Greece: the pope ends his visit focused on migrants

Pope Francis is expected to leave Greece on Monday, ending a historic three-day visit to the island of Lesbos, marked by his calls for better integration of migrants in Europe, the leitmotif of his pontificate. After a last meeting with young people in a Catholic school, the pope should leave Athens to return to Rome at the end of the morning. Arriving in Greece on Saturday after a trip to Cyprus, Francis was received twice by the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, and on Sunday visited the Mavrovouni migrant camp on the island of Lesbos, where he called for end to a "shipwreck of civilization". He then went to Athens to celebrate a mass in front of some 2,000 faithful where he preached for "smallness and humility". In April 2016, François had already visited a migrant camp in Lesbos, that of Moria, when the island was the main gateway for migrants to Europe, and had created the surprise by bringing back with him 12 Syrian refugees.

Arms giants spared by Covid economic crisis

The global arms giants were largely spared the effects of the economic crisis caused by the Covid last year, with a new record in their sales increasing for the sixth consecutive year. The turnover of the hundred largest groups in the defense sector reached a new high of 531 billion dollars (470 billion euros) in 2020, of which more than half by American companies, according to a report by the International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) published on Monday. This represents a 1.3% year-on-year increase in their sales of arms and military services while at the same time the global economy has fallen by more than 3%, points out the Swedish-based research body, whose works are reference in the matter. The turnover of the hundred largest arms groups has been rising steadily since 2015, with a total increase of 17%, according to Sipri.

IN SHORT

At least 12 Nigerien soldiers and "dozens of terrorists" were killed on Saturday in intense fighting in western Niger, inside the so-called "three borders" area, the Niger Ministry of Health announced on Sunday. Defense.

Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix and returns to a championship tie with Dutch rival Max Verstappen (Red Bull) ahead of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next Sunday.

Relief at the French Stadium! After three defeats in a row, the Parisian team returned to success by overthrowing La Rochelle (25-20) on Sunday at home, during the 12th day of the Top 14, and moved away from the red zone.