France 24

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, head of independent news outlet Mada Masr, faces a criminal court retrial Wednesday over charges of operating without a licence and publishing false news. The UN criticised Egypt’s “widening assaults on press freedom” Tuesday. Attalah was previously handed a one-year prison sentence in absentia in 2024.

At least 39 people have died after a migrant boat capsized off Senegal, one of the country’s deadliest migration tragedies in recent years. We’ll try to understand why so many are still willing to put their lives at risk, with our guest Aissata Kane from the International Organization for Migration. Then, western Ethiopia is reeling after a deadly attack that left 65 people dead, including 27 civilians. As violence flares again near the Sudanese border, regional authorities are pointing the finger at neighbouring countries, accusing them of backing armed groups operating in the area. And, home fans have plenty to celebrate at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Two more taekwondo medals, including a gold, have propelled the host nation to sixth place in the standings.

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime praised Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Tuesday after Salvadoran troops destroyed a suspected gang leader’s home. Bukele’s deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers following four Salvadoran troops’ disappearance has raised concerns over rules of engagement and coordination with a UN-backed force combating Haiti’s gangs.

As Teddy Riner throws his hat in the race for the French presidency, amid France’s sociopolitical and economic crises. François Picard is pleased to welcome Lex Paulson, Director of Executive Programs at UM6P School of Collective Intelligence at at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The prospect of Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner entering France’s presidential race raises questions that extend well beyond the political ambitions of a celebrated athlete. At a time when traditional parties are struggling to mobilize voters and the political center remains deeply fragmented, Riner’s emergence points to a broader transformation in democratic competition: the growing importance of personal credibility, public visibility and the capacity to embody an alternative to established political elites. In an interview with France 24, Lex Paulson, Professor of Collective Intelligence at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, argues that the changing relationship between voters and political institutions is reshaping the conditions under which political outsiders can emerge. “The currency of politics now is no longer just money to buy television advertisements or open offices. It’s the ability to capture attention.” For Paulson, Riner’s celebrity status gives him a considerable advantage in an increasingly fragmented media environment. Yet visibility alone does not confer political credibility. While the Olympic champion’s public commitments against racism and xenophobia may resonate with voters, Paulson questions whether he has articulated a sufficiently developed political vision to become a serious presidential contender. The deeper issue, however, is not whether Riner can win. It is what his potential candidacy reveals about the weakness of France’s traditional political alternatives and the growing demand for leaders whose personal histories, values and commitments resonate with citizens. “Voters don’t vote for policies. Voters vote for people they sense will stand up for them.” Paulson’s analysis connects this demand for political identification to a wider crisis of democratic representation. Voters, he suggests, increasingly perceive professional politicians as a distant governing class that listens to citizens only during electoral campaigns. “People don’t feel like they’re being listened to except for the few weeks before an election.” Seen in this light, Riner’s emergence is less an isolated celebrity phenomenon than a symptom of the changing relationship between political authority, public trust and democratic participation. The central challenge facing France’s next generation of leaders may therefore be not simply to develop compelling policies, but to restore citizens’ sense that political institutions are responsive to their lives. As Paulson concludes, the real political opportunity lies in reimagining governance itself: bringing decision-making closer to citizens and giving them a more meaningful voice in the democratic process.

Jim Jordan, a hardline ally of President Donald Trump, was elected US House Republican leader on Tuesday, defeating Steve Scalise 106-73 in a secret ballot, US media reported. He replaces Mike Johnson after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in last week’s midterm elections and will lead the party’s opposition.

The US Justice Department on Tuesday charged three men it described as Iranian operatives over an alleged September terrorist plot at Britain’s RAF Fairford airbase in England. Prosecutors said one suspect directed individuals to drive vans, some carrying fuel barrels, to the base, which housed US military aircraft and personnel.

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Frederica Venturi of Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The withdrawal of Israeli forces from Hebron has not brought an end to the humanitarian crisis. According to Venturi, some 3,300 Palestinians were forcibly displaced, 15 houses were reportedly demolished, and continuing restrictions on movement have obstructed access to essential healthcare. “Those families whose houses were demolished have nowhere to go back to.” Venturi describes how the “movement restrictions during the lockdown prevented medical teams from reaching communities.” Hospitals are also reporting shortages of essential medicines.

