International

The UK, France, Germany, and Italy have welcomed the peace agreement reached between the United States and Iran.In a joint statement reported by the BBC on Monday, the leaders of the four countries affirmed their commitment to working intensively with the United States, Iran, and regional partners to seize this moment, maintain momentum, and achieve a long-term diplomatic settlement. They expressed their readiness to lift sanctions imposed on Iran in response to clear and verifiable steps by Iran regarding its nuclear program."Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon," the statement emphasized, adding that the four countries are ready to work with the US, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure that goal is achieved.US President Donald Trump had previously announced the peace agreement with Iran.In this context, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that the agreement will be signed during an official ceremony next Friday in Switzerland. He added that, under the agreement, mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week, noting that these discussions will pave the way for technical talks and the official signing ceremony.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the agreement reached today between the United States and Iran, stressing that it represents a very important step towards ending the war, ensuring regional stability, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.In a statement issued on Monday, Starmer praised the efforts of international mediators, foremost among them Pakistan and Qatar, as well as other parties who contributed to pushing the negotiations in this direction.The British Prime Minister stressed the need to focus on the full implementation of the memorandum of understanding to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and its continued full and permanent opening, as well as finalizing the details of the nuclear agreement."We stand ready to support the technical talks that will now begin. Our priority is that this becomes a durable and lasting peace, and we will work with international partners to support that," Starmer added.The statement continued, "we are clear that toll-free freedom of navigation must now be restored in the Strait of Hormuz, to begin easing the severe economic impacts that have been felt for several months - on families here in the UK and around the world."He noted that Britain would continue to work with its partners to support this objective, "including, if required. through standing up the defensive, independent multilateral mission which the UK and France have taken a leading role in planning up to this point, particularly to offer support on mine clearance in an agreed way.""For any peace to endure, it is essential that the commitments made, particularly in relation to Iran’s nuclear program, are robust, verifiable and fully implemented. It remains the UK’s firm and longstanding position that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon," Starmer added.

Allies from the G7 group of leading powers will Monday seek common ground with US President Donald Trump at a summit in France after Washington and Iran agreed a deal to end the Middle East war.With Trump arriving in the Lake Geneva resort of Evian-les-Bains in France flush from celebrating his 80th birthday the day earlier, allies will want details on the agreement and the planned reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to shipping.But Iran will be far from the only explosive issue at the three-day meeting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky due to attend from Tuesday, after Ukraine blamed Russia for a barrage that killed at least 11 people across the country and sparked a fire at a landmark Kyiv cathedral.Host President Emmanuel Macron wants to advance a packed agenda of sensitive topics ranging from limiting global economic imbalances to increasing control in the digital sphere, notably AI.Macron faces a delicate balancing act in hosting the often unpredictable US leader, who hours before attended an MMA cage fight night on the White House lawn in honour of his birthday.The New York Post reported on Monday that Trump threatened to slap a 100% tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes its digital services tax imposed in 2019 on tech firms.Macron said in a post on Instagram overnight that the summit will examine the "consequences" of the Iran accord — which is due to be signed in neighbouring Switzerland on Friday — in terms of the implications for Lebanon, the lasting reopening of Hormuz and Iran's ballistic activities.He later added in a post on X that a UK-France mission to aid the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz had its assets in place and was "ready to be deployed".European leaders are impatient to see the Strait reopened after the limiting of shipping traffic during the war caused a spike in global energy prices.Adding to the uncertainty, Iran's Fars news agency said Tehran had added a clause to the framework deal on imposing maritime service fees for transiting the Strait.Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the emir of Qatar and president of the United Arab Emirates will present for a special session on Iran Tuesday.A parade of world leaders will take place over the next three days, with France keen to expand the reach of the G7 beyond its membership of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, sporting a wide-brimmed hat, was among the first guests to arrive and was to be joined by other non-G7 leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Beyond politics, Sam Altman, the head of artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, Anthropic chief Dario Amodei and Arthur Mensch of their European rival Mistral AI will attend a lunch on Wednesday on protecting minors in the digital sphere."The aim is to have new agreements, convergences between the G7 countries and its partners... to find common solutions, reduce tensions in the world and improve the state of our economies," said Macron in his Instagram video.A vast security lockdown is in place, mobilising thousands of police and troops, an operation that extends to neighbouring Switzerland on the other side of the lake where protesters clashed with police on Sunday.The European leaders and Canada will also be keen to remind Trump of the importance of pushing Russia to accept a peace on Ukraine's terms, more than four years after the invasion of its neighbour.Zelensky on Monday urged a "decisive and substantive" response from the G7 leaders after the latest wave of Russian strikes.Trump's G7 stay will begin with talks with Macron on Monday from 1500 GMT, followed by a working dinner with all the participants.Unusually, he is to extend his stay in France by dining with Macron at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris on Wednesday after the G7 finishes.China, as so often at G7 meetings, will be conspicuous by its absence. But leaders will discuss issues including Beijing's dominance and control in the market for rare earth minerals used in everyday electronic appliances.

