Press Review

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, June 11: Austrian papers mourn the victims of the nation's worst post-war mass shooting. France is also in shock following the death of a teaching assistant who was stabbed by a 14-year-old pupil. Meanwhile, the Financial Times has a long read on the story of the youngest person charged with terrorism in the UK. Next, the UN publishes a report explaining why people no longer have so many children. Finally, the UK suggests an innovative solution to phone addiction.

Austrian papers are in mourning after the attack on a school in Graz that left 10 people dead and many wounded. Kurier reports that Austria is in tears, after the nation's deadliest post-war mass shooting. "Amoklauf", German for a run of lunacy or a killing spree, is a term that's used in a lot of the coverage. The Salzgeber Nachrichten is also in mourning with a blacked-out front page. Die Presse, meanwhile, is just asking "Warum": Why? The paper also asks if this tragedy could have been avoided. The front page of the tabloid Kronen Zeitung is a still from a video taken by a student as they escaped the school building.

France is also in shock after a teaching assistant was stabbed to death by a 14-year-old pupil. The daily Aujourd'hui en France remembers the victim Melanie on its front page. Le Figaro says that France is in shock and reports that the young pupil had previously been punished for bullying. Libération is also discussing the murder on its front page, saying that the incident has revived the debate on knife control.

The Financial Times has a long read about the story of Rhianan Rudd. In 2021, she became the youngest girl in the UK to be charged with crimes of terrorism at just 15 years old. Those charges were later dropped, and authorities recognised that Rhianan had been groomed, and was later considered to be a victim under modern slavery legislation. But she took her own life in 2022 while living in a care home. Her story has led to a re-evaluation of how teenage radicalisation and extremism is understood.

The UN Population Fund has just released its new report looking at why people are not having children. Al Jazeera reports that money, not infertility, is the cause of plummeting birth rates. According to the UN, some 39 percent of people say that financial limitations prevent them from having a child.

Meanwhile, The Times of London is discussing a new solution to phone addiction in young children that has been suggested in the UK. "No Ball Game" signs could be banned in the UK, in an attempt to get children back outside and away from their phones.

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, June 10: We look at reactions after protests in Los Angeles, where Donald Trump has sent in the National Guard. A video goes viral of an Australian reporter being shot with a rubber bullet in the middle of a live broadcast. Also, what comparisons can be made to the 1992 LA riots? Plus, here in France, the hit Netflix series "Adolescence" will be shown in schools to teach teenagers about toxic masculinity. 

We start with the protests in Los Angeles over increasing ICE arrests. The Australian press are headlining on the story. The conserative Melbourne daily Herald Sun headlines "Hell reigns in City of Angels" and notes that rubber bullets and tear gas have been used to disperse protesters. The Guardian Australia headlines on a viral video of Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi being shot with a rubber bullet during a live update, showing a guard appearing to deliberately aim in her direction. Her employer Channel 9 says the video serves as stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting.

Another Melbourne-based paper, The Age, writes that LA simmers as Donald Trump threatens to send troops everywhere. The paper's international editor Peter Hartcher writes that the confrontations we're seeing in LA are not "episodic or random". They are likely the opening scenes of a new phase in US history. He adds that the problem is not the principle of deporting illegal immigrants but rather the manner in which Trump is doing it – with an enthusiasm verging on bloodlust, he says. The San Francisco Chronicle publishes exclusive photos showing the deployment of troops as being "wildly underprepared." The photos show dozens of National Guard troops sleeping on the floor after Trump's rush to deploy them to LA without the approval of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Meanwhile, an excellent cartoon from British illustrator Ben Jennings cleverly sums up the situation. 

