The Trump administration’s waiver of environmental laws to speed up border barrier construction in Texas’s Big Bend National Park has sparked an outcry from local residents and authorities. With sheer cliffs towering hundreds of metres above the waters of the Rio Grande, vast desert landscapes, and»»»

Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina promises to be a classic, pitting Europe against South America and rising star Lamine Yamal against Lionel Messi. Spain head into the showdown unbeaten in 37 matches, while Argentina have built a reputation for producing some of the tournament's »»»

Iraq signed 48 agreements and partnerships with American companies, many in the oil sector, during a visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, his office said Saturday. Oil-rich Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, but still suffers from poor infrastructure, failing »»»

Authorities in the Paris region recorded "1,565 more deaths than expected" over a one-week period in June as the country grappled with a protracted heatwave that broke all-time temperature records, France's public health agency said in a report released on Friday, adding that people over 65 account»»»

Kazakhstan and China have signed more than 70 commercial agreements and memoranda worth over $15bn spanning artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, transport, manufacturing, energy and critical minerals. Deals were inked as Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid a working visit to Sha»»»

Sriharikota, India: India's first privately built orbital rocket took its maiden flight on Saturday, its builder said, marking a significant step for the South Asian giant as it eyes a bigger slice of the global space economy. "Hello space, we have arrived!" Skyroot Aerospace said in a post on X. "»»»

New Delhi: India scripted a historic chapter in its space journey on Saturday as Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, the country's first privately developed orbital rocket, under Mission Aagaman, making India only the third nation after the United States and China to h»»»

Nitrogen dioxide pollution occurs throughout the year and exceeds permissible levels, especially along Sofia’s major thoroughfares. The city’s low-emission zone for vehicles, which currently operates for three months, should be made a year-round measure, Ivaylo Hlebarov, a consultant to the Sofia M»»»

Protesters rallied for a second day in the Ukrainian capital on Friday, angered by President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to fire youthful defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen as an innovator who pioneered the country’s successful drone warfare but clashed with the traditional military establis»»»

The United States and Iran escalated their attacks across the Middle East on Friday, trading strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified. The US military struck bridges and collapsed a tower at a key Iranian port, while Tehran targeted »»»

Astronomers have detected an atmosphere on a rocky planet within a potentially habitable zone outside the Solar System for the first time, according to a new report by a Harvard-led team of scientists. The findings stemmed from analyzing data on the super-Earth LHS 1140b, which circles a red dwarf »»»

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, prompting residents to evacuate buildings in neighbouring Guatemala and El Salvador – and triggering an alert from the US Tsunami Warning System. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. A powerful magnitude »»»

Germany will take part in a French nuclear exercise later this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday after key defence talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at an air base near Cologne. Merz said the two countries would also continue to develop ​the ‌cloud solution from ‌the ​FCAS »»»

France's ​main ​gambling sector regulator said ⁠on Friday it had ‌instructed the ‌country's ​internet service providers to ​block access ​to ​the Polymarket ​website, one of a number of online prediction markets that allow people to bet on the outcome of future events. The move aims to enforce»»»

The Grand Mosque of Paris, built in 1926 in the Latin Quarter as a tribute to Muslim soldiers who died for France during World War I, marks its 100th anniversary this year. French historian Benjamin Stora traces its little-known role as a geopolitical bridge – not only between France and Alger»»»

The UK will be getting a new prime minister on July 20. And many challenges await Andy Burnham. He will be faced with a tepid economy, high government borrowing costs, and irregular migrants arriving in small boats that have fuelled support for Reform. In his address to the Labour party, he has vow»»»

Tunis, July 17 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti received on Friday Finland's Ambassador to Tunisia Teemu Sepponen, to mark the end of his mission. On this occasion, the FM commended the long...»»»

Russia’s international reserves edged up to $722.4bn in the week ending 10 July, according to the Central Bank of Russia, extending a recovery after a sharp fall in late June. (chart) The stockpile increased by $700mn, or about 0.1%, from $721.7bn a week earlier. It remains well below this yea»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to appoint former interior minister Ihor Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, completing another stage of a contentious wartime government reshuffle. After making the controversial decision to sack Defence Minister Mykhai»»»

Ukraine’s lawmakers approved chairman of the national gas company Naftogaz’s board, Serhii Koretskyi as the new Ukrainian Prime Minister on July 16 in anticipation of intense winter attacks by Russia. Zelenskiy announced a surprise government reshuffle at the weekend, after asking Ukraine’s Prime M»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Daria Kaleniuk, Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. Ukraine's latest defense leadership shake-up, as interpreted by Kaleniuk, is not as a routine personnel change but rather a struggle over the future direction of wartime governance. H»»»

The Labour party in the UK has a new leader. Andy Burnham is succeeding to outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer, and will be officially confirmed as prime minister on July 20. In his speech to Labour members at a special conference, he vowed to bring hope back to the UK. He is seen as the party's m»»»

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms served in Taco Bell have cause many of the cyclosporiasis illnesses. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA July 17 (UPI) -- Federal officials said they have traced the cyclosporiasis outbreak th»»»

Andy Burnham was on Friday elected leader of the Labour party clearing the way for him to become the UK Prime Minister next week following the departure of Keir Starmer. Burnham has risen to leadership on a pledge to thwart the rise ‌of the populist Reform UK and said he would "give hope back"»»»

Andy Burnham vowed on July 17 to "give hope" back to the British people as he was confirmed as the ruling Labour party's new leader, set to be the next UK prime minister. 'The King of the North' was elected in a snap election by a landslide in Makerfield, a constituency near Manchester. He will bec»»»

