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Received — 6 June 2026 Le Monde - Actualités

Pope Leo XIV quotes Gandalf, highlighting Tolkien's close ties with Catholicism

6 June 2026 at 18:00
A Lord of the Rings reference in the last papal encyclical has sparked a great deal of commentary. While it can be read as a response to the way Silicon Valley libertarians have appropriated Tolkien's writing, it also highlights the English author's religious convictions.

© New Line/WireImage via gettyimages

Gandalf, a character played by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003).

Pope Leo XIV praises Spain's 'commitment to peace and solidarity'

6 June 2026 at 16:49
On a state visit to Spain, Leo XIV on Saturday hailed the country's government, who has opposed wars in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine.

© Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media / via REUTERS

Pope Leo XIV delivers remarks as Spain's King Felipe, Queen Letizia and members of the royal family listen during a meeting with authorities, civil society members and the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Madrid, on June 6, 2026.

On D-Day anniversary, Hegseth urges Europe to counter present-day 'invasion' of beaches

6 June 2026 at 16:23
On June 6, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in Normandy.

© Jeremias Gonzalez / AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center, attends a ceremony at the US cemetery to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

Bernadette Chirac, the wife of ex-president Jacques Chirac, has died

6 June 2026 at 10:00
An unfailing supporter of her husband's career, Bernadette Chodron de Courcel became a key figure a French politics. She was elected local councilor, a rare feat for a 'wife of,' and was very involved in charity work. She died at the age of 93.

© Derek Hudson/Contour by Getty Images

Bernadette Chirac, in her office at the Elysée Palace in Paris, in 2004.

Zelensky's letter to Putin is actually addressed to Russia's elites who are tired of the war in Ukraine

6 June 2026 at 04:00
Behind the offer of an outstretched hand, the Ukrainian president's letter to the Russian leader seeks to exploit Moscow's vulnerabilities and the Russian people's exhaustion after four years of high-intensity war.

© SERVICE DE PRESSE DE LA PRÉSIDENCE UKRAINIENNE/AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stand at the Wall of Remembrance for fallen Ukrainian fighters in Kyiv on June 3, 2026, in a photo released by the Ukrainian presidential press service.
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