The previous deployments of the National Guard are also garnering a lot of attention in the press. The Associated Press notes that the deployment of National Guard troops is typically reserved for civil rights protests. It reminds us that the last time the National Guard were deployed to LA was in 2020, during the height of protests over the death of George Floyd. Some have also compared the protests to the 1992 LA riots, after the acquittal of White police officers for the beating death of Black man Rodney King. Time Magazine explains that the two are not comparable, notably because Trump invoked a section of the US code that allows the president to call in the National Guard when regular forces are not enough. But he did so without the approval of the governor, which is mandated in the code. Furthermore, the damage in 1992 was extensive when the troops were sent in. In LA right now, there is much less damage.

In France, Politico is focusing on the plight of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. The acclaimed novelist – a vocal critic of the Algerian regime – was arrested in Algiers last November, accused of undermining national unity. He's been sentenced to five years in prison. His case has garnered a lot of attention in France, which accuses Algeria of using him as a political pawn. Relations between France and Algeria deteriorated last year after France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Supporters of the writer have now turned to Europe for help. Sansal has been in and out of hospital since his arrest – he's suffering from cancer and his supporters are concerned about his medical care. So far, efforts to lobby the Algerian government to release Sansal have been ignored. His support group has also filed a complaint with the EU ombudsman in the hopes of keeping up the pressure.

Staying in France, authorities are planning to use the hit Netflix series "Adolescence" to teach students about toxic masculinity. The series has been viewed 140 million times and garnered critical acclaim. Now the Guardian reports that France will follow in the footsteps of the UK, Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium. The French education ministry will offer schools five classes based on excerpts from the mini-series, which sparked a global debate about misogynistic content online and its impact on teenagers. 

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, June 9: Protests in Los Angeles against US President Donald Trump's immigration policies continue to make the front pages. Also, Russian mercenary group Wagner announces it will be leaving Mali after "completing" its mission. Next, the United Nations Ocean Conference opens in Nice in a bid to address the alarming state of our oceans. Meanwhile, it was an eventful sporting weekend for tennis, football and mini golf fans. Finally, Ed the pet donkey returns home in dramatic fashion.

The protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids and the deployment of the US National Guard feature on the front pages of the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles Times has a live ticker, tracking the latest developments as rallies continue in downtown LA. Politico reports on California Governor Gavin Newsom's response to the deployment of the National Guard. The Wall Street Journal says the "deportation wars" have begun, adding that the White House has gone too far by trying to deport every single person who arrived in the US illegally. The New York Times says that Trump has jumped at the chance of a standoff. It says that he is using the same playbook in LA as he used to "punish universities, individuals and institutions that he views as political adversaries". Finally, the Guardian suggests that Trump's actions could be an attempt for him to deflect criticism of his political failures and once again blame a supposed "enemy within".

In Mali, the mercenary group Wagner has announced its departure. Africa news reports that the Wagner Group claims to have stabilised the country, destroyed terrorist infrastructure and trained local forces. The group first arrived in Mali in 2021, shortly after the withdrawal of French troops. The French paper Le Monde reports that Wagner is going to be replaced by the Africa Corps, another Russian mercenary group established by the Russian ministry of defence.

The planet celebrated World Oceans Day on Sunday, just in time for the opening of the UN Ocean Conference. RFI reports that world leaders have arrived in the French Riviera city of Nice for the opening of the summit, which hopes to address the ocean emergency caused by overfishing, climate change and pollution. L'Humanité discusses a recent report on the state of our oceans that outlines the extent of the crisis. It says that all the indicators of human pressure on our oceans continue to increase year on year – be it overfishing, pollution or climate change. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that the British government has suggested banning a destructive fishing practice known as bottom trawling in half of the UK's protected seas.

It was a weekend of sporting glory, starting in Paris with the French Open. The French paper l’Équipe celebrates the legendary five hours and 29 minutes of the nail-biting final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz is widely discussed in the Spanish papers, gaining the title "King Carlos the second of Roland Garros" in El Mundo. Alcaraz is not the only champion to be crowned this weekend, though. The Portuguese paper A Bola has Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese football team on their front page, after Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win the UEFA Nations League. However, there is another sporting champion who deserves attention. The Crazy Gold World Championship was held on Sunday in the UK city of Hastings and was equally high in emotions, according to The Times. This year's champion is Marc Chapman, who won his fifth world championship in mini golf.