Hungarian lawmakers Monday voted overwhelmingly to limit prime ministers' terms in office to a maximum of eight years, a constitutional change that blocks nationalist Viktor Orban's return.The amendment was a key campaign promise of pro-EU conservative Peter Magyar, who in April elections ousted Orban from office, promising sweeping reforms as part of a "regime change".Magyar argued the possibility of limitless tenure can lead to power concentration, pointing to his predecessor as an example, whom critics accused of constantly tweaking Hungary's political system to keep a tight grip on power.Orban's party opposed term limits, arguing that it could possibly restrict popular will.The amendment passed parliament with 135 votes for, 50 against, and six abstentions. Under Hungarian law, such a measure can be passed by a two-thirds supermajority without needing a referendum.Some countries around the globe impose term-limits on their top leaders, with such restrictions usually placed on presidents.The tenure of Hungary's president, whose role is largely ceremonial, is already limited: he can be reelected only once to a second five-year term.The adopted term limit does not completely rule out Orban's return to power, however, as it could be revoked in the future by another constitutional change.This is the 16th time Hungary's Basic Law has been changed since its adoption in 2011.The approved amendment also removed a provision stipulating the need for independent body to "safeguard" the country's "constitutional identity".This was done to prepare the ground for disbanding the Sovereignty Protection Office.The controversial agency, established under the previous government in 2024, was entrusted with broad investigative powers ostensibly to curb "foreign influence".But it mainly targeted Orban's critics, accusing independent media and NGOs like Transparency International of serving foreign interests for its scrutiny of the government.The agency has not released any official reports since Magyar won the election.Hungary's parliament is set to vote on a bill for the agency's dissolution at the end of June.

Crowds packed the streets of Stockholm Saturday to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, cheering as the couple paraded through the capital.The popular royal couple married on June 19, 1976, four years after the car-enthusiast crown prince met Silvia Sommerlath, a German-born commoner working as an interpreter at the 1972 Munich Olympics.Celebrations for the golden jubilee were held on June 13 to avoid coinciding with Sweden's Midsummer's Eve holiday, which falls this year on June 19.The king and queen, aged 80 and 82 respectively, kicked off the day with a morning thanksgiving service, called a Te Deum, in the palace chapel.After a palace lunch, they boarded the royal barge Vasaorden, with the queen dressed in a coral-red suit and a pillbox hat.Under sunny skies, they were rowed across the water before transferring to a horse-drawn carriage for a procession through the capital.Thousands of Swedes gathered along the route, waving and cheering as the couple made their way to a love-themed concert in central Kungstradgarden park.A special jubilee concert was also scheduled at the Royal Opera, before a private dinner at the palace for friends and family.Popular In an interview with newspaper Dagens Nyheter at their royal residence ahead of the jubilee, the couple spoke candidly about their relationship.The queen praised the king's "humour", "sense of duty" and "honesty", while he described her as "unbelievably considerate".Asked what irritates them about each other, the queen joked: "There are so many things!"The king, in turn, teased her habit of shutting herself away in rooms "all the time"."Yes, so no one can find you. We have quite a few rooms out here so there are lots of possibilities," he said.Reflecting more seriously, the king said successful relationships for couples just starting out take work."You have to be prepared that it may not be as rosy as you imagined. You have to be humble and accept that there may be uphill struggles."Sweden has marked several royal milestones recently, including an 80th birthday bash for the king in April and his 50th anniversary on the throne in September 2023.A keen hunter and sportsman, the king is the longest-reigning Swedish monarch and also the European monarch with the longest reign, 52 years.The royal couple have three children: Crown Princess Victoria, 48, Prince Carl Philip, 47, and Princess Madeleine, 44.Despite occasional scandals, the king remains broadly popular.A recent poll by the Novus institute found that 69% of Swedes believe he represents the country well.

Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party re-elected former prime minister Viktor Orban as its leader Saturday ‌for another year despite the ​party's loss of power ‌in an April 12 election ‌to the ⁠centre-right ‌Tisza party.Nationalist Orban, 62, ‌provided inspiration for right-wing conservatives across Europe and ⁠the United States as the mastermind of what he called an "illiberal" model of democracy.Orban's political future came into question after Fidesz's defeat and he had faced pressure from some erstwhile loyalists to bow ​out of politics, the first such open criticism since he swept to power in 2010.Some ‌729 delegates out ⁠of 737 ​voted to re-elect Orban at Fidesz's party ​congress, state news agency MTI reported. There were no challengers running against him."I do not give up, I never, never, never, never, never give up," Orban told the congress in a speech before the vote, reiterating that he took full responsibility for ‌the party's election defeat.Orban ‌said Fidesz had ⁠been a "fantastic governing party" for 16 years ⁠but needed ⁠to undergo changes to become a functional opposition party that could become ready to govern again.In the April election Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party won a two-thirds ​parliamentary majority, enough to reverse Orban's constitutional changes.Fidesz has lost support since the election, according to opinion polls. A May survey by the Publicus Institute showed Tisza with 55% support, up from the 53% it secured in the election, while backing for Fidesz ‌fell ​to 17%, down from 39%.

Some 200 protesters Saturday tore down metal and razor wire fences surrounding a luxury ‌development site on Albania's Adriatic coast, ​in another sign ‌of growing anger against construction in ‌environmentally sensitive ⁠areas.Albanians ‌have been protesting for ‌weeks against a planned luxury resort backed ⁠by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, near Vlora, which is famed for its flamingos and a turtle nesting site.Saturday, villagers from Rrjoll, located ​in an area of sandy beaches and pine forests in northwestern Albania, protested against another project, saying ‌it was being ⁠built on their ​confiscated land.They waved Albanian national ​flags and shouted "Revolution" as they tore down the fences. Some scuffles with police broke out but the police did not stop them from removing the fencing."The protests will not stop until the residents of the village of Rrjoll are compensated. We are 200 ‌families whose land has been ‌seized," said ⁠Zeke Nikolle Shullani, 56, one of the landowners ⁠who ⁠have been protesting for several months.An Albanian company has been developing a five-star luxury tourist resort on the site and the project was granted "special status investor" by the Albanian ​government."What is happening in this country is madness," said Nikolin Markpalaj, 60, another local landowner. "We asked the investors to come and consult with the people but they refused. They think they can take all this wealth without blood or anything else that ‌might happen ​here?"

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Republic of Korea ‌President Lee Jae-myung yesterday pledged to deepen ‌bilateral ⁠ties, ‌signing memorandums ‌spanning technology and development co-operation.The leaders discussed closer cooperation in semiconductors and high-tech sectors including artificial intelligence, space, automotive and energy.MoUs also ​covered small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperation in the ‌social economy.The ⁠countries ​signed a strategic action ​plan that included an aspiration to reform the UN Security Council to make it more representative and effective.The leaders also discussed international ‌issues, reaffirming their commitment ‌to ⁠Indo-Pacific stability and efforts to ⁠reopen ⁠the Strait of Hormuz.Meloni and Lee are due to meet business leaders later yesterday, ​including Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y Lee, Fincantieri Chairman Biagio Mazzotta and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.

