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Rumen Radev, pro-Russia ex-pilot who wants to give Bulgaria wings

Former fighter pilot Rumen Radev has vowed to lead Bulgaria out of a chronic political crisis, with his grouping winning Sunday's general election – the eighth in five years. The 62-year-old has presented himself as a defender of the poor of the EU's poorest country as he walks a tightrope on European issues. He has hailed the benefits Bulgaria has reaped from EU membership while calling for dialo...

Peace talks clouded by uncertainty after US seizes Iranian ship

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might collapse after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate. Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region also appeared under threat, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the ​US had hoped to ‌kick off bef...

Eight days of vote counting and still no result in Peru

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, April 20: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's troubles continue after it emerged last week that he sent Peter Mandelson to Washington as ambassador despite him failing to meet Foreign Office security standards. Also, anger mounts in Peru after the first round of the presidential elections saw widespread irregularities, including polling stations that didn't open and ballot...

French prosecutors summon Musk over allegations of child abuse images, deepfakes on X

Elon Musk has been summoned to Paris on Monday, where investigators are looking into allegations of misconduct related to the social media platform X, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content. The world’s richest man and Linda Yaccarino — the former CEO of X — have been summoned for “voluntary interviews," while other employees of the platform are scheduled to be he...

Iran says 'no decision' on whether to attend next round of US talks

Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place. FRANCE 24 Reza Sayah reports from Tehran, Iran.

US Navy seizure of Iranian ship casts doubt on fresh ceasefire talks in Pakistan

The US Navy's forcible seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ships threw doubt on an announcement from President Donald Trump that U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. Trump's announcement Sunday had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday, but Iran has not confirmed it will attend. FRANCE 24's International Affairs E...

Bulgaria Kremlin-friendly ex-president wins parliamentary majority

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev, an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia, took an absolute majority in parliamentary elections that could spell an end to the country's half-decade of political uncertainty, according to near complete vote results on Monday. The European Union's poorest member has experienced eight votes since 2021, when anti-graft rallies brought down the conse...

Bulgaria's former President Radev takes strong lead in election

Progressive ⁠Bulgaria, the ​party of Bulgaria's ​pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev was leading in ​Sunday's ‌parliamentary ⁠election with 44.59% ‌of votes, after 32% of ⁠votes were counted, official results ​showed. Radev, a eurosceptic ‌and former fighter pilot who opposes military ‌support for Ukraine's ​war effort against Moscow, stepped down from the ​presidency in January ​to run ​in t...

UK's Starmer to face grilling from MPs over Mandelson scandal

Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will face lawmakers in parliament on Monday as he bids to quell anger over an unrelenting scandal involving long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the public and many Labour MPs, is struggling to end a controversy that has threatened his grip on power. Fresh calls for him to quit came on Thursday when it ...

China warns joint US, Philippines and Japan drills risk regional trust

Military cooperation between ​countries should not undermine ​mutual understanding and trust among regional countries, the Chinese foreign ministry said ​on ‌Monday, when ⁠asked about the annual joint ‌military exercises hosted by the Philippines ⁠and the United States that will also involve Japanese ​forces. FRANCE 24's Yena Lee reports from Beijing, China.

Strong 7.5 earthquake hits off Japan, tsunami warning issued

A 7.5 magnitide earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday triggering tsunami warnings in the region, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. The tremor was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres away.

Strong 7.4 earthquake hits off Japan, tsunami warning issued

Bulgaria's Kremlin-friendly former president Radev wins parliamentary election

Bulgaria's former president and pro-Russian candidate Rumen Radev on Monday won a parliamentary majority in the country's elections according to near-complete results. Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia – hailed a "victory of hope".

Bulgaria's Kremlin-friendly former president Radev wins parliamentary election

'Unprecedented since 1999': Radev secures absolute majority with reformist and eurosceptic coalition

Following the victory of Rumen Radev in Bulgaria's general election, Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Dr. Petia Gueorguieva, Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the New Bulgarian University in Sofia. According to Dr. Petia Gueorguieva, there are broader implications for Bulgaria’s domestic stability and geopolitical positioning. She argues that this result is a response to polit...

French prosecutors summon Elon Musk over sexualised AI deepfakes on X

French prosecutors on Monday summoned tech billionaire Elon Musk for a voluntary interview over allegations that the AI feature Grok disseminated millions of sexualised deepfakes on his X social media platform. It is unclear whether Musk will attend the interview.

Ligue 1: Title race tightens as Lyon win away at Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain lost (2-1) to Lyon and now see Lens closing in on them at the top of the table. Lyon can still hope to qualify directly for the Champions League.

Pope Leo XIV recalls 'great suffering' at historic slave trade shrine in Angola

Pope Leo XIV visited a historic Angolan shrine once tied to the trans-Atlantic slave trade on Sunday, recalling the “sorrow and great suffering” endured by generations of Africans. His remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of the Catholic Church’s historical role in slavery and colonial-era doctrine.

Middle East war live: Israel talks aim to end 'occupation', says Lebanon's Aoun

Lebanese ​President ​Joseph Aoun said Monday ‌that ⁠bilateral ‌negotiations with ⁠Israel would aim to end Israel's "occupation" of its northern neighbour. Aoun said the Lebanese delegation ​would be led by former ambassador to ​the ​United ​States Simon ​Karam. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Middle East war live: Lebanon names former envoy to US Simon Karam to lead Israel talks

Lebanese ​President ​Joseph Aoun said on ​Monday ‌that ⁠bilateral ‌negotiations with ⁠Israel would be ​handled by ‌a ‌delegation ​led by former ambassador to ​the ​United ​States Simon ​Karam. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said also that there were no plans for a second round of negotiations with the US for now, adding that it has shown it is "not serious" about pursuing the diplomatic proc...

Middle East war live: No plan for a second round of negotiations with the US, says Iran's FM

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday that there were no plans for a second round of negotiations with the US for now, adding that it has shown it is "not serious" about pursuing the diplomatic process, committed "aggressive acts" and violated ceasefire provisions. The statement came after the Israeli army ​warned ​residents in southern Lebanon not to ​move ‌south ⁠of a specified line ‌...

Middle East war live: Israeli army urges south Lebanon residents to avoid restricted areas

⁠The Israeli military ​warned ​residents in southern Lebanon Monday not to ​move ‌south ⁠of a specified line ‌of villages or approach ⁠areas near the Litani River, saying ​its forces remain ‌deployed in the area during ‌a ceasefire due to ​what it described as continued Hezbollah activity. The statement came after Iran vowed retaliation after a US destroyer on Sunday fired on an Iranian-flagged ca...

Middle East war live: Iran vows response after US destroyer fires on cargo ship

Iran vowed retaliation after a US destroyer fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, as it was attempting to evade a US naval blockade. Tehran condemned the incident as “armed piracy” and warned its forces would respond soon. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Bulgaria's pro-Russian former president takes strong lead

Bulgaria’s ex-president Rumen Radev is on course to win a parliamentary election, according to exit polls,  but may fall short of a governing majority. His Progressive Bulgaria coalition leads with, in a vote marked by low turnout and deep political instability, the country’s eighth election in five years. Radev warns another vote would be “a disaster,” as Bulgaria grapples with corruption, fragme...

Ukrainian best-selling author, Andrey Kurkov speaks to France 24

Andrey Kurkov is Ukraine's most prominent living novelist and one of the country's leading public intellectuals. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, he has remained in Kyiv and published three volumes of war diaries (Diary of an Invasion, The Year of the Locust, and Three Years on Fire). Speaking to Jean-Emile Jammine, he describes what it means to be a writer living under the bombs.