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»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Intelligence Community has warned that Ukrainian bio-laboratory funded by the US government with high probability contained hazardous viruses, former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said on Friday. "For example, the Intelligence Community previous»»»

Zurich: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi met on Friday with State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Department of the Swiss Confederation, HE Alexandre Fasel, on the sidelines of the 2026 MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes Policy Forum in »»»

Hungary’s Foreign Ministry has launched a fresh internal investigation after uncovering what officials describe as serious irregularities in the granting of Hungarian citizenship and diplomatic passports during previous administrations. György László Velkey, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Min»»»

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»»»

Gold is increasingly being weaponised by states, criminal networks and sanctioned regimes as a strategic financial tool, while regulatory systems are failing to keep pace with rapidly evolving illicit supply chains, according to a new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organize»»»

Gold is increasingly being weaponised by states, criminal networks and sanctioned regimes as a strategic financial tool, while regulatory systems are failing to keep pace with rapidly evolving illicit supply chains, according to a new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organize»»»

The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them al»»»

Zurich Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi met on Friday with HE State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Department of the Swiss Confederation, Alexandre Fasel, on the sidelines of the 2026 MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes Policy Forum in Zu»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin gave advice to his country's adversaries: never fight Russia, never try to do so, let's live in peace. "Just one piece of advice we can give to our adversaries: do not fight Russia. Never attempt to do so. Let's live in peace and resolve all issue»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis in Belgrade on Friday to discuss further strengthening of bilateral relations, stepping up of cooperation in many areas and Serbia’s European path. "Macut emphasised that Serbia and Greece are friendly and fraternal states and»»»

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 »»»

ASTANA: Kazakhstan’s ‌ruling Amanat party said on Friday it is merging itself into a party created earlier this year by allies of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ahead of parliamentary elections expected in August. At its congress in Astana, Amanat said it would become part of the Adilet, or “Justi»»»

The United States is planning a significant reduction in the military assets it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, a move that could reshape the alliance’s defence posture and accelerate Washington’s push for European countries to shoulder more of their own security burden. According to»»»

KYIV: Ukraine is seeking an additional $20 billion in military funding from its allies to cement what it sees as its current battlefield advantage over Russia, a Ukrainian defense source said on Friday. The request will be made next Thursday at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an all»»»

Polish officials from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have urged the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to rename a street honoring Stepan Bandera, the nationalist leader whose movement was responsible for the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles during World War II. Relations between Poland and Ukr»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Sovereignty is Russia's absolute value, for which a huge price has been paid, Russian Ambassador to Washington Alexander Darchiev said on Thursday. "For us, sovereignty is an absolute value, for which a huge price has been paid," Darchiev said at a gala reception at the Russi»»»

OVERVIEW No single topic dominates Friday’s media. POLITICS Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov in an interview for Bulgarian National Television’s morning programme said that ammunition or weaponry cannot be provided if doing so would violate the law and reduce stocks below the required minimum leve»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Priyut in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Over the past day, as a result of decisive actions by units of the Tsentr battlegroup, the settlement of Priyut of the Donetsk Pe»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The historical resilience and martial feats of ancestors for the glory of the Fatherland stand as an enduring source of inspiration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a congratulatory message to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Russia Day on Friday. "Your Holin»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on Friday in Belgrade with Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis to discuss further strengthening of Serbia-Greece relations, the region's European perspective and preservation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans. "A cordial and substantial discus»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Finland will not become a nuclear power, but will take part in NATO nuclear planning, President Alexander Stubb said. "Finland will participate in NATO nuclear planning, but Finland will not become a nuclear power," Stubb told Yle, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's»»»

On June 12, in Bishkek, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who arrived in the country on an official visit. President Sadyr Japarov noted the particular significance of the current visit, which is the first official visit of the Georgian side t»»»

BANGUI: An Iranian woman is among around two dozens migrants set to arrive Friday in the Central African Republic on a deportation flight from the United States, lawyers said, in the latest example of the Trump administration’s widely criticized deals with African and Latin American nations to take»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump has agreed that one possible solution to Iran’s nuclear issue would be the dilution of highly enriched uranium inside Iran under the supervision of UN inspectors, Axios reported on Friday, citing a senior source in Washington. The United States had previ»»»

