Jon Henley
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Paris-based writer on European allsorts at the Guardian; views my own, RTs not endorsements, etc.
Articles by Jon Henley
Fire destroys Marché des Enfants Rouges, ‘coolest market in Paris’
Fire has ravaged Paris’s oldest surviving covered food market, a popular street food venue dating back to the 17th century in the Marais district of the French capital that drew thousands of locals and tourists daily. Ariel Weil, the central Paris mayor, said the Marché des Enfants Rouges had been “totally destroyed” in the blaze, which broke out soon after 3am. “The worst was avoided: the fire did not spread to the surrounding buildings,” he said. “But there is a lot of emotion.
France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during June heatwave
France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during its June heatwave, authorities have said, as swathes of southern Europe continue to endure another record-breaking period of extreme temperatures. The French national health agency said on Wednesday that it had recorded 5,764 excess deaths between 17 June and 2 July, an excess mortality rate of 36%.
Marine Le Pen will run for election in 2027. Will she have to wear an electronic tag?
So she's running. Written off by many after her conviction last year for embezzling public funds, Marine Le Pen, France's far-right figurehead, insisted yesterday there was “no scenario in which I will not be a candidate” for the French presidency in next year's elections. Hours earlier, a Paris appeals court had confirmed she was guilty of overseeing a scheme that misused more than €4m of EU money.
Marine Le Pen’s political future at stake with ruling on electoral ban imminent
Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right figurehead and a leading contender for its presidency, will learn on Tuesday whether she can run in next year’s election when a Paris appeals court rules on her attempt to overturn a ban on holding elected office. The ruling will determine whether the far-right National Rally (RN) will be led by Le Pen, 57, or her young protege, Jordan Bardella, 30 in next year’s general elections.
Macron calls for vigilance as western Europe faces second heatwave of year
More than half of France's population is under a severe weather warning as large swathes of western Europe endure the second extreme heat event of the year with temperatures expected to exceed 40C (104F). The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called for "extreme vigilance from everyone", asking citizens to "take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people" and follow government advice. "We are going through difficult days," he said.
Swiss voters appear to reject proposal to cap population at 10 million
Voters in Switzerland appeared on Sunday to have rejected an unprecedented far-right proposal to cap the country's population at 10 million in a divisive referendum dubbed “the Swiss Brexit”. A projection by the national broadcaster SRF, which traditionally calls referendum votes, showed that about 55% of voters were against the proposal by the Swiss People's party (SVP) and about 45% were in favour.
Trump threatens to withdraw troops from Italy and Spain
People in masks depicting Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and US President Donald Trump at a Labour day rally in Turin on 1 May.Photograph: Alessandro Di Marco/EPA Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after saying he was looking at reducing the number deployed in Germany. The US president’s threat to Germany came after the country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said America was being “humiliated” by Iran.
Why does the US have military bases in Germany – and will Trump follow through on his threat to cut numbers?
Donald Trump has said the US is “studying and reviewing the possible reduction” of its troops stationed in Germany, days after the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, suggested Washington was being outplayed and “humiliated” by Iran. The US president said a “determination” on the US military presence in Germany, seen as a key part of Nato’s defences but also vital for the projection of US power in other parts of the world, would be made “over the next short period of time”.
Five EU governments found to 'consistently' dismantle rule of law
Governments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe's leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies. Drawing on evidence from more than 40 NGOs in 22 countries, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) described the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia as “dismantlers” that were actively weakening the rule of law.
Iran says it will 'irreversibly destroy' Middle East infrastructure if US attacks energy sites
Iran has said it will “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, hours after Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the country's power plants if the strait of Hormuz was not opened within two days.
French local elections: Are the electoral alliances strong enough to defeat the far right?
Emmanuel Grégoire, the United Left candidate for Paris City Hall, answers questions from Parisians during a debate as part of the campaign for the 2026 municipal elections.Photograph: Telmo Pinto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock France’s voters go to the polls on 15 and 22 March for two rounds of municipal elections that will provide the clearest indication so far of the country’s political temperature in the runup to the presidential election next year.
An ugly year for the Louvre: where does the world’s biggest museum go from here?
Everyone agrees that the Louvre needs work, but the expensive proposals have come under attack. Illustration: Guardian Design default Just over a year ago, Laurence des Cars, the intellectually brilliant (if famously prickly) former head of the largest and most-visited museum in the world, wrote a somewhat alarming note to her boss, France’s culture minister.
