Press Review

FRANCE 24 English
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An overview of the stories making the French and international newspaper headlines. From Monday to Friday live at 7:20am and 9:20am Paris time.

  1. 17 HRS AGO

    Trump's new library draws ridicule as ‘ego tower’ rather than museum

    PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday 1 April 2026: First, as energy prices continue to rise, Donald Trump slips in the polls. Also, a large-scale scam operating at the highest altitudes has been uncovered among some Everest guides. In sports, four-time world champions Italy have failed to qualify for the third consecutive tournament. Meanwhile, Trump’s new library hits the front page of the Financial Times. And finally, papers take a look at the origins of April Fools’ traditions. A month after the first US-Israeli attacks, energy prices continue to rise, a headache for both drivers and Donald Trump, according to the New York Times. The Guardian reports on Trump’s latest tirade, which pushed oil prices even higher. Trouble abroad is compounded by trouble at home, writes Edward Luce in the Financial Times. He argues that rising oil prices are not the only factor behind Trump’s slide in the polls – his trade and immigration agendas are also facing judicial and popular resistance. Elsewhere in the press, the Times reports on the dangers of climbing the world’s tallest mountain – and not for the reasons you might expect. Investigators uncovered more than 300 fake rescue flights between 2022 and 2025, resulting in a fraud bill of up to $20 million. Italian papers are mourning the end of Italy’s 2026 World Cup campaign. Corriere headlines, “Everyone is heading home,” saying the team must scrap everything and start over. Tutto Sport declares, “Everyone out.” La Repubblica is scathing: “Our Habit of Mediocrity Is Our Downfall,” while Il Gazzettino warns that Italy continues its descent into hell. It might be hell for Italy, but paradise for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has qualified for the first time in 52 years after beating Jamaica in extra time, reports Flashscore. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s plan for a new library makes the front page of the Financial Times. Not everyone is convinced; the Miami Herald quips that “Trump library looks more like an ego tower than a museum, even by Miami standards”. Finally, it’s April 1, and April Fools’ Day. National Geographic explores the history of April 1 pranks. La Provence highlights the French tradition of the “poisson d’avril,” or “April fish,” stuck to people’s backs without their knowledge. Meanwhile, The Conversation questions the future of April Fools’ in the age of fake news. Finally, it’s April 1, and April Fools’ Day. National Geographic explores the history of April 1 pranks. La Provence highlights the French tradition of the “poisson d’avril,” or “April fish,” stuck to people’s backs without their knowledge. Meanwhile, The Conversation questions the future of April Fools’ in the age of fake news. You can catch our press review every morning on FRANCE 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    7 min

  2. 1D AGO

    'Dumb judges': Trump heckles Supreme Court ahead of pivotal birthright case

    PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, March 31: Donald Trump fumes at the Supreme Court as its judges prepare to hear arguments in a constitutional case over his 2025 executive order on birthright citizenship. Also, the Financial Times alleges that Pete Hegseth sought to make investments in defence companies right before the US's war on Iran. Plus, a chilling trial begins in France into a freemason mafia accused of murder and assault. US President Donald Trump has heckled US Supreme Court judges on his social media platform Truth Social. It comes as they begin hearing arguments on April 1 into Trump's birthright executive order. USA Today reminds us that Trump's order was signed on the first day of his second term and aims to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States when a children's mother was in the country illegally, or visiting temporarily. It's now up to Supreme Court justices to decide on the constitutionality of the executive order.  The Washington Post explains that the case is pivotal because the definition of a US citizen was established in the 14th amendment and has been interpreted by the Supreme Court for more than 125 years. The Post predicts that Trump's chances of winning are very low, even if its editors concede: "There are reasonable policy critiques of birthright citizenship in its current form." Trump's argument is that the amendment extends birthright only to the children of citizens and permanent legal residents. The text doesn't specify either way – and opponents of the order saw laws are already in place to combat the practice of "birth tourism". In his trademark blunt style, Trump took to Truth Social to rant against birthright citizenship as being "about the babies of slaves". He added: "Dumb judges and justices will not a great country make." As the Wall Street Journal explains, Trump's relationship with the Supreme Court has never been more toxic. It now risks getting worse – several conservative justices have hinted that they may be sceptical about the validity of his order. In other news, the Pentagon has demanded a retraction after a Financial Times report alleging that a broker for defence chief Pete Hegseth sought to invest in weapons companies shortly before the war on Iran. The British daily reported that Hegseth's broker at Morgan Stanley contacted global asset manager BlackRock in February about a multimillion-dollar investment in major defence companies. The investment didn't go ahead because the fund was not yet available, but the timing of the investment is controversial – taking place just as the defence secretary's own department was preparing a large-scale military campaign in Iran. Here in France, a murder trial has begun involving a chilling freemason mafia network near Paris. Le Monde reports that twenty-two people are on trial, including soldiers, businessmen, a doctor and former intelligence agents. Prosecutors accuse them of murder, attempted murder, assault and criminal conspiracy on behalf of a mafia network inside the Athanor lodge in the western Parisian suburb of Puteaux. The network is accused of having ordered several hit jobs. The Times of London explains that authorities were tipped off after a botched contract killing in July 2020. Two "bored spies" were arrested with possession of weapons near the home of Marie‑Hélène Dini, a business coach. According to the paper, the pair, who "dreamt of going undercover", were asked to join a secret mission. They say they were told it was a hit job ordered by the French government on Dini, who was said to be an agent for Israel's Mossad. She was in fact simply a rival business coach. The network is also accused of other hit jobs, including the murder of a racing car driver. You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    5 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Clitoral nerves mapped for first time, thirty years after male counterpart