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»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is not seeking conflict with NATO, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alexus Grinkevich said. "I’ve watched the intelligence very closely... Russia is not looking for a conflict... They do understand the term ‘defensive alliance’, and they do understand that we »»»

Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Toktobaev met with United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan Antje Grawé to discuss key areas of cooperation in climate policy, environmental protection, and sustainable development. The sides noted the a»»»

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»»»

Dubai: For millions of migrant workers who leave home to build careers in the Gulf, one challenge often follows them across borders, social protection. While many countries have introduced programmes ranging from insurance schemes to worker welfare initiatives, these systems do not always connect w»»»

Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries, depots and pipelines. Tanker trucks attacked and left ablaze along the land corridor from Russia to Crimea. Motorists waiting in long lines at gas stations. In a new blow to the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow is winning the 4-year-old war in Ukraine, Kyiv’s f»»»

British Defense Secretary John Healey, pictured leaving 10 Downing Street in London in March, on Thursday resigned from his position after a proposed military budget settlement was half the requested funding, which he said could pose future danger to the United Kingdom. File Photo by David Cliff/EP»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the upcoming memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran with US President Donald Trump, the prime minister's office said. On Thursday, Trump said that final points of the peace agreement between the United States »»»

On June 12, 2016, gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. 1 of 5 | People jam the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Center for the performing arts to hold a candlelight vigil after the shooting at the Pluse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. File Photo by Gary I Ro»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his country's National Day.»»»

An official welcoming ceremony for President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze took place today, June 12, in Bishkek. The solemn event was held in front of Yntymak Ordo building. State flags of both countries were raised at the venue, an honor guard was lin»»»

MOSCOW: Three civilians died in Russian and Ukrainian border regions, officials said on Friday, as the two sides lobbed overnight strikes at each other in the latest exchange of fire in the grinding war. In Russia, two civilians were killed and two wounded in the border region of Bryansk after Kyiv»»»

Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan Marlen Mamataliev met with Chairman of the Mazhilis Yerlan Koshanov during his official visit to Kazakhstan. The press service of the Parliament reported. The sides discussed the development of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations bet»»»

JERUSALEM: Israel’s cabinet on Thursday referred a plan to allocate 1 billion shekels ($339.7 million) for the establishment of new settlements in the occupied West Bank to the security cabinet, deferring a vote on the funds, Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said. The plan was promoted by fa»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have "personal chemistry" and direct diplomats to restore normal intergovernmental relations between Russia and the United States, Russian Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev said. "Yes, it might be true that the process [of restori»»»

British Defense Secretary John Healey, pictured leaving 10 Downing Street in London in March, on Thursday resigned from his position after a proposed military budget settlement was half the requested funding, which he said could pose future danger to the United Kingdom. File Photo by David Cliff/EP»»»

QNA Oslo Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari met with State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, on the sidelines of the annual Oslo Peace Forum in the Norwegian c»»»

Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Thursday conferred with Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management of Syria Raed Al Saleh on the sidelines of the conclusion of the Joint Trilateral Exercise in Urban »»»

He noted that attacks on energy facilities and critical infrastructure pose risks not only to individual countries but also to global economic stability, emphasising that energy security has become a fundamental component of collective security. Al Ghanim reaffirmed that Qatar and other countries i»»»

QNA Oslo Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari participated as a speaker in the first high-level session of the annual Oslo Peace Forum, held in Norway, to discuss mediation efforts in the Middle E»»»

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»»»

Oslo: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari participated as a speaker in the first high-level session of the annual Oslo Forum, held in Norway, to discuss mediation efforts in the Middle East. In his remarks duri»»»

QNADoha His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a telephone conversation on Thursday with US President HE Donald Trump, during which they discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments. The two leaders discussed the clos»»»

Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) Ahmed Darwish said that a Russian industrial zone in Eastern Port Said will be built under a usufruct right for 50 years. “The Suez Canal Economic Zone has come a long way in the negotiations with the Russian developer, whi»»»

KYIV: Ukraine’s military said on Thursday that its ​forces had struck the Afipsky oil refinery in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region as ‌well as ‌sites ​linked ‌to ⁠drone production. A ​statement issued ⁠by the military’s General Staff said a fire had broken out ⁠after the refinery ‌was ‌hit ​overn»»»