(French; "The World") Daily newspaper published in Paris, one of the most important and widely respected newspapers in the world. It was established in 1944, just after the German army left the city, as an independent organ free of government or private subsidies. Covering national and world news in depth from the start, it soon earned a reputation for accuracy and independence. Its writers present their own views, with the result that the paper reveals no consistent ideological outlook, causing it to earn both praise and criticism from every part of the French political spectrum