Louvre president resigns as jewellery heist inquiry reveals ‘systemic failures’
Laurence des Cars had offered to step down immediately after the burglary four months ago.Photograph: Emma Da Silva/AP The president of the Louvre in Paris has resigned, four months after a gang of thieves broke into the museum’s Apollo gallery and made off with €88m (£76m) of Napoleonic jewellery in France’s most dramatic heist in decades.
‘He invented a style’: war chronicler Robert Capa refashioned himself and revolutionised photography
‘His pictures had to speak’ … A photograph taken by Robert Capa on 18 August 1944 in Chartres, France, of a French woman whose head was shaved because she had a baby by a Germany soldier.Photograph: Robert Capa/International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos (Photograph: Robert Capa/International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos) It is not often that you get to see a war photographer at work.
Spain hits back at Pavel Durov over mass Telegram post on social media ban plan
Durov (right) accused the government of Pedro Sánchez (left) of putting ‘internet freedoms’ under threat.Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini, Nicolas Tucat, Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images Spain has accused Pavel Durov of “spreading lies” and seeking to undermine democratic institutions after the Telegram founder used the messaging app to attack government plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s and to hold tech companies responsible for hateful and harmful content.
French magistrate reportedly summons two French-Israelis over ‘complicity in genocide’
An aid truck at the border of the Gaza Strip in 2024. Israel restricted aid shipments into the territory during the war. Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA A French investigating magistrate has issued summonses to two French-Israeli nationals in relation to “complicity in genocide” over allegations they tried to block the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, French media have reported.
French headquarters of Elon Musk’s X raided by Paris cybercrime unit
The French investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation by X has expanded to examining the spread of sexually explicit deepfakes.Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA Prosecutors have raided the French headquarters of Elon Musk’s social media platform X and summoned the tech billionaire and the company’s former chief executive for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged cybercrime.
Dutch parties strike minority coalition after D66 election upset
Rob Jetten, the leader of D66, is in line to become the Netherlands’ youngest ever prime minister.Photograph: ANP/Shutterstock The leaders of three Dutch political parties have agreed a new coalition deal, paving the way for a rare minority government in the Netherlands almost three months after elections that produced an upset victory for the centrist D66 party.
Heated rivalry: US to face Denmark in Olympic ice hockey showdown
A week into the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, the Danish Lions are scheduled to play Team USA in a preliminary round game.Photograph: Brad Rempel/Getty Images Their rendezvous may be on Valentine’s Day, but its nature looks likely to be anything but romantic: Denmark and the US, their relations frostier than they have been for decades, are due to face each other at ice hockey next month.
Trump is making China - not America - great again, global survey suggests
The poll of nearly 26,000 respondents in countries around the world found majorities in almost every territory surveyed expected China’s global influence to grow over the next decade.Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images A year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a global survey suggests much of the world believes his nation-first, “Make America Great Again” approach is instead helping to make China great again.
What can the EU and Nato do to stop Trump from trying to claim Greenland?
Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.Photograph: Kwiyeon Ha/AP The Trump administration has said repeatedly that the US needs to gain control of Greenland, justifying its claim from “the standpoint of national security” and warning that it will “do something” about the territory “whether they like it or not”. This puts the EU and Nato in a difficult spot.
Trump tells Cuba to ‘make a deal’ or face the consequences
A car drives past the US embassy in Havana after Donald Trump threatened Cuba on his Truth Social platform.Photograph: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump has told Cuba to “make a deal” or face unspecified consequences, adding that no more Venezuelan oil or money would flow to the Communist-run Caribbean island that has been a US foe for decades.
Syrian forces expel Kurdish fighters as US strikes Islamic State targets
Jon Henley Sun, January 11, 2026 at 11:06 a.m. UTC 4 min read Syrian government forces stand guard over buses containing Kurds to be transported to Syria’s north-east on Saturday.Photograph: Bakr Alkasem/AFP/Getty Images Syrian government forces have detained 300 Kurds and evacuated more than 400 Kurdish fighters after clashes in Aleppo, the interior ministry has said, as US and allied forces carried out separate “large-scale” strikes against Islamic State targets.
Germany braces for more heavy snowfall as Storm Goretti hits northern Europe
Workers clear snow from the platforms at Hamburg's main railway station during heavy snowfall on Friday.Photograph: Daniel Reinhardt/AFP/Getty Images Germany is expecting heavy snowfalls of up to 20cm after record winds of more than 210kph left almost 400,000 homes in France without electricity, as Storm Goretti battered north-western Europe.
