Press Review

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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. 3 HR AGO

    Death of Quentin: Suspect's links with France Unbowed party put left in spotlight

    PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, February 18, 2026: The killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque has plunged France into political chaos, as one of the suspects was revealed to be working for the far-left France Unbowed party. Meanwhile, as tributes for civil rights activist Jesse Jackson continue to fill the papers, so too do analysis pieces about his contribution to US politics. Finally, in football, the Champions League is rocked by a racist incident during a playoff match.  At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the fatal beating of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque. The political fallout is all over the French front pages. Le Figaro headlines with: "Quentin: the net is closing in on la Jeune Garde and LFI", referring to the far-left France Unbowed party, known by its initials LFI in French, while L'Opinion headlines with "The left's guilty silence about LFI". Libération's front page features a photo of the heated debates that happened in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Finally, Mediapart says that Quentin's death has sparked a cultural war; one that sacrifices truth and seeks to profit from tragedy.   Meanwhile, tributes are still pouring in for US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84. The Washington Post features an article written by a journalist who covered Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign and who describes the blatant racism the Democratic candidate had to overcome, even from his own party. The BBC discusses Jackson's lesser-known experience as a hostage negotiator. He helped negotiate the release of two US soldiers who were held captive by Yugoslav forces in 1999. The Guardian calls Jackson a "living bridge between Martin Luther King and Barack Obama".   In football news, a racist incident during a Champions League game on Tuesday is getting a lot of coverage. Spanish sports paper Marca headlines with "Executioner and victim". It all happened during the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, where Benfica played Real Madrid. Brazilian international Vinicius Jr was reportedly insulted by a Benfica player. The Athletic reports that the game had to be stopped for 10 minutes, and a red card was handed to Benfica staff. Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé has called for the Benfica player in question to be banned from the Champions League.   Finally, the Guardian has a photo report of the first half of the annual Shrovetide Football event, which has been played in England since the 12th century.  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. 1 DAY AGO

    Curling cheating scandal divides Swedish and Canadian press

    PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, February 17: It's been one year since the Trump administration dismantled USAID, the agency for international development. The press looks at how South Africa, a country which relied on US aid, is faring and the impact it has had on HIV/AIDS prevention. Also, the EU's climate advisory board says Europe should prepare for a three-degree increase in temperatures by the end of the century. Plus: the Olympics' curling scandal plays out in the Swedish and Canadian press. It has been one year since Donald Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the agency responsible for US humanitarian aid. The decision has had a huge impact on countries who relied on it, both economically and socially. The Belgian paper Le Soir quotes a Boston University study which shows that 265,000 adults and 551,000 children have died as a result. The British medical journal The Lancet predicts that if all USAID programmes remain suspended, the number of deaths could rise to over 14 million by 2030, including 4.5 million children. Le Soir's editorial condemns this "selfish strategy" and warns that it could backfire. It notes that since access to treatments against TB and HIV have been curtailed, this could lead to a global resurgence in the diseases, which could impact the West as well. One of the hardest-hit countries is South Africa. In 2022, there were 8.5 million HIV-positive people, according to the development website Devex. The website cites OUT, an LGBTQ clinic specialising in protecting gay men, as a case study. OUT cut 93 percent of its workforce after USAID closed. It's now in the process of having to rebuild, refinance and reassure a stigmatised community who relied on them for safe sex education and for whom seeking help was not easy. In other news, the Guardian reports on the EU's climate advisory board's warning that the continent will have to prepare for a catastrophic 2.8 to 3.3°C increase in global temperatures by the century's end. A member of that board says leaders' efforts in Europe so far have been ineffective and ill prepared. Climate scientists have been surprised by the weather extremes in Europe in recent years – deadly rains but also forest fires in Spain, Portugal and Germany. We turn next to the Winter Olympics, where the press is still talking about a cheating scandal engulfing curling. There's no love lost between Canada and Sweden in these Winter Games. Last Friday, Sweden accused the Canadian men's team of double touching the curling stone – a big no-no in the sport. This led to a hot mic F-bomb moment on the ice and angry denials by Canada. Then the drama escalated when the women's team were accused of double touching in their match against the Swiss, while Team GB's men's team were accused of double touching in their game. They will play Canada this Tuesday, in what will be perhaps a highly watched event. In The Curling News, Michael Fournier, a former Canadian player, pens an opinion piece in which he says that Sweden's Oskar Erikkson making his accusation on the ice was "unethical". Swedish sports paper Sport Bladet reacts on its front page by reminding readers that Eriksson accused Fournier of cheating 10 years ago!  As Le Devoir, a Canadian website says, it's the stupidest way to cheat anyway. It quotes a commentary on Radio Canada that puts it down to a bad habit rather than actual cheating. In any case, the internet's had a riot and you can check out the memes here. Finally, we look at the winners from the open competition of the Sony World Photography awards. 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