Finally, in the US, the week-long chase after Ed the Zebra has come to an end in dramatic fashion. Ed was airlifted by helicopter before finishing his journey in a trailer.

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 – Friday, June 6: The press react to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's spectacular, messy and public fallout. This as Trump tells Politico that all is well between the two men. Also: The Economist looks at the decline of boys among prospective parents and why having girls is now sought-after in IVF and adoptions. The sports pages react to a "crazy" Nations League game between France and Spain. Plus: could David Beckham finally become a "Sir"?

Donald Trump and Elon Musk's spectacular, messy and public fallout is in all the papers this Friday. The former BFFs-turned-enemies started feuding this week over Musk’s criticism of Trump's "big beautiful bill" – a domestic policy bill that will add trillions to the public deficit. Vindictive, petty, childish, messy and public are just some of the adjectives used by The New York Times to describe Musk and Trump's spat. The Wall Street Journal recalls that the spat escalated gradually, starting with Musk criticising Trump's bill, to which Trump said Musk was aware of what had been coming. This was followed by Musk's calls to "kill the bill", to which Trump responded by saying that Musk suffered from Trump derangement syndrome. Then came the ultimate insult: Musk said that Trump wouldn't have won the election without him. The editors of the Wall Street Journal liken the two men's breakup to the War of the Roses. However, their spat may be as short-lived as their bromance. An exclusive from Politico's US website notes that Trump told the media outlet that all is OK between Musk and him. Privately, White House officials are working to de-escalate the feud.

We turn our attention to an interesting article in The Economist, which looks at the rising preference for girl babies and the stunning decline in the preference for boys. In the 1980s, with the rise of ultrasound machines that could determine sex during pregnancy, millions of girls were aborted. Having a girl at the time was perceived as undesirable. But today, in some regions, preferences for girls are growing. The magazine notes this is the case among Japanese couples who only want one child. American and Scandinavian couples are more likely to have more children if their first one is a boy. In adoption, parents pay more for a girl and prospective mothers opt for XX chromosomes when sex selection is possible in IVF. The reasons for these changing attitudes are myriad and quite stereotypical – that girls are easier to raise and more academically astute, unlike boys who are perceived as more likely to get into trouble, as 93 percent of prisoners in the world are male. There is also the perception that a surplus of men, as we saw with gender selection in the 1980s, has created a sexually frustrated generation, leading to violence against women. The feeling is that a surplus of females in the world will have a counter-effect: more peace.

The sports pages are awash with jubilation, joy and heartbreak after France's loss to Spain in the Nations League. The Spanish daily Marca calls it a dance that ended with a scare for Spain who were leading 4-0 and then 5-1 in the second half before Les Bleus scored three goals in the last fourteen minutes. But it wasn’t enough for France to win what Le Figaro calls a crazy game. Spain play Portugal in the final on Sunday. L'Equipe shares the same sentiment, calling the match "totally mad". Also sharing front page space today is French tennis player Loïs Boisson, who lost to Coco Gauff in the semi-finals of the French Open despite a dream run at the tournament.

There's good news, however, for Jordan's national team. Jordan Times reports that the team has qualified for the first time ever for the 2026 World Cup after beating Oman 3-0. The paper calls it "a monumental moment for Jordanian football and a culmination of years of effort, heartbreak and relief."

Finally, British daily The Sun reports that David Beckham could be set to become Sir David Beckham in next week's king's birthday honours. It's been a years-long campaign – Beckham was first put forward for knighthood in 2011 after helping secure the 2012 London Olympics. But the footballer was blocked after being embroiled in a tax avoidance scheme. The long wait may now be almost over for the man known as Golden Balls – or possibly, Sir Golden Balls!

