François Picard is pleased to welcome Silvia Boccardi, a freelance journalist based in Rome. Nearly five years after the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan occupies an uneasy position in international politics. As European governments increasingly seek practical engagement with the authorities »»»

Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said that Bulgaria has an interest in restoring its full membership in the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, where most Bulgarian experts in nuclear sciences received their education. During Friday's Question Time in Parliament, Hristo said that th»»»

A Bulgarian national has been detained in Romania in connection with a wide-ranging corruption investigation involving the country’s gambling regulator, the National Gambling Office (ONJN). The case is being handled by Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), which says the probe conce»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) - The National Investor Platform was officially launched on Friday- the second day of the Tunisia Investment Forum (TIF 2026) proceedings- in the presence of minsters of economy and trade. The pleatform is a practical mechanism...»»»

There is an experience every NRI knows by heart. You land in India after years, clear the terminal faster than you expected and step into a country that is somehow not quite the one you left. The airport is more tech-enabled, the billboards flashing past are increasingly aspirational. By the time y»»»

In Brief Mongolia’s dependence on Russian fuel gives it short-term supply stability but leaves it structurally exposed. Russia’s temporary petrol export ban spared Mongolia through bilateral arrangements, underscoring the strength of the relationship while revealing the risks of relying on Moscow. »»»

The Russian government has been hit by a double whammy, forced to boost crude exports just as prices tumble following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, due to sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on key facilities reducing its refining throughput. Russia is exporting crude oil at its fastest pace»»»

Oil prices continue their slide on Thursday as traffic through the Hormuz Strait has picked up over the past few days. Uncertainty lingers for the shipping industry, though, as disagreements over a potential toll to pass through the Strait could be a stumbling block in US-Iran talks. Also in this e»»»

"Over the past 24 hours, there was a strike on the design and engineering division, as well as the destruction of private vehicles, including a periodic strike on the transport workshop, and the destruction of official vehicles," Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev sa»»»

JEDDAH: Rosie Stancer has completed her 2,000 km crossing with camels through the length of the Kingdom — from the southwest to northwest — in 69 days, entirely on foot. The British polar and endurance explorer chose this route as the setting for her most ambitious expedition to date, leading her a»»»

A woman walks past a patriotic mural in the Black Sea resort Yalta, Crimea, on July 24, 2023. Russian authorities declared a State of Emergency in Crimea on Friday as Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes on the region. File Photo by Stringer/EPA-EFE June 26 (UPI) -- Russian authorities declared»»»

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) will hold an extraordinary sitting at the Council of Ministers building on Monday to discuss the draft 2026 State Budget Act, the draft 2026 Public Social Insurance Budget Act and the draft 2026 National Health Insurance Fund Budget Act, the Ca»»»

Spielberg: Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in Friday's opening free practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. The two 'silver arrows' were out in front throughout the hour-long session, finishing more than a second clear of third-placed»»»

DUBAI: The flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz should not be interrupted, the UAE foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart on Friday, after a ship using a UN-approved corridor in the waterway came under fire. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed's comments came during a phone call with Iran's F»»»

LONDON: The most senior cleric in the Church of England has called for end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine during a pilgrimage to the region. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally issued a joint statement with Hosam Naoum, the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, after meeting with Palestinian v»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali received French Ambassador to Belgrade Florence Ferrari on Friday to discuss bilateral economic cooperation as well as numerous joint projects involving French companies. "They are projects such as the Belgrade metro, which is enor»»»

Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was sentenced to life in prison for driving into a German Christmas market and killing 6 people. Pool Photo Filip Singer/EPA June 26 (UPI) -- The man convicted of driving his car into a German Christmas market killing six people and injuring more than 300 was sentenced to life »»»

Dubai: The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said a technical fault in the UAE's early warning system on Friday evening resulted in incorrect emergency alerts being sent to residents. The authority said the problem was identified shortly after the alerts were issue»»»

Representatives of the National Association of Mediators (NAM) met with a Vietnamese government delegation led by Deputy Justice Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Thanh Ngoc and Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet at the headquarters of the Union of Bulgarian Jurists in Sofia. Mile»»»

BELGRADE - In 2025, budget spending for research and development activities in Serbia totalled 42.4 bln dinars, which was a 8.9 pct increase relative to the year before, according to figures released by the national statistical office RZS on Friday. The funds allocated for research and development »»»

Rossiya Segodnya intends to set up a Pakistani editorial center, expand its nationwide correspondent network, and roll out Urdu-language social media channels, Director-General Dmitry Kiselev said. Coverage is expected to focus on foreign policy issues and domestic developments.The organization als»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has called for a more inclusive approach and collective security in the region during the Gulf-Mediterranean Summit in Rome this week. Representing the Kingdom at the summit, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Manal Radwan emphasized that the region’s c»»»

Dubai: A small aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday, damaging the upper floors of one of China's most recognisable landmarks and prompting a major security response in the heart of the capital. The aircraft, described by witnesses as roughly the size of a car, slammed into t»»»

Violations of European Union restrictive measures, as well as attempts to circumvent them, would become serious criminal offences punishable by imprisonment, substantial fines and, where applicable, deprivation of certain rights, under amendments to the Penal Code proposed by the Justice Ministry a»»»

The Plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) approved Friday the opening of 15 new judicial posts in the Sofia Regional Court, while simultaneously eliminating 15 vacant positions across 11 courts in the country. The abolished positions were previously vacant posts in the Varna District Court, »»»

Cairo: The Shura Council, is participating in the 8th Conference of the Arab Parliament and Speakers of Arab Councils and Parliaments, which will be held in Cairo, Egypt on Saturday. Speaker of the Shura Council HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, will lead the Council's delegation to the conference.»»»