French farmers stage protest in Paris to oppose EU-Mercosur trade deal
European farmers fear being undercut by an influx of cheaper agricultural products from the Mercosur common market.Photograph: Jérôme Gilles/NurPhoto/Shutterstock French farmers have blocked roads around the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe with their tractors in protest at an imminent EU trade deal with South American countries that they say will create unfair competition.
What are Trump’s real options for gaining control of Greenland?
A boat makes its way into port at Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP The Trump administration has said repeatedly that the US needs to gain control of Greenland, a strategically-located, mineral-rich, largely self-governing part of Denmark with foreign and security policy run from Copenhagen.
EU reveals weak hand as Trump raids Venezuela and threatens Greenland
Europe’s leaders are in a bind in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s Venezuela operation.Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters On Sunday morning, a little more than 24 hours after US bombers, fighter jets and helicopters attacked Caracas and special forces seized Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, the European Commission posted on social media.
Pensions timebomb: why Europe's social contract is becoming unsustainable
It has played a starring role in one of the worst periods of political turmoil in France since the 1960s. In Germany, it threatens the future of the coalition government. In Spain, thousands have taken to the streets to demand change. The right to a decent state pension has been a central plank of the European social contract for decades, but people are living longer, birthrates are falling, and the continent's pension systems are, increasingly, unsustainable.
France’s national post office hit by suspected cyberattack
The distributed denial of service attack has not compromised customers’ data, according to La Poste.Photograph: Bertrand Combaldieu/AP The websites and apps of France’s national post office and its banking service have been hit by a suspected cyberattack, disrupting deliveries and hampering online payments and transfers at the busiest time of the year.
New flu strain sweeping across Europe is putting pressure on healthcare, says WHO
The World Health Organization has called on people to get the flu vaccine, which lowers the risk of serious illness from the new strain.Photograph: Biel Aliño/EPA An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing healthcare systems in several countries under severe pressure, the World Health Organization has said.
AfD responds to Trump ‘erasure’ claims with call for nationalist revival in Europe
Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul and Trump supporter, campaigned on behalf of the AfD candidate Alice Weidel before the German elections in February.Photograph: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has responded to US claims that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” by saying it backs efforts for a nationalist revival on the continent – but other nationalist parties in the EU are far more cautious.
‘The 0.001%’: a quick visual breakdown of the world’s wealthiest people
Composite: Getty Images / The Guardian / Guardian design Cruising around on private jets, the ultra-rich are the world’s financial elite – but how many people actually occupy this exclusive wealth club? Could they all fit into a floating mega-yacht, or is the group much bigger, possibly the size of a dazzling mega-rich city? Thanks to an inequality report out on Wednesday, we now have a snapshot of the size of the topmost layer floating above everyone else – the 0.001%.
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds
People protest against extreme wealth in London. The report found that in almost every region, the top 1% was wealthier than the bottom 90% combined. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images Fewer than 60,000 people – 0.001% of the world’s population – control three times as much wealth as the entire bottom half of humanity, according to a report that argues global inequality has reached such extremes that urgent action has become essential.
European progressives must tackle housing crisis to beat far right, say researchers
Centre-left parties can build a broad new coalition of support if they tackle Europe’s deepening housing crisis, researchers have said. Conversely, ignoring it risks pushing increasingly fed-up voters into the arms of the far right. Research by the Progressive Politics Research Network (PPRNet) suggests dramatic rises in the cost of housing over recent years have eroded support for centre-left parties – once the champions of affordable housing – and fuelled anti-establishment disaffection.
Four more people arrested in connection with Louvre heist
French authorities have arrested four more people in connection with last month’s spectacular heist of an estimated €88m (£77m) of crown jewels from the Louvre, the Paris prosecutor has said. “They are two men aged 38 and 39, and two women aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region,” Laure Beccuau said. French media said the arrests included the last remaining alleged member of the four-man gang who broke into the museum.
Christie’s withdraws rare ‘first calculator’ from auction after French court halts export
A rare example of the first functioning calculating machine in history looks likely to stay in France after Christie’s withdrew it from auction pending a definitive ruling from a Paris court on whether or not it can be exported. La Pascaline, developed by the French mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal in 1642, when he was just 19, and billed as “the most important scientific instrument ever offered at auction”, had been expected to fetch more than €2m (£1.8m).