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, June 5: The Guardian provides an exclusive testimony given by Asaad al-Nasasra, one of two surviving medics whose team was killed in a March ambush by Israeli forces in Gaza. Nasasra spoke with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Also: the Sinaloa cartel appears to be expanding its presence to Europe. French tennis player Loïs Boisson continues her dream run at the French Open. Plus: find out why smiling could be better than Botox if you want to appear more attractive!

We look at an exclusive from The Guardian which relays harrowing testimony given to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Asaad al-Nasasra is one of two survivors from a March 23 attack, when 15 of his first responder colleagues were slaughtered by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. They had been sent to recover the bodies of two paramedics killed in an earlier attack when their ambulances were ambushed by the IDF. Nasasra detailed what happened that day, telling the PRCS that he heard Israeli troops shoot first responders while they were clinging to life. The bodies were later found in a mass grave, with injuries indicating some had died through blows to the back of the skull. Nasasra was detained and tortured by the IDF for 37 days afterwards – including solitary confinement, starving and being subjected to loud music for long periods of time.

This follows the shooting deaths of 27 Palestinians this week near food delivery sites, which has prompted a sharp rebuke from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Telegraph reports that at the House of Commons on Wednesday he described Israel’s recent actions in Gaza as "appalling" and reiterated calls for a ceasefire. Starmer also said he would not rule out imposing sanctions on Israel. It follows a joint statement by the UK, France and Canada last month criticising Israel for preventing aid from entering Gaza.

Rarely are press updates to articles controversial, but one amendment made in The Washington Post has drawn the ire of social media users. The article reported on the attack on 27 Palestinians near a food delivery site in Gaza on Tuesday. The initial article attributed the killing of more than 30 people to Israeli forces, according to Middle East Eye. The article was amended to say that 31 people were killed according to Gaza's health ministry when Israeli forces opened fire. The vague phrasing, not directly blaming the attack on Israeli forces because of Israel's denial, has caused much uproar on social media. One Twitter user calls it "absolutely reprehensible journalism" and questions why the thousands of Palestinian eyewitnesses did not corroborate the attack. 

Next, The Times of London looks at how the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel is setting up in Europe. The British daily recounts a recent raid on the southern French city of Le Val, not far from St Tropez, where a meth lab was dismantled inside an opulent villa. Five Mexican members of Sinaloa had arrived there, in total anonymity, then set up a lab with the intention of training locals to run it and take a cut of the profits. It's the first confirmed Sinaloa operation on French soil and raises the spectre of the cartel’s growing influence on Europe, this as demand for cocaine rises. Detectives believe that about 400 kilograms of meth amphetamine was produced in Le Val to be sold locally and smuggled as far as New Zealand, with profits valued at more than €11 million.

Turning to sports news, the French papers are ecstatic as home favourite Loïs Boisson continues her dream run at the French Open. "A dream run" is not even strong enough to describe the French player's incredible week at Roland-Garros. Boisson, ranked 361st in the world, shot out of obscurity to topple world number three Jessica Pegula and then world number six Mirra Andreeva. She'll play her semi-final against world number two Coco Gauff this Thursday for a spot in the women's final on Saturday. L'Equipe, the French sports paper, pays tribute to Boisson at "full speed", who is powering through and hoping to make her first final. In its edition, former world number one Mats Wilander writes: "Yes she can!"

Finally, a new study shows that smiling could be more efficient than Botox if you're looking to improve your physical appearance! The Times of London reports that a Dutch study followed 114 participants who underwent Botox and dermal filler treatments. The changes in their appearance were then judged by independent raters. The study's conclusion: Botox only offered small increases in how desirable people were seen in short-term relationships and none at all in long-term relationships. Their conclusion is that if you're taking Botox to seem more attractive, there is a far cheaper alternative: just smile!