Germany’s new military registration program has fallen disastrously short of the numbers expected by the Bundeswehr, Die Zeit has reported, citing data from the Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in April that the size of the German military should increase from the current 184»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) - The first edition of the "Energy Efficiency Grand Prize" will be officially launched at a press conference to be held on June 29 at the headquarters of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (French:...»»»

Cybersecurity experts are warning football fans to be cautious of fake websites, apps and links promising free FIFA World Cup live streams, saying cybercriminals are using the tournament to steal personal data, banking details and online accounts. With millions of fans searching for ways to watch m»»»

The Cabinet is calling off all "outrageous public procurements" and a crash barrier contract for some EUR 500 million is among them, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday, taking an opportunity to attack his predecessors. "We are ending all outrageous public procurements, we are end»»»

John Bolton, a national security adviser in the first Trump administration, is expected to enter a guilty plea Friday for mishandling classified information. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- John Bolton, a national security adviser in the first Trump administration, »»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regional developments following the agreement and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. During a p»»»

GENEVA: International search and rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being scrambled to Venezuela to help look for survivors of the devastating twin earthquakes, the United Nations said Friday. Getting those search and rescue teams to the scene is the “top priority,” the UN humanitarian age»»»

A young man dives from a bridge over the Saint-Martin Canal in Paris on Thursday amid a searing heat wave that prompted authorites in the capital to impose restrictions on drinking alcohol in public and takeout sales for the second time in five days. Photo by Yoan Valet/EPA June 26 (UPI) -- Authori»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) – The Tunisian Federation of Travel and Tourism Agencies (FTAV) will introduce a new quality certification, "Omra Trusted by FTAV," in the coming weeks for travel agencies that meet a set of strict standards, FTAV President...»»»

Venezuela's health minister says 235 deaths have been recorded and tens of thousands are still missing after two powerful earthquakes hit on June 24. Emergency workers are still trying to search through the rubble. Rescue teams are coming in from round the world and the US says it is sending milita»»»

LOS ANGELES, USA: A mouthwatering duel between in-form goalscorers Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will take center stage at the World Cup on Friday as France face Norway in a crucial Group I decider. Real Madrid star Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland have started the tournament in bliste»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions that Syria’s new leader, Ahmad Sharaa, can better curb Iran-backed Hezbollah than Israel have alarmed Lebanon and Syria. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated suggestion»»»

Organisers of the Pride March due to take place in Paris on June 27 weekend postponed the event after police ordered them to change the date to relieve pressure on emergency services during the heatwave. A popular music festival has also been cancelled, while public alcohol consumption has been tem»»»

In a landmark ruling, a French court has ordered energy giant TotalEnergies to account for its clients' emissions in the company's climate plan. It is the first time France's Corporate Duty of Vigilance law has been applied to climate change. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Justine Ripoll from»»»

As a result of the high temperatures and heatwave, human health could be at risk. In France there have reportedly been four times as many cardiac arrests. The mayor of Paris has stated that the number of deaths is on the rise. Across the country, hospitals are overwhelmed. Our colleagues at France »»»

South Korea plans to eventually equip every soldier with their own personal drone, in a massive expansion of aerial weapons. To counter the threat from North Korea, Seoul says it will train half a million soldiers in how to use drones, and manufacture more than 100 thousand of them in the next thre»»»

DUBAI: Authorities in the United Arab Emirates on Friday sounded an incoming missile alert for Dubai. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the warning just after 5:15 p.m. local. Iran is suspected of launching a drone attack against a tanker off the coast of Oman on Thursday as Tehran increasin»»»

National Park Service workers use vacuum pumps to clean algae off the bottom of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. A court filing alleges that vandals cut the pool's lining with a sharp knife. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License »»»

A mass amnesty of undocumented immigrants is currently underway in Spain. Bucking the trend of its European neighbours, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist government is embracing immigration to underpin its growing economy. However, the plan d»»»

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev has drawn political attention after comparing the roles of the Bulgarian Patriarch and Russia’s Patriarch Kirill, in remarks that sparked a broader debate about religion, sanctions, and foreign policy. The comments were made following earlier statements from Ra»»»

Vaccination against chickenpox (varicella) will become mandatory in Bulgaria from July 2026, according to the country's immunization ordinance published in the State Gazette in January. The vaccine will be provided free of charge. A total of 14,570 cases of chickenpox have been registered in Bulgar»»»

As Keir Starmer prepares to leave the UK’s highest office after less than two years, the media has lined up to explain why he failed to deliver on the enormous hype he received as opposition leader, and during his initial months in office. A repeated trope has been that Starmer was a “decent man,” »»»

ECOBANK Zimbabwe Limited (EZL) has said it plans to expand financing for the domestic lithium-mining sector, as the lender seeks to bolster its role in the battery minerals value chain, having already provided $369mn to mining operators and related businesses between 2021 and 2025. Zimbabwe holds o»»»