Press Review

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, January 19: New details emerge of the massacres in Iran, while the new normal is one of mass fear and major police presence. But first, Portugal is on track for a rare second round of presidential elections. Finally, the Dull Men's Club meet up in a London pub to be in like-minded company.

Portugal will see "a second vote to define the country", in the words of Publico. This after presidential elections were close enough to go to a second round, in which voters will be invited to choose between the Socialist party and the far-right Chega party. Although centre-left candidate Antonio José Seguro came out well in front of the far-right's André Ventura, Expresso points out that Ventura's result was the same as Marine Le Pen's in France in 2022, hinting at what could be the beginning of a fast upward trajectory. An analysis in Diario de Noticias explains that the two candidates will now be vying for the votes of the traditional right wing.

A report from Iran in Italian daily La Repubblica describes the "battle of the hospitals", where injured protestors were further brutalised by security forces, taken from their beds and some led outside to be shot. Meanwhile the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal have reports from the ground since the protests ended, painting a picture of eerie silence, as well as a massive police and army presence in the streets. 

Finally, the Dull Men's Club met in a London restaurant over the weekend, and The Times had the exclusive: this is a group of men (even if women are technically allowed in too) who take pride in their eccentric hobbies. Among them are a pothole artist, a man who collects and curates photos of dustbins and an international dignitary in conkers. 

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, January 16: French daily Libération has a chilling "story of carnage" in Iran, while analysts wonder how close the end might be for the regime. In other news, the UK's hard-right Reform party has poached another Conservative MP, this time a frontbencher, as it dwarfs both Labour and the Conservatives in the polls. Finally, reactions vary to the autistic Barbie: for some it's a triumph for diversity, while for others it can only be termed "diversity-washing for corporate profit". 

Libération gives the account of an Iranian journalist who has documented the first days of the internet blackout, providing cover for a crime he calls "as tragic as it is historic". The journalist describes protesters preparing for lead bullets and being met with live rounds, aimed at the head and upper body, and scenes of overwhelmed mortuaries, where families are being asked to pay the equivalent of €5,000 to recover the bodies of their loved ones amid an economic crisis. Meanwhile, an analysis article published in German magazine Der Spiegel looks into why senior officials in the government and Revolutionary Guards are yet to start jumping ship: the journalist points to a "crony class" with fortunes in the billions and owners of key infrastructure who stand to lose everything if the regime collapses. The Washington Post reflects on how the US could help Iran transition to a new phase, highlighting past failures to influence through military force, for instance in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In other news, the hard-right Reform UK party has a new seat in parliament, after yet another Conservative MP defected. Left-wing tabloid the Daily Mirror mocks "Farage's party of Tory failures", while conservative Daily Mail laments a fractured right wing. The Times tells the story of how shadow minister Robert Jenrick had been in contact with other Tory defectors in Farage's party since September, and a mole in his office informed party leadership of his intentions to jump ship, causing Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to kick him to the curb. The Guardian provides a who's who of the 18 current and former Conservative MPs who have already joined the ranks of Reform UK, with a list of ones to watch.

Finally, is Mattel's new autistic Barbie a triumph for inclusivity, or a tone-deaf "inclusivity-washing" venture? We look at both sides of the debate using articles in The Conversation and UnHerd.

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, January 15: We look at reactions from the Danish and Greenlandic press after their respective foreign ministers travelled to Washington to discuss Donald Trump's ongoing threats to acquire Greenland. The White House responded by posting a derogatory cartoon on its social media account. Plus: Indian lawmakers ban a staple of Indian fashion, the bandhgala – a high-collared jacket worn by Indian railway staff.

We look at reactions to the meeting between US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland in Washington. It comes after Donald Trump's growing threats to acquire Greenland. Ekstra Bladet, the Danish paper, is diplomatic in its front page – evoking "continued disagreements" between Washington and Copenhagen. Smoke and steam are wafting over Denmark, the paper says, in a literal reference to a picture of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen lighting up a cigarette after that meeting. For the Jyllands-Posten, another Danish paper, "disaster has been averted – for now." The editorial staff of Greenlandic paper Sermitsiaq also followed the meeting closely. In their analysis, they note that the US tried to play Denmark and Greenland off against each other but did not succeed. 