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, June 4: An investigation into the US farming industry finds that lobbyists led a campaign to discredit animal rights activists. Next, a "visionary" or a "jerk"? American op-eds analyse Elon Musk's short-lived time in office. Also, French papers discuss porn sites and their access ban on French users in protest at a new age verification law. Finally, a 200-year-old condom is displayed in one of Europe's biggest museums. 

An investigation by Wired magazine says that lobbyists for the farm industry led a campaign to "surveil, discredit, and suppress" animal rights activists for nearly a decade. The magazine says it consulted hundreds of emails and internal documents that show the "secretive and long-running collaboration" between the FBI and the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which represents the interests of American farmers and ranchers. According to Wired, the Alliance spied and served as an informant for the FBI. People working there went undercover at meetings of activists, for example, and sent the recordings to law enforcement. Wired says that the documents demonstrate the industry's mission and efforts to convince the authorities that activists are a "bioterrorism" threat to the United States. 

Also in the United States, Elon Musk's short-lived time in Trump's office has prompted continuous coverage from the press. But an opinion piece from The Washington Post says it's wrapping up its Musk coverage. "After this, I am never thinking about Trump’s favourite weird billionaire again," writes the author. The article is entitled "All the unforced errors of Elon Musk" and the author calls the billionaire himself a "walking, breathing unforced error". It says that with his Tesla background and his "creative genius", Musk had to do "literally nothing"” to safeguard his reputation. But for "some unknown reason he decided to insert himself in politics", becoming a real "jerk". The piece then criticises Musk – from his relationship with his estranged trans daughter to his time as head of DOGE. It adds that "Musk's short tenure represents the most terrible personification of the Trump administration". But not all op-eds are as critical. An opinion piece in the left-wing paper The New York Times calls Musk a "visionary", saying that yes, he can be "volatile and reckless" but that those who dismiss him as an idiot "haven't been paying close attention". The article says that his vision goes way beyond politics and towards "interstellar colonization". The paper writes that if he succeeds in that mission, his time in the White House will be just "a minor detail" in his story – and not how he will be remembered. 

We turn next to France, where well-known porn sites have banned French users from accessing them in a protest against France's new stricter age verification requirements. French daily Le Parisien writes that porn sites "aren’t bluffing", calling the ban a "poker move". It cites Pornhub's parent company Aylo, which claims that the new regulation is obliging adult sites to collect highly sensitive personal information and that this is putting user security at risk. The company also argues that the regulation might push users to migrate to "darker corners of the internet" that don't ask users to verify their age at all. Right-wing paper Le Figaro writes that from the age of 12, more than half of all underage boys visit porn sites every month. The paper cites a study saying that porn exposure "remains massive" – the number of young people visiting these sites has risen by 36 percent. 

We finish with another sex-related story: a central piece in one of Europe's biggest museums. A 200-year-old condom is going to be displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Times reports. The curator says that it was probably a souvenir from a French brothel and not an actual condom for use. On closer examination we can see a scene comprising three clergymen and a nun. She is pointing at one of them saying "Voilà mon choix" or "Here is my choice". The museum says that the condom provides an insight into "sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century". 

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, June 3: We look at reactions from South Korea as voting gets underway in a snap presidential election. Also: The New York Times profiles a star influencer who is raising awareness about female genital mutilation with unfiltered videos on the topic. French tenniswoman Loïs Boisson stuns at Roland Garros after booking her spot in the quarter-finals and defeating world n° 3 Jessica Pegula. Plus: Ncuti Gatwa's "young, beautiful and queer" Doctor Who comes to a premature end.

South Korean voters head to the polls for snap presidential elections after months of political turmoil and the ousting of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The vote is dominating the South Korean press this Tuesday. The Korea Times prints a front-page picture of the leading candidates in this election: Lee Jae-Myung from the liberal Democratic party and conservative leader Kim Moon-Soo. The centrist paper also underlines that the next president will assume office immediately. There will be no customary 60-day transition period. That prospect also raises concerns about the government’s readiness to manage state affairs. Koreans will no doubt be hoping for stability in the country, both political and economic – US President Donald Trump's tariff war has wrought havoc on the Korean economy. This is perhaps why the Korea Herald calls it the D-DAY showdown.