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Death of French activist Quentin is a 'turning point' in politics

    PRESS REVIEW – Monday, February 16: We look at reactions in France after the death of Quentin Deranque, a French activist close to the far right. He died of his injuries after being attacked at a protest over a speech given by a far-left MEP at Lyon's political science university. Also, five countries including Britain are mulling extra sanctions on Russia over a report that a deadly frog toxin killed Alexei Navalny. Plus: Olympics records tumble for France, Norway, Italy and Great Britain at the Winter Games. We start with the death of Quentin Deranque, a young activist close to the far right in France. Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right nationalist activist, was beaten by a mob on Thursday during a protest against far-left politician Rima Hassan at Lyon's political science university. He died a day later of his injuries. As Le Figaro reports, the French government says ultra-left activists were behind his killing. The editor of Le Figaro says that in this tragedy, Quentin was "not a militant killed in a street fight but a martyr for freedom of expression." This is something that the far left wants to replace with its "hideous pack mentality", he claims. The right-wing daily accuses the far-left France Unbowed party of "feeding the political violence that was at the heart of this deadly event." Business paper Les Echos says February 14, the date of Quentin's death, will mark a "turning point in French politics – that extremism kills." Also, the editor says, it will be a date to remember, 15 months before the French presidential elections. From the left-wing papers: Libération condemns the "unbearable climate of intolerance in which French politics has been conducted for a long time now". Communist paper L'Humanité shares that vision. It sees Quentin's death as a "climax of political violence" and a tragedy that is "shamefully being manipulated politically". Also in the headlines, five European nations are considering extra sanctions against Russia in the wake of new information around opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death. British paper Metro relays a statement from the British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper, who said the UK would likely be imposing new sanctions on Russia. A European investigation showed that the 47-year-old Russian opposition leader, who died in prison exactly two years ago today, was killed by a dart frog toxin administered to him. Russia has always maintained that he died of natural causes. Staying with Metro, the paper headlines on records tumbling for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics as it celebrates its most successful Winter Games campaign in history. Team GB picked up its first gold medal on snow, thanks to Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale who won the mixed team snowboard cross. But it turned out to be a legendary day, with Team GB winning a second medal of the day in the skeleton event, bringing its gold tally to three. France, too, has beaten its medal tally record from four years ago. It stands at 15 medals, with one more week to go, L'Equipe says on its front page. Host nation Italy already has its biggest medal haul of all time, with 22. Italian skier Federica Brignone picked up her second gold medal in the giant slalom three days after winning her first in the super-G. The Games have also cemented an all-time champion. Norway pays tribute to cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. He picked up his fourth fold medal this weekend, helping Norway to gold in the cross-country skiing men's team relay event. With nine gold medals, he is now the all-time gold medal leader in the history of the Winter Olympics. Dagbladet, the Norwegian newspaper says: "No one stands next to him or above him." Finally, the Guardian has tested a new fashion trend that is less than glorious. Thanks to Rich Pelley, you do not have to test the new Crocs/Lego contraption. These clunky Lego shoes or Jenga towers, as he calls them, retail at £200. After a day in the "Jenga towers", he realised they are not shoes but a "performative art piece". Perhaps they would best be in a gallery and not a shoe shop! 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

  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    Where to next for AI? The farm? The Church, even?

    PRESS REVIEW – Friday, February 13: The European press comes down hard on the IOC's decision to disqualify Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych over his helmet. Also, we look at new and unexpected applications of artificial intelligence, as well as its colossal water and energy cost. Finally, we bring you the latest in the world of love, in the countdown to Valentine's Day.  European papers show sympathy with Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian athlete disqualified from the Winter Olympics over a helmet the IOC saw as political. Support for the skeleton slider has created a moment of national unity for Ukraine in trying times, according to Le Parisien, and in the absence of his shot at an Olympic medal, President Volodymyr Zelensky is awarding Heraskevych the Order of Freedom, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.  Also in the news, The Financial Times reports on how Australian farmers are putting an end to "decades of rows over miscounts" of sheep which have "stoked distrust in the outback". That's right: they're using AI to count sheep. Meanwhile, journalists at French Catholic paper La Croix have been asking priests about their use of artificial intelligence. The consensus seemed to be that it's a helpful assistant in everyday working life, but its attempts at sermon writing come out as "bland" and "derivative".  But there's a dark side to all this too: a cartoon in French paper L'Humanité parodies the recently publicised companionship AI necklaces, reinforcing the wearer's fears that no one likes them!  Libération has a two-page feature on a vast sprawling data centre complex in the Nevadan desert. The US state is experiencing a big tech gold rush with its below-average electricity prices and enormous tax incentives, but locals fear the data centre infrastructure will put undue pressure on an already depleted water supply. Meanwhile, in the world of romance, you've heard of Valentine's Day on February 14, but did you know that February 16 is the number one day for sending apology cards? The Times has this scoop from online greetings card company Moonpig. Furthermore, the two weeks before Valentine's Day see a spike in Google searches for "how to break up". At least those dark weeks are coming to an end.  Finally, after only 18 percent of weddings in Spain were church weddings in 2024, the Spanish clergy are trying to entice couples into the sacrament of holy matrimony using an online video game for couples, as the Guardian explains. It involves exercises on "communication, fidelity, "the beauty of sexuality" and "conflict resolution". We must add, though, that other Valentine's Day activities are, of course, also available. 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