Burnt-out cars and smashed windows littered Belfast streets Wednesday as a Sudanese man appeared in court over a brutal knife attack that triggered "terrifying" violence against immigrants in Northern Ireland.Authorities accused far-right activists — including US tech billionaire Elon Musk — of stoking divisions as rioters in Belfast torched vehicles and buildings late Tuesday, forcing families to flee their homes.The disorder comes with tensions already high in the United Kingdom following skirmishes in southern England last week over the police handling of the murder of a white student by a British Sikh man.Anselme Shima, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and who has lived in Northern Ireland since 2013, called the situation "terrifying"."I have two children at home and this morning I am wondering, 'Can I send them to school?'" the 48-year-old told AFP Wednesday.Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher told BBC radio: "Last night we rescued so many families.""Taking families — a baby as young as two months — out of their address to safety, taking them to police stations."Thirty-year-old Hadi Alodid, a refugee originally from Sudan, made a brief appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with the attempted murder of a man in his 40s on Monday.The hearing heard that the victim lost an eye during the attack.Alodid, also charged with possession of a bladed article in public and threats to kill, was denied bail by a judge, who adjourned the case to July 8.Footage of the attack — which showed several people intervening, one wielding a hurling stick — sparked widespread condemnation.It went viral on social media, with appeals for calm from police and lawmakers going unheeded in some areas of Northern Ireland. Calls for more protests from 1:00pm (1200 GMT) were already circulating Wednesday.'Bad faith actors'Hundreds of protesters, many masked, gathered at several locations across Belfast, AFP journalists witnessed. A bus and several cars were set alight, while a building caught fire and its residents had to be evacuated.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that the violence was "shocking and completely unacceptable", adding that "people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it".Northern Irish political leaders and the police had urged people not to share the video, noting its "graphic nature would only serve to retraumatise those involved".But numerous social media accounts linked to so-called "patriots" shared the footage, urging people to "protest against mass immigration into their communities".The chairwoman of Britain's ruling Labour party, Anna Turley, said online platforms were "playing a role in driving" the unrest and suggested X owner Musk was one of the "bad faith actors" inflaming tensions.Musk had retweeted a post by anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — also known as Tommy Robinson — adding: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!".He also retweeted a post by Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, a fringe hard-right party, saying "millions must go".Musk "has a responsibility, everyone in public and civil life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to stoke grievance or hatred... that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk," Turley said.'Boom' Alodid is a Sudanese refugee with a residence permit valid until 2028, according to the UK interior ministry.Boutcher said he had arrived in the UK in 2023 via Paris and Dublin and "was not known" to police.Wednesday morning, resident Jamie Corry surveyed the wreckage of his house which went up in flames during the disorder."As soon as that car exploded, boom, it all caught fire," he told AFP."All that stuff is going to be replaced, but the sentimental stuff can't."Immigration is a hot-button issue in Britain, and has helped fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.The country frequently sees anti-immigration protests. Demonstrators clashed with police in Southampton on June 2 amid outrage over the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in December.He was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after his murderer Vickrum Digwa falsely accused Nowak of racially abusing him.

