After expressing his intention of “personally” involving himself in seeking a solution to the crisis in France’s South Pacific territory of New Caledonia, where tensions were ignited earlier this year after a move by president Emmanuel Macron to reform the electoral register to the detriment of the pro-independence movement of the indigenous Kanak people, the new French prime minister, Michel Barnier, was forced into a U-turn by Macron, who doggedly refuses to recognise errors in his approach to the crisis, in which 13 people have died. Ellen Salvi reports.

Several athletes who took part in swimming events in the River Seine during the Summer Olympics in Paris later fell ill with intestinal complaints, the latest among them being Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen, who as a result missed Sunday’s closing ceremony where he was to be a flag bearer for Ireland. While no absolute proof indicates the cases of illness were due to the pollution in the river, the incidents will be of concern for those athletes taking part in the Summer Paralympics in Paris in two weeks time. Mediapart gained access to the results of the daily tests of the water which show that over a ten-day period during the Games, the amount of E. coli and intestinal Enterococcus bacteria in the water surpassed recommended levels. Jade Lindgaard, Pascale Pascariello and Antton Rouget report.

An incursion by Ukrainian military forces into Russia’s western Kursk province continued for a fifth day on Saturday, amid claims they have penetrated up to 15 kilometres into the country. Conflicting reports announce casualties on both sides, while photos and video circulating on Telegram channels show burnt-out houses and, latterly, the decimation of a Russian military truck convoy. Russia has declared a state of emergency in the region, where the precise aims of the Ukrainian attack remain unclear. In this article by Mediapart’s Ukrainian media partner, The Kyiv Independent, Francis Farrell reports on the unfolding events.

While numerous MPs and MEPs from France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party were fiercely critical of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, notably amid claims that it included a scene insulting Christianity, they have now settled down into virtually unanimous approval of the games themselves. Taking to social media to applaud the successes of French athletes, and in particular those from the police and armed forces, the RN representatives also express their delight at the flag-waving fervour of supporters and the massive police presence in the capital. All of which prompted one far-right MEP to comment that the games “very much resemble the France that we would like”. Youmni Kezzouf reports.

While Russia steps up its offensive operations in the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine is struggling to replace its military losses through mobilization, placing its foot soldiers under greater pressure than ever. In this gritty report by Mediapart’s Ukrainian media partner, The Kyiv Independent, Francis Farrell recounts the long day he spent with the infantry in the frontline trenches near the Donetsk Oblast mining town of Toretsk, where little more than a hundred metres separates them from Russian troops.

A report published this week by France’s national audit body, the Cour des comptes, sounds the alarm over a leap in spending by the country’s presidential office, which left a budget deficit in 2023 of 8 million euros. The auditors target the costs of lavish entertainment, state banquets and travel in France and abroad. Top of the list of eye-watering dinner bills was a banquet organised at Versailles Palace in honour of King Charles III last September, and which came to just over 474,000 euros. Ilyes Ramdani and Antton Rouget report. 

Idriss, who is originally from Sudan, has lived in Brittany in north-western France since 2016 and runs a market garden for an association which helps migrants interested in a career in agriculture. In early July, during the parliamentary election campaign which saw increased support for the far-right, this social enterprise was targeted by racist attacks on two successive nights. Idriss has reported both incidents to the authorities, and says he fears that someone could get hurt if there are similar episodes in the future. Nejma Brahim reports.

In order to host the 2024 Olympic Games, which were officially opened in Paris on Friday evening, the public authorities in France caved in to the demands of the International Olympic Committee. Yet, argues Mediapart's Antton Rouget in this op-ed article, the IOC is a clannish organisation that imposes its model and enriches itself without ever being accountable to anyone.  

“That's not the issue,” the French president responded when asked about the prospect of nominating a prime minister from the Left. Speaking on France 2 television, Emmanuel Macron did finally acknowledge that he had lost the recent parliamentary elections but, writes Mediapart’s publishing editor Carine Fouteau in this op-ed article, he still refuses to face up to the consequences, and instead imagines he can carry on with the policies that have led both him and France into a dead end. She argues that the president's continuing scheming to remain in power – which includes calling for a political 'truce' during the Paris Olympics - poses a threat to the rule of law.

Cross-country skier Stéphane Passeron, a former member of the French team and a Paralympic coach at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, argues that major sporting and cultural events are no longer compatible with the current climate crisis. As a campaign group asks for France's bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics to be scrapped, the veteran skier goes further and calls for an end to all major sporting events, such as the Olympics, the Tour de France and the football World Cup. Instead, argues Stéphane Passeron, we need to “make sport local”. Interview by Jade Lindgaard.