The White House, meanwhile, responded to the meeting with a derogatory cartoon posted on social media. The cartoon is captioned "Which way Greenland man?", summing up the choices facing Greenland: a Greenlandic man and his dog sled heading for either the South Lawn (the US), the Great Wall (China) or Red Square (Russia). The cartoon has sparked anger in the press – the Guardian slams this expression of a Greenlandic man and its two-dimensional representation, according to the co-founder of the World Project against hate and extremism. She condemns this flagrant example of a "nod to the racist literature of the far right and its concept of the Western man". In the conservative press, we can also see this kind of reductive vision about Indigenous populations, especially in The Wall Street Journal. The headline reads "Welcome to Greenland, an economy reliant on subsidies and shrimp". The business daily warns that if Trump were to acquire Greenland, he would find himself in charge of a "slow growing economy" heavily reliant on than €1 billion of government subsidies, powered by sales of shrimp. According to the paper, Greenlandic officials quietly concede that anyone running this island is likely to find themselves staring down a money pit, rather than a gold mine. Beyond that, however, The New York Times notes that Greenland is also a front-line victim of global warming, which is rapidly melting its ice. Most of Greenland is covered in ice. As it melts, there is a wealth of untapped minerals under the soil that is up for grabs. Ironically, as one person cited by the Times says, the famously climate-sceptic US president pushing for Greenland is an admission that climate change is real.

Finally, one of India's most iconic fashion statements could be disappearing. The bandhgala is a ubiquitous Indian garment. A button-up jacket with a stand-up collar, it has evolved from centuries of formal attire in royal India. Its origins lie with the Mughals and Rajasthani kingdoms. The jacket was at the centre of a debate in India this week after the Indian railways minister said it was a relic of colonialism. The jacket is part of the formal uniform of Indian Railways staff, but it will now be banned from their official uniform. The decision is criticised by the Indian Express. It takes us through the history of the jacket, which became an inspiration for the West. The editor of the paper defends the garment, saying it is quintessentially Indian. The bandhgala may have emerged during colonialism, but so did Indian Railways.

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

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, January 14, 2026: In Iran, an internet blackout continues as Iranians try to reach the outside world. It's a similar story in Uganda, where the internet has been cut off ahead of presidential elections there. Also, in the UK, the UK Independence Party has submitted its new logo, which has angered many. Meanwhile, the countdown to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals continues. Finally, BTS announce their new world tour.

Iran continues to make headlines across the globe. The state-controlled Tehran Times is only accessible through social media due to the internet blackout. The paper boasts of a complete Starlink blackout, and only discreetly mentions "internet disruptions". The reality is that internet access has been almost completely cut off in the country since January 8, as RFI reports. The Guardian has an interesting analysis piece looking into "the ecosystem of smuggled tech that holds Iran's last link to the outside world".  

Internet shutdowns are being used elsewhere in the world, too. Ugandans were caught off guard as the internet was cut off on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's presidential elections, the Daily Monitor reports. According to The Africa Report, authorities have said that the blackout was to "prevent misinformation and incitement to violence" during the elections. The Independent says that President Yoweri Museveni's expected win will deepen succession and Gen Z challenges.  

In the UK, the Independent reports that the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) has submitted its new logo, which looks a lot like an Iron Cross, a military medal and symbol used by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. UKIP claims it is inspired instead by the Cross Pattée, a Christian symbol used by the royal family. 

Things are heating up at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. The Powers of Africa highlights the star-studded cast of the two semi-finals this Wednesday, as no less than five African Ballon d'Or winners will be playing for their spot in the final. The Guardian discusses the rivalry between Senegal's Sadio Mané and Egypt's Mohamed Salah. Egypt and Senegal met in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal won on penalties. Salah, however, is yet to win an AFCON title, so this Wednesday's game is sure to be an interesting one. Le Parisien says that Morocco's heart will stop beating during the other semi-final, when the Atlas Lions will be up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria. 

Finally, the BBC reports that K-pop fans will be delighted to know that BTS are back with a massive world tour.

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

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, January 13: A Corsican separatist leader is gunned down while attending his mother's funeral. Also, a famous Italian anti-mafia writer pens an opinion piece, questioning the Corsican crime ties of Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the bar in Crans-Montana where a fire killed dozens of people on New Year's Eve. The Daily Telegraph reveals that China's new embassy in London will include a secret underground network. Plus: how AI is complicating efforts to find a gang of monkeys on the loose in the US!

Corse Matin reports on the murder of Alain Orsoni, a Corsican separatist leader who was gunned down on Monday while attending his mother's funeral. FRANCE 24 reminds us that Orsoni led a separatist movement called the Corsican Movement for Self Determination, which was linked to a series of attacks on the French island in the 1990s. He was convicted and later pardoned for a machine gun attack on the Iranian embassy in Paris in 1980 and served as president of the Corsican football club AC Ajaccio during the late 2000s. Le Parisien notes that a wave of shock has engulfed the island. Will his death finally awaken consciences and break the hellish cycle of violence in Corsica? That's what the papers editors are asking. Some 20 criminal gangs operate in Corsica, which has the highest homicide per capita rate of all of France. The daily notes that last year, two anti-mafia protests took place. It expresses hope that the tide is turning.

