They shed tears of gratitude, knowing themselves unworthy of the boon they were making off with. Joined by the forty-seven pilgrims, the crew now departing totaled sixty-four, eight groups of eight, and like the eight reindeer pulling his sleigh, they set sail with Santa Claus among them.

Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, has just announced that he would put an end to the public subsidy previously granted to the branch of Institut d’Etudes Politiques located in Grenoble due to its “ideological and communitarian drift.”

The rise in gang-related violence, which includes the use of firearms and even explosive materials, had been signaled in a report, which noted that at least 44 people had died in shooting incidents this year so far. It concluded that “despite extensive and offensive police work, the trend has moved in a negative direction and shootings and explosions remain at a high level.”

Vice Admiral Schonbach said the deployment is “like a teaser;” a signal of German commitment to increased engagement in Asia. “We’re here for the first time after 19 years to check the battlefield,” he said. “The next step, I hope that we can come on a regular basis.”