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'We must hold our heads high!': The fears and faint hopes of Israel's peace activists

Every day, a few thousand NGO members act in support of peaceful coexistence with Palestinians, a halt to settlements and an end to the military occupation of the West Bank. Yet, their political and social influence has been steadily declining over the past 20 years.

© ILIA YEFIMOVICH/AFP

Left-wing Israeli activists protest as other Israelis celebrate Israel's Independence Day at the Palestinian spring of Al-Auja, in the village of Ras Ein el-Auja, from which the Bedouin community was expelled by Israeli settlers earlier this year, on April 22, 2026.
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China's all-round dominance, from batteries to medicine, from high-speed trains to AI

'How China is Devouring Europe' (2/4). Beijing has caught up with and then surpassed the West across an impressive number of technologies and economic sectors, seeking to control entire value chains.

© TANG KE/FeatureChina/AP

A model of Hualong One, a Chinese third-generation nuclear reactor, displayed at the Nuclear Industry China 2026 trade show, in Beijing, on April 22, 2026.
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'Israel protects the last stronghold of drug traffickers in Syria'

Israel's intervention in southern Syria has played into the hands of drug traffickers, forcing Jordan to carry out airstrikes to stem the flow of captagon into its territory, writes historian Jean-Pierre Filiu.

© BAKR ALKASEM/AFP

Security forces under Syria's new authorities burn a pile of the drug captagon, in the suburbs of Damascus, on January 19, 2025.
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Iran launches missiles at Israel for first time since Middle East truce

Tehran said the attacks were intended as a 'warning' following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier in the day, adding that any further aggression would be met with a 'broader' response against all US-Israeli targets in the region.

© Ohad Zwigenberg / AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles launched from Iran over central Israel, June 8, 2026.
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Iran's World Cup squad lands in Mexico as US visa row rages

While the national team received visas to enter the US, Iran's embassy to Turkey said 15 support staff had been denied theirs.

© ONER SAN / AFP

The Iranian national football team arrives at Antalya Airport for their departure to Mexico ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup football tournament, in Antalya, on June 6, 2026.
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Armenians vote in pivotal legislative elections for their country's future, regional peace

Sunday's vote serves as a referendum on peace with Azerbaijan and on closer ties with the European Union and the US at the expense of Russia. This geopolitical shift is spearheaded by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in office since 2018 and leading in the polls.

© ERIC GRIGORIAN FOR « LE MONDE »

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is leading in the polls ahead of the June 7 legislative elections.
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Putin's 'Davos' in Saint Petersburg ends as it began, under a barrage of Ukrainian drones

The Russian president's hometown was targeted by more than 100 Ukrainian drones on Saturday, June 6, the final day of the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. Present at the event the day before, Vladimir Putin had firmly refused a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a meeting to begin peace talks.

© Anastasia Barashkova/REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5, 2026.
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US says it destroyed two Iranian drones targeting Hormuz shipping

Tehran also fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait that were intercepted early Saturday, Bahrain’s government said, and called on Iran to halt attacks on Gulf neighbors.

© Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA / via REUTERS

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 1, 2026.
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Sagrada Familia organist to lead landmark Mass as Pope Leo XIV visits Spain

The pontiff is expected in Barcelona on June 10 for the inauguration of the monumental main tower of the basilica envisioned by Antoni Gaudí. Chief organist Juan de la Rubia is in charge of the musical repertoire for the ceremony.

© Arnau Bach pour M Le magazine du Monde

Juan de la Rubia, in front of the Sagrada Família organ in Barcelona, May 21, 2026.
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'No one was prepared for what was about to happen': Gaza flotilla activist speaks about violence she suffered in Israel

The French courts have launched an investigation into 'torture' and 'war crimes' following a foreign ministry report on Israel's treatment of French nationals in the Gaza flotilla. One of them, Malika Baouya, said Israeli soldiers tortured her.

© OLIVIER MONGE/MYOP FOR LE MONDE

Malika Baouya, a 48-year-old nurse, suffered severe injuries while she was being detained by Israeli authorities. Pictured here in Nice, on June 5, 2026.
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Pope Leo XIV praises Spain's 'commitment to peace and solidarity'

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

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.
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Pope visits Spain as Socialist government and the church present a united front

Pope Leo XIV landed in Madrid on June 6. He is also set to visit Barcelona and the Canary Islands as relations between the Spanish Catholic Church – still a major force in the country – and Pedro Sánchez's government are in a good place. Yet behind the official cordiality, some tensions remain.

© THOMAS COEX/AFP

Preparations are underway on Plaza de Cibeles, in Madrid, ahead of the pope's visit. On June 4, 2026.
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Outsourcing migrant deportations is incompatible with Europe's values

New regulations would allow EU member states to pay poorer countries, with questionable human rights records, to take in undocumented migrants who cannot be deported to their own countries. This unacceptable policy highlights the EU's abdication of the humanitarian principles on which it was founded.

© JILMER POSTMA/AFP

Asylum seekers come to register with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers in Ter Apel, Netherlands, on May 20, 2026.
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'Charles III's timely reminder of democratic order and Leo XIV's necessary warning on the dangers of AI'

The British monarch has stressed the importance of the rule of law, while the pope has warned against leaving societies defenseless in the face of technology. Columnist Gilles Paris examines these symbolic statements, which could break the current climate of paralysis.

© KENT NISHIMURA/AFP

King Charles III of England addresses the United States Congress at the Capitol in Washington, April 28, 2026.
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Over three decades, China's promise became a trap for European industry

'How China is Devouring Europe' (1/4). In just a few decades, China has gone from being the world's factory to a major technological rival for Europeans, who had hoped to profit on China's vast domestic market but underestimated its capacity for innovation.

© CN-STR/AFP

An employee at a knitting factory in Qingdao, China, on March 16, 2026.
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Zelensky's letter to Putin is actually addressed to Russia's elites who are tired of the war in Ukraine

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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US strikes radar installations in Iran

After US Central Command announced that they struck the radar sites, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they hit 'enemy bases' in the Gulf. A ceasefire has been in place between the US and Iran since April 8, but subsequent talks to try to put a more permanent end to the conflict have so far been unsuccessful.

© SAUL LOEB / AFP

US President Donald Trump speaks with the press aboard Air Force One as he flies from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, June 5, 2026.
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