    PRESS REVIEW – Monday, March 30: Papers discuss the use of artificial intelligence in war and the ethics behind it. Staying with AI, German actress Collien Fernandes says Germany is a haven for perpetrators, after she revealed her husband has been sharing deepfake porn of her. Next: a story about squatters living in Gangnam, the richest part of Seoul. Finally, scientists have mapped the nerves of the clitoris for the first time. Papers are discussing the use of artificial intelligence in warfare. The title of French daily Libération's front page reads "AI, war in automatic mode". It's an analysis piece that says AI now plays a significant role in military operations, including in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine. It talks about the many different uses of AI, like US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's "AI first" approach. What has changed with AI is that there's no need for data analysts to analyse information collected by satellites or video anymore – it's now AI's work, so "in practical terms, AI accelerates the kill chain". Read moreStreamlining the kill chain: how AI is changing modern warfare The article also talks about the cognitive gap between the person who launches the attack and the victim. A study by King's College London says that AI models appear to make decisions that lead to escalation much faster – they threaten to use nuclear weapons in nearly 95 percent of the simulated scenarios. Le Monde interviewed a philosopher who specialises in military ethics. She believes that "the use of lethal autonomous weapons controlled by AI goes against the principles of a just war". She says that in order to ensure the proportionality of the strike, data needs to be verified in advance by humans, in order to carry out what's been dubbed "effective human oversight".  In some shocking news, German actress Collien Fernandes revealed publicly last week that her ex-partner had been spreading deepfake pornography of her – a case dubbed "digital rape". Der Spiegel reports that she said Germany is a haven for perpetrators and only 2.4 percent of digital violence is reported. She says that her own experience with law enforcement has been discouraging. In other AI news, it turns out it's not a good idea to ask AI bots for personal advice. Twelve percent of US teenagers turn to chatbots for emotional support advice – they ask for relationship advice and even draft breakup texts. The problem, however, is that AI usually validates user behaviour and doesn't provide the "tough love" that's sometimes needed. AI just convinces people they are right and makes them less likely to apologise.   Moving to South Korea, The New York Times reports about "the squatters living in the richest part of Seoul": the Gangnam district. The feature article follows the story of Miss Lee. The government has offered more than $3,000 for her hut and told her to vacate or face eviction. But owning a home is a struggle and she has "nowhere else to go," so she is fighting to stay. In Gangnam, which inspired the K-pop hit "Gangnam Style", prices have been spiking faster and higher than anywhere else in Seoul.  Finally, there's some good news for women around the world: The Guardian reports that scientists have finally mapped the nerves inside the clitoris. This comes almost 30 years after they did the same thing for the penis. This is beneficial and not only for orgasms – understanding this organ could help prevent poorer sexual function after pelvic operations. It could also help with reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation – "one of the most extreme examples of cultural misogyny". The Guardian writes that a cultural taboo around female sexuality has held back scientific investigations. The clitoris only entered standard medicine textbooks in the 20th century.  You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    6 min

