Friday Briefing: 51 men convicted in French rape trial

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December 20, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering guilty verdicts in the French rape trial and the devastation in cyclone-hit Mayotte.

Plus, the year in viral moments.

Gisèle Pelicot leaving the courthouse in Avignon, France, yesterday. Miguel Medina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

In France, 51 convictions and a hint of hope

Dominique Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, for almost a decade and inviting dozens of strangers to join him, was convicted yesterday in France and sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison. The court also convicted the 50 other defendants, most of them on rape charges.

After it was over, Gisèle Pelicot stepped outside the courthouse in Avignon, where hundreds of her supporters cheered and held up signs of appreciation. She said she never regretted allowing the trial to be public. “I am now confident in our ability to seize a future in which women and men can live in harmony, respect and mutual understanding,” she said.

The case stunned France. It transformed how the nation discusses sexual violence and made Gisèle, who has since divorced her husband, a feminist hero. Gisèle’s image has become a symbol of female strength around the world, our chief fashion critic writes.

Details: Most of the 51 men who were convicted received sentences of eight to 10 years, less time than what the public prosecutor had recommended.

Catch up: Here is a timeline of events in the case, starting with the Pelicots’ marriage in 1973 and leading up to the arrests in 2020 and 2021.

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The destroyed neighborhood of Baba Amr in Homs, Syria.  David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

With Assad gone, an ancient city picks up the pieces

Much of Syria was devastated by Bashar al-Assad’s brutal fight to suppress a popular uprising and cling to power. Protesters in the ancient city of Homs were the first to take up weapons in 2011 against his oppression. It became the center of resistance.

Now, with the rebel offensive having finally ousted al-Assad a week ago, Syrians are returning home. In Homs, people reacted with both smiles and tears. They thanked God and frequently cursed their former president, their joy tempered by the destruction. Times correspondents spoke to people there who were reacting to his fall.

Russia: At a news conference in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin blamed Iran for failing to resist the rebel offensive that brought down al-Assad but did not address Russia’s own decision not to help him.

The shantytowns have taken the hardest hit from the storm, and many have been wiped away. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

The devastating toll of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte

Dozens of people have been confirmed dead and thousands may be missing in the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte, which was struck by Cyclone Chido last weekend.

Reporting from Mayotte, a French territory, my colleagues John Eligon, Julie Bourdin and Sergey Ponomarev saw hillsides that had been transformed into barren mounds of leafless, uprooted trees and residents setting out buckets to capture water during a rainstorm. Here’s what else they saw.

During President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Mayotte yesterday, scores of worried residents and exhausted doctors told him about destroyed homes, power blackouts, low food and medicine stocks, empty gas stations — and fears of a terrible toll.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza after Israeli airstrikes this month. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sports

Arjun Srivatsa/The New York Times

With the festive season upon us, we asked a New York dance instructor, Angela Trimbur, to teach us some simple moves for those potentially awkward moments: how to fill an empty dance floor, let loose at the office party when the boss is watching; and meet the New Year’s midnight countdown. Here’s how to dance through the holidays.

Arturo Olmos for The New York Times

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Which viral moments do you remember?

Plenty of big news happened in 2024: the U.S. presidential election, regional wars and the Summer Olympics. But between these major flash points were hundreds of smaller moments.

While videos like “demure” and beloved animals like Moo Deng were virtually unavoidable, it’s possible you didn’t hear about “yapping” or know that another Pygmy hippo, named Haggis, was also born this year. We’ve compiled the year’s best — if fleeting — viral stories.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: This easy chicken chili comes together quickly and leans heavily on pantry staples.

Watch: Pedro Almodóvar’s moving drama “The Room Next Door” is about friends facing mortality together.

Decorate: This year’s Christmas trend is about loading the tree with garland, tinsel, ornaments and anything else that will fit on a branch.

Travel: Here’s how to spend 36 hours in Innsbruck, Austria.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you Monday. — Gaya

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