You can also grasp the gravity of the election with an editorial from the Korea Times. The paper says the "future of the country hinges on this election". While the editors are encouraged by the high number of early voters – despite high levels of voter apathy and frustration, they remind us that elections are not a choice between good and bad but the lesser of two evils. The conservative daily Korea Joongang Daily, meanwhile, likens this election to a recent Korean box office hit, "Yadang: The Snitch", which examines political and institutional corruption. The paper encourages voters to scrutinise candidates carefully, saying loyalty, sentiment or empty promises should not sway votes. The highly progressive paper The Hankyoreh offers rousing words for its readers: "It's time for voters to shine and create a brand new Korea."

In other news: The New York Times publishes a moving portrait of a social media influencer and female genital mutilation survivor. She also appeared on our Perspective programme with Stuart Norval a few years ago. The New York Times describes Shamsa Sharawe as a "sweary and self-possessed British anti-cutting campaigner", one who’s perfect for the TikTok generation and who has garnered a cult following there. She talks frankly about enduring female genital mutilation at the age of six in her village and about regrowing the flower, or undergoing genital reconstruction surgery, two years ago. The paper pays tribute to a woman at the "vanguard of a new generation of FGM survivors in the West". This generation is candid about their trauma, aware of their rights and unafraid to criticise revered national institutions.

There's a new French hero at Roland Garros – tenniswoman Loïs Boisson! The world n° 361 and wildcard at the Grand Slam pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the French Open by defeating world n°3 Jessica Pegula in three sets. Her exploits have earned her the cover of L’Equipe, which calls her "The Boisson sensation." Her victory comes at a particularly fraught time, when Roland Garros organisers are under fire for a lack of women's nighttime matches. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal recounts that when the match started, the court was practically empty. Most people preferred to eat lunch than watch a match they thought would be a blowout. They were wrong and the court was fully packed by the time Boisson served for match point. She is the first French tenniswoman to reach the quarter-finals since 2017. She'll face Mira Andreeva on Wednesday and will be hoping to pull off a second upset! 

Finally, he was the first Black man to embody the title role in the Doctor Who franchise, but now Ncuti Gatwa is being replaced. He becomes the actor who embodied the role of Doctor Who for the shortest amount of time. Gatwa, who appeared in the hit series "Sex Education", was supposed to give Dr Who a refreshing, modern makeover: "black, young, queer and beautiful", as the Guardian notes. But now he's being replaced. Ultimately, the Guardian says, several issues converged – Gatwa's Doctor Who cried a lot, which perhaps cheapened the other times he cried, combined with a few sub-par episodes. The decision has earned this rebuke in Gizmodo, equivalent to being put in the naughty corner​​​​: "Doctor Who needs to go away and think about what it did." The website says Gatwa's Doctor Who deserved so much more. 

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, June 2: French papers discuss the "day of jubilation" after PSG's Champions League win. Next, the media analyse Ukraine's "bold" strike on Russia's military aviation. Also, papers report on Bulgaria's fight against the adoption of the euro. Finally, we bring you some health news: from Ozempic's questionable long-term effects to good news in cancer treatment research.

After Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory on Saturday, the story is still on the front pages of most French dailies. Left-wing Libération writes that "Paris is well worth a jubilation". The paper says that the win resonated across France all weekend. In a similar tone, Le Parisien's front page says "Day of jubilation". The Parisian daily is talking about Sunday's festivities across Paris, and how fans got to celebrate with their beloved football stars. The paper calls it "A sweet madness". But with two people dead and hundreds arrested, the victory wasn't that sweet. Right-wing daily Le Figaro also mentions the post-win violence on its front page, where the title of an editorial reads "Paris can no longer be a party". The article condemns the aftermath of the match and all the "sirens, knives, injured police officers and even deaths". It says that "thugs" and "gangs" tried to invade the ring road around Paris and the Champs-Élysées. “The issue is no longer one of security, it's one of culture," says the article, blaming "uncivilised barbarians" for causing the destruction. An article in L'Opinion says that "on Saturday evening, euphoria gave way to chaos". It asks how a football win can "generate such an impulse for hatred and destruction", adding that scenes in London, Madrid or Manchester after a victory aren't the same. 