France and Germany have agreed to abandon a joint fighter jet programme due to disagreements between the companies involved, Berlin said Monday in a blow to European efforts to boost defence co-operation.The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme was launched in 2017 to replace France’s Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain. The project was seen as a key test of European efforts to work more closely on defence as they seek to present a united front in the face of a hostile Russia at a time of souring ties with the US.But the multi-billion-dollar programme was beset by disagreements between the firms involved — France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain. A German government official told AFP that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had “reached the shared assessment that the companies will not be able to come together on building a joint combat aircraft. “They acknowledge this reality.”The official however said other parts of the wide-ranging project will continue. “The actual core of FCAS is to be continued as a European system,” the official said, describing it as a “nervous system that networks aircraft, drones and other components into an integrated whole”.The French and German defence ministries are set to draw up a plan for defence co-operation “focused on a few realistic and relevant projects” at a forthcoming meeting, the official added. The news comes despite calls for Europe to integrate its fragmented militaries more closely as geopolitical turmoil worsens.Russia’s war against Ukraine is in its fifth year, while European countries are increasingly worried about US security commitments to the continent under President Donald Trump. There had been last-ditch efforts to salvage FCAS. In March two mediators — one from France and one from Germany — were tasked with coming up with proposals to rescue the initiative.But they were unable to do so, while the head of Dassault Aviation continued to insist that the firm could go it alone on the project and was not in favour of it being “co-managed”. The project’s demise comes despite both Merz and Macron insisting publicly they were determined for it to succeed. The German leader had said earlier this year that he would “do everything in my power, and fight until the very last moment, to get joint European projects off the ground here, and above all German-French projects”.Macron — speaking in April after talks with Merz — had denied then the project was dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy arrived in Britain yesterday for defence talks with leaders of the UK, France and Germany after new Russian strikes killed five people and hit a nuclear site in Ukraine. Zelensky said in an online post he was in London and would meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Kyiv is asking its Western allies for more ammunition deliveries for its anti-air defences as Ukraine endures daily Russian strikes. Zelensky is also seeking ways for the allies to further pressure Russia to end the fighting. Yesterday, Russia fired waves of drones and other munitions at Ukraine, with one of the attacks damaging a nuclear storage facility in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukrainian officials said.Radiation levels at the facility remained within normal limits following the attack, although its fuel reception building was “partially destroyed”, according to Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator, Energoatom. **media[455225]** Moscow and Kyiv have intensified drone strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war — now in its fifth year — remain stalled and sidetracked by the conflict in the Middle East.Russian leader Vladimir Putin has rejected direct peace talks proposed by his Ukrainian counterpart. Zelensky, in an earlier online post, said Russia had used an Iranian-designed Shahed drone to “hit one of the buildings of the Centralised Spent Fuel Storage Facility” in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.“As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts,” he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was dispatching a team to inspect the damage, calling the incident “deeply concerning”. The facility is located in a remote area of forest around a dozen kilometres (seven miles) from the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and is designed to house spent fuel from Ukraine’s three active nuclear plants. Both sides accused each other of renewed attacks on civilians yesterday. A Russian bombardment of a public transport stop in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region left at least two people dead, while a nearby drone strike killed a 56-year-old minibus driver, authorities said. Separate Russian attacks on the central Dnipropetrovsk region killed two men, governor Oleksandr Ganzha posted on Telegram.In Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike on a car in the Belgorod border region killed a woman and injured her husband, local authorities said. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Russia now occupies around a fifth of its neighbour: the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, most of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk — collectively referred to as the Donbas — and large parts of the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a ban on "harmful" online platforms for children under 16 while maintaining ‌access to some safer forms of social ​media, the Times ‌newspaper reported Monday.Starmer, who is due ‌to ⁠make a ‌speech later Monday, ‌is said to have decided to proceed with restrictions ⁠after speaking to bereaved parents and considering evidence from Australia, which brought in a ban for under-16s last December.Asked about the report, a source at Downing Street said: "The prime minister is not afraid about taking on the tech companies ​and their bosses to protect young people."A source close to the matter said a formal ban was ‌unlikely to come this week.Worries over the impact of social media on mental health and online safety prompted Britain to hold a consultation on children's access to social media earlier this year, with curfews, time limits and curbs on addictive design features, all under consideration.France, ‌Denmark and Poland ‌are also considering ⁠tightening rules around social media use for children, while ⁠Greece in April ⁠announced it would ban access to those under the age of 15 from January 2027.Starmer is expected to focus on how the government can ensure technology brings positive change when he speaks later Monday, ​according to a statement released by his office on Sunday.Britain's online safety law already requires social media companies to take measures to protect children from illegal and harmful online content.Experts are divided on how effective a total ban would be, while a group of young people in London recently told Reuters they ‌were opposed ​to restrictions.

