PRESS REVIEW - Thursday, November 20, 2025: Today marks 50 years since the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. We take a look at front pages from past and present and evaluate the impact of Franco on the rise of the right today. In France, the death of the brother of anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci continues to dominate front pages. And: Cristiano Ronaldo snaps a multi-billion-dollar selfie at the White House, which promptly goes viral!

IN THE PRESS - Spain marks the 50th anniversary of the death of dictator Francisco Franco. He ruled Spain with an iron fist, using repression and totalitarianism for four decades. His death – half a century ago today – paved the way for restoring democracy in Spain.

Let's start with a few Spanish front pages from 1975. The conservative daily ABC headlined, "Franco is dead" and announced his time of death. While La Gaceta del Norte headlined, "Franco is dead, long live the King". 

In today's front pages, Catalan paper El Periodico headlines, "50 years without Franco". The paper looks at the legacy of the end of Franco’s dictatorship. It notes the growing trend of younger generations voting to the right, especially on issues of immigration. It also looks at the growing popularity of the far-right party Vox and its leader Santiago Abascal. The daily reminds us that Vox is currently the leading force in direct voting intention among Spaniards aged 25-34. El Pais meanwhile headlines on a recent survey by the Spanish national polling institute which showed that 25 percent of Spaniards think that the dictatorship was good or very good.

The very conservative La Razon goes with an interview conducted with Francisco Franco Martinez Bordiu, Franco’s grandson. In this extraordinary interview, Martinez Bordiu talks fondly of his grandfather and says, "history will judge my grandfather and history alone, no matter how much the current government practices damnation of memory". He also accuses Spain's leader Pedro Sanchez of trying to erase Franco’s legacy and of "playing the Franco card" several times to get votes.

In France, the murder of the brother of a prominent anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci continues to draw headlines one week later. Kessasi’s younger brother was killed last week in a Marseille carpark, in what has been seen as a warning against his anti-drug activism. Le Parisien reports that the suspected killer has been identified. Kessaci spoke to La Provence, a Marseille local paper about the death of his brother. He refuses to be silenced and vows to continue speaking up about drug trafficking and violence in Marseille. He reveals that he is currently living under police protection and that he wished he had been in the carpark instead of his brother. Kessaci said he never names drug criminals but rather attacks the system that allows young people to be drawn into the drug trade – a lack of professional opportunities and public services for living in impoverished neighbourhoods.

Cristiano Ronaldo snapped a selfie at the White House yesterday during a meeting between Donald Trump and Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Al-Nassr attacker was there to promote Bin Salman’s agenda which aims to promote Saudi’s prowess through sports and other avenues not related to oil. Ronaldo has become the world’s first billionaire football player, the website Lad Bible reminds us. The Portuguese star has spoken fondly of Trump in the past, despite not being seen in the US publicly since he was accused of rape in 2017. He was indeed present at the White House meeting. Ronaldo's selfie went viral – alongside Elon Musk, billionaire David Sacks and Open AI’s Greg Brockman. It's literally a multi-billion-dollar photo! Let’s end with a different photo. L’Équipe magazine focuses on the anniversary of an historic depiction: Muhammad Ali knocking down Sonny Liston on May 25,1965, in just 1minute 44 seconds. It was taken by Neil Leifer in Lewiston, Maine and is widely considered as one of the best sports photos ever taken.

You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.