by Maye Kabil On a seven-day Asian tour, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi started Sunday a visit to Singapore, a first-of-its-kind visit that coincides with the south-east Asian country’s 50th anniversary of independence. El-Sisi’s visit to Singapore, which is the first by an Egyptian leader»»»

Right now, the path the EU and NATO faces another set back. There's been no functioning government, despite three elections in less in 16 months. The latest one this week, produced a similar result to the last two, the party of the incumbent prime minister Albin Kurti got 43 per cent of the vote, a»»»

The election of the Hungary's new centre-right prime minister, Peter Magyar, in April marked a particularly stinging defeat for Viktor Orban, whose government was widely regarded as one of the most anti-LGBTQ in the EU. Rights advocates expect legal changes but wonder about the timeline Magyar will»»»

In a week that began with President Trump pronouncing that a ceasefire extension was so close with Iran, two or three days max, and that would only take an hour to finalise. Hours later Tehran downed a US Apache helicopter off the Gulf of Oman with the crew rescued from the sea, the attack reported»»»

Tunis, June 12 (TAP/ Ahmed Gaddeh) - Tunisia has a unique opportunity to diversify its export markets across Africa, building on its experience under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its strong trade links with Europe,...»»»

Albania’s ruling Socialist Party is marking the 35th anniversary of its founding on Friday with a series of celebrations culminating in a major gathering in central Tirana. The party, established in 1991 following the collapse of the country’s communist regime, has organized commemorative events ac»»»

KINSHASA: Violent clashes erupted Friday in Congo ‘s capital, Kinshasa, during a rally against a proposed constitutional change that opponents say could pave the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term. The demonstration, organized by the opposition coalition C64, was dispersed by p»»»

Head Of State Iliana Iotova said that it is completely reasonable for the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) to stand up for their project for a commemorative European coin dedicated to Bulgarian alphabet. The statement was made Friday at a ceremony in Sofia on occasion of Prof. Nikolay Nenovsky's entry»»»

France and Germany are discussing proposals for a radical overhaul of the EU’s 15-year-old diplomatic service and cutting the powers of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in an attempt to improve the bloc’s response to geopolitical crises, the Financial Times reported on June 11. Paris, Berlin an»»»

This week, FRANCE 24's media show Scoop looks at Britain's decision to block controversial left-wing commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the country. The interior minister judged that their presence was "not conducive to the public good". This vague standard is increasingly being »»»

Bulgaria’s economy expanded by 3.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, placing the country fifth in the European Union in terms of economic growth, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). Around 3.5 million people were employed during the period, NSI deputy chairman»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare call for the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) to cut interest rates on June 11 for the first time since the Central Bank’s benchmark rate moved into double digits two years ago. As the economy slows and inflation continues to fall, the Russian president made»»»

Elon Musk on Friday promised to take humanity to Mars as his SpaceX company began its first day of trading on Wall Street with expectations of a $12 trillion valuation blockbuster. Elon Musk's SpaceX began its first day as a public company on Wall Street Friday after the biggest initial public offe»»»

The fan zones are open, the stadiums are ready and the biggest World Cup in history is officially underway in the US, Mexico and Canada. Seven matchs are planned in Houston, Texas. The host city expects to attract around half a million visitors and an economic windfall of $1.5 billion. Ye»»»

US President Donald Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday with a characteristically unique event: a $60 million UFC match will see bare-knuckle fighters battle it out in a mesh-framed cage on the White House's famed South Lawn. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, June 12: Papers discuss Mexico's "statement" World Cup win over South Africa and detail Raul Jimenez's triumph. Also: young women in New York choose to live with nuns to save on rent. Finally, for the first time, scientists have mapped the enormous scale of subterranean »»»

South Korea on Friday sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for sending military drones into North Korea in 2024 in a bid to "heighten inter-Korean military tensions and manufacture a national crisis" enabling him to declare martial law. Yeol was in February given a life i»»»

Turkiye is one of Bulgaria’s most significant partners across a range of sectors and one of its key foreign trade partners, with bilateral trade reaching record levels, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Poulev said at the fifth Balkan Business Forum i»»»

MONTMELO: This was supposed to be George Russell ‘s chance to shoot for the Formula 1 title. Coming into the season as Mercedes’s presumptive lead driver, with his team producing the best car after a rulebook overhaul, Russell looked perfectly positioned to compete for the world championship after »»»

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat expressed deep distrust of United States foreign policy, accusing Washington of absolute bias toward Israel. "When it comes to Israel, the U.S. is nothing but a proxy mediator relaying Israeli ideas," Jumblat told pan-Arab news channel al-Jaze»»»

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova met with Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visit took place on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Canada, the Ministry said on its website on F»»»

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov said construction work on Plovdiv's Southeastern Bypass will restart once all administrative, technical and design issues are resolved. At Question Time on Friday, Vazrazhdane MP Angel Georgiev asked about the expected resumption of the p»»»

Aziz Abu Sarah is Palestinian. Maoz Inon is Israeli. Both their families have been bereaved by the endless conflict between their two communities. With their book "The Future is Peace" published in April, the two authors aim to rally international public opinion behind their project to put an end t»»»

France is in the grip of a wave of sexual abuse scandals which has highlighted systemic failures in the handling of sexual assault and child abuse complaints. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Solène Podevin-Favre, President of Face à l'Inceste, says that the latest cases show that "the culture »»»

