Journal du Club des Cordeliers - News from Marseille, the political, economic and cultural centre of southern France and the whole world

Karim Benzema said he had become more ambitious with age as the Real Madrid and France striker won the Ballon d'Or on Monday, and dedicated his trophy "to the people".

Karim Benzema was rewarded for his remarkable success with Real Madrid by winning the Ballon d'Or at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday, while Spain's Alexia Putellas retained the women's prize.

A Russian military plane crashed on Monday into a residential area of Yeysk, a town in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry.

For Karim Benzema, winning the most prestigious individual award in football is the ultimate recognition for his remarkable performances with Real Madrid last season and confirmation that he is a player and a man transformed since his years in exile from the French national team because of a sextape scandal.

France striker Karim Benzema won the Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, the reward coming after his stunning performances helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga last season.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the situation in Ethiopia was "spiralling out of control" as fighting raged in the north of the country and the government vowed to seize control of airports and other sites in Tigray.

Alexia Putellas said she hoped to return from a serious knee injury before the end of this season but refused to discuss her future with the Spanish national team after winning her second successive women's Ballon d'Or on Monday.

Women who frequently use chemical hair straightening products could face more than twice the risk of uterine cancer compared to those who never use them, according to a new study published Monday.

Robert Lewandowski received the award for last season's top goalscorer, renamed the Gerd Mueller Trophy, for the second straight year at the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday.

Twenty-seven civilians killed in August riots in Sierra Leone were buried Monday in the capital Freetown following a state-led ceremony, as families disputed police accounts of their deaths.

Swiss author Kim de l'Horizon shaved their head on stage after winning the prestigious German Book Prize on Monday, in a show of solidarity with the women protesting in Iran.

Russia on Monday stepped up attacks across Ukraine, cutting electricity in towns and killing eight people, including in kamikaze drone strikes in the capital Kyiv, as a Russian warplane crashed near the Ukraine border.

The deterioration of Haiti's security and health environment as gangs expand their control has produced "an absolutely nightmarish situation" for local people, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday.

Double Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas may be painfully sidelined with a knee injury but her exploits last season continue to draw accolades as football waits for her return.

Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for the second year running on Monday, the reward coming after a season in which she was the top scorer as her club Barcelona reached the Champions League final.

Seen as an online home for extremist rhetoric unwelcome at established social networks, Parler won fans in the ultra-far right and an aspiring buyer in celebrity Kanye West.

Barcelona and Spain midfield prospect Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for the best player of last season aged under 21 at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

A Russian military plane crashed on Monday into a residential area of Yeysk, a town in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry, with at least three deaths reported.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday ordered all three of Germany's remaining nuclear power plants to stay operational until mid-April, breaking an impasse that had caused a rift among his coalition partners as an energy crisis looms.

Paris investigators on Monday charged a woman suspected of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in a trunk on Friday, a source close to the case told AFP.

Asked by the opposition to explain her latest humiliating climbdown, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Monday refused to answer the call, raising further speculation about her future.

Treatment of fans at the Champions League final in Paris "constituted criminal assault", according to an independent report chaired by Professor Phil Scraton, who also led an investigation into the Hillsbrough disaster.

A Russian military plane crashed on Monday into a residential area of Yeysk, a town in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry, with at least two deaths reported.

Russia ally Belarus on Monday jailed a dozen opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko for terms of up to 25 years.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the situation in Ethiopia was "spiralling out of control" as fighting raged in the north of the country and the government vowed to seize control of airports and other sites in Tigray.

Moroccan police have arrested 25 more African migrants near the border with a Spanish enclave where at least 23 people died in a June crossing attempt, an official said Monday.

The 2023 Giro d'Italia will finish at Rome's iconic imperial forum, five years after poor road conditions led to the final stage in the Italian capital being cut short.

Netflix on Monday defended its latest series of "The Crown" after former British prime minister John Major lashed out at a story line showing King Charles plotting to oust the late queen.

German airline giant Lufthansa on Monday significantly raised its earnings forecast for 2022, citing "strong demand" for air travel in the months ahead.

Car giant Stellantis may stop building vehicles in China, chief executive Carlos Tavares said Monday, citing building tensions with the West as a deterrent to investment there.

Russia on Monday stepped up attacks across Ukraine, cutting electricity in "hundreds" of towns and killing eight people, including four in kamikaze drone strikes in the capital Kyiv.

Social network Parler announced Monday a deal for Kanye West to buy the platform popular with US conservatives, just over a week after the rapper's Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted over anti-Semitic posts.