Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia is moving to distance itself from Russia and forge closer ties with the European Union. Despite pro-Russian disinformation campaigns targeting the government, the pro-European candidate won the parliamentary elections held on June 7.

Pope Leo XIV told Spanish bishops on Monday to provide reparations and adopt a "culture of care" ahead of an expected meeting with survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his weeklong visit to the country. The Spanish hierarchy had largely dismissed the scale of abuse in their church for decades until a newspaper began documenting a legacy of abuse and cover-up.

A drone that entered NATO member Latvia's airspace from Russia on Monday was shot down by a French military fighter jet, as fragments of another drone were found in a field in Moldova after it entered from Ukraine earlier the same day. Military drones straying into the airspace of ​Russia's neighbours have stoked concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling over NATO's borders.

At the MuMa du Havre, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei revisits Monet's famous Water lilies through two monumental works composed of 650,000 Lego bricks. Behind the technical prowess is also a more intimate story, marked by exile, dissent - and the artist's family history.

FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin is pleased to welcome Dr Narek Sukiasyan, Senior Policy Researcher at Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Armenia and Adjunct Lecturer at American University of Armenia. He argues that while Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's victory does signal a continued ouverture towards the West 'in the shape and form of the European Union" he must carefully manage Armenia's dependence on Russia. The election was about far more than foreign policy, explains Dr. Sukiasyan. Security, social concerns, economic vulnerability, and the legacy of conflict were equally central to voters' decisions. Armenia navigating multiple transitions at once: between war and peace, dependence and diversification, polarization and democratic consolidation. 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling party has won parliamentary elections, according to results from Armenia's electoral commission, cementing the nation's Westward tilt. The result comes despite threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. According to the country's electoral commission, voter turnout in the ballot was 59%.

Massimo Faggioli is a Church Historian and Professor in Historical and Contemporary Ecclesiology at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. He tells us more about Pope Leo XIV's visit to Spain.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling party has won parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results on Monday, setting the stage for a renewed mandate to pursue closer ties with the West after threats from Moscow.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party emerged as the largest force in Sunday's snap election but failed to secure enough support to govern alone, setting the stage for difficult coalition negotiations. The vote, marked by low turnout and voter frustration, is unlikely to end the political deadlock that has gripped the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won support from the leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Sunday for direct ceasefire talks with Russia, as diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled. The appeal came as Russian strikes reportedly damaged a nuclear fuel storage facility near the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

The world’s nuclear-armed states are increasingly moving warheads from storage onto operational delivery systems, raising the risk of conflict despite a gradual decline in overall stockpiles, researchers warned on Monday. SIPRI said geopolitical rivalry and a new arms build-up could reverse decades of reductions in nuclear arsenals.