World News for Students of English

10-07-2026 07:00

The Paris Court of Appeal has agreed with the decision that far-right leader Marine Le Pen is guilty of misusing EU funds, but it reduced her punishment.

Her original five-year ban from public office was shortened, which means she can legally run in the April 2027 French presidential election. However, the judge also decided she must stay under house arrest for one year and wear an electronic ankle tag. This creates a major political problem – Le Pen has repeatedly stated she will refuse to run if she is forced to wear a tag, and she claims she wouldn’t feel free to campaign or meet voters normally.

Political experts suggest that if Le Pen decides to step down because of this situation, her young partner, Jordan Bardella, will likely take her place as the party’s presidential candidate and launch a completely new political strategy for the election.

Difficult words: misuse (to use something in a wrong, bad, or illegal way, especially money or power), house arrest (a legal punishment where a person is not allowed to leave their home, instead of going to a real prison), tag (a small electronic object attached to a person’s body so that the police know exactly where they are).

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