World News by Wild Rose

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, September 29: Jordan Bardella, the head of the far-right National Rally party, is accused of anti-Semitic comments dating back to 2013. But first: French high schoolers call for a nationwide strike to protest against teacher absences and dilapidated schools. The Washington Post looks at how AI data centres are transforming the US landscape. Plus, where are all the hunks? The Miss England pageant is struggling to recruit candidates!

A French investigative website on Monday alleged that far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella made anti-Semitic comments in writing in 2013, but the close ally of presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen dismissed the claims as fake. According to the report by Mediapart, Bardella wrote, among other comments, in a chat: "The Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them, and rob them; a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and fundamentally so."

As the prime minister attempts to stave off a far-right challenger, a small minority of Muslims are being targeted.

Japan risks being pulled into a spiral of online disinformation about foreign crime that is stoking xenophobia and playing into the hands of the far-right, researchers warn. The trend is reportedly deepening divisions within Japanese society and creating a feedback loop that experts say will be difficult to break. In August, Constella Security Japan, a Tokyo-based cybersecurity firm commissioned by the government to counter online disinformation, hosted a webinar for officials and media on fake...

Marine Le Pen, France's far-right National Rally party candidate, widened her lead in the second round of the 2027 presidential elections against both centre-right Édouard Philippe and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to a new poll released Monday.

France's far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies emerged from polls with a record 14 seats in the right-wing dominated Senate on Sunday, effectively quadrupling its number in the 348-seat chamber just months before a presidential election.

The vote marks the first time the far-right party gained enough seats to form its own caucus.

The prospect of an AfD-led government in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt has exacerbated long-standing fears that the far-right Russia-friendly party may gain access to sensitive information of interest to the Kremlin, fuelling debate as to whether and how it can be barred from classified intelligence.

About 3.8 million voters in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are heading to polls on Sunday.

Germany is gearing up for two more pivotal state elections on Sunday: in the capital Berlin and in the largely rural region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. All eyes are on the far-right AfD, which after recording its best ever result in the recent Saxony-Anhalt elections, is hoping to once again make sweeping gains. The anti-immigration party's surging popularity is proving challenging for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and both elections are expected to further test his leadership. Story by Eliza Herbert.

French far-right politician Éric Zemmour said on Friday that he would run in next year's presidential election, joining far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who was runner-up to President Emmanuel Macron in the last two elections. Zemmour is campaigning on a crackdown on immigration, including a plan to expel unemployed foreigners even if they are legal residents. 

A French police officer who allegedly adheres to a 'violent radical far-right ideology' has been arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks against state interests and manufacturing 3D-printed weapons, sources told AFP Thursday.

"There was thunderous applause for Mark Carney, a standing ovation, the centrist MEPs all loved him, the far-left MEPs also really liked it. But guess who didn't like this speech today? The far-right. Far-Right MEPs were grumbling about Mark Carney's presence and even when he started his speech one, a far-right MEP started chanting U-S-A! U-S-A!" FRANCE 24's Dave Keating reports on Mark Carney's speech at the EU Parliament.

Two German state elections Sunday could deal a double blow to embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two weeks after his party suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD. Tight races for power – each with their own unique electoral dynamics – are expected in the city state of Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Alternative for Germany is expected to make strong gains in both, a fortnight after it trounced Merz’s centre-right CDU by a margin of...

From billionaire donors backing parties to far-right activists raising funds in Bitcoin.

Voting is under way in Sweden in a closely fought election that could see the far-right enter government.

Swedes are voting in a closely fought general election that could see the far-right Sweden Democrats enter government for the first time. With immigration, crime and the economy dominating the campaign, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson are locked in a neck-and-neck race.

As Sweden heads into a closely fought election, the far right is gaining ground by tapping into concerns over crime and security, issues that some voters increasingly associate with migration. On FRANCE 24, Stockholm University sociologist Zeth Isaksson said the movement has also softened its image in recent years, making it more acceptable to a broader electorate, while also cautioning against overstating the strength of the far right in Sweden.

Staff at public broadcaster Radio France began a two-day strike on Sunday over the appointment of Charles Sapin, deputy editor-in-chief at far-right weekly Valeurs Actuelles. Unions accuse Sapin of promoting far-right ideas ahead of next spring's presidential election, while management has defended the appointment in the name of pluralism.

The far-right Sweden Democrats party could enter government for the first time if right-wing bloc wins.

Protesters in about 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, demand the banning of the Alternative for Germany.

A far-right Islamophobic rally was held outside New York City Hall on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The 'War on Terror' gave far-right Islamophobia legitimacy, reach and electoral force.

Sweden votes on Sunday as voters weigh migration, crime, the economy and whether the far right will enter government.

Germany's chancellor clashes with AfD leader Alice Weidel, saying her migration policy amounts to "ethnic cleansing" for skilled workers.

Not enough to win outright but enough to shake Germany and Europe to their core: the far-right Alterniv für Deutschland trouncing the ruling conservatives in the impoverished former East German region of Saxony-Anhalt. We’ll ask about the consequences of voting for an anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party that wants schools to teach less about the ills of Hitler and more the glory of Bismarck.

The AfD, classified as 'far-right extremist' by Germany's intelligence agency, is projected to come first in 2029.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two. The result has garnered attention across Europe, not least in France where national elections next year could see far-right veteran Marine Le Pen become president.

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) came out well ahead in Sunday’s regional elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, becoming the first far-right party to come close to gaining power at the regional level since World War II. The lead candidate of the party in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said Monday that his party had already initiated talks towards building a governing majority.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday. The result puts a far-right party within reach of power at the state level for the first time in the country since World War II. The outcome has European capitals taking notice, particularly in France where the campaign for next year's presidential elections has gotten underway.