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Rachida Dati's campaign for Paris mayor gets nervous
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'The MAGA movement is divided in the face of Trump's openly imperial ambitions'
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Paris Men's Fashion Week: Véronique Nichanian delivers final lesson in elegance at Hermès
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The dangerous liaisons of French rapper Koba LaD
At 25, Koba LaD, whose real name is Marcel Loutarila, is one of the leading names in French rap. He is suspected by the courts of having financially supported the escape of drug trafficker Mohamed Amra after his deadly prison break in May 2024. At the center of the investigation is the Black Manjak Family, a murky group formed around the artist.16 min read
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https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/25/germany-moves-closer-to-italy-as-disagreements-strain-ties-with-france_6749782_4.html
Germany moves closer to Italy as disagreements strain ties with France
In an unscripted moment, standing behind their podiums, the two leaders shared a smile that turned into a polite laugh. That was how Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz responded to a journalist's question about whether Italy was on its way to replacing France as Berlin's preferred partner, at the signing of an Italian-German "action plan" in Rome on Friday, January 23.
- They were quick to dispel any such notion.
- "There is no hierarchy in relationships, in Germany," replied the German leader, who was accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business leaders, while Meloni assured she did not "want to take anyone's place."
Paris had been informed of this bilateral meeting with the Italian leader. However, the event was still interpreted as an implicit response to recent differences between France and Germany.
Despite the close relationship displayed between Merz and President Emmanuel Macron since the chancellor's election in May 2025, disagreements have multiplied in recent months.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/01/25/venezuela-and-the-us-a-century-of-turbulent-oil-relations_6749779_19.html
Venezuela and the US: A century of turbulent oil relations
At the heart of an energy partnership and later an ideological clash, oil turned Venezuela into a strategic ally for Washington, before turning it into a target of Donald Trump's ambitions.
In Washington, a rhetoric of spoliation is now used whenever Venezuela is concerned: the United States was a victim of "theft," "expropriation" and "confiscation," according to the current administration. Venezuela, immensely rich in oil, was a country where the largest American companies built and then partially lost fortunes over the decades. "They stole our assets like we were babies," said US President Donald Trump on January 9 as he met with representatives of the American oil majors. He was referring to the various nationalizations that have punctuated the history of Venezuela's oil industry – "one of the largest thefts of American property," according to the president – justifying the need to recover these resources for the benefit of the US.
But the past still weighs heavily. After the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, are American oil companies ready to massively reinvest capital in the country?
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US seeks to use Alberta to destabilize Canada
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https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2026/01/24/the-eu-s-emancipation-from-the-us-requires-clarity-and-resolve_6749759_23.html
The EU's emancipation from the US requires clarity and resolve
Europe, abruptly realizing its reliance on American power, must no longer hesitate to use the tools at its disposal and rebalance the power dynamic with Donald Trump.
The lengthy monologue delivered by Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21 only confirmed what was already clear: The US president's contempt and aggression toward the European Union are being expressed with increasing brazenness, fundamentally undermining the transatlantic relationship. In the face of threats, blackmail, insults and attempts at territorial predation, the strategy pursued by the EU's 27 member states to influence the former real estate developer has shown its limits. After decades of the comfort of dependence on American power, Europe is undergoing a rough awakening.
The relations built since World War II are deep, multifaceted and politically binding. From defense to technology, and from finance to energy, Europe is realizing that its alliance with the United States is not a given and, above all, that it comes at a cost.
A clear-eyed understanding of the extent of this dependence is essential before even contemplating emancipation. That process promises to be lengthy, laborious, highly destabilizing, yet crucial in terms of sovereignty. It is not realistic to simply walk away from the American security guarantee overnight or ignore the economic interdependence that binds both sides of the Atlantic. The urgent need is to redefine Europe's approach to a relationship that has become asymmetrical, unstable and toxic.
The dependence on the US is all the more difficult to challenge because it stems from deliberate political choices, such as chronic underinvestment in defense in favor of our prosperity. It is also tied to Europe's inability to complete economic integration and move past national interest. Hoping for a return to the prior status quo of a reliable and friendly US will only delay painful decisions. Trump is not a historical accident, but a marker of a new era.
Internal divisions
To withstand the attacks of Trumpism, the EU needs collective credibility, something that remains to be built. The bloc has created tools for commercial retaliation, anti-coercion mechanisms and legislation to protect its social model. It must not hesitate to use these instruments to secure a more balanced power relationship. Europe has the means: In many areas, the dependencies are mutual, and the US would also stand to lose from a sudden rupture.
European strategic autonomy cannot be just a slogan. The 2024 Draghi report on European competitiveness outlined the roadmap: massive investment in joint military capabilities, securing critical supply chains, building technological and energy sovereignty, forging alternative trade partnerships and bringing funding capabilities back to Europe. Progress on these fronts has been too slow, and the EU has struggled to speak with one voice.
Washington has understood this well, using internal divisions as a lever of influence on the continent. The US National Security Strategy, published in early December 2025, laid this out plainly. If member states continue to prioritize bilateral relationships with the US over the common interest, emancipation will have to be achieved through coalitions of willing countries in critical areas. Europe's awakening will also depend on institutional creativity.
Macron should not target the European Central Bank
The French president has criticized the European Central Bank for keeping interest rates too high. While this criticism holds some truth for France, it does not apply to the rest of the eurozone, and overlooks the fact that France can only secure funding thanks to the strength of the central bank.
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