The National Assembly has approved an investment expenditure for the purchase of seven new three-coordinate radar systems intended for the Air Force. The decision passed with broad support, receiving 186 votes in favor, while only three MPs from “Revival” opposed it. The total value of the project »»»

Bulgaria ranks 35th out of 40 countries in the 2026 Wealth of Nations Index (WNI), remaining the lowest-ranked EU member state, according to data cited by the Institute for Market Economy (IME). The country recorded 546 points, an increase of 13 points compared to the previous year, but its overall»»»

The ambassadors of France, Germany and the UK have requested a meeting with Russia’s foreign ministry following an E3 London summit at which the three European leaders issued a five-point list of demands aimed at persuading Moscow to begin ceasefire negotiations over the war in Ukraine. Russian For»»»

Bulgarian National Television (BNT) Director General Milena Milotinova presented the public broadcaster's management programme to the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), outlining priorities including preparations for hosting Eurovision 2027, digital development and modernization of the television'»»»

A senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry said that a test took place two years ago involving fully autonomous drones set to destroy anything in a given area, with confirmed casualties, according to a report in New Scientist. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Mariarosaria Taddeo, Professor of Digital »»»

Tokyo: Japan's space agency successfully launched its flagship H3 rocket on Friday, months after a previous mission to put a geolocation satellite into orbit ended in failure. The H3 was developed to boost the international competitiveness of the country's rocket industry, with the lift-off an impo»»»

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has strongly defended New Delhi’s decision to increase imports of Russian crude oil after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, arguing that the move was driven by energy security needs and helped stabilise global markets during a period of severe disrupti»»»

A Seoul court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for his involvement in sending military drones into North Korea as a pretext for declaring a state of emergency. Yoon is seen here at a September 2025 hearing, File Pool Photo by Yonhap/EPA SEOUL, June 12 (UPI) -- A Seoul »»»

The U.S. has confirmed that Lebanon is included in a deal with Iran, announced late Thursday by President Donald Trump, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday. According to the daily, the U.S. informed Iran that Lebanon is included in the deal. It also reported that Trump has spoken with»»»

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Romanian consumers describe the country's economic situation in negative terms, up eight percentage points compared with last year and significantly above the European average of 56%, with energy prices and inflation ranking as the main concerns and reaching the highe»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Port has advanced three places in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), securing the eighth position globally and second place in the Gulf region, according to the latest rankings by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. In a post on its X platform yester»»»

Chinese ports once again topped the World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2025, with seven of the world's ten most efficient trade hubs located in China, according to the annual report. The port of Fuzhou in southeastern Fujian province claimed the top spot globally,»»»

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had halted plans for new military strikes on Iran, claiming negotiators were close to extending a fragile ceasefire, just hours after threatening to intensify the conflict by targeting Iran’s oil industry. US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had cal»»»

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a "great settlement" with Iran to end the Middle East war, saying he expected a deal to be signed in Europe in the coming days. Trump's claim came just hours after he promised fresh strikes against Iran, before saying that he was calling them off as a»»»

President Donald Trump called off new U.S. military strikes on Iran on Thursday, saying "final points" of an initial peace deal had been approved and details of a signing ​ceremony would ‌be announced shortly. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that Tehran had not approved ⁠the text of »»»

Images shared by military bloggers show Russian forces using black-and-white striped camouflage on their trucks. The technique aims to deceive the AI recognition systems of Ukrainian drones, underscoring the constant adaptation of tactics in the conflict. "An attempt to confuse the guidance systems»»»

A senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry said that a test took place two years ago involving fully autonomous drones set to destroy anything in a given area, with confirmed casualties, according to a report in New Scientist. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Mariarosaria Taddeo, Professor of Digital »»»

Across Lebanon, anxiety reigns. With no real ceasefire in sight, millions fear the loss of loved ones, or often the homes they have had to leave behind. FRANCE 24's reporters Antonia Kerrigan and Elena Volochine spent time with a family in the capital, to see how this, just one of many wars th»»»

Tunis, June 11 (TAP) - At the invitation of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, is paying a working visit to Tunisia from...»»»

Share: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS HERE IS THE LATEST President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. would launch “very hard” new strikes on Iran within hours and seize vital Iranian oil infrastructure, incl»»»

The parliamentary Committee for Control of the Security Services, the Application and Use of the Special Intelligence Means and the Data Access under the Electronic Communications Act unanimously decided to request all information from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) regarding the KYB»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Port, Qatar’s Main Gateway to World Trade, has climbed three spots to rank 8th globally and 2nd in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. This milestone reflects Hamad Port’s high operat»»»

Doha Hamad Port, Qatar’s main gateway to world trade, has achieved a major milestone in global maritime logistics, rising three places to rank 8th worldwide and second in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), according to Mwani Qatar. The ranking, developed jointly by»»»

HONG KONG: Just hours before the World Cup kicked off, Hong Kong authorities announced they seized 230,000 suspected counterfeit items worth an estimated $20 million, including jerseys tied to the tournament. The seizure included about 30,000 jerseys, some so finely made that they’re hard to distin»»»

Israeli authorities on Thursday denied entry to French reporter Alice Froussard, who covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for FRANCE 24's sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Radio France. Froussard was deported hours after landing at Tel Aviv airport, said Israeli officials»»»