In the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, a mafia specialist draws a comparison between Corsican organised crime and its alleged role in the deadly bar fire in the Swiss ski station of Crans-Montana. Roberto Saviano, who penned the acclaimed novel "Gomorrah" about the Neapolitan mafia, has lived under police protection for 20 years. He reminds us that the bar's owner Jacques Moretti was previously convicted of procuring prostitutes, fraud and kidnapping in France. Saviano wonders how Moretti was able to purchase real estate in one of Switzerland’s most expensive cities in cash. He points the finger at the Corsican mafia, saying that its model, like the Italian mafia, is based on investing in the legal economy – like restaurants and bars.

Chinese organised criminal organisations also allegedly use the legal economy to launder their money, according to an investigation from Libération. The daily reports on a document from a French police department specialising in organised crime, the Sirasco. The report reveals that Chinese citizens from the eastern province of Zhejiang have become "experts in industrial-level money laundering activities" in France. They purchase warehouses or local betting bars which are used as parallel underground banks. Furthermore, they have become so efficient that other mafia groups – Albania, Moroccan, Corsican or Italian – "employ their services" to change their illegal money into legitimate money.

The Daily Telegraph has published details of a plan by China to build an expansive underground complex beneath its new super embassy in London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to approve that embassy ahead of an upcoming diplomatic visit to China. The plans were redacted for the public – but the Telegraph says it has uncovered the unredacted documents. It reports that China will build a hidden chamber as part of a network of 208 secret rooms beneath its embassy in London. The chamber will sit directly alongside underground cables transporting sensitive British financial information to the City of London. Hot-air extraction systems suggest the installation of heat-generating equipment for possible espionage.

Finally, artificial intelligence is complicating efforts to find a gang of monkeys on the loose in the US city of St Louis. The citizens and authorities of St Louis, Missouri are grappling with an unusual problem. A gang of vervet monkeys have been on the loose since last week. Gizmodo reports that people started having fun with the situation – posting AI videos of monkeys stealing cars to social media. This quickly proved problematic for authorities, as people using AI videos falsely claimed to have spotted the monkeys. Gizmodo says someone also reported a goat on the loose, but no one knows if that's AI or not. In short, we now cannot believe our own eyes!

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

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, January 12: The French press are looking ahead to the start of far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen's appeal trial on Tuesday, which could make or break her presidential ambitions.

Left-wing daily Libération features a tearful Marine Le Pen on their front page, relishing the prospect of her embezzlement conviction being upheld by an appeals court, and shattering her 2027 presidential ambitions. The daughter of the infamous far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was convicted last year for the embezzlement of public funds, to the tune of €4.3 million. Meanwhile, Le Monde has published polling that suggests the far-right leader's second-in-command Jordan Bardella may have surpassed her in popularity. Abroad, The Times asks if the two-time presidential candidate is irreplaceable for the French far-right, or if the family dynasty has run its course. 

In other news, the BBC reports on a worrying "snowfall drought" in the Himalayas. The usually snow-topped mountains are rocky and bare, threatening water shortages in the spring for the 2 billion residents whose water supply depends on snow thaw to replenish the rivers. 

Finally, The Times is reporting on Japanese zoos having to get by without pandas, as diplomatic co-operation with China dries up. One zoo, though, is filling the void with animal keepers... dressed as pandas. Visitors appear to be enjoying the exhibit, and are paying the equivalent of €43 for the privilege of dressing up as keepers and tending to the pretend animals. 

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, January 9: The French papers look at the industries that could benefit from the EU's free trade deal with South America. The Mercosur deal is set to pass in a vote in Brussels. Also, a new report shows overdose deaths from fentanyl are declining and it could be thanks to China's crackdown on the sale of precursor chemicals. Plus, the mayor of Berlin is in hot water over a tennis match he played while the city was in a power blackout.

France will vote against the Mercosur treaty, but the EU's free trade deal with South America is expected to pass this Friday during a vote in Brussels. It's a fiasco for France, with President Emmanuel Macron "trapped" in a no-win situation, the right-wing paper Le Figaro's editorial says. If he chose to follow Europe and sign off on the Mercosur deal, he risked angering France and its farmers. Despite choosing to defend France, the deal is likely to pass anyway, thanks in part to Italy's vote. It is a "cruel humiliation", Le Figaro writes. Macron will see France's diplomatic power declining as the vote is set to pass this Friday.