Three months ahead of the US midterms, US President Donald Trump gave a half-hour speech laden with unproven claims regarding election fraud, regarding the security of elections in the country and repeating misinformation regarding fraud back in 2020. He also attacked US broadcasters that refused t»»»

Russia continues to recruit Africans to fight on the front in Ukraine. The Stop Russian Recruiters platform, which is linked to Urkaine's Ministry of Defence, has now identified nearly 3,000 recruits. Around one in six has already been killed. Among the countries most affected are Cameroon, Ghana, »»»

This week in Reporters: a special report by FRANCE 24's The Observers. After a leak of confidential documents revealed how Russian agents have been planting hundreds of articles in French-speaking media outlets in West and Central Africa, FRANCE 24 travelled to Dakar, Senegal, to investigate this s»»»

Rare protests erupted in Ukraine on Thursday over the dismissal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov as a dispute between the reformer and Kyiv's top general spilled into the open during the president's second overhaul of his wartime cabinet in a year. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.»»»

Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov was just six months in the role before his ambitious drive to reform the military led to unreconciliable clashes with the country's top general He increasingly battled with a top command he cast as out of date, not flexible and bogged down with bur»»»

Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova rejected claims that Bulgaria had undertaken any commitment to join the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” or any other international format related to support for Ukraine. Speaking to journalists in parliament, she said that no Bulgarian representative had sign»»»

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the two-decade-long campaign to restrict weapons solely to state authorities and bolster national sovereignty has yielded significant milestones. In an interview published Friday in the Saudi daily Okaz, Geagea lauded the Lebanese Cabinet, arguing that its p»»»

President Iliana Iotova said on Friday she was reassured of the readiness of the Bulgarian Navy after observing the national naval exercise "Breeze 2026" aboard the frigate Drazki. "I am extremely pleased with what I have seen so far. I feel reassured about the sovereignty of our maritime border an»»»

In 2024 Bulgaria ranked fourth in the EU in the ratio of professional judges per 100,000 people: 35.4, behind Croatia (43.3), Slovenia (40.2) and Luxembourg (36.0) and ahead of Romania (35.3), according to figures released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the EU, on Friday. On the lowest end,»»»

Burjeel Medical City (BMC), the flagship facility of Burjeel Holdings, has entered into a clinical and academic collaboration with New York-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, a US National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, to establish a specialized thoracic surg»»»

K-pop exports reached a record high in the first half of 2026, South Korean government data showed Friday, In this March 21 photo, a billboard advertising the Netflix livestream of a BTS concert is seen in Seoul. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo South Korea's exports of K-pop albums»»»

There are no contradictions in Bulgaria's position on Ukraine, President Iliana Iotova told reporters on Friday, commenting on allegations of inconsistencies in the Bulgarian government's actions on the issue. Iotova stressed that documents such as the Kyiv Declaration are not subject to discussion»»»

US President Donald Trump declassified intelligence he said showed Chinese interference in US elections, reviving claims about election security despite intelligence findings that Beijing did not alter the 2020 vote he lost. The move reinforces Trump's push to make election integrity a central issu»»»

US President Donald Trump on Thursday revived sweeping and unsupported claims of voter fraud and Chinese meddling, firing a clear warning shot ahead of midterm elections that many expect him to dispute. What should be remembered from this speech? FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar looks at what was said, b»»»

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev warned that the continued escalation of the war in Ukraine could lead to an even more dangerous phase of the conflict, including a possible tactical nuclear strike. Speaking to journalists after parliamentary oversight, he said that he does not see a clear winne»»»

Bulgaria’s aging housing stock remains one of the main factors behind the country’s high vulnerability to energy poverty. While across Europe newer and renovated buildings are helping reduce the number of households struggling to heat their homes or pay energy bills, many Bulgarian households conti»»»

Air quality levels in Chicago, Detroitt and New York reached dangerously high levels on Tuesday as the US cities were shrouded in smoke produced by wildfires raging through swathes of Canadian forestland. More than 130 fires are still active in northwestern Ontario province, with at least 60 o»»»

It was just before sunrise when the last columns of Israeli tanks crossed from Lebanon back into Israel and then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who ordered the withdrawal, said the homecoming of Israeli troops sent "shivers down his spine." That was May 24, 2000, the day Israel ended its 18-year occupa»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev dismissed claims of conflicting government positions on Ukraine, insisting that Bulgaria's policy remains consistent and that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova did not commit the country to any new obligations during her visit to Kyiv. Speaking to reporters in parliament»»»

On Thursday, the Danube reached the lowest historic debt in the last 30 years – 1750 cu.m/second, having a dropping tendency for the last 4-5 days, reaching 1,700 cu.m/s, according to the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA). The present debit of the Danube at Bazias can be »»»

The government approved, in its Thursday meeting, a Decision declaring the UEFA Europe League football competition of public interest and national importance, as well as Romania's candidacy, the preparation of the organization of the UEFA Europe League Final in Bucharest, in 2028 or 2029. By organi»»»

Romania has demonstrated that it can correct its imbalances even in a severe international context, but political instability directly affects confidence and risk perception in the country, warns interim Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare.He stated on Thursday, after a meeting with representatives o»»»

Participants in the Breeze 2026 national naval exercise with international participation will demonstrate their capabilities during a Distinguished Visitors and Media Day in Burgas, the Defence Ministry said on Friday. The demonstrations will begin in the morning and continue until 1:30 p.m. Presid»»»

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday artificial intelligence should not be dominated by any single country, calling for greater international cooperation on AI development and governance at a major conference in Shanghai. His remarks come as Chinese AI firms challenge US rivals and concerns »»»

President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday finalized rules imposing stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists may stay in the United States, tightening legal immigration. Student visas would be capped at four years, while journalists would be limited to 240-day stays. Ch»»»