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    After a long, media-heavy court case, Gisèle Pelicot reclaims her story

    PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, February 12: Gisèle Pelicot gives far-reaching interviews in the French press ahead of the release of her upcoming book. Also, Donald Trump's climate and energy policies continue to reject scientific consensus. Finally, we bring you the story of the figure skating coach at the Winter Olympics who's working with 16 athletes from 13 countries. Gisèle Pelicot opens up to French paper Libération about her life before and after she discovered her (now ex-)husband had been drugging her and inviting strangers to join him in raping her. She describes a trial at which she was repeatedly subject to humiliation, but where, by refusing a closed-door procedure, she made her contribution to the cause of women. She said the idea of the "triviality" of rape was on trial, and of "violence as a weapon of male domination". The Guardian quotes excerpts from her upcoming book, in which she explains why it was so important for the more than 50 men to be tried out in the open, for all the world to see: if not, she said, "not a single woman could walk in and sit in the courtroom and feel less alone". She told Le Figaro that she does not want "victim status" anymore, and that this book is about reclaiming her story, and stepping out of the victimhood box that was assigned to her by these men's crimes. Meanwhile, the US administration is once again rejecting scientific consensus on climate science, as the EPA is set to appeal the so-called Endangerment Finding: the scientifically proven fact that greenhouse gases "threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations". In doing so, Politico explains, the agency is "revoking its own authority to regulate" planet-warming gases, and "cutting the legs out from under US climate change rules". This comes the same week that President Donald Trump issued an order to the Pentagon to prioritise buying coal power. The Washington Post argues that such an order is tantamount to subsidising the heavily polluting and waning energy source. The US has been successful in shifting away from coal this century, with the fossil fuel going from 50 percent of the national energy mix in 2000 to 17 percent today, but the current administration does not see this as positive. A so-called fact sheet on the White House website calls to strengthen national defence through "America's Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet", dismissing the factual scientific consensus that coal is, by definition, a dirty energy source. In Italy, La Repubblica journalists at the Winter Olympics are reporting on the figure skating coach working with 16 athletes from 13 countries, and the sheer logistical challenge this entails: constantly changing puffer jackets from the stands in order to show support to his contestant and their country. On Wednesday alone, he had a quick change between Georgian and French merchandise, as contestants performed back-to-back. Benoît Richaud is a sought-after French coach and choreographer, with eggs in many baskets and an arsenal of warm winter coats. 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. 11 FEB

    Nancy Guthrie case 'cracked open' by doorbell camera footage

    PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, February 11, 2026: The Financial Times suggests Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might hold elections in the spring amid US pressure. Also, US authorities have released footage of Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper. Next, social media is accused of being addictive and dangerous in a Los Angeles court. Meanwhile, a "top of the flops" exhibition opens in Paris. Finally, Estonians can drive on the sea. The Financial Times has published an exclusive article on Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president is reportedly planning "spring elections alongside a referendum on peace deal after US pressure". The paper notes that holding elections would be a dramatic pivot for Zelensky, who has previously said that elections in the country are impossible while it remains under martial law.  Meanwhile, footage of Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper has been released. The New York Times reminds us that she disappeared on February 1 and has not been seen since, in what is suspected to be an abduction. CNN analyses the footage and says that the abduction was "highly premeditated and very poorly planned". NBC reports that a man has been detained in connection with Guthrie's disappearance.  A number of papers are discussing a landmark social media trial in the US. The Atlantic says the jury will decide whether Instagram can ruin your life. The BBC reports that Instagram and YouTube have been called "addiction machines". The New York Times quotes YouTube's lawyers, who claim that "infinite scroll and video recommendations are meant to help users, not harm them".   The Times reports on a "top of the flops" exhibition, which is on in Paris at the Musée des Arts et Métiers and features a collection of the world's biggest design flops. Meanwhile, it is so cold in Estonia that locals can drive from one island to another across a 20km stretch of frozen sea, the Guardian tells us.  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. 10 FEB

