Two pages of news and reviews from Le Monde, translated into English, appear in the Guardian Weekly each week.

Le Monde is France's leading daily newspaper, with a circulation of more than 400,000 copies a day, and prides itself on its independence, its rigorous reporting and close analysis of current events. The paper was launched in December 1944, four months after the liberation of Paris. Its influence has since grown to the point where it now sees itself as representing France to the whole of the French-speaking world.

France is one of the five permanent members of the UN security council and, with Germany, plays a central role in the running and development of the European Union. Le Monde is therefore well placed to offer a clear perspective on European and world events that often contrasts with the views of Britain and America. Its presence inside the Guardian Weekly adds to the richness and plurality of opinion offered to readers each week.