Russian strikes along the Ukraine war front line Monday killed four civilians, including a 71-year-old man riding a bicycle, and wounded over 30, authorities said.Two women were killed and four children aged between five and 12 were among 18 wounded in an attack on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.Fedorov showed on his social media account pictures of bodies under covers and a smashed up building in the centre of the city, which is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Russian lines.In the northeast region of Sumy, governor Oleg Grigorov reported a Russian attack with mortars and drones on the Seredyna-Buda district."As a result of the enemy attack, a 71-year-old local resident who was riding a bicycle was killed," he said.Another Russian attack targeted an apartment block, a bank and a store in Nikopol, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the local military administration Oleksandr Ganzha said."One person has been killed and four wounded," he announced.At least seven people were wounded in strikes at Sloviansk in the Donetsk region and three more in the Odesa region, local authorities said.Daily Russian attacks that claim civilian lives have intensified in recent months, and Ukraine has hit back with its own drone strikes further into Russian territory, saying these are mainly against military and energy facilities.According to a UN estimate published in April, at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in Ukrainian zones since Russia's invasion was launched in February 2022.Over 2,800 civilians have died in Russian-controlled zones, according to the UN toll, which added that more than 44,800 have been wounded in Ukrainian and Russia-occupied zones.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party won parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results Monday that signalled a victory endorsing the nation's pro-Western shift after threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference.Pashinyan's push to move Armenia out of the orbit of its former imperial ruler has angered the Kremlin — which claimed the West swayed the result and authorities had pressured the opposition.Pashinyan claimed a "historic victory" in the election that came after years of turmoil since he was swept to power in a 2018 street revolution.The small Caucasus country is still haunted by Azerbaijan's 2023 military takeover of the Karabakh region, which ended decades of territorial conflict and prompted the exodus of the enclave's 100,000-strong ethnic Armenian population.Pashinyan framed the vote as a choice between lasting peace with Azerbaijan and a return to war.His ruling Civil Contract party secured 49.8 % of the vote, comfortably ahead of the 23.3 % of Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia alliance, the Central Election Commission said. The turnout was 59 %.In Yerevan, voters greeted Pashinyan's victory with a mix of relief, hope and unease — some seeing it as a mandate for peace, others warning that Armenia's future remained uncertain."I am very glad that our people trusted Pashinyan again. What did some people think, that the people would go and elect those corrupt Russian puppets?" 58-year-old welder Aram Mnatsakanyan told AFP.Sargis Harutyunyan, 81, said he feared post-election unrest, warning that opposition street protests "would not be the right thing in this geopolitical situation".European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Pashinyan on his win, telling him: "Armenia can count on us.""The spirit of the Velvet Revolution you led in 2018 is alive and well," she said on social media.French President Emmanuel Macron said the result would boost "momentum toward closer ties with Europe".Pashinyan has drifted from Moscow since 2023, with Armenia criticising Russia not coming to its aid when Azerbaijan recaptured Karabakh.He froze participation in a Russia-led security bloc, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Washington, and set Armenia on a path toward possible EU membership.Moscow has in recent weeks escalated its rhetoric.In a pointed warning, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in May: "We all see what is happening with Ukraine now... How did it all begin? With Ukraine's attempt to join the EU."In the weeks before the vote, Russia banned the import of several Armenian products.The Kremlin was widely accused of online misinformation, hacking and pumping out Kremlin-friendly narratives portraying Western cooperation as dangerous.The Russian foreign ministry blasted the vote, alleging it was marked by "Western interference" and "unprecedented pressure" on the opposition.It said the results showed Armenian society was divided and that Pashinyan's support was declining.International monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said "elections offered voters a genuine choice among political alternatives in a well-run process"."Direct pressure from abroad, in the form of escalating (Russian) trade restrictions and security threats were observed during the campaign, aimed at unduly influencing voters in favour of the opposition," they said in a statement."The concentration of arrests and criminal prosecutions against opposition figures contributed to perceptions of selective justice," they added.Armenia's Investigative Committee said it had opened 59 criminal cases over alleged electoral violations — including people casting multiple ballots — and detained nine people.Pashinyan's opponent Karapetyan — under house arrest on charges he alleges are politically motivated — called the elections "shameful", denouncing alleged violations and saying dozens of his campaign staff had been arrested.Critics accuse Pashinyan of using the courts, police and administrative resources to pressure opponents.Analyst Armen Badalyan said the result means Pashinyan's party "won enough seats in the new parliament to form the country's next cabinet"."But it fell short of the supermajority needed to pass constitutional amendments" demanded by Azerbaijan as a condition for a final peace treaty.Pashinyan hailed a "historic victory" and pledged to follow a balanced foreign policy, saying Armenia would "continue the course of rapprochement with the West" while also deepening Russia ties."I hope this will draw a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan," he said."We need to institutionalise peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office yesterday denounced “people trying to interfere in our democracy” after US Vice-President JD Vance condemned Britain’s handling of the murder of a white student, Henry Nowak, by a Sikh man. The Downing Street statement followed comments by Vance on X linking the young student’s murder to what he said was civilisational decline caused by mass migration.“In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement. “The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes. “Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country,” it added. Starmer on Thursday accused South African tech tycoon Elon Musk of “trying to whip up division” over the case, which has sparked public outrage. Eighteen-year-old Nowak, a first year finance and accounting university student, was put in handcuffs by police as he lay mortally wounded after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, in the southern city of Southampton in December. Digwa lied and told police he was the victim as Nowak had racially insulted him.Far-right figures have claimed the murder is evidence that police forces in Britain treat white people and ethnic minorities differently -- an allegation Starmer’s Labour government and police chiefs vehemently deny. Black people in England and Wales are more than twice as likely to be arrested as white people, according to government statistics. Musk, the billionaire owner of X, has posted numerous times on the platform about the police response to the stabbing. In one, he asked whether people knew that “official police policy requires them to be racist against Whites?” Musk has offered to fund a private prosecution against the police over its handling of the murder and insulted the Hampshire Police force.