    Two Senegalese celebrities arrested in high-profile 'anti-gay' case

    PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, February 10: Police in Senegal have arrested over a dozen men, including a well-known TV presenter and a musician, in a case involving "unnatural acts" – parlance for gay sex. The New York Times calls it Senegal's most high-profile anti-gay case in years. Also in the country, a horrific paedophile ring spearheaded by a French man leads to multiple arrests. Finally, who is Ilia Malinin, the US figure skater who is revolutionising the sport? Senegalese police have arrested several men for allegedly committing "unnatural acts" – a reference to gay sex. Among those arrested are Pape Cheikh Diallo, a "beloved" TV presenter and Djiby Dramé, a musician. The pair appeared alongside 10 other men in court near Dakar on Monday. The website Sene News reports that Cheikh Diallo and Dramé have been deferred to prison while awaiting trial. The New York Times explains that the case is the most high-profile anti-gay case in years. According to police, an HIV-positive individual admitted to knowingly infecting other men who were contacted through WhatsApp. The identity of the suspect was not revealed, but the Times notes that the arrests come as part of a crackdown on homosexuality in Senegal, which has become "increasingly intolerant of gay and gender fluid people in recent decades." Cheikh Diallo interviews celebrities on TFM, Senegal's most watched TV channel, which was funded by the musician Youssou N'Dour. He has 3 million followers on TikTok and is particularly popular with young viewers. News website Sene Web quotes the head of Stop Homophobie, a Paris-based gay rights group which regularly comes to the aid of victims of discrimination in Senegal. The group condemned the arrests, saying it will expose LGBTQIA+ people to further stigma in a devoutly Muslim Senegal, where homosexuality is punishable by prison. Staying in Senegal, major arrests have been made in what being called a sickening paedophile project. Wakat Séra, a pan-African paper based in Burkina Faso, reports that 14 people were arrested at the weekend after months of investigation in both France and Senegal. They are accused of organised paedophilia, pimping, rape of minors, sodomy and the intentional transmission of HIV/AIDS. The men are accused of forcing boys to have unprotected sex with HIV-positive men and filming it. Four of the men were reportedly acting on the instructions of a French man in exchange for money. That man was arrested in France last year. According to Le Parisien, the network appeared to target a particularly vulnerable part of the Senegalese population called talibé. They are children who are sent to Koranic schools but often find themselves forced to beg on the streets. Finally, US superstar ice skater Ilia Malinin is getting a lot of attention in the press. Malinin is the new star of ice skating after being the first skater to land the sport's most difficult jump: "a quadruple axel". He did this while competing in the Team USA event at the Winter Olympics, helping them secure the gold medal. The quadruple axel is a four-and-a-half rotation in the air.  As The New York Times reports, the self-proclaimed "Quad God" is the son of two Russian-born Olympic figure skaters who competed for Uzbekistan. Malinin was left out of the US Olympic team four years ago due to inexperience, but has spent four years making a name for himself. At the weekend, he also performed the first legal backflip in Olympic ice-skating history. As NPR explains, French figure skater Surya Bonaly landed a backflip on one blade in 1998's Nagano Games despite it being completely illegal. She knew in her routine that she wouldn't get a medal, so she did the backflip anyway. It cost her points, but cemented her trailblazing legacy, especially as a Black athlete in a sport not known for its racial diversity. Canadian sports website TSN reminds us that the backflip became known as the "Bonaly flip" and some say Malinin owes his feats to those who came before him and paid the price for it. 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. 9 FEB

    Starmer on thin ice after chief of staff resigns over Mandelson appointment

    PRESS REVIEW – Monday, February 9: The British Prime Minister is on thin ice after his chief of staff resigns. Elsewhere, centre-left candidate Antonio Jose Seguro has won a comfortable victory in an extremely rare second round of Portugal’s presidential election. In France, nine members of the riot police go on trial on Monday over allegations of police violence during the 2018 gilets jaunes protests. And finally, the corporate craze for beehives on office rooftops is booming. Keir Starmer’s precarious position is splashed across the UK front pages, with editorials looking ahead to how he might go, when, and who could replace him. Meanwhile, in Portugal, Sunday was described as a “good night for democracy”, according to Publico, while Antonio Jose Seguro was presented as a “safe choice” on the front page of Diario de Noticias. Expresso, however, remarked that Ventura appeared anything but defeated, suggesting that he and his party had lost the battle but not the war. In France, nine CRS officers are on trial over the violent beatings of gilets jaunes protesters in 2018, who had sought refuge from tear gas inside a Burger King. Images released by Libération in recent days show protesters being knocked to the ground, kicked, and repeatedly struck with police batons. The officers face up to seven years in prison. Finally, The Guardian has covered the buzz in the corporate world: a growing number of companies believe employee wellbeing and productivity can be improved by installing beehives on and around the workplace, a practice frowned upon by many who warn that an overpopulation of honeybees is endangering other insect populations.

    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
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © France Médias Monde
  • Show Website
    Press Review

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