  4. 5D AGO

    Donald Trump takes credit for transgender ban at LA's 2028 Olympics

    PRESS REVIEW – Friday, March 27: We look at reactions in the Indian press after parliament approved a controversial law which critics say will curtail the rights of transgender people. The International Olympic Committee makes a landmark ruling to forbid transgender female athletes from participating in female events, beginning with LA's 2028 Olympics. A bandaged Lindsey Vonn graces the cover of Vanity Fair and talks about her Winter Olympics ordeal. Plus: Japan's viral Punch the monkey has found love! India's parliament has passed a law that will roll back rights for transgender people. The move is sparking a lot of reaction. As Human Rights Watch explains, the bill amends the 2014 law in which the Indian government recognised transgender people as a third gender. Under the controversial legislation passed this week, it will now remove the right to self-identify and limit recognition to those defined by physical or biological traits. There are an estimated 2 million transgender people in India, although the real number is believed to be much higher. Indian MP Derek O'Brien writes in the Indian Express that the bill will require the mandated reporting of gender-affirming surgery by the medical board and local authorities. He says this will violate the principles of personal liberty and essentially force people to disclose their transgender identity. Authorities say it will better protect them, but O'Brien argues that it will reinforce the conditions that make protecting them necessary. The Hindu, another Indian paper, reports that the bill now awaits the approval of Droupadi Murmu, the Indian president. Amidst widespread protests, the All Indian feminist alliance penned a letter to her, urging not to sign it. They condemned the "undue and unjustifiable haste" with which the bill was passed. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has moved to ban transgender female athletes from competing in future women's Olympic events. The Guardian reports that Kirsty Coventry, the IOC president, said the landmark decision was taken because it is not fair for biological males to compete in the female category. The IOC's decision will ban transgender women athletes from the female category of events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and future Games. Athletes who wish to compete in the female category will have to undergo a one-time SRY masculinity gene test. The decision also extends to DSD athletes, those with differences of sexual development such as Caster Semenya, the South African athlete who identifies as female but has some male chromosomes too.  The Guardian, in an analysis piece, calls the decision "seismic". It notes that four and half years ago, the IOC was hailing the participation of Laurel Hubbard, the transgender weightlifter from New Zealand. Now with this decision, it has made one the most astonishing U-turns from a governing body in modern times. The decision also reflects a changed political climate.  Elsewhere, Vanity Fair's new cover features Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, just weeks after her horrific crash in Milan Cortina. She talks about the moments after that crash, the pain, nearly losing her leg to amputation, her long road to recovery and why she hasn't ruled out a comeback. Finally, a baby macaque at a Japanese zoo who went viral for cuddling a plush toy has reportedly found love. You might remember Punch the monkey – we talked about him here on the press review several weeks ago. He melted hearts with his cuddling of an orangutan plush toy after being rejected by his tribe. The Times of London says Punch's many superfans can rejoice because it appears he has found love with another primate. He's been seen getting cosy with a female macaque at the monkey mountain enclosure. In an Oedipal twist, it appears that his new lady looks a lot like his mother! You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    5 min

  5. 6D AGO

    Meta and YouTube verdict: Social media shakedown or bellwether?

    PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, March 26: We look at reactions after Meta and YouTube were found guilty of social media harms in what is being hailed as a "landmark" trial. Will it give impetus to thousands of other lawsuits in the waiting? Also: Italy's Giorgia Meloni headed to Algeria in a lightning-quick diplomatic visit aimed at securing gas supplies. Plus: Vogue's publisher Conde Nast goes to court with a canine magazine called... Dogue. We start with reactions to the landmark US trial that found Meta and YouTube guilty of facilitating social media addiction. A Los Angeles jury has found Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram; and Google, which owns video platform YouTube, guilty of negligence and ordered them to pay $6 million in damages. The plaintiff, known as Kaley at trial, said she got hooked on social media at the age of six, when she began using YouTube. At the age of nine, she circumvented parental restrictions and started using Instagram. She argues that social media use affected her mental health and self-worth. Could this be social media's "Big Tobacco moment?" Fortune magazine calls the verdict a "bellwether case" that could set a precedent in thousands of similar lawsuits and force Silicon Valley to rethink features that keep users endlessly scrolling. The Washington Post says the verdict will boost hopes that courts will deliver what is seen as a long-sought reckoning over the harms of social media. It comes right after a jury in New Mexico trial found Meta guilty of endangering children and ordered it to pay $375 million in damages. However, not everyone sees this as a positive outcome. The Wall Street Journal argues that this verdict will be the beginning of a "shakedown of social media" companies. It says that trial lawyers will use the LA verdict to "recruit more plaintiffs" and ironically may even use social media to do so. The paper sees the verdict as encouraging a shakedown more than enacting sweeping social change. In other news, Italy's Giorgia Meloni has met with Algeria's president in a diplomatic visit aimed at securing gas supplies. The Italian prime minister made a "lightning-quick" visit to the capital Algiers on Wednesday. La Repubblica explains that she had one purpose: securing gas supplies. The war in Iran has severely dented Qatar's liquified natural gas shipments, on which Italy depends. Meloni and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced a plan to develop joint gas exploration projects. The bad news, though, is that Algeria has little surplus gas ready for export. Ahead of elections next year, La Repubblica says this visit was also about Meloni showing voters that she is trying to fix the problem, as the gas energy crisis could be a big electoral issue. In the Algerian press, El Watan says Algeria "honours its responsibilities" on its front page, echoing comments by Tebboune at a joint press conference with Meloni on Wednesday. Akhbar El-Youm, an Arab-language Algerian daily, sees Algeria as a trusted partner of Europe. Elsewhere, the People's Choice winner from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards has been announced for 2026. The competition run by Britain's Natural History Museum awarded Austrian photographer Josef Stefan with the People's Choice prize. His stunning photo was taken in Spain and features a young Iberian lynx tossing a rodent into the air before killing and eating it. This year's runner-up photo is also stunning. "Beauty Against the Beast" by Swiss photographer Alexandre Brisson depicts a flamboyance of flamingos standing out against the bleak industrial backdrop of power lines at a bird sanctuary in Namibia. Finally, the Times of London reports that Vogue magazine's publisher has filed a lawsuit against a parody fanzine dedicated to dogs. Olga Portnaya set up the brilliantly named Dogue, a free online magazine, in 2019 as a joke. She puts labradoodles in trenchcoats and greyhounds in opera gloves. But Conde Nast, which owns Vogue, has filed a lawsuit saying that Dogue's logo intended to confuse its readers by suggesting a link between the two and accusing it of trademark infringement. The problem is that in 2024, Vogue's website published a digital issue dedicated to celebrity dogs which was also called Dogue. Portnaya says they are just jealous that they did not think of the idea first and is vowing to fight the complaint on behalf of all independent creators. We will see if Vogue has a leg to stand on in this paw-suit. You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    6 min

  6. MAR 25

    'Mind-blowing corruption': Alleged insider trading over US-Israeli strikes in Iran

    PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, March 25: Papers discuss Donald Trump's 15-point plan and the US's "fog of diplomacy". Could it be staged for the global markets? Also: brick workers are coerced into selling their kidneys in Pakistan. Finally, Democrat Emily Gregory wins the hotly contested race for the Florida House in a "Mar-a-Lago flip".  An analysis piece in The Guardian says that US President Donald Trump's "rehashed 15-point plan will unlikely appease Tehran". According to diplomats with knowledge of the matter, Trump's latest plan on Iran is probably based on an outdated framework from May 2025. The analysis says that reusing an old plan suggests either a lack of seriousness about the talks or a "desire by Trump" to pretend he has made more progress than in reality. According to The Wall Street Journal, this "fog of diplomacy" might be staged for the markets. An opinion piece says that Trump's incentive is to "calm the markets with news of diplomatic progress" while Iran's incentive is to "deny, deny, deny" and keep the markets in shambles. The article says that this is what Trump does: "offer relief as the trading week begins and bring the pain as it ends".  Papers are also reporting that the markets reacted even before Trump's announcement of talks with Iran. Independent US media Common Dreams writes that "traders placed massive bets just minutes before Trump's post on Iran". The bets were worth around $580 million, to be precise, according to The Financial Times. The move in the market that followed allowed those traders to make a huge profit. US Senator Chris Murphy called the market move a "mind-blowing corruption". An exclusive report by CNN says that a trader made nearly $1 million on Polymarket with "remarkably accurate Iran bets". He has been betting since 2024 and predicting US and Israeli military actions against Iran. The trader won a "staggering 93 percent" of his bets about Iran, although he was betting on "unannounced military operations". CNN says that this highlights concerns that insider trading is on the rise.  Next, in Pakistan, illegal kidney trade criminals are targeting brick kiln workers. A feature article in The Guardian tells the story of illegal kidney traders who approach desperate workers. The paper interviewed a man who works at a brick factory. He was offered 400,000 rupees, or around €1,200, for one of his kidneys. He said yes in hopes of repaying his debt that kept rising, but at the end of the process he was worse off than before. A Pakistani association believes that thousands of brick workers are being coerced into selling their kidneys, a "decision driven by debt, poverty and fear". Finally, we end with a story that wouldn't please Trump. It's a "Mar-a-Lago flip", reports Politico, as Democrat Emily Gregory defeated the Republican state House candidate in a hotly contested race for the Florida House district. That's the area where Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is located. Gregory is a first-time candidate with a background in public and mental health, and now runs a fitness centre for postpartum mums. She said that her win "demonstrates where the Florida voter is".  You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    5 min