Last month's drone attack on the UAE's Barakah nuclear plant was a "serious compromise of nuclear safety, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday, adding any such attack "is unacceptable, a no-go, taboo." The May 17 attack hit an electricity facility at the plant, risking potentially shutting it down, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned that "attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes are unacceptable". "The strike caused a fire in an electrical generator located outside the inner site perimeter of the NPP (nuclear power plant), prompting the need for emergency generators to provide power," Grossi told an IAEA board meeting in Vienna. The meeting was held at the request of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. During a visit to the plant last Tuesday Grossi said the attack could have interrupted the external power supply. On Friday he hailed the "professionalism and alertness" of the IAEA-trained on-duty team at the site who he said were able to "respond promptly and effectively to the unthinkable: a direct impact caused by a drone with an explosive payload." He said the IAEA would closely support the plant to ensure its safety, having during his visit said that the plant had been the victim of a "very carefully targeted operation" by attackers seeking to cause a major incident. In any case, "the incident was a serious compromise of nuclear safety and undermined several of the IAEA's seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict," Grossi said.

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who suffers from an incurable lung disease, has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant, ushering in a period of great uncertainty regarding her health.Mette-Marit, 52, was diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis that causes breathing difficulties, which has repeatedly forced her to take sick leave or scale back her official duties.Her condition has deteriorated significantly over the past six months, Are Holm, a lung specialist at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, told a press conference yesterday afternoon."We can see that there has been a significant increase in scar tissue in her lungs over the past year. And lung function tests show that her lung function has declined considerably in the last three months alone," Holm told reporters.Scarring of the lungs, known as pulmonary fibrosis, occurs when the alveoli (tiny air sacs) and the tissue between them become damaged and thickened, stiffening the lung and thereby hindering the passage of oxygen into the blood."This is dangerous," Holm said.This is why she was "being placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant", he added.To be placed on the list, one must be sick enough — it is reserved for patients who are believed to have only about a year to live without a transplant — but still in sufficiently good condition to handle such a major procedure and recover.— No guarantee —For an operation to go ahead, a compatible donor must first be found, meaning a lung of the right size and blood type to avoid organ rejection, and the patient must be the sickest one on the list.There is therefore no guarantee that Mette-Marit will be given priority, the doctor noted, but added that the waiting time for a lung transplant had become significantly shorter in recent months.While awaiting the operation, the crown princess will not be able to carry out her official duties, the palace said in a statement, adding that her ailing health would also affect the duties and activities of the crown prince and the rest of her family.The palace announced already in December that the crown princess might need a lung transplant.The couple's silver wedding anniversary celebration, which was to take place in August 2026, will be postponed, and the couple will not be able to attend the Swedish royal couple's golden wedding anniversary in Stockholm on June 13, the palace said.The princess's husband, Crown Prince Haakon, recently cut short a trip to Japan to be with his wife.Their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, also decided to interrupt her social sciences studies at the University of Sydney to join her mother in Norway and plans to continue her studies in Oslo throughout the autumn.The crown princess has recently appeared in public with a breathing tube connected to an oxygen device carried by a palace employee.

UK leader Keir Starmer accused US tech tycoon Elon Musk yesterday of "trying to whip up division" in Britain following anger over the police handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man.The case of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was put in handcuffs by police as he lay mortally wounded after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, in the southern city of Southampton in December, has become highly politicised in the UK.Digwa lied and told police he was the victim as Nowak had racially insulted him.Far-right figures have claimed the murder is evidence that police forces in Britain treat white people and ethnic minorities differently — an allegation Starmer's Labour government and police chiefs vehemently deny.Musk, the billionaire owner of X, has posted numerous times on the platform about the police response to the stabbing.In one, he asked whether people knew that "official police policy requires them to be racist against Whites?"Musk has offered to fund a private prosecution against the police over its handling of the murder, and insulted the Hampshire Police force."We need to also assert who we are as a country, because Musk, again, has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division. That is not who we are in Britain," Starmer told reporters."In Britain, we are reasonable, tolerant people," he added ahead of a meeting with Nowak's family at his official Downing Street residence."When we have a terrible case like Henry's case... we react calmly, as his family have done," the prime minister said, referring to pleas from Nowak's father that his son's murder should not be used "to create further division, hatred or tension".Digwa was jailed for at least 21 years on Monday for stabbing Nowak to death using a ceremonial knife with a 21-centimetre (eight-inch) blade following an altercation about a mobile phone.Starmer has said there was "no justification" for violence at a Southampton protest on Tuesday night attended by far-right agitators, which saw demonstrators throw bricks, flares and chairs at police officers.A 44-year-old man on Thursday pleaded guilty to violent disorder and carrying an offensive weapon. Another person has been charged with assault.— 'Lies and misinformation' —The prime minister said it was "unforgivable" that hard-right firebrand Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party leads opinion polls, had called for people to respond to the murder with "pure cold rage".Farage, who has been accused of stoking racial tensions with his remarks, has defended his comments.Starmer has called bodycam footage of Nowak's death, during which the victim can repeatedly be heard telling officers he could not breathe, as "harrowing".He said "there are serious questions that need to be answered" about the police response.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog is investigating and is expected to report back within the next three months.An inquest into whether police contributed to Nowak's death will open in front of a jury in September 2027, officials announced yesterday.Musk has long been an outspoken critic of Starmer, who served as a chief state prosecutor before entering politics.The pair clashed last year over a decades-long "grooming gangs" sexual abuse scandal.In that case the prime minister accused the world's richest man of "spreading lies and misinformation".

