Latest from LeMonde
LeMonde
40 minutes ago
- General
- LeMonde
Jesse Jenkins' courgette caviar and whipped ricotta on toast
Ingredients (for one large slice of toast and extra preserves) 1 kg courgettes (any color) 50 ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for storing) 200 g onions, thinly sliced 500 g tomatoes (ripe and ready) 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 garlic clove 1 slice of toasted bread 100 g ricotta Juice and zest of one lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil Chopped chives or green onions to taste Salt and pepper to taste Preparation Use a mandoline to thinly slice the courgettes. You can halve them then cut them into half-moons or keep them in thin discs for more texture. If you're not using onions, just start with the courgettes. Put the oil and onions in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft and slightly browned. Add the courgettes and continue to cook over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes until they start to break down, stirring throughout. Grate all the tomatoes on a box grater, leaving only the skin behind. Add the grated tomato to the mix and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a little water if things begin to brown too much, though a little color here and there is a good thing. Add the vinegar, sugar and a generous pinch of salt and cook for another couple of minutes just to take the edge off the vinegar. Remove from the heat and, once cooled, place in sterilized jars and top off with extra virgin olive oil before sealing with a lid. Place the ricotta in a large bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper, then whisk until smooth. Rub a little garlic on your toasted bread, spread the whipped ricotta, then top with the courgette caviar. Garnish with fresh lemon and chives or green onions. Once cooled, the remaining zucchini mixture can be stored in sterilized jars with extra virgin olive oil and kept in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator. View this post on Instagram A post shared by M Le magazine du Monde (@m_magazine) Watch the video recipe on @m_magazine in collaboration with @adip_food
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Louvre: 'We want to find a lasting solution to overcrowding'
At the end of January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Louvre's Nouvelle Renaissance project, aimed at creating a new entrance to the museum on the side of the Perrault colonnade, opposite the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois church, and excavating new galleries beneath the Cour Carrée to move the Mona Lisa there and expand the space for temporary exhibitions. Five months later, the museum is launching an architectural competition, with a budget of €270 million for the contemporary aspects of the project – to which the still undetermined budget for the restoration of heritage elements will be added. An international jury of 21 people will meet on October 7 to select five finalists. The winner will be announced in the first quarter of 2026. What are the key aspects of the architecture competition the Louvre is launching on Friday, June 27?
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- Business
- LeMonde
In China, coins and banknotes have all but disappeared
You have to get up early if you have any hope of spotting them, and you must stay alert to identify them in the aisles. At the Xinmin fresh produce and vegetable market, located in the heart of Beijing just North of the 2 nd Ring Road, the oldest customers are now the last to keep using coins and banknotes, which are vanishing from the rest of Chinese society. The world's second-largest economy has undergone rapid digitization, and all daily transactions – from supermarkets to cafés, taxis to public transportation – are now made with one of two apps that have become vital to life in China: WeChat or Alipay. Their green and blue logos are displayed at every payment point, and many businesses no longer even keep a traditional cash register, but instead simply scan the QR code presented by the customer. Many taxis refuse cash payments, as do many neighborhood grocery stores, which often do not have the change to give back in any case. Ma Dian, a fruit and vegetable vendor from Hubei who works at this covered market in the capital, observed that the trend surged abruptly over the past decade, becoming what he calls a "radical change." "I still accept cash only to help the very elderly. Below the age of 80, almost everyone has switched; above that, it's much harder to adapt," he said while promoting his Dalian blueberries.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
20 must-see exhibitions this summer, in Paris and beyond
For those seeking new discoveries, such as the British painter Barbara Hepworth, or wishing to revisit familiar ground, like the photographic work of Agnès Varda, or to deepen their understanding of classics, including Hokusai or Jean Dubuffet, Le Monde 's critics have selected around 20 exhibitions from across France. Marinette and Henri Cueco: An eclectic duo An inseparable couple, Marinette and Henri Cueco's artistic practices were worlds apart. Henri Cueco (1929-2017) was one of the leading figures of an era when, after the Young Painters' Salon and the movement known as Narrative Figuration, he co-founded, in 1972, the Malassis Cooperative, which brought together artists who were vigorously engaged in politics. Marinette Cueco (1934-2023) spent many years as a teacher while practicing tapestry and weaving, techniques she quickly applied to a particular form of land art. She used plant materials, creating either ground installations or panels hanging on the wall. These abstract works (striking examples of which can be seen through July 26 at the Ceysson & Beynetière gallery in Lyon) are very different from her husband's figurative paintings. The idea behind this juxtaposition, put together at the former paper mill in Uzerche, central France, is to remind people that "neither one left their studio without visiting the other, to observe their work and acknowledge it with a comment or a shared vision," explained their son David, himself a restorer of works of art and one of the exhibition's organizers. Ha. B.
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
US Supreme Court hands Trump 'giant' win on powers of judges
US President Donald Trump hailed a "giant win" Friday, June 27, after the Supreme Court curbed lone judges from blocking the Republican's raft of controversial policies. The 6-3 ruling, with the court's liberal justices all dissenting, stemmed from Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship. The court said individual district judges had likely exceeded their powers by issuing nationwide injunctions, which have also blocked a string of Trump's hardline policies on immigration, diversity and firing federal employees. "The Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law," 79-year-old Trump told a hastily arranged press conference at the White House. Trump said he would now proceed with "so many policies" that had been "wrongly" blocked, including stopping funding for transgender people and "sanctuary cities" for migrants. His initial reaction to the ruling came in a post on Truth Social, welcomed it as a "GIANT WIN." US Attorney General Pam Bondi, standing alongside Trump at the podium, said the ruling would stop "rogue judges striking down President Trump's policies across the entire nation." Trump separately hailed a "great ruling" by the Supreme Court to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed books at public schools. Critics say the move threatens secular education by opening the door to religious objections. 'Step toward authoritarianism' The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump's executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on US soil. But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings removes a big roadblock to Trump's often highly contested policy agenda and has far-reaching ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in Trump – or future US presidents. The Supreme Court's majority decision was authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, and joined by the other five conservative justices. "Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch," wrote Barrett, who has previously been a frequent target of Trump loyalists over previous decisions that went against the president. The Supreme Court's three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the ruling was "nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the constitution." Democrats swiftly blasted the decision, saying it would embolden Trump as he pushes the boundaries of presidential power in his second term. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "terrifying step toward authoritarianism." Trump, however, rejected concerns about the concentration of power in the White House. "This is really the opposite of that," Trump said. "This really brings back the Constitution." Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship is just one of a number of his moves that have been blocked by district court judges around the country – both Democratic and Republican appointees - since he took office in January. 'Lawless actions' Past presidents have also complained about national injunctions shackling their agenda. But such orders have sharply risen under Trump, who saw more in his first two months than Democrat Joe Biden did during his first three years in office. The case was ostensibly about Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, which was deemed unconstitutional by courts in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state. But it actually focused on whether a single federal district court judge has the right to issue a nationwide block to a presidential decree with a universal injunction. The issue has become a rallying cry for Trump and his Republican allies, who accuse the judiciary of impeding his agenda against the will of voters. Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens. Trump said that the policy "was meant for the babies of slaves," dating back to the US Civil War era in the mid 1800s.
