday, December 14, with French ministers fearing a “heavy” death toll from the destruction, which has already claimed two lives.

The vice president of Junts and spokesperson for the independence party in Congress reproaches Sánchez for not having applied the amnesty “politically” Read Miriam Nogueras: "There will be no stability for the Government if they do not comply with the agreement"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday that Russia has started deploying North Korean soldiers in its operations in the Kursk region.

The Shire is now located in western Spain. It has private houses with brightly colored round doors, surrounded by forests and a stream and impressive mountains in the background. Obviously, neither Bilbo, Frodo or Sam live there, but everything has been built in such a way that anyone familiar with these characters through books or movies will be reminded of them, and perhaps even feel like them. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” is how J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit begins. The story, a classic of universal literature, narrates the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a small being…

It was just past 5:00 pm on Friday, December 13, when France’s new prime minister, François Bayrou, walked alone across the courtyard of the Hôtel de Matignon, the prime minister’s official residence, one hand in his coat pocket. He had just returned from the funeral of his friend Jean-Pierre Rioux, historian and member of the Bayrou’s MoDem party since its creation, who was buried earlier in the day at Saint-Jean de Montmartre church in Paris. Michel Barnier, who had ceremoniously prepared the handover without knowing who would assume the role nor when, awaited Bayrou in the cold. In his brief…

Gaëlle Fasciaux, nursery assistant, baptized in the spring in the Saint-Léger church in Lens (northeastern France) on October 28, 2024. BENJAMIN GIRETTE FOR THE WORLD The scene is engraved in Gaëlle Fasciaux’s memory: Her arms crossed, she sat down in the large basin set up in the middle of the Saint-Léger church in Lens, northern France. Then she fell backward and let herself be submerged. Yet no one could have predicted that the 37-year-old nursery assistant from Sallaumines would be baptized by immersion at Easter. “Religion was a long way off for me,” she said. The mother of two had…

The new president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, during the central event of the candidacy, last Wednesday.Alejandro Garcia (EFE)Oriol Junqueras will repeat as president of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). Militancy We decidethe list headed by the former vice president of the Generalitat, has repeated victory this Saturday in the second round of the vote against Xavier Godàs, from Nova Esquerra Nacional and which grouped together those close to Marta Rovira. He former vice president He has obtained 3,437 votes, 52% of the total, compared to his opponent, who obtained 42% (2,777 votes). Participation has been 81.9%, that is, only…

Leer Sánchez’s trick: condone Catalonia’s waste by forcing Madrid to raise taxes

Thousands of Israelis staged a protest on Saturday to demand that the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza be released. There has been guarded optimism in recent days that a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza might finally be within reach after more than 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.  Thousands of Israelis protest in Tel Aviv for Gaza hostage deal

In rocky circumstances, a name finally came out of the hat on Friday, December 13: François Bayrou, the president of the Macron-aligned MoDem party, became France’s new prime minister at 73.

Over a year after he visited Marseille, Pope Francis returns to the Mediterranean shores. Whereas his predecessor , on September 12, 2008, inaugurated the Collège des Bernardins in Paris with a major address on the sources of European culture, Francis is coming to close a congress devoted to popular religion. The various aspects of this trip seem consistent with his way of doing things. Why choose Corsica over Paris [and the reopening of Notre-Dame]? Let’s not be too quick to see this as a feud with France, despite a few unfortunate past statements (“I’m going to Marseille and not to…