Our humanity is dying in Gaza

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 © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP et Sipa © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP et Sipa

It is not just the physical reality of humanity, of lives lost forever, that is dying in the Middle East, writes Mediapart publishing editor Edwy Plenel in this op-ed article. It is, he argues, the very idea of humanity itself that is being destroyed by the unrestrained and limitless vengeance of the Israeli state against the Palestinian population of Gaza in response to the massacre carried out by Hamas.

'Qatargate': after the discovery of 800,000 euros in cash, Eva Kaili's compromising text messages

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 © Illustration Simon Toupet / Mediapart © Illustration Simon Toupet / Mediapart

Mediapart and the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network can reveal that the Greek Member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, who is under investigation in the 'Qatargate affair', conducted an influence operation on behalf of the Gulf state, working directly with hidden lobbyists and two Qatari ministers. Kaili, who was the vice-president of the European Parliament, denies being guided in her actions by the lobbyists. Louis Colart and Yann Philippin report.

How Paris knife and hammer terrorist hoodwinked the authorities

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 © Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP © Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

The man arrested over the murder of a German tourist near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday night, Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, was convicted in 2018 for involvement in a terrorist criminal conspiracy, having previously been in contact with the killers of two French police officers and a French priest. Then, after he was released from prison, he communicated online with the man who shortly afterwards killed teacher Samuel Paty in a Paris suburb. Rajabpour-Miyandoab, now aged 26, subsequently managed to convince the authorities that he was a reformed character. But some of those in charge of his rehabilitation have now told Mediapart that they always harboured doubts about whether he had left the world of radicalism behind. Matthieu Suc reports.

The democracy of news versus the dictatorship of opinion

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 © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP

Democracy depends on factual truths being placed at the heart of public debate rather than the relativity of opinions, writes Mediapart publishing editor Edwy Plenel in this op-ed article. Beyond the urgent need to free the media from the control of monied interests, this was the key political question that was raised at a recent national convention on the independent press, in which Mediapart took part.

Grim week as trio of events reveal growing gap between French democracy and public ethics

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Éric Dupond-Moretti, Jérôme Cahuzac and Olivier Dussopt. © Photomontage Mediapart Éric Dupond-Moretti, Jérôme Cahuzac and Olivier Dussopt. © Photomontage Mediapart

On Wednesday France's justice minister Éric Dupond-Moretti was cleared of claims of an unlawful conflict of interest by a special court composed largely of politicians. Meanwhile, the country's labour minister Olivier Dussopt is continuing to carry out his official duties while on trial in a criminal court; and on top of that, the former budget minister and convicted tax fraud Jérôme Cahuzac has just announced he is seeking a return to politics.  In what he describes as a bleak week for the country, Mediapart's Fabrice Arfi argues in this op-ed article that the relationship between French democracy and public ethics is crumbling yet further.

The chilling stories of migrant rescues in the Channel

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A group of migrants carrying their inflatable dinghy into the Channel near Dunkerque, October 2022. © Photo Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP A group of migrants carrying their inflatable dinghy into the Channel near Dunkerque, October 2022. © Photo Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP

In the early hours of November 24th 2021, at least 27 people died when their inflatable dinghy sank off the French coast as they attempted a clandestine crossing of the Channel to Britain. The tragedy highlighted the desperate plight of tens of thousands of migrants who attempt the perilous crossing in flimsy and overcrowded boats, while the drownings continue. Mediapart interviewed two French maritime rescue volunteers who recount the terrifying incidents they have been involved in to save migrants from the treacherous Channel waters, and who complain of insufficient resources in face of the scale of the problem. Nejma Brahim and Pascale Pascariello report.

How France is protecting its banks from EU 'due diligence' directive

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Emmanuel Macron addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg in January 2022. © Photo Bertrand Guay / AFP Emmanuel Macron addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg in January 2022. © Photo Bertrand Guay / AFP

The European Union is currently preparing a directive on corporate “due diligence” which would impose strict rules aimed at preventing the negative social and environmental consequences of business activities. The European Parliament earlier this year voted in favour of including the financial sector in the directive but, according to documents obtained by Mediapart, France has made headway in its lobbying efforts to exclude financial institutions from the initial legislation, subject to a future review. As Ludovic Lamant reports, the move by Paris, denounced by NGOs and MEPs, is on course to significantly weaken what is one of the most awaited pieces of legislation of the European Parliament’s current term.

French food aid charity forced to turn people away amid soaring demand

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Volunteers at the Restos du Cœur food bank centre in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris. © Photo Manuel Magrez / Mediapart Volunteers at the Restos du Cœur food bank centre in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris. © Photo Manuel Magrez / Mediapart

In September, the French charitable association Restos du cœur, which runs a nationwide network of tens of thousands of volunteers managing food banks and mobile street kitchens, announced that these would have to turn people away this winter due to growing demand and insufficient funding. Despite subsequent donations, the association is still grappling with a shortfall of food supplies, forcing it to apply stricter criteria for those seeking aid. As its winter campaign began this week, some families are refused help, while those accepted are receiving smaller parcels, much to the distress of the charity’s frontline volunteers. Manuel Magrez reports from two of its centres near Paris.