  7. MAR 24

    The end of Meloni's invincibility? Italian papers react to her failed referendum

    PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, March 24, 2026: First, French papers are dedicating their front pages to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. Next, Italian front pages discuss the results of Monday's failed referendum. Also, the Financial Times looks into the misuse of public funds in Hungary. Finally, not all climate news is bad news. Most French front pages are remembering former Socialist premier Lionel Jospin, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. Libération remembers him as the incarnation of seriousness in politics and a bastion of the French left. In Switzerland, Le Temps calls him a figure of the "all-powerful Socialist Party".  In Italy, a judicial reform referendum did not go Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's way, as almost 54 percent of voters rejected the proposal. Opposition paper La Repubblica headlines with a great big "No"! Il Fatto Quotidiano headlines with "Italy wakes up". Domani, meanwhile, headlines with "an Italian miracle" and says the result puts an end to "Meloni's illusion of invincibility". On the right, Libero regrets the "survival of an ailing system". La Verita decries one of the "most misleading referendum campaigns in history".  Things are heating up in Hungary in the run-up to April 12 elections, where Viktor Orban's future hangs in the balance. The Financial Times investigates 13 of Orban's associates and how they have fraudulently obtained huge government contracts since he came to power in 2010. According to The Wall Street Journal, corruption investigations are the least of Orban's worries, as the premier battles with voter discontent and economic problems. Finally, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization has released its latest "State of the Climate" report. CNN notes that people have become almost blind to bad climate news. It's not all bad news, though: a one-eyed dog in Northern Ireland has become a conservation hero, as the BBC reports.  You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    6 min

  8. MAR 23

    'A big confusion': All sides claim victory after French municipal elections

    PRESS REVIEW – Monday, March 23: France's municipal elections are all over the French front pages. International papers try to make sense of the results, as all sides seem to be claiming victory. Next, Hittler is elected as mayor of a small French town, beating out Zielinsky. Finally, the first ever British SNL episode aired at the weekend, and critics are divided. The French municipal elections are all over the country's front pages. Aujourd'hui en France presents the eclectic collection of France's new mayors. Left-wing website Mediapart headlines with "a big confusion" and describes a fragmented political landscape. Liberation talks about "relief" on the left. L'Humanité celebrates the left's victories in French big cities. On the right of the press, l'Opinion says left-wing alliances between France Unbowed and the Socialist Party were mostly punished by voters. Le Figaro also mentions anti-left-alliance blockades on its front page. Libération sums up the situation by saying it is a "cacophony of contradictory self-satisfaction".  In the international papers, Politico chooses to give its own pick of the winners and losers of this election. Le Belgian paper Le Soir says that right-wing parties were able to capitalise on the political tension in the country, despite a big loss in Paris. The Financial Times says that the National Rally's wins in the south of France will come in useful for 2027.  Meanwhile, Le Parisien reports that Hittler has retained his mayorship.  In the UK, a lot of ink has been spilled over the first ever British edition of "Saturday Night Live". The Guardian gives it three stars. The Times says it is not funny yet. Variety magazine calls it "the TV equivalent of taking a photo in a red phone box next to Big Ben, before going to eat a burger in Five Guys". You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.

    6 min
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About

An overview of the stories making the French and international newspaper headlines. From Monday to Friday live at 7:20am and 9:20am Paris time.

Information

  • Channel
    FRANCE 24 English
  • Creator
    FRANCE 24 English
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © France Médias Monde
  • Show Website
    Press Review

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