Not all is lost, though, as some French sectors could be winners from the deal, something that Le Parisien is looking at. The French wine industry will be a winner – this deal will allow them to export the bottles that sell less favourably in Europe. It's the same for the dairy industry, which exports 40 percent of its production and sees a lucrative market opening in South America. Business owners will also be thrilled with the deal, which will benefit European manufacturers and industries. But it cannot be denied that the French meat industry will stand to lose out – a sector already reeling from cattle disease. In any case, if the deal goes ahead, it will put an end to 26 years of "psychodrama", La Croix says. The first Mercosur negotiations began back in 1999.

In the US, a new report in the journal Science shows a surprising decline in fentanyl-linked overdose deaths since at least 2023. Science tells us that fatal overdoses from synthetic opioids like fentanyl increased more than 25-fold in the US in the last 15 years. In 2023, overdose deaths peaked at 76,000. But since then, the rate has steadily dropped and as Science notes, this is of major scientific and policy interest. The Washington Post outlines the reasons that could explain this decline: billions spent on addiction treatment, notably the overdose reversal drug naloxone; and law enforcement efforts to disrupt drug trafficking operations.

But there is another surprising reason: China. China's chemical and pharma industries have long been criticised for facilitating in part the international fentanyl trade. Since 2023, Beijing has shut down Chinese companies selling precursor chemicals to Mexican criminal groups, which allow them to produce synthetic, illegal fentanyl in labs. It's around the same time that the decline from overdose deaths started. As one writer for the Post reminds us, that was well before Trump was elected for a second term.

Finally, the mayor of Berlin is in hot water over his actions during a recent blackout in the city. The story is on the front page of German daily Tagesspiegel. Some 100,000 people were left without power during sub-zero weather last weekend. This came as climate activists claimed responsibility for an attack on Berlin's power supply. On Wednesday, Kai Wegner, Berlin's mayor, admitted to playing a game of tennis during the blackout, after previously omitting this in questioning. He said: "I had to switch off" – no pun intended, we guess! Despite calls to stand down, the centre-right mayor says he did everything he could to ensure power came back to households. There's no love lost for Wegner's tennis escapade, but Tagesspiegel says it was a serious double fault.

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

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, January 8: US immigration authorities ICE kill a woman in Minneapolis in "self-defence" amidst anti-ICE protests in the city. It brings back painful reminders of George Floyd's death in 2020. Also, the press explores what Europe can do to stop Donald Trump seizing Greenland (hint, not much). Finally, it's shear mania as dozens of sheep invade a supermarket in Germany's Baa-varia region.

There are lots of reactions in the press after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was killed by immigration authorities ICE in the city of Minneapolis. The Canadian paper The Globe and Mail headlines with a picture captioned "Killing roils Minneapolis." The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that thousands of people gathered in the city to memorialise Good, who had a six-year-old son as well as two other children. Her death came amidst anti-ICE protests in the city.

Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem and ICE have said ICE agents were acting in self-defence, arguing that that Good attempted to run over and ram them with her vehicle. In an opinion piece, journalist Phil Morris calls Good's death "tragically predictable", accusing the federal government of "turning Minnesota into a testing ground for the most aggressive street-level immigration enforcement yet deployed". In another opinion piece, journalist Jennifer Brooks says the vigils held after Good's death are a painful reminder of 2020. Indeed, Minneapolis is also synonymous with another tragic death – that of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer. His death sparked nationwide protests against racially-motivated police brutality. The conservative magazine National Review columnist says that Good appeared to be just trying to get away and in the process swiped her car in the agent's direction. At the same time, he argues that she didn’t appear to be trying to avoid running the agent over either, which will make prosecuting her death a tricky legal affair.

Denmark is seething as US President Donald Trump mulls a bid to brazenly buy Greenland. Tensions are also mounting between Trump and European leaders. Europe's response was muted as first, but they have scrambled to respond, issuing a statement defending Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland. One writer for the Christian Science Monitor says that in reality there's very little Europe can do to stop the US in its pursuit of Greenland, other than using diplomacy. Politico offers some other options to mitigate this situation. Option 1: They could negotiate a settlement that gives Trump what he sees as a win and allow Denmark and Greenland to save face. Option 2: Give Greenland a ton of cash. Option 3: Boots on the ground. Option 4: "The anti-coercion instrument" that would allow the EU to retaliate by imposing penalties against any country using coercion against it.