After a major attack on Russia's military aviation on Sunday, Kyiv claims it has destroyed nearly 40 aircraft and struck thousands of kilometres inside Russia's borders. The Financial Times calls it a "bold" strike "deep inside Russian territory". The Ukrainian intelligence service, the SBU, says they'd been preparing the operation for over a year. In an opinion piece, The Washington Post says that "Ukraine just rewrote the rules of war". It adds that the Ukrainians revealed a vulnerability that shows the need for a "massive investment in counter-drone systems". Ukrainian daily The Kyiv Post writes that US President Donald Trump wasn't given a heads-up about the attack. An official told the paper that the operation was "purely Ukrainian" and the US didn't have anything to do with it. As for reactions from the Russian side, Radio Free Europe's team in Siberia spoke to Russians there, who "appeared to be shaken". "Now the war has reached us too," they told the paper. The article writes that many Russians had thus far only seen and felt the war from afar. 

Moving to Eastern Europe, Bulgarians have been protesting against the adoption of the euro. The Bulgarian Telegraph Agency reports that protests have been held in several cities across the country. The demonstrators are asking for a referendum vote so that they can choose whether to keep the Bulgarian lev or switch to the euro. Radio Free Europe reports that it will be decided this week whether the euro will be adopted from next year, with the European Commission expected to greenlight the move. The paper notes that this comes despite the many protesters who carry Russian flags and have expressed anti-European sentiments. Some Bulgarians say they fear that adopting the euro will lead to even more corruption and inflation in the country. According to a survey, 50 percent of Bulgarians are against the euro's adoption.

We finish with some health news. British daily The Standard reports that using weight loss drugs might not lead to the desired effects, according to research. It talks about side effects like so-called Ozempic teeth or oral health problems and more serious health issues like hypoglycemia. The results are also not long-lasting, as a lot of people who stop taking the drug return to their original weight within a year. On the brighter side, the fight against cancer is advancing. The Financial Times reports that AstraZeneca has unveiled a drug that can stop mutating tumours before they start to grow. AstraZeneca said that it hopes to become "the number one cancer company globally". The Independent writes about another study, this time on colon cancer. Researchers have found that regular exercise can reduce the risk of death by more than a third. The scientists hope the findings will show doctors that including exercise plans is crucial for cancer patients. 

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 – Friday, May 30: The papers react to Israel's new plans for settlements in the West Bank. Next, cannabis has been found in Haribo's iconic cola sour candy. Finally, a new "e-tattoo" device helps track mental workload. 

Israel has announced that it's expanding its settlements in the West Bank, in one of its biggest such moves in decades. The American TV channel CBS News says that the announcement has sparked global criticism. The article reminds us that the majority of the international community views settlements as illegal and as the main obstacle to resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. French left-wing paper Libération says that Israel is "sprinting to annex Palestinian territories". The paper writes that the new plan wants to "dismember" what's left of Palestine. The UK has also condemned the move, the British daily The Independent says. It cites Britain's Middle East minister Hamish Falconer, who wrote on X that the 22 new settlements are a "deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood" and that they "further imperil the two-state solution". An opinion piece in Israeli left-wing paper Haaretz writes about the West Bank's "bulletproof vest theory, calling it "not only wrong, but dangerous". The theory encapsulates the idea that settlements serve as a barrier against terror attacks. The opinion piece says that this shifts the blame from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. The paper dives deep into past examples of why the theory didn't work and concludes that "[today,] the goal of the settlement enterprise isn't security but to create pretexts for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians".