As the US Midterms reshape Ukraine diplomacy, Annette Young is pleased to welcome James Townsend, Atlantic Council’s Senior Advisor at the Scowcroft Center’s for Transatlantic Security Initiative. “Europe is not going anywhere.” With this unequivocal assessment, Townsend, taking place alongside trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi. While the latter may command international attention, Townsend argues that the Paris meeting carries a message of its own: European support for Ukraine is intended to remain durable, and Moscow should not mistake diplomatic negotiations for an erosion of Western resolve. The G7 meeting therefore emerges as more than a forum for diplomatic declarations. It represents a test of Western cohesion, the credibility of future military and financial assistance, and Washington’s willingness to endorse a common position on Ukraine. As Townsend emphasizes, the final communiqué will also be “a test as far as what Marco Rubio is going to agree to put his name to.”

Gadi Eisenkot, the politician tasked with forming a new Israeli government, pledged on Tuesday to launch an official inquiry into Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks and reverse many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies as the new parliament was sworn in a tense opening session that saw rival parties trade barbs over the possibility of forming a government with the support of Arab lists.

Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Raphaëlle d’Ornano, Founder and Managing Partner of D’Ornano + Co. “Nvidia has an absolutely central role in the ecosystem,” she explains, “If something happens to Nvidia, it’s going to be a catastrophe.” When the discussion turns to geopolitics, she warns, “there is a real war happening here. It’s an economic war,” describing the competition for frontier AI capabilities as a struggle with profound economic, military, and societal implications. The resulting analysis reveals an industry characterized by extraordinary technological momentum, but increasingly shaped by concentrated corporate power, geopolitical confrontation, and political resistance to its physical infrastructure.

US firm Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot, has announced it will offer 825 million shares at a price between $70 and $78 apiece during its planned IPO.  This will give the firm a valuation of around 1.4 trillion dollars. The blockbuster IPO will come at a time investors are becoming increasingly concerned about risks associated with the AI boom. But first, chip giant Nvidia continues to face pressure over its CEO’s love affair with a suspected Chinese spy. 

Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Rafe Pilling, Director of Threat Intelligence in the Sophos Counter Threat Unit (CTU). How can a minor cyber intrusion disrupt food supplies, expose the weaknesses of industrial infrastructure and become an instrument of geopolitical confrontation? The cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems in France offer a revealing illustration of how digital vulnerabilities can translate into tangible economic disruption and potentially broader threats to society. As Pilling explains, “With a small amount of effort from the adversary side, they can create a large impact, in this case destroying food and producing empty shelves or empty refrigeration units in stores.” This asymmetry lies at the heart of contemporary cyber conflict, in which modest technical interventions can produce disproportionate economic and operational consequences

UK police arrested a senior member of the US Army on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence, adding that the arrest was not related to other counter-terror investigations. The 41-year-old man was detained near the city of Gloucester, west England, and remains in custody.

So this time, it’s Iran, not Russia? France – reportedly acting on US intelligence – summoning Tehran’s ambassador over last month’s hacking of hundreds of supermarket refrigerators that overheated, 15 of which even caught fire. Why now at a time when Iran’s trying to break its international isolation?

Since taking office in August, new far-right Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella has shared video after video promoting his security forces – especially operations they’ve carried out against armed groups. In some, De la Espriella speaks standing among body bags. Others feature prisoners or look like they were taken from an action film. However, there’s been growing outcry about his social media glorification of repressive policies.

French police have searched several properties, including the Ritz hotel in Paris, in relation to an investigation into a suspected international network trafficking women for Mohamed Al Fayed, prosecutors told AFP on Tuesday. The Ritz is just one of the late tycoon’s high-end ventures where victims have said they faced abuse.

French judo star Teddy Riner may have announced his bid for the 2027 French presidential campaign on Monday, but he is not the only sports star to transition from stadium to bully pulpit. Read about some of his most famous predecessors. 

It has been 88 years since “Kristallnacht”, the “Night of Broken Glass” in Europe, a violent pogrom against the Jewish population across Nazi Germany and Austria, marking a critical escalation toward the Holocaust. Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany, said that Germany currently faces a historic test over antisemitism.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, November 10, called an effort to impeach him over ​abuse of power in the Iran war a farce and sabotage that plays into the hands of adversaries. FRANCE 24’s International Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert has more.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday dismissed the impeachment effort against him as “a political spectacle”. He made the comments a day after Republican Thomas Massie launched a bid to impeach him over his handling of the unpopular war in Iran and other actions. But who is Pete Hegseth? A former Fox News host and military veteran, he has become one of the most prominent figures in the Trump administration.