An article from The New York Times says that Trump may not even need diplomacy – a legal loophole could allow the US to take control of Greenland. Under a little-known Cold War agreement, the US is allowed to construct, install, maintain and operate military bases, house personnel, control operations of ships, aircraft and waterborne aircraft. It pretty much gives the US free rein over the island if "they ask nicely!" Purchasing Greenland, however, is a different story. Denmark can't sell Greenland – Greenlanders must decide for themselves and a recent survey showed 85 percent of them were against it. Furthermore, if it's the minerals that the US wants, then once again, the US just needs to ask nicely – Greenland has said it is open to doing business with just about anyone.

Finally, things got woolly in Germany's Bavaria region recently when a flock of sheep invaded a local supermarket. The Daily Mail reports it was shear mania in Germany's Baa-varia as dozens of hungry sheep entered the supermarket by force. They caused utter chaos as they rammed their way through the aisles. They spent about 20 minutes there after mistaking a shopping bag for a feed bag. Afterwards, they ewe-turned back outside. The woolly invaders even managed to bag a year's supply of free food – as thanks for the free publicity the supermarket got from the viral videos! 

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

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, January 7: Repression of protests intensifies in Iran, at a difficult moment for the regime. In other news, while Democrats commemorate the January 6 Capitol riot as a dark day for American democracy, the Trump White House issues its own account of events. Also, a new study sheds light on the sleeping habits of jellyfish. Finally, amid an icy spell across Europe, experts advise walking like a penguin to prevent slippage.

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, January 6: After Venezuela, is Greenland under threat of being "seized" by the US? The Greenlandic and Danish press are taking President Donald Trump's threats very seriously. Also: as the US invests in graphite and cobalt mining in Canada, some fear that this could open the path to an eventual annexation. Finally, a suspicious bet: a mystery trader made $400,000 betting on Nicolas Maduro's capture just a few days before his kidnapping.

Donald Trump is doubling down on his threats to annex Greenland. His remarks are sparking worry and anger in the press there. Sermitsiaq, a daily paper from the capital Nuuk, quotes the Greenlandic leader Jens Frederik Nielsen as saying that the territory finds itself in a "special situation". He added: "Greenland is not Venezuela, Greenland is capable of defending itself and is not at imminent risk of being invaded by the US." Nielsen also extended an olive branch to the US, saying that Greenland would like to recreate the cooperation it previously had with the US. The Danish press focus on comments by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Jyllands Posten reiterated Frederiksen's comments about "Europe's unwavering support" for Denmark and Greenland, but she added that it's hard to know how sincere these lofty promises are. Scepticism reigns in the Danish daily Politiken, which says it's "totally possible" that Trump will implement his new security strategy. But how? No one knows, not even Trump himself. In any case, the paper feels that Europe is not taking the situation seriously enough. The paper wonders why European leaders have not already convened an emergency meeting.

We turn to reactions from Europe. The Guardian headlines on Trump's comments about Greenland, albeit with a factual, bottom corner front-page story. Libération, the French left-wing paper, wonders just where will Trump stop in his quest. In its editorial, the paper announces that the new American doctrine is based on "contempt": for international law, for the US people, for international agreements and for the principle that justice triumphs over the law of the jungle. La Croix, the French Catholic daily, announces the "new US imperialism", saying Trump intends to govern over the American continent as he sees fit.

Speaking of governing over the US continent, the Guardian reports that there are fears in Quebec over a new US graphite mine that's being built. Lomiko Metals, a company based in British Colombia, is set to build an open-air graphite mine in La Petite Nation in Quebec, with funding from the US Pentagon. It would produce 100,000 tonnes of graphite per year for 15 years. The project has already drawn controversy for its obvious environmental damage. Other projects in Canada include a cobalt refinery in Ontario and a bismuth and cobalt project in the Northwest Territories, both with major investments from the US. The Guardian reports that fears are growing that US investment in these projects could backfire ironically. To quote one person opposed to the project: "They are coming in to get our minerals to put in their weapons to then annex us."

Finally, a mystery trader made a very lucrative bet on Nicolas Maduro's capture a suspicious few days beforehand. The Wall Street Journal reports that less than five hours before Maduro was ousted, an unknown trader doubled down on bets on his ouster on the platform Polymarket. The prediction platform uses cryptocurrency to allow bets on future events, from the World Cup to TV characters being killed off. The trader pocketed more than $400,000, a 12-fold return on investment. This has fuelled suspicions of insider trading. The website Futurism says there is compelling evidence that someone connected to Trump is behind that winning bet. It says could it have been an insider in a New York or Washington newsroom, or an operative inside the Trump administration. Or, jokingly, it says it could have been Pete Hegseth making some beer money on the side.

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