We turn next to the Netherlands, where an uncommon ingredient has been found in sweets. The Dutch paper De Volkskrant reports that cannabis has been found in bags of Haribo cola candy. Several people, including children, felt dizzy and had health complaints after eating the sweets. Some 8,000 kilograms have been recalled. The British daily The Guardian adds that drug smugglers are increasingly using children's candy as a cover-up. They sometimes inject THC into the candy and make THC copies of popular brands that can be found online. 

Finally, researchers have found a new way to track mental workload. The Guardian reports on a new device called an e-tattoo that can be attached to a person's head. It's a "real-time mental workload decoder" that can warn people they need a rest before it's too late. The e-tattoo is lightweight and wireless, the paper explains. It is made from a thin conductive material and electrodes that detect stress. Researchers say it could be very useful for pilots and healthcare workers, for instance, where it's crucial to prevent fatal incidents caused by extreme fatigue or stress.

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, May 29: The US press look at the effects of Donald Trump's deportation policy – from a likely "unconstitutional" detention to a booming small-town economy. Plus, Elon Musk is officially quitting DOGE – what's next? Finally, after eight years of Mongolian dominance, Japan is celebrating a new "yokozuna" – a sumo grand champion.  

The Wall Street Journal reports that the detention of former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil is likely "unconstitutional", according to a US judge. Khalil is a pro-Palestinian activist who became a deportation target after participating in protests. And while the ruling isn’t final, it suggests that Trump's deportation efforts will face "significant roadblocks in court", according to the paper. For now, however, despite the partial ruling, he is still being held in a detention centre in Louisiana.

An article in The Washington Post focuses on another detention centre in Louisiana. It's one of the biggest ICE facilities in the United States and its presence is an economic win for locals in Winnfield. "In detention alley, a small town benefits from a big ICE facility," reads the headline. Many Winnfield residents live in poverty and the presence of ICE agents means that their businesses are doing better – there are more people getting haircuts, dining and shipping in the town, resulting in "muted criticism of the president’s immigration policies," according to the article. "To locals, they're customers, relatives, neighbors." The Washington Post also cites a local sheriff who says that the "benefits of the detention center greatly outweigh the negatives". An exclusive NBC piece helps us better understand the current deportation numbers. "Trump administration has ramped up deportations but is still far below pace it wants," reads the headline. In April alone, the ICE deported more than 17,000 people, says the paper. But Trump is still far behind his Inauguration Day promise to deport "millions and millions". In a bid to ramp up deportations, the ICE has been adding local jails and increasing deportation flights. But if he wants to reach Barack Obama's record in 2013, Trump has to deport at least two times more people per month. In 2013, then-president Obama reached a record number of 430,000 deportations in a single year.

Elsewhere in the US, Elon Musk is officially quitting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Financial Times writes that Musk is stepping down from the Trump administration after just five months in office. Musk originally wanted to stay with DOGE until next summer, the paper says. He made the announcement on his social media platform X, thanking Trump for "the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending". He also said that the DOGE mission will become a way of life for the government. This comes right after his exclusive interview with American TV channel CBS News. Musk said he felt "disappointed" by Trump's domestic policy bill, dubbed the "big beautiful bill act". According to Musk, it only increases the budget deficit and undermines DOGE's work. It is still unclear if Musk has any other projects planned, but The Washington Post reports that Tesla investors are asking the board to make Musk work full-time – 40 hours per week – after his recent focus on politics. The paper says that investors are frustrated over Musk's role in the US government and the effect it had on Tesla's sales and reputation. 

Finally, Japan is celebrating a new yokozuna: a grand champion in sumo, the country's national sport. Japanese man Onosato is the first in eight years to win the title after years of Mongolian dominance. The Japan Times calls it a "historic week for Japan’s national sport". The new champion is only 24 years old and some have called him the "saviour of Japanese sumo", according to The New York Times. 

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