France 24 - International breaking news, top stories and headlines

• Where is the kill switch? AI doomsday warnings trigger calls to regulate
  14 September 2026
  Talk about doomsday scrolling. In the past week, our timelines have been alight with dark predictions of our imminent demise, including the one by a Silicon Valley engineer who puts a number on the chances of artificial intelligence wiping out humanity. Better than 10-percent. Triggering the wave of panic, the recent breach of the machine-learning programmers' site Hugging Face by AI machines who banded together to keep their nefarious deeds secret from their human overlords. Can machines actually destroy the planet on their own? In the age of technology, does problem solving always override safety? 
• Leaders urge EU to expand Arctic presence amid Russia 'threat'
  14 September 2026
  Twelve European countries on Monday called for the European Union to step up its presence in the Arctic, as melting ice opens new maritime routes while growing tensions with Russia and the United States increasingly put the region in the geopolitical spotlight.
• French candidates race to claim the cost-of-living issue ahead of 2027 vote
  14 September 2026
  A new Ipsos survey reveals a country gripped by pessimism, with soaring prices the top worry for French voters ahead of the April 2027 presidential election. Candidates from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, to the far-left's Jean-Luc Mélenchon are racing to make the cost of living the defining issue of their campaigns. 
• Turkey: Police arrested at least 63 people in anti-LGBT+ crackdown
  14 September 2026
  Turkish authorities on Sunday launched raids on gay bars, nightclubs, LGBTQ association offices and activists' homes in a sweeping crackdown in several cities as part of the government's "My Family is Safe" operations, Turkey's justice minister said. More than 60 people were arrested, according to the state news agency, in raids condemned by human rights groups.
• Poll puts France's Le Pen in lead as presidential campaign kicks off
  14 September 2026
  France's far-right veteran candidate Marine Le Pen looks set to lead in the first round of elections next year, as the country's increasingly disillusioned voters seek real change, a poll of more than 13,000 voters has suggested.
• Russian strike on train "terror knocking on EU's door'
  14 September 2026
  The Kremlin said on Monday it would keep striking targets across the "whole" of Ukraine, when asked about a rare drone attack on the Polish border that has rattled Warsaw and its European allies. NATO-member Poland said on Sunday that Russia had hit a railway locomotive inside Ukraine, about two kilometres (one mile) from their shared border, just days after Kyiv said it had hit a crossing at its border with Moldova.
• Investors weigh the potential cost of AI 'slowdown'
  14 September 2026
  The AI boom that has powered markets and unleashed a flood of investment is showing signs of strain. Calls to slow the development of powerful models fuel doubts over whether the sector's promised profits can justify its staggering costs.
• Countries turn to coal to avoid shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz
  14 September 2026
  The US-Israel war on Iran has shaken global energy markets and coal is no exception. Countries around the world are turning to the highly polluting source of power in a bid to avoid shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Energy Agency, global coal demand is forecast to rise by ​1.2% this year to a record 8.94 billion ‌tonnes. FRANCE 24’s Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe has the details in this edition.
• Keziah Jones goes symphonic
  14 September 2026
  This week arts24 talks to Nigerian Blues Funk Artist Keziah Jones ahead of his Symphonic premier at la Scène Musicale on September 29 as part of Jazz & Musique du Monde season. He tells FRANCE 24's Marjorie Hache about his music and about working with arranger Pierre Bertrand. Plus, we take a look at new releases by Beck, Miley Cyrus and Beabadobee.
• How will EU respond to Russian attack on train near Polish border?
  14 September 2026
  The EU's top diplomat said Monday that Russian strikes which hit a Warsaw-bound train near Ukraine's border with Poland shortly after top Western figures passed through were meant to "scare" off Kyiv's backers. "It is clearly meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine, from going to Ukraine to show support," foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, urging Kyiv's backers to do "the opposite". France 24's Dave Keating reports from Brussels.