British police faced a national backlash ‌yesterday over the inflammatory case of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed ​as he lay dying from ‌stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack.Henry Nowak died ‌after the knife attack ⁠in the southern England ‌city of Southampton in December last year.His ‌murderer Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, ⁠having lied to police at the time that Nowak had assaulted him. In police bodycam footage, Nowak is seen lying on the street saying "I've been stabbed" and "I can't breathe" while an officer responds "I don't think you have mate".Nigel Farage, whose anti-immigration Reform party leads opinion polls, said it was an example of the rights of ethnic minorities trumping those of white British people."The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder," ​he said in a statement."We should respond to this with pure cold rage."Judge William Mousley acknowledged in court on Monday that the case had stirred racial tension across Britain.A protest was expected ‌in Southampton yesterday evening, with anti-immigrant ⁠activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — ​known as Tommy Robinson — rallying supporters to attend.Others have been advertised for this ​week.Digwa stabbed Nowak with a knife he said he was permitted to carry due to exemptions for Sikhs to have ceremonial daggers.When the police arrived, Digwa said his turban had been knocked off and he had an injury to his eye.Nick Thomas-Symonds, Cabinet Office minister, told BBC Radio that "the conduct of the police when you look at it at the scene is shocking".'INHUMANE AND DEGRADING' TREATMENTNowak's family called his treatment by police "inhumane and degrading" but in a statement outside court, his father said his death should not be "used to create further division, hatred or tension."That was echoed by Britain's interior minister, ‌Shabana Mahmood, who told parliament yesterday ‌that everyone was equal before the law ⁠and urged calm during an investigation.Mahmood acknowledged that the footage released was "disturbing and tragic" ⁠but said the case had brought unacceptable ⁠threats against police officers and that inflammatory commentary was making a dreadful situation worse."We must condemn those who seek personal political profit from tragedy," she said.Mahmood added that for public services, the only consideration they should weigh is the risk a person poses, not race or religion.Referencing previous efforts to tackle racism in policing she said, "Whatever changes are made, it is important that nobody over-corrects or ​course-corrects such that all of us as citizens are no longer equal before the law."Reform leader Farage sought to draw parallels with the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the US which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. Floyd had said "I can't breathe" as a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.Nowak died shortly after being handcuffed by police. Once they realised he was injured, they uncuffed him and started CPR.The police force, Hampshire Police, has apologised.A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said it had received multiple requests to ‌consider raising Digwa's 21-year minimum ​sentence, adding that law officers have 28 days from sentencing to make a decision on any changes.

A concert by the US rapper Kanye West, who was supposed to perform on July 18 in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, has been banned on public safety grounds, the authorities said.The prefect of the province, Salvatore Angieri, said the decision was made following requests from bodies including the local Jewish community.They had "expressed reservations" about the appearance of the rapper as part of the Pulse of Gaia Festival, the statement released on Friday evening said.Another concert by the US rapper Travis Scott on July 17 has also been scrapped."The decision... was taken for reasons of protection of public order and safety, in view of the close timing of the events and the large crowd expected within a 24-hour period," the prefecture said."In the overall assessment, the cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the concrete risk of counter-demonstration also weighed in."