Unfinished projects and claims for unpaid bills: behind the ‘success story’ of Julius Mwale

By Clément Bonnerot and Sonia Rolley
 © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart

Julius Mwale, presented by Forbes magazine as “one of Kenya’s top entrepreneurs”, is fêted for his rags-to-riches life story in which he claims to have created a “multi-billion-dollar” company in the US. With ambitious and well-publicised projects to build pioneering smart cities in Kenya and Senegal, he enjoys rubbing shoulders with African presidents and celebrities from the worlds of entertainment and sports. But this investigation by Mediapart tells a different story, one of a trail of claims for unpaid bills, disputes with investors and lenders, and unfinished projects. Clément Bonnerot and Sonia Rolley report.

French banks face criminal complaint for money laundering over illegal Amazon deforestation

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Land being stripped of forest the Pantanal region of Brazil, 2022. © Photo Jean-Mathieu Albertini Land being stripped of forest the Pantanal region of Brazil, 2022. © Photo Jean-Mathieu Albertini

For the first time, three major French banks and a large insurance group face a criminal complaint for alleged money laundering linked to the deforestation of the Amazon. The complaint has been deposed against banks BNP Paribas, BPCE and Crédit Agricole and insurance firm Axa. The Paris-based advocacy and litigation association behind the move, Sherpa, say that these financial institutions “cannot have been unaware that they were financing illegal activities”. Jade Lindgaard reports on this ground-breaking action.

March against anti-Semitism in Paris: French government caught in its own trap

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Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen at the Élysée, June 21st 2022. © Photo Jeanne Accorsini / Sipa Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen at the Élysée, June 21st 2022. © Photo Jeanne Accorsini / Sipa

The planned presence of the far-right in Paris this Sunday at a demonstration against anti-Semitism which has been organised by the presidents of the French Parliament's two chambers has left the Right embarrassed and the Left divided. As Ellen Salvi explains, this situation is the direct result of several years of deliberate efforts to create political confusion, fed by Emmanuel Macron and his supporters.

Diplomatic tour to Europe by Libyan military strongman's son ends in fiasco

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Photos from Siddiq Haftar's diplomatic tour. © Photomontage Mediapart avec Abaca Photos from Siddiq Haftar's diplomatic tour. © Photomontage Mediapart avec Abaca

In recent months Siddiq Haftar, the eldest son of Libyan military strongman and suspected war criminal Khalifa Haftar, has been seeking to establish his international credentials as he eyes a possible bid to be his country's president one day. One of his ambitions was to be greeted in style at the European Parliament, and he duly visited the institution in September. But, as Mediapart reveals, the visit, led by a media-friendly imam and a far-right Member of the European Parliament, turned to fiasco. Yann Philippin and Antton Rouget report.

The massacre in Gaza: why inaction is a crime

Inhabitants of Gaza a day after the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp on November 1st. © Photo : Bashar Taleb / AFP Inhabitants of Gaza a day after the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp on November 1st. © Photo : Bashar Taleb / AFP

The people of Gaza are being engulfed by rivers of blood. And part of our humanity is being swept away with them, write Mediapart's Joseph Confavreux and Carine Fouteau in this op-ed article. There is an urgent need for compassion, public pressure and politics, they say, to halt the deaths of civilians - including many children.

French spy agency's concerns over links between far-right Rassemblement National members and Russia

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Thierry Mariani and Marine Le Pen at a meeting to launch the far-right RN's European election campaign in Paris, January 13th 2019. © Photo Alain Robert / SIPA Thierry Mariani and Marine Le Pen at a meeting to launch the far-right RN's European election campaign in Paris, January 13th 2019. © Photo Alain Robert / SIPA

In 2019 a report from the French domestic intelligence agency the DGSI listed the “influential intermediaries” that were used by Russia in France during the run up to the European elections. The only four French political figures cited in this document were current or past members of Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (RN). Among them was an Franco-Russian RN adviser at the European Parliament. Matthieu Suc and Marine Turchi report.

How Martinique's creole language has become a symbol of liberation

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The local flag featured in a demonstration against the use of the pesticide chlordecone, Fort-de-France, 2022. © Photo Julien Sartre pour Mediapart The local flag featured in a demonstration against the use of the pesticide chlordecone, Fort-de-France, 2022. © Photo Julien Sartre pour Mediapart

Supporters of independence for France's overseas département of Martinique believe that having their own 'official language' and flag is a way of rediscovering their culture. In this respect the Caribbean island's capital Fort-de-France sees itself as being on the cutting edge when it comes to identity issues. Julien Sartre reports on attempts to win greater autonomy for the island.