Far from being cut off from the rest of the world, colonial Algeria followed international events intently, especially those in the surrounding Maghrebi, African and Mediterranean regions. This article examines the impact of international news in late nineteenth century Algeria through four case studies: the invasion of Tunisia in 1881, the Mahdist rebellion in Sudan, the Greco-Turkish War in 1897, and finally, the Fashoda crisis between France and Great Britain in 1898-99. The globalization of information brought foreign events closer despite the inequalities of access to information between Algerians and Europeans. Drawing upon surveillance archives as well as the press, this article tracks the colonial state’s extensive but largely unsuccessful attempts to control the flow of international news into and within Algeria. Knowledge of international events was not confined to the literate minority, and these case studies reveal the importance of rumor as a political tool for importing external conflicts into the most remote localities. International news emerges as an issue at the heart of the colonial relationship.