Living with the water: the Netherlands’ floating futures - photo essay
“A pitiful land, flooded twice a day,” was the verdict of the Roman savant, Pliny the Elder, of a region where “wretched peoples living in huts” must battle perpetually to resolve the question of “whether this region belongs to the land or the sea”. The Greek geographer Pytheas reckoned “more people die here in the struggle against water” than against men. Yet by the late 17th century, the Netherlands was arguably Europe’s wealthiest nation. Even today the Dutch are, per head, in the global top 10.
Rob Jetten scored a victory over populism in the Netherlands - but it’s a fragile win
So how do you beat the populist far right? Judging by the joyous reaction to D66’s victory in last week’s Dutch elections, the progressive-liberal party – and in particular its infectiously upbeat young leader, Rob Jetten – have discovered the secret. Although official results are not due until Friday, Jetten on Tuesday appointed a “scout” to sound out possible coalition partners after besting Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Freedom party (PVV) by just 28,400 votes, out of more than 10m cast.
Five new suspects arrested in connection with Louvre robbery
Five new suspects have been arrested in connection with the Louvre robbery in Paris, in which thieves stole crown jewels worth an estimated €88m (£76m), the city’s public prosecutor has said, but the gems remain missing. Laure Beccuau told RTL radio on Thursday the arrests had been made on Wednesday night in the French capital and the surrounding area, particularly the neighbouring Seine-Saint-Denis department. But they “did not help us find the stolen goods”, she added.
Louvre suspects ‘partially admit’ their role in jewel heist
Two men arrested on suspicion of stealing crown jewels worth an estimated €88m (£76m) from the Louvre in Paris have “partially admitted” their role in the heist, the prosecutor has said, but police are no closer to recovering the gems. Laure Beccuau said the pair, arrested on Sunday, would be brought before magistrates “with a view to being charged with organised theft, which carries a 15-year prison sentence, and criminal conspiracy, punishable by 10 years”.
Two men arrested after Louvre jewel heist, Paris prosecutor says
Two suspects have been arrested in relation to last Sunday’s heist at the Louvre museum in Paris, in which a gang of four men made off with crown jewels worth an estimated €88m (£76m), according to the Paris prosecutor. Citing police sources, Le Parisien newpaper said on Sunday that the men, both in their 30s and from Seine St-Denis outside the French capital, were detained on Saturday evening as part of an investigation by the Paris organised crime squad.
Prosecutor has ‘small hope’ of recovering Louvre jewels thanks to gear left by thieves
French investigators are analysing more than 150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces from tools and safety gear left by the thieves who broke into the Louvre museum and escaped with crown jewels worth an estimated €88m (£76m). Five days after the brazen heist from the world’s most-visited museum, Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said she had “a small hope” the jewels could still be recovered and was “optimistic” about the investigation’s outcome.
‘Just extraordinary’: Louvre visitors marvel at jewellery heist as museum reopens
It is already, in a small way, Paris’s newest tourist attraction.
What can Sarkozy expect in La Santé prison and what has he taken with him?
A police officer stands guard outside La Santé prison in Paris, where Nicolas Sarkozy has begun his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters Located in the southern Montparnasse district of the capital, it opened in 1867 and was the scene of at least 40 executions, the last in 1972. Partially closed for renovation in 2014, the prison reopened five years later and houses more than 1,100 inmates.
Macron should announce early election, says former PM as France’s political crisis deepens
Édouard Philippe, a former French prime minister and one-time ally of Emmanuel Macron, has said he favours early presidential elections given the gravity of the political crisis rocking the country. The remarks by Philippe, a leading centre-right contender to succeed Macron, came as the outgoing prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, began a last-ditch effort to rally cross-party support for a cabinet to pull France out of its deepening political deadlock.
Starmer’s ID plan has caused upset, but in the EU the debate has long been settled
On the continent, the debate raging in the UK over national ID cards has long been settled. Across Europe, physical identity cards have existed for decades, and digital versions have either already been successfully launched or are being trialled. In all bar two of the EU’s 27 member states, physical ID cards, in a standard, machine-readable EU format introduced in 2021, are used both as identity documents in citizens’ home countries, and for travel within the passport-free Schengen zone.
How the EU’s far right has seized on Charlie Kirk’s killing
Before his fatal shooting, few if any of the leaders of Europe’s resurgent far right had so much as mentioned the name of Charlie Kirk. Since last week, the propaganda potential of the conservative US activist’s killing has escaped none of them. Kirk, a rising star of Donald Trump’s Maga movement, was hit in the neck by a single bullet as he addressed students in Utah on 10 September. A 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson, has been charged, but his alleged motives remain unclear.
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