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

World number one Ko Jin-young fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 64 on Friday to grab a share of the second-round lead alongside Japan's Nasa Hataoka in the LPGA's Los Angeles Open.

After two months of sustained Russian artillery fire, the hamlet of Lysychansk, located just 14 kilometres (nine miles) from Russian ground forces, has turned into a ghost town.

Rio de Janeiro's carnival, a glittering, sequin-studded festival of the flesh, exploded back to life Friday with the first famed samba school parades since Covid-19 started devastating Brazil.

France on Saturday prepared to choose between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen to rule the country for the next five years after a bitterly contested and polarising election campaign.

Golfing great Greg Norman intends to come out of retirement and compete at the British Open in July, a report said Saturday, with the Australian saying: "I love St Andrews."

Japan's famed cherry blossom season blankets the country in the delicate white flowers of the prized and popular "somei-yoshino" tree, delighting residents and visitors alike. But some want change.

Verdant landscapes, stylised portraits of peasant women, curved sculptures -- an exhibition in Baghdad is allowing art aficionados to rediscover the pioneers of contemporary Iraqi art.

Could a volcanic eruption off Mexico's coast unleash a tsunami like the one that devastated Tonga? What really causes tectonic plates to shift and trigger earthquakes? Scientists visited a remote archipelago in search of answers.

The European Union early Saturday finalised new legislation to require Big Tech to remove harmful content, the bloc's latest move to rein in the world's online giants.

Russia said Friday it would fight to take control over all east and south of Ukraine but Kyiv pledged to save the country, as the UN documented dozens of civilians killed in one town.

The Pentagon has invited 40 allies to meet in Germany next week to discuss Ukraine's longer-term security needs even as Kyiv continues to battle Russian forces in the country's east and south.

A sobbing mother, who had at last located and buried her daughter killed in tragedy-scarred Bucha, was held in a long embrace from a woman pushed by her own pain to try to help.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-set rollercoaster to reach the Barcelona semi-finals on Friday and become the youngest player since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to make the world top 10.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-set rollercoaster to reach the Barcelona semi-finals on Friday and become the youngest player since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to reach the world top 10.

As Russian bombardments devastated their hometown of Mariupol, Yevgen and Tetiana decided they had only one way to escape with their four children: on foot.

Twitter on Friday banned ads that deny the reality of climate change.

Pakistan's new finance minister on Friday agreed with IMF recommendations to reduce fuel subsidies, pledging to pursue structural reforms to boost a crisis-wracked economy.

Russian authorities on Friday declared opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza a "foreign agent" and ordered his pre-trial detention for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army amid its military campaign in Ukraine.

Global stock markets dropped sharply Friday as the latest hawkish commentary from the Federal Reserve sent investors fleeing equities on worries over higher interest rates.

Russia said Friday it intended a full-bore assault to carve out a sizeable slice of Ukraine, but Kyiv pledged to fight to save the country, as the UN documented dozens of civilians killed in one town.

Belgium has granted asylum to corruption-convicted Ecuadoran ex-president Rafael Correa, the former head of state told AFP on Friday, as the South American country seeks his extradition.

Brazilian surfing champion Gabriel Medina has announced his return to competition after a break for mental health reasons.

After two long years without its frenetic festival of sparkling sequins, sultry samba and towering floats, Rio de Janeiro will hold its famed carnival parades Friday night for the first time since Covid-19 hit Brazil.

President Joe Biden marked Earth Day on Friday by ordering protections for ancient forests and pondering a future without his beloved gas-guzzling Corvette sports car, but after 14 months in office his more ambitious climate goals look elusive.

World number one Iga Swiatek racked up her 21st successive win as she powered into the Stuttgart semi-finals by beating US Open champion Emma Raducanu in straight sets on Friday.

Ex-Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez made his first appearance before a US judge Friday following his extradition to America to face drug trafficking charges.

Europe can get by without Russian gas for six months, but beyond that, the economic impact would be severe, a senior IMF official told AFP.

Pakistan opener Shan Masood on Friday hit a second successive double century in the English county championship to take his aggregate to 608 runs in four innings.

Dingoes might look like regular mutts, but in fact they're genetically in between wolves and dogs, according to a new study published Friday in Science Advances.

Struggling Mercedes "underperformed as a team" on Friday when they failed to make the final session of qualifying at a race for the first time in a decade, said Lewis Hamilton.

US officials visiting the strategic Solomon Islands on Friday warned of serious repercussions if China were to establish a permanent military presence there after the Pacific nation signed a defence pact with Beijing.

The parents of British toddler Madeleine McCann, who went missing while on holiday in 2007, said Friday they "welcome the news" that Portuguese authorities and German prosecutors have declared a convicted German